District 12

Katniss Everdeen, (17), Victor of the 74th Hunger Games

While waiting to inevitably be selected to be District 12's female tribute for the second time in a row, one thought bounces around in Katniss' head over and over again.

Why didn't she just shoot him? Had she done that, she wouldn't be here right now. None of the Victors would be. Katniss still doesn't even understand why they made that damn "rule change" in the first place. By the time that they did, only two districts had both tributes still alive: Districts 2 and 12. She and Peeta hadn't even been working together until they made the announcement. Katniss had just lost Rue, and Peeta was screwing around with the boy from District 13, Charles.

She could have shot him. Though every time she thought of letting go of the string, the thought of the blond throwing her that bread on that dreaded day two years prior popped right back into Katniss' brain. Shooting him may have made her a bit unpopular for a while, but that would just mean less of the damn crowds. They would've liked her again by the Victory Tour, as District 12 has only scraped up a minuscule amount of Victors since the Games' inception. It's so rare that they bring one home, why would they try to hate a Victor that they'd probably have to watch as a Mentor for the rest of her life?

Katniss knows that this time will be different than last time. She doesn't have a choice this time. That's one of the only pros of the Quell - poor little Prim isn't eligible. And the majority of the competition won't be scared teenagers - this time, it will be experienced killers.

"Katniss Everdeen!" District 12's escort, Effie, half-yells, half-sobs.

With a grim expression across her face, Katniss mounts the stage once again as a tribute of District 12. But this time, after the berries, the 25 casualties that the Games will claim will all be because of her. She just hopes she won't have the entire competition running at her from the second the gong sounds.

Peeta Mellark, (17), Victor of the 74th Hunger Games

This whole entire thing just isn't fair.

It isn't fair that it was Peeta and Katniss who made it to the final two. It isn't fair that the Gamemakers' "rule change" was revoked. It isn't fair that since they refused to kill each other, that now twenty-five innocent Victors are going to die.

Though Peeta knows that this could have all been avoided had he just killed her. Killing, however, just really wasn't part of his nature. The three kills he had made prior were only to ensure the safety of him and his allies. To be completely honest, Peeta pretty much wishes that he had just done it. It would have been terrible, yes, of course it would have been. The Capitolites may have been pissed at him for a while, but he would have given the same gift to Katniss' family that they had to Thresh's and Rue's families: more than enough provisions to survive.

"Haymitch Abernathy!"

"I volunteer as tribute!" Peeta screams before his old Mentor can step forward.

Peeta also knows that it wouldn't be fair for Haymitch to die for something he didn't even do. He knows the same to be true about the Victors from the other twelve districts, but unfortunately, Peeta can't volunteer for them. He can volunteer for Haymitch, however.

As he mounts the stage, Peeta tries to reassure himself that it may not be that bad. At least perhaps this whole thing will cool the districts down a bit, and prevent the Capitol from being more cruel to them than usual for a little while. A memory of the boy from District 10, so helpless and frail as Peeta instinctively knifed him, catches the boy off guard, and he has to shake his head in order for the memory to fade away.

After being fifty percent of the cause for this whole thing, Peeta's 99% sure he won't be making it out of the arena alive. He hopes, at the very least, that some of the tributes in the Games will find it in their hearts to forgive him. He'd try his best to do so if he was on the other side of things. But still, as he has been told his entire life: not everyone is as forgiving as Peeta is.

A/N: A familiar place along with some familiar faces, District 12, Katniss and Peeta! This chapter was an interesting one to write, and I hope the same is true about reading it. As has been evident from the start, many things differ from canon, though I hope that I did these two justice. Thoughts?

We're not at the end of the road just yet. I'll see you all tomorrow just once more, in District 13!

Until next time.

-Bo