"It doesn't make any sense." Junior Councilman Juarez Nicolby said, rubbing his temples.

"Yes I suppose it does seem strange at first, but it's actually quite simple." his aide answered, "While we usually pick two tributes from each District, one male and one female, this time we are selecting twenty-four tributes from all of the Districts combined. Instead of lots of small bowls, we'll just have one big bowl."

That wasn't what he meant, and Juarez considered correcting them but decided against it. His last aide had retired rather suddenly, and he couldn't rule out the possibility that this one was a spy. As a member of the Panemian Ruling Council, he had many enemies, including several of his councilfolk. It wouldn't do to voice his suspicions to anyone whose loyalties were yet to be proven.

Then again, he had always had a problem with keeping his mouth entirely shut. "But why this twist of all things? The point of the Games is to keep the Districts so busy fighting against each other that they won't mount an attack on us."

"I thought the Games was about-"

Juarez waved a hand and cut off his aide before they were able to spout off whatever line of propaganda they had in mind. "There are many reasons behind the Games." He explained, "Some obvious, some less so. It was a brilliantly crafted idea, but this twist almost undermines it. Instead of thinking of themselves as twelve separate Districts, they might consider themselves one oppressed group. And then we'll all be in trouble."

"You're talking about a rebellion, sir?" his aide asked.

Spy or not, Juarez had the feeling he was going to fire this aide. They were not a particularly fast thinker, and seemed to see Panem only as the country it appeared to be. Panem was a shining jewel, on the surface. But just underneath the surface, there was a world that was corrupt and calculating and far more interesting than the patriotic hogwash that was splattered all over the television. Someone who couldn't see the truth could never hope to fix it.

Ever since he was a child, Juarez had a love for broken things. His father was an engineer and would bring home parts that had snapped or become redundant. He would try to fix them, or if nothing could be done find a way to repurpose them. By the time Juarez was twelve his room was absolutely full of whirring contraptions and glued together engines. That was the year he watched a girl get reaped who was the same age as him.

"Don't worry," his father told him, "You're from the Capitol. You'll never be reaped."

The girl died, and Juarez realized that he was living right in the middle of the most broken thing of all. He started getting into politics. First as part of the class council, then as part of the education board, until eventually at the age of 23 he was the youngest council member ever of the PRC. He wanted to fix Panem, end the inequality between the Capitol and the Districts. And he was finally in a position where he could enact real change.

Except then there was the Rebellion.

Theoretically he agreed with the rebels. The Capitol had too much power, the Hunger Games were barbaric, and better living conditions for the Districts were needed. But while he was going about things the proper way, changing things from inside the system, the rebels were obsessed with burning it down. He wouldn't be able to change anything if Panem was reduced to a flaming mass of rubble.

Which is why this newest Quell twist bothered him so much. It was the kind of twist a rebel would think up. Juarez had suspected there was some sort of rebel influence high in Panemian government for some time. Last year's Games had all but confirmed it, sparking riots in several districts. But if they had enough influence to rig the mini Quell in their favor, they had more power than he originally thought.

Juarez sent his aide away on some unimportant errand so that he could have some time to think by himself. He had told other people about his rebellion theory of course, but the only person who even seemed remotely credulous was President Thornewood. Everyone else said he was merely overreacting. He would have to be careful about getting too much of a reputation for jumping at shadows. While he was part of the ruling council of Panem, he was still a junior member. His power was not yet solidified. So he would have to investigate his suspicions carefully.

He lifted up his cup of tea to take a sip and noticed a piece of paper underneath. It was folded neatly in half three times and when he opened it he found it was hand written in plain but precise script.

Councilman Nicolby,

I apologize for making my message so covert. It does feel a little like some spy game I would have conceived as a child, but I believe we both know the Capitol is a dangerous place. We both could use allies, perhaps even friends if the circumstances are right. I have been watching you since last year's Hunger Games when you confronted President Thornewood and believe you are in possession of a keen instinct and a strong heart. I may have information on a matter you might be invested in. If you are interested in continuing a correspondence, please leave a note on this very tray by the seven tonight. One of my operatives shall retrieve it. If you are not interested, or perhaps even offended, no further action is required.

I wish you well either way,

A.S.

At first, Juarez wondered if the letter ended up in his personal chambers was some sort of veiled threat. But nothing else in the note seemed to hold any malice. Perhaps it was just the easiest way this person could send along a private note. He wasn't sure if he trusted this A.S., or if anything at all would come of it. But he was curious, and in a position such as his all information was useful. At the very least, it would be better than relying on his aide for stimulating conversation.

He picked up a pen and started to draft a reply.

AN: hey look it's another chapter! It's still a prologue, because we have a lot of political ground to cover. But I'd say we're maybe halfway through those. I'd like to let everyone know that I'm extending my submission deadline to the 8th of March, so please send me your lovely tributes. If you're having some trouble thinking of ideas, I've thought about just throwing out some silly tidbits about my verse.

Three is the newest career District, and did pretty darn well last year, which may have caused the other career districts to try and ramp their training up.

District Five is still in the middle of incredibly long trade talks. There was rumors of a strike a year ago, but the mayor's daughter was reaped and it was publicly leaked that the president rigged the reapings to do it. So things are just really tense there right now.

There have been riots in Districts Six, Seven, and Ten. District Nine is in peacekeeper lockdown and has very strict rules.

District Twelve was bombed, just like cannon. They were then rooted out of District Thirteen and put back in Twelve. The Capitol has also started putting political prisoners there to repopulate the area, so Twelve is a super weird diverse place

Obviously no one needs to do anything with any of that. But I'm also beginning to realize just how much worldbuilding I have and I want to spit it out somewhere.

But anyway, thank you very much for reading!