Disclaimer: I still do not own the Hunger Games. My sincerest apologies for the delay between chapters. My father's computer was down, so he was using mine, leaving me effectively computerless. I have now joined camp nanowrimo and am trying to make up for lost time. So thank you for your patience. My goal is to have the reapings completed by the end of the month. Thank you to when-is-winter-coming for Charlotte Bridges, Ariem for Alaward Greene, Flying Spaghettei Lover for Mercedes Latimer and xxbookwormmockingjay for Jasper Cavallo.

Also, note for anyone whose stories I'm currently reading, my progress & reviewing of those has also been delayed because of lack of computer. I'll be trying to catch up on those this coming week. (Elim9 and when-is-winter-coming, here's looking at both of you.)

Placing hate on your name – District Five

Aphrodite Aurelius – District Five Escort

Even after all these years, it felt as though she was standing in a stolen place, where someone else should have been. Standing on the stage, long before the crowds were ushered in, it was almost as though Aphrodite could feel Allorea McKenna staring down at her. She certainly wouldn't be smiling, but looking down on her in warning.

Aphrodite had stopped fooling herself into saying that maybe this would be the year. Her father had reminded her that success came when it was least looked for. Maybe this year was his way of trying to give her an unanticipated victory so she could finally be recognized and finally be done with this hell.

She knew, of course, what he had planned. She could only imagine the commotion that had accompanied the surprises in the other districts, the surprise that would come to her own assigned district in just a couple of moments when they heard four names called instead of three. Maybe one of those four would return home and relieve her of her duty, finally freeing her of the burden Allorea had thrust her with.

Yes, district five had been more hopeful than district twelve, her original district, but with the death of their only victor during the 18th Hunger Games, the district was depressed, despondent, hopeless. If she could turn that around, she would consider herself a victor.

"Are you ready?" Simon Peredeur, the district five escort asked. She nodded, not finding the ability to lie to him. Of course the answer was a mixed one, she was more ready than the tributes were, but not nearly as ready as she needed to be.

The children were now making their way in, the rows and rows of them all from 12 to 18. Aphrodite managed a welcoming smile, though no one in the crowd returned it. She certainly felt no affection radiating from anyone who stood before her. She was the mentor who for the past six years had failed at her mission to bring anyone home. Why should they return her warmth?

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to the first quarter quell. I would like to extend our thanks again to Ms. Aphrodite Aurelius for joining us again as our capitol mentor." He gestured graciously at her, and Aphrodite bowed slightly, eager for Simon to get on with it. Simon returned his attention to the crowd, but he hesitated. Did he know, Aphrodite wondered, and, studying his expression as he waited, she concluded that he must have at least suspected.

"This year, your district has had the burden of selecting two tributes from your own families, your friends to enter the arena. Last night, you all did your patriotic duty, and all of you who were eligible to vote did so. These are the results of your decision."

Simon drew the first name from his pocket where he had kept it carefully guarded. Only then did Aphrodite notice the bowl held under the podium that he had been eyeing.

"For the girls, Charlotte Bridges."

It was almost as though a sigh of relief parted the crowd as the ginger haired girl from the sixteen year old section stepped forward. She was smiling as she made her way past several rows of people her head held high. How could she be smiling, Aphrodite wondered and sighed internally. What had she gotten herself into?

"For the boys, Alaward Greene," Simon announced.

There was no relief in the seventeen year old section as the owner of this name's eyes grew wide with fear and realization. Aphrodite could see the shock on his face as he took a deep breath and forced himself to take one step at a time towards the stage. Each step was more hesitant than the last and it looked like all he could do to look forward instead of back, but he managed his way to the stage. Once he was there, though, the girl managed a smile at him. She reached her hand out and he took it, even before prompted by Simon.

"In the Capitol's wisdom, because of the events of last year, it has been determined that another reaping shall commence. This time, there shall be no volunteers. I will call a girl's name and a boy's and they shall be joining these two tributes already on stage."

And there it was, Aphrodite thought. The terror in the area was palatable. This district wasn't like one, two and four, who had had the luxury of choosing their prizes, tributes who would have volunteered anyway. It had obviously taken a toll on this district to choose these two, no matter what their reasons had been. It was times like these that Aphrodite wished she knew these people better, rather than only being here for short times each year. If she knew these children's histories, she might be better able to help them. But as it was, that wasn't her place. Now she just waited with baited breath as Simon took his time drawing the name for the girls, as though by making the seconds tick by more and more slowly he could delay the inevitable.

