Aurora's POV

I immediately utter a peaceful yawn as soon as I sit up in my bed. I could barely sleep last night, today was a day dreaded by most children my age… Reaping Day.

Curious how I always manage to wake up at dawn no matter how much sleep I get. I rise from my bed and place my feet carefully on the wooden floor. I had to walk in the right spots to avoid the creaky areas that would wake my aunts. The pattern to my wardrobe was the loudest one, but of course, only if I misstepped. Surprisingly, I didn't. Not even with all the nervousness fluttering inside me.

Finishing preparation, I sauntered downstairs to cook my aunts a savory breakfast of flapjacks and eggs. The scent wafted around the house, my aunts would wake up soon. Placing the meals on the table, I felt I was too tense to eat and omitted breakfast today.

"Maybe I just need some fresh air." I accidentally reason to myself out loud, alerting my aunt Merryweather, who happened to be at the doorway from the hall.

"Aurora!" Merryweather sternly exclaims, "You better not be trying to sneak off into the woods again. It's reaping day in case you didn't remember and-" She realized that I was fully dressed and had made a quaint little breakfast for her. "Oh, nevermind deary. You can go, just don't ruin your dress. You need to look good at the reaping."

Thus, I stepped out into the familiar briar-filled woods I had learned to love and enjoy. The pit in my stomach seemed to slowly be growing in a mix of fear and anxiety. As if it already knew who District 7's tributes would be this year.

Philip's POV

You could feel the sheer depression in the sleepy crowd as soon as the poor girl's name had been called:

"Alice Pleasance Liddell!" Maleficent called into the crowd of antsy children, dropping the slip of paper. A sly little smile prying across her face.

The girl who had been chosen however, was not smiling. She edged forward in her blue little dress, trying to keep tears back and procrastinating what had to be done. Her legs seemed to be made of wood, slowly and difficultly making her way towards the stage. I scanned the rest of the girls and spotted a teenager wearing the most pitying expression on her face. A small little tear sprang down her cheek as she watch the child slowly edge to the stage, until apparently she couldn't hold her herself back.

"I volunteer!" She suddenly outburst but oddly seemed unfazed as she silently twirled her way up to the stage. What was going on in her head? Perhaps now that she would be in the games she was trying to earn sponsors? Three stout little women behind the crowd burst into hysteria, the blue-dressed one angry, and the other two nearly crying.

"And what's you name Miss?" Maleficent looked like she already knew, her small little smile that was fading every second the little girl still had no volunteers broke into a deranged grin.

"Aurora Beauty." Aurora answered deadpan, her eyes glazed over, she stepped up onto the stage. Almost as if she had been hypnotized.

Suddenly, her eyes became normal, she looked around at the crowd, bewildered. Then a realization came to her, her eyes grew wide in terror as all the anxiety in her stomach was ejected onto the stage. There wasn't even very much, she must not have eaten this morning.

After the horrified girl was escorted off stage to be cleaned up, Maleficent, still having giggle fits, drew from the boys bowl.

"John, uh… Darling!"

A frail little boy in glasses was surprised. He was probably twelve, the poor boy, lost in his own mind. The lost little boy.

Then, In an instant the only thing I could see was Maleficent's "accessory" staff's green orb. It ominously beckoned me. I edged slowly toward it, my mouth opened and screamed something urgently, but I couldn't hear it. I danced toward it until I was almost able to touch it. My mouth opened to state another fact, the noise was like Lost Boy… gone.

All my senses then restored and I found myself on stage. I was shocked… but I didn't vomit.