District Twelve: Swayed Affections

Mentor: Aphrodite Aurelius

Escort: Eusebios Herodion

At long last Welcome to District 12 site of the final Reapings. Thank you for your patience through these. I do not own The Hunger Games.

Thank you to KadenB and jakey121 respectively for Gloria and Tanner.

Please note: I'm hoping to post a poll on my profile asking for favorite tributes. This will not influence who wins, but, in a similar way that my sister, Elim9, conducts polls, it will help me to know who my readers are connecting with.

Also, a note on District 11's mentor, I due to changes in the plotline I am amending his mentioned backstory. It was stated that he'd been District 11's mentor since the beginning of the games, but that is no longer the case. The chapter will be edited to reflect that change and future chapters will reveal the details of that history.

Brutus Laertes – Head Gamemaker

Brutus breathed a sigh of relief as the cameras zoomed into the crowded plaza in District Twelve. The final Reaping. The morning had passed and most of the afternoon had waned, soaked in the fatiguing task of watching the Reapings, praying that they would be perfect, yet knowing there was no such thing. Now, as they drew to a close, he couldn't help but feel his heart beating faster. He was feeling the weight of the faces, the families ripped apart, not knowing if they would ever see their children again, save on the television screens. After years of direct involvement in the games he thought he had surely become numb to any of this, but clearly being in a different position had once again placed him at the forefront of the emotional fray.

He clenched his fists tightly as the cameras focused in on a familiar face: Aphrodite.

How she had begged him not to put her in Twelve, but it was the only option. They needed her. Eusebios had practically begged Brutus to put his daughter there. Despite her protests, his friend's emotions had won over those of his daughter.

She would be strong enough, he told himself as the camera zoomed in even closer on her face, on her bright blue eyes, so optimistic, so driven, so eager to be anywhere else. Her smile was a successful mask, donned for the tributes, for the audience, for him. If he hadn't known any better he would have thought that she was the star of the show.

"Welcome, my dear young men and women of District Twelve to the Reapings for the Eighteenth Annual Hunger Games," Eusebios announced, his voice echoing through the plaza. There was no sound in return, only the wind rippling through the plaza furiously.

"I would like to introduce to you this year's mentor, Aphrodite Aurelius," she stepped forward steadily, her height combined with her heals towering over Eusebios. Already she seemed the more constant figure, the most dependable person onstage. There was even scattered applause throughout the plaza at her approach.

Brutus smiled, his eyes mirroring hers even over such a great distance. He settled into his chair one last time as the Capitol anthem filled the square.

Aphrodite Aurelius – District 12 Mentor

One less step stood between her and victory. She could feel herself slipping into her emotionless mask, her eyes fixed on those furthest away from her as the notes of the Capitol anthem and then the history of Panem droned into the background.

Aphrodite was grateful for the wind; it was drowning out all other sounds in her ears. Then, whether by fate or coincidence it stopped as abruptly as Eusebios stepped towards the Reaping bowls. As though missing the comforting movement, his hand shook as he drew out the name for the girls.

"For our young ladies," he swallowed, as though he himself were almost afraid. "Gloria Leeper."

The resistance to motion was palpable as all eyes turned towards the twelve year old section. A young girl in a pale yellow dress slowly emerged, making her way towards the center aisle. As she slowly put one foot in front of the other, proceeding bravely towards the stage, every head seemed to turn with a sympathetic look, some eyes in the audience even brimmed with tears. As she reached the platform, the girl's lip began to quiver and only then did Aphrodite see it; the girl had a cleft lip.

The tears finally fell as she took her place beside Eusebios, who looked down at her for an intense moment. Aphrodite backed up. She wanted no part of this. Her feet longed to run as she saw the escort reach up to his own eyes and wipe away a couple tears before steadying himself and returning to the audience, as silent as a grave.

Drawing in a deep breath, Eusebios reached his hand one last time into the opposite bowl. His hand was steady this time, perhaps convinced that the candidate couldn't be more vulnerable than the one who stood before him.

"For the boys, Tanner Amori," he announced, struggling to banish the emotion from his voice. After the years of serving as escort, the games were finally getting to him.

The eighteen year old section seemed to nudge a short boy to the center. As he rolled his blue eyes, the wind picked up again, tossing his already messy hair as he walked briskly towards the stage, his face contorted with emotion. No tears fell as he mounted the stage and shook Eusebios's hand. Only then, as he stood there beside him, turning to face his district, did a smile cross Tanner's face. As he stood, there, though, his face turning a ghastly pale shade as tears brimmed from his eyes, contrasting drastically with his smile.