"For the second round female tribute, we have Ms. Mercedes Latimer."

She was a younger girl, Aphrodite realized as the 15 year old section parted for a petite girl with short brown hair and dark skin. The girl didn't make a move towards the stage, but tears started pouring down her cheeks uncontrollably. Her brown eyes weren't even visible as she covered them with her hands.

"Come on," Aphrodite whispered as the Peacekeepers started to close in on her. "Be brave," she begged. But the girl had to be plucked up by the Peacekeepers. Once they had her in their arms she didn't resist, but didn't stop her tears either. They placed her on the stage where the older girl tried to give her a reassuring smile. Mercedes didn't look up until Charlotte wrapped her arms around her. She didn't say anything, didn't lie and say that it would be okay, but that gesture alone seemed to be enough to get Mercedes calm, at least for the moment.

Simon paused, wanting to detract attention from Mercedes, but obviously unsure whether calling the boy's name would make it better or worse. Aphrodite nodded at him. Might as well get it over with as soon as possible, get all four of the children out of the public eye for a couple of merciful moments.

"For the boys you second round tribute is Jasper Cavallo."

There was a pause as the boy in the sixteen year old section paused, realizing his name had been called. For a brief moment his face was blank and Aphrodite feared they might have a repeat of Mercedes breakdown. But the boy managed to put on a smile and strode forward towards the stage. At 5'10 he toward over the other three tributes, but managed to reach down and shake hands with all of them as Simon helped her usher them off of the stage.

"You're going to have your hands full," he commented and Aphrodite nodded in agreement.

Charlotte Bridges – First round Female Tributes

"I don't want to see him," Charlotte insisted to the Peacekeeper. She could hear Gerard's voice and she only could pray that the Peacekeepers would listen to her. As his tone rose, though she began to doubt it more and more and she braced herself against the door. She would stand firm. She would not let his face be the last thing in District Five that she saw.

She felt the door begin to give. So the Peacekeepers weren't helping her after all. She felt a tear threatening at her eyes as she forced herself to put as much of her strength into holding the door fast as possible. No one else would come. It would only be Gerard and she didn't want that. She would, in fact, have given anything to never see him again, even her life.

Then it happened! The door gave and Charlotte felt herself tumble to the ground in reaction to the action.

"How dare you!" Gerard hollered, the fury she had feared for so long raged stronger than ever in his eyes. How dare you campaign and think that you're good enough to go in the Games. How dare you think you can escape me. You're mine, you little bitch." She struggled to get up, to race to the other side of the room, tried to yell for help, anything. But he grabbed her hair tight in her fist. She winced as she could feel him grabbing a strand of it and as she squirmed it came lose.

"No you don't. It isn't over, you know." He grabbed her by the shoulders. He was going to try to take her there, she realized. Didn't he know they only had three minutes and then the Peacekeepers would be in to save her? Didn't he realize then she'd be gone.

"It's over, Gerard. I'm coming home a victor."

"Oh, I'm sure you will," he agreed, his voice softening and her heartbeat slowed a little. She looked into his eyes searching for the man she had first fallen in love with, the gentle man who had captured her heard only to play his terrible mind games with it. "You'll come back and then you'll be mine." He stroked her cheek and his lips came down on hers, almost as gently as they had the first time. Forgetting everything, forgetting her terror, she kissed him back. It wasn't the monster she was kissing now, it was the man who had captured her heart, the man she longed to return to, the man she would dream of in the coming nights in the arena. She closed her eyes, not sure whether she wanted to Peacekeepers to come and rescue her or whether she never wanted to leave this moment.

Let him have this moment, she thought. The rest that follow are finally mine.

Alaward Greene – Age 17 First Round Male Tribute

Alaward was sincerely surprised when the door opened. He hadn't been expecting anyone to come and see him, not after what he had done. And then, certainly, not after what they had done.

He should have seen it coming. After he had betrayed the rebellion, they hadn't chased him, hadn't come after him then. Now he knew why. After Allorea's death, they held enough sway in the district to push the votes, to punish him. He never should have crossed them.

Alaward wasn't even certain he wanted to look up to face whoever had come to see him. He had spent the last several minutes bathing in regret and self-pity, but they had seemed like hours. He had turned his back on everything his father had fought for, endangered it and now he was to pay the price. Anyone who had come would only tell him the same thing.

"Are you not even going to look me in the eye?" a familiar voice gently broke the silence. Alaward looked up in surprise to see Seamus McKenna, his best friend. His eyes immediately filled with tears as he met those of the older man, using a peg leg as he always did.

