I frowned as I looked across the ocean of people to the one person I had ever related to. He had just finished with the blood test and was now moving into the pen of animals most called humans. Careers. All of them. All but one, now that Darek was in the crowd. My eyes snapped back in front of me. I scanned the backs of about five other girls heads. I recognized them all. I had seen her, watched her fish, and possibly shot a rock at her with my make-shift sling shot.

"Next!" The grouchy Peace-keeper said and the line of girls moved forwards about a foot.

"If only I had that sling shot now." I muttered to myself with a small smile. It looked as if the girl who I had once shot the rock at smiled. Probably not. After all I could only see her long, blonde hair that flowed like an ocean of yellow. I quite resented that color. No reason, but I found it ugly.

"Next!" The peace keeper almost shouted at me. I hadn't realized it while I was caught up in my thoughts, but it was now my turn. I stuck my hand out and the lady poked it. No blood. She poked it again. Still non. She growled when for the third time, the needle was still unaffected on my finger. She quickly jabbed it into the base of my finger and tore a line down to the tip of my finger.

A few drops of blood oozed out.

I grinned at the woman's frustration. I smeared my bloody finger on the paper.

"Next!" She called as I moved away form the line and into the pen of animals. I waited. I played with my dress. After about thirty minutes, everyone was in the pens. I looked over into the male's pen and met the eyes of my one true friend. We had a silent conversation from across the animal-ocean.

It went something like this, with him starting; "How many times?"

"Three." I had said silently.

"Only that many? Usually it takes more..." He had said.

"You missed the last part. That was before she slit my hand open." I had joked as I held up my hand. I saw his face light up with a grin as mine did.

I heard the clop of high heels and Darek and I looked to the stage. In front of a mic was a short, red haired, black dressed woman.

"Welcome welcome, to the annual 100th Hunger Games Reaping! As usual," she said and walked over to a large screen. The video played, as it always did. The woman walked back to the mic. "Now, as always, Ladies first!" The obnoxious voice said into the mic. She walked over to the huge, glass bowl that held over ten thousand tickets for the girls.

"Now! The moment you've all been waiting for!" She called as she shoved her hand into the bowl. She swirled it around, as if looking for one in particular. Who knows? Maybe they fixed it so one special girl would be chosen?

"Kenania Ladorath!" The called joyously. My heart stopped beating.

"No!" I heard someone shriek. It was the only thing that saved me from suffocating. "No!" The voice shrieked again. It was once I turned my head to see who the voice of pure agony was comming from I recognized it. It was Darek. Our eyes locked.

"I can't lose you!" His eyes screamed to me. I said nothing back. My face was a mask of pure blankness. "Please!" His eyes begged mine. I still showed nothing. I felt a cold tear gather up in the corner of my eye. It was nothing compared to the salt-water-satined boy's face I was looking into. The drop of water rolled silently down my face as I tore my gaze from his. My eyes moved to my left, opposite of the direction in which my friend was shrieking out my name in agony.

I made one foot move.

Then the other.

Slowly, ever so slowly, I made my body move through the now clear pen of animals. My eyes looked at all the faces that had parted out of my way.

I made my way out of the pen, taking in each face that parted out of my way. I heard Darek's cries faid as the arms of my unknown friends slowly held him back. Obviously more people knew and cared about me than I had cared to notice.

"Come on, dear." The woman who had called my name said. I was almost up the steps as one last scream from my true friend escaped his lips. My head whizzed around to look at him, but instead all I saw was about fifty people with their arms, hands, and bodies enclosed around what looked to be a human.

My face turned back to the woman as I slowly ascended the steps.

"Aah! Very good!" The woman said, closing her warm arms around my frozen body. "Yes, very good! Now," She said as she began to pluck the names from the bowl. The names of the girls that would die in less than tow days, I reckoned. I didn't pay attention to anyone, anything. I just stood there, by that Woman's side as my body shut down.

"Yes! Excellent choice for our 100th Hunger Games winner, don't you think?" The woman said and started to clap. No one clapped. No one moved. One man, a parent of one of the girls who was sure to die, raised his hand and did the solute for District 4. He was saying good bye to his daughter, I thought. Then another. Then another. Soon almost every Man, Woman, girl, and boy was doing it. It was then that I realized that even the girls on stage were doing it.

Doing it to me.

Joesph ignored the pricking of his finger, he'd done this for three years in a row. There was no way a needle would distract him from the Games, which the twelve year old's seemed to do. Pretend the pricking was all the pain they'd suffer today. After the lady impatiently yelled at him, Joesph smeared his finger across a piece of perfect white paper and then hastily shuffled into the crowd and stood quietly. Joesph was wearing a dark indigo tuxedo, one his father wore for his Reaping. The tux covered a clean white dress shirt, which had a black tie pinned to it. Much to Joesph's dismay, his hair was combed back. He ruffled it until it stuck out in about five different directions, like he always wore it. Finally, a lady went on about the Hunger Games for five minutes before the video was shown, and Joesph literally fell asleep during it, and was so utterly surprised when the blaring noise stopped Joesph nearly fell over. The lady called out, "as always, ladies first!" And went on, taking the entire process a good half hour. Joesph mainly ignored the names called, but picked up one in particular. Kenania Ladorath. Joesph had seen her at school a few times, but other than that, she was a complete stranger. As the last female was called Joesph took a deep breath, and pushed his way to the front of the crowd. "I volunteer as the first male tribute."

The lady at first looked surprised, but it soon faded to gratitude. "What a courageous young man! Come up here, and tell us your name." Joesph stumbled onto the stage, and grunted. "Joesph Wolfe." The lady smiled. and said to the crowd, "let's give him a round of applause!" As usual, complete silence followed. Slowly, one by one, everyone said the goodbye signal for district four, and Joesph grimaced. It was the sign of his death, but at least...the sign meant no training. In the Arena, he was free. No one said anything after the solute, not a scream from his sister, or a yell of disapproval from his friend. Just...silence. Joesph was ushered to his seat by restless Peacekeepers, then the rest of the process seemed to drag on for ages. Finally, as the last male was called, the lady smiled to the crowd and yelled, "this years District Four tributes!"