It seemed as though the entire district hinged upon Eusebios's next words. Instead, he said nothing, placing one hand on each of his emotional tributes' shoulders, gesturing for them to join hands. They did, Tanner still locked in a fight of smiles and tears and Gloria's eyes simply brimming as she struggled to control the overflow onto her cheeks.

As the two of them disappeared for their final farewells, Eusebios and Aphrodite joined hands.

"I'm glad you're here," he whispered to her. "I believe you're going to bring one of them home."

Aphrodite could feel the weight on her shoulders as he said it. She could only hope, she thought gloomily as she set her mind to the task at hand.

Gloria Leeper – Age 12

"I wish I could have volunteered for you," Cindy whispered, clutching Gloria's hands tightly, afraid of what would happen after she let go.

Gloria's parents had already come. Being an only child, it had been a simple, tear filled goodbye, from which Gloria was still shaking. Now the only person who remained to farewell her was her teacher, Cindy.

"It's okay," Gloria whispered, utterly at a loss for words. Of course Cindy couldn't have volunteered for her. She was over twenty, far too old to be eligible for the Reapings. Besides, Gloria wouldn't have expected anyone to volunteer for her. Despite all of the sympathetic looks from her fellow students, from the families standing on the sidelines, no one should have felt they needed to risk their life for her.

"I'm just glad that. . ." Gloria paused, caught by her own rhetoric. She had thanked her parents for loving her, for working hard for her sake, to give her the best life they could and they had both burst into tears, emotion completely overwhelming them. But she was all that her parents had, their only child. How grateful would they be for her life if it was ripped from her in the games?

"You don't have to always be grateful," Cindy insisted, her voice raising to a level Gloria had only ever heard her take with the students who bullied her or students who needed to learn their lesson. Her teacher took a firmer grip on the girl's hands and Gloria looked into the eyes of her best friend. "Anger can keep you alive. Feel that emotion, and you can come out of this. I believe in you."

She was fumbling for words too, Gloria realized, as tears ran down the face of the strongest person she'd ever known. The person who had protected Gloria from bullies, who had taken her aside whenever she was struggling with not having friends at school, Gloria's hero, was freely allowing the tears to fall to her cheeks.

"No matter what happens, I'm glad I've had you," Gloria finished bravely.

Those words brought a smile to Cindy's face as she wrapped her arms around the little girl.

"Be brave," she whispered as she disentangled herself. "You'll have to take on the bullies by yourself now." And then she left of her own free will, unwilling to let their time be ended by the Peacekeepers.

And for the first time in her life, Gloria was alone, her grateful nature fighting to find the courage to accept the anger that Cindy had told her might just save her life.

Tanner Amori – Age 18

"You're getting out of there with your life, son," Tanner's father's stubborn voice filled the room as he held his son's chin steady in his hands. Tanner's tears had stopped when he saw his father. It was as though the older man's stubborn refusal to accept defeat had amplified Tanner's emotions.

These emotions, unfortunately, weren't shared by his mother. She stood huddled in the corner in tears, a complete basket-case. Her hand was clasped over Thia's mouth, no doubt terrified that Tanner's smart-mouthed sister would ruin the moment, would irreparably damage the familial relationships as they said what, in her mind, could only be goodbye.

Tanner re-directed his attention to his father. He couldn't afford to think like this. Yes, District Twelve had yet to have a victor, but that didn't mean his odds this year were any less than anyone else's.

"You have the best chance," Tanner's father elaborated, as though reading his son's thoughts. "You're among the oldest, the most athletic, and I have no doubt that you'll be the most stubborn person in the arena." This made Tanner smile a little. It was true. Not only was he stubborn, but he was very determined to stay alive. If life in District 12 hadn't taught him that, between struggling for food and making friends with the baker's son in order to help his family, the character that had shaped his life certainly had. Years ago he might have been bitter, may have rolled over and admitted defeat, but not now. Not after his teenage years in school had escalated him to heights worthy of a victor.

"I'm proud to be your son," Tanner finally said, rising to his feet, his voice steady as he knew he was bading farewell to his family, to his home, at least for a little while. "I'm proud to represent District 12."

Then his family was gone and his pride, fighting to overcome his other emotions, was all he had left.

"I have not known when his affections swayed

More than his reason" – Act 2, Scene 1