"I'm sorry," Alaward managed before standing and wrapping his arms around his friend.

"I've already forgiven you," Seamus whispered. "I only wish I weren't the only one."

"Seamus, after what I did, I'm surprised anyone forgave me. My father . . ."

"He won't be coming," Seamus confirmed Alaward's suspicions. It was probably for the better. The less the group of rebels was exposed the better for him.

"I'll go quietly," Alaward said, but Seamus shook his head. "It'll only cause more problems for you the longer I live."

"No. You fight. You're in the arena because you turned on us, but you know how to use that. You know how powerful we can be here. It's clear in the fact that you're in the arena. I even rallied some people to not vote for you. The rebellion is strong here. Now, I'm not going to lose you, so when you're in there, you use that to your advantage, whichever way you can. Trust your instincts. You'll know what to do."

Alaward nodded. There wasn't much more he really could do. He would certainly size up the arena. But if he played up his connections to the rebellion, wouldn't he be putting a giant target on his back for the Capital, a target that wouldn't allow him to escape the arena alive. Yes, it had happened before, when Allorea had won, despite her father's supposed rebellious links, but then look at what had happened to him. He had been dead before she had returned and then her downward spiral had begun. That wasn't the life he wanted for himself or for Seamus. Unless. . .

Did that mean Seamus had some sort of a plan? He couldn't ask him here, he knew. Even though there were no direct cameras there was a sense that they were being listened to, that they were never secure.

"I wish there were something I could give you, kid. It looks like I've got to go now," Seamus managed, seeing the Peacekeeper looming at the door. Alaward was really starting to detest that Peacekeeper outfit. He released Seamus, and the last part of District Five with him.

Mercedes Latimer – District Five round 2 Female Tribute

Her grandmother held her close as the moments ticked away. She couldn't cry now, not after all her tears had been shed on the stage. She had to be strong for her grandmother.

"What will happen to you now?" Mercedes managed. They had been all that the other had had since the rest of her family had died, her mother in childbirth and her father only a distant memory from her early years. They had been pinching it to make ends meet with Mercedes taking tesserae. Now, with their income from her job and her additional money at an end, what would her grandmother do?

"Don't worry about me," Fiona whispered, just as Mercedes knew she would. "If I get you back, nothing else will matter. You just focus on that, child." Mercedes nodded, fighting the tears back again. How could she focus on that all the while fearing for her grandmother's life? "I'll manage," her grandmother repeated, as though she could read her granddaughter's thoughts.

She pressed something soft into Mercedes' hand. As she looked down she saw a scrap of something she had only ever seen before in pictures: her mother's wedding dress. She'd never known her mother, but if the rest of her family were any indication of the love that banded them together then it was a force to be reckoned with, a force that could win the games and bring her home safely again.

Jasper Cavallo District 5 Round 2 Male

"I'm coming home," Jasper promised. His whole family had come to say goodbye; that was to say, his mother, his father and Regina. His little sister clung tightly to his leg. Her eyes, that everyone else in the district always shied away from because they were different, locked into his. She didn't say anything, but he hadn't really expected her to. After all, when you're a ten year old girl, what is there to say when it might be the last time you see your brother.

Jasper still couldn't believe his name had been called, of course, not after the whole affair of the first round. There were so many other people it could have been. Why him?

There was no time for self-pity, thought. He put on a brave face, his biggest smile and hoisted Regina, his little sister up onto his knee.

"You know I'd do anything to get back here," Jasper said. "So whatever you see on the screen, whatever you see me do, know that it's only so I can come home to you. Okay."

Regina nodded. No matter what else she remembered from today, Jasper was determined that she would remember that her brother loved her, not the monster that he might have to become in order to come back to her.

"You will come back son," his father said, smoothing down Jasper's hair even as his sister tussled it. "We believe in you." Jasper smiled, knowing it was true.

"I made you something," Regina whispered. She held out a rope bracelet with four beads on it.

"There's one for each of us," Regina explained. "Mom's," she pointed to the lavender one color "dad's" as she held the warm orange bead "Yours" she said, pointing out the beautiful sky blue one "and mine" she held the light pink one.

"Thank you, Reg," Jasper said quietly, holding the bracelet. "I'll treasure it. You know I will. And I'll bring it back with me. I promise."

Jasper smiled at his family as they left the room. That was a promise he intended with all his heart to keep.

"So I'm sorry if I ever resisted
I never had a doubt you ever existed
I only have a problem when people insist on
Taking their hate and placing it on your name"