Chapter one, Lennix's POV ::

There I sat on the solid floor. My brother, Keran, sat just a ways in front of me. His small fingers were picking up alphabet blocks one by and carefully setting them on top of each other. He was only four years old, such an innocent age to be. I couldn't help thinking about that age again, when I was truly free.

"Lenny," Keran's voice shot suddenly through the air. "Do you like my block tower Lenny."

I couldn't help but smile; it was a small structure with the word 'Lenny' written in big block letters as it went up. "It's beautiful," I smiled back at the small child quickly. Keran was my favorite sibling. It was obvious that we were brothers.

My mother entered through the door of the room. She was obviously tired; you could tell by her messed up makeup and someone knotted hair. The factory work must've been hard for her today. Of course, it always seemed to be hard. I work in a smaller factory then both of my parents; it really isn't that tiring there, only a bit tedious.

"You must be getting ready," My mother's shrill voice broke through the air. She was born in district three but she had the natural voice of a capitol woman. Sometimes it scared me.

"I know mother," I shot back at her with an equally annoying tone, the sarcastic kind that I'm sure most people don't necessarily like.

"Playing with Keran is not preparing you for the reaping," my mother spoke as she walked out of the room. She was never the kind to pick up sarcasm. Maybe they didn't have it back when she was a kid.

I got up slowly, stretching my muscles. "I gotta go Keran," I muttered before racing out of the room and to my own. This was my fourth reaping; my chances were just getting higher every year. I hoped that by the time my bother grew up, we didn't have to have them at all.

The choice of deciding what to wear was a bit hard. I eventually decided on a set of normal day clothes. In some of the districts like one and two, they take an effort to look good. Don't they realize that even the reaping is just like the beginning of the television show? That is it just a way so that we just look like good dressed actors for the 'performance' to come? Obviously not.

Still I continued, running a small comb through my hair to make it look smooth. Even though I didn't want to look perfect, my mother would complain if my appearance wasn't acceptable. No one really wanted to go to a reaping looking like a fool. After all, cameras are known to be like mice around the place, watching every move that some careless person may make.

I was not in the mood for my face to be shown, messy on a large screen as they replayed the reaping. Plus, if I happened to be chosen, what would I do then?

Finally, I decided to have my hair just dipping about my eyebrows. In truth, I could proudly say that I looked a lot like most of the people that lived here in district four. Semi-long hair, dark eyes, dark hair. We're all the same here.

Walking in, my mother hastily brought her hand to my arm in a quick motion. The slap hurt a bit; still I only knew that it was to remind me of my duties. This is how they punished us in the factory, I was a bit used to it you could say.

"Remember your duties to your country Lennix," her shrill voice cut through the air. She obviously didn't think that I was going to be picked today. After all, my family wasn't rich. We sure weren't poor though. Us, well we were just average. In other words, I had only gotten one tessarae in my life, the first year when I was only twelve years old. Now, I'm fourteen.

My older brother, Archer had already survived through the reaping every year. Now being nineteen, my parents expect me to follow his footsteps, to bypass this day as easily as he did.

Archer never needed to get one tessarae. People tell me that I caused too many problems for my family, making them poor, therefore needing to use my first tessarae the year I turned twelve. I try not to believe them though.

"Okay mum," I shouted to her as she walked out. You could tell that she was trying to make an effort to be seen. Her unnaturally colored blonde hair was piled high on her small head. Decorated with pins and sticks of every color. She had a small black dress on with a crimson red rose pinned to it. It made me want to puke. Sometimes, I could swear that she that she came from the capitol. All of her odds and ends of things, its rather funny really.

Walking towards the door, I felt a weight on my leg. It was small, but very effective.

"Let go Keran," I muttered, trying to shake him off of my leg. Still, the young child held tight.

"You better stay safe Lenny," His voice sounded raspy and I could tell that each word was forced. Behind his eyes, I could see tears ready to burst out.

"Trust me, I will," I gave my little bother a toothy smile, feeling the weight on my leg release slowly. There was still a nervous wave spinning through the air though, I could feel it.

"Cross you heart, now." The tone in my brother's voice wasn't fearful anymore. Now it was serious, it gave me the impression of a mouse, trying hard to squeak for help but being just a little quiet.

"I cross my heart," I promised, tracing my finger in an 'x' across my heart. I was positive that I would be safe. Still, there was always that hidden chance that the promise could be broken. I didn't tell this to my brother though, giving him this knowledge would only make him fell all the worse.

"Good," a smile lit up the child's face as he raced away, only to probably play with his small toy car that he always used to run around the house with. It was his overall symbol of who he was, a small innocent child. Not a care in the words to think about to take action to. Just to breathe and play the life of a small child.