Reapings

District Four

Skyler "Skye" Laois (17) D4M

I stepped back to look at the machine I had been working on for the past week. It was a small camera inserted in a pair of glasses. Nobody would be able to detect the microscopic camera in the frame of the spectacles. This camera sent the footage live to my computer wirelessly. I tested it and it was working quite well. Satisfied, I kept it away in a shelf I had assigned for it.

I knew I wasn't from Three but there was no law in the world that said that a genius had to be from Three. I was proud of my strengths but it wasn't the same with other people.

Four was a District associated with brute strength, strong tributes and lots of victors. Children were supposed to train in the academy to volunteer someday. They worked day and night for it. Yes, I went to the academy too just like I attended school but for me it was pointless. Killing and fighting was not something I was born for and school was just… well I already knew all that they taught there. It was just a formality. I just wished I didn't have to go though.

Nobody really understood me. Not even my parents actually, which I was not very happy to know. The children mocked me at school, teased me, taunted me. At the academy, they would make fun of me. The reason was very simple. I was smart and they were not. I relied on brain, they relied on brawn. With my frail and thin appearance nobody really considered me to be strong enough. They said I was a genius, and I was, but that did not mean I was weak.

My parents were Career-like through and through and they could never understand why I was so different from them, why I never liked bloodshed but spent my time on machines and computers. I could see that they were disappointed in me.

Everyone assumed me to be a heartless boy but I wasn't. I needed friends, people to love me and care for me but there was none. I was alone, so alone.

I closed my eyes and reflected on what happened the previous day. It was the same as usual, other children mocking me, calling me names and other things that they took pleasure in. I had ignored them as was routine but then what happened was quite unexpected.

Our chosen volunteer, Carlos, called me a coward. Now, I could take anything but being called a coward was not one of them. He yelled some profanities that I would rather not think about. He proclaimed that his strength would defeat my intelligence any day. I told him to ponder on the consequences of such actions. Then, in a mad fury and arrogance he attacked me. Our trainers had interrupted the fight but Carlos' words were ringing in my ears even now. I was hurt by what he said and now it was about my honour. I was not a coward.

There was a knock on my door which broke my chain of thoughts. I wondered who it was as I opened the door, only to find Rheya and Kane standing outside. They were my best, and my only friends. At least they didn't look at me as if I was a freak and they did understand me better than my parents ever could. Kane raised his brows.

"Well, I think someone has forgotten about the Reapings," he said.

I didn't fail to catch the sarcasm but he was right. I had forgotten, and forgetting things was rare for me.

"Tie your shoelace," I replied. Kane looked down to find that indeed his right shoelaces were untied. I asked them to wait outside and then put on a white shirt. I had buttoned it all wrong but it didn't matter. I put on brown pants and glanced at myself once in the mirror.

I had really dark hair which contrasted my extremely pale complexion. I had grey eyes and was around six feet tall. If I had not been so thin then maybe I would have appeared stronger. I had an athletic build but there was something frail about my appearance. I wasn't very handsome but I wasn't ugly. I reached out to grab a brush to clean but then shook my head and walked out. There was no point in grooming myself for something so unreasonable.

And it was all very stupid. What would the Capitol gain by murdering children? I felt very sad whenever a child died in the arena. Watching them slowly cut each other to pieces, murdering each other blindly was like a stab to humanity. I didn't want to watch them.

Ironically, I might soon become one of those people whom I watched on the television, with whom I sympathised. A tribute.

Victoria Mason (18) D4F

I narrowed my eyes at the whimpering boy in front of me. I had just returned from the academy to wish the chosen volunteer the best for her Games. Now this little boy, who was as tall as me, bumped into me and started cursing like a sailor. It was his fault that he bumped into me, not mine. I grabbed him by his shirt's collar and was about to give him a nice punch but decided against it. It would be against the image I had created for myself.

"Be careful about where you go," I told him in a sweet tone as I released him, "And what you say." His eyes widened as I said that and he scampered off. I went home after that to get ready for the Reapings. It was an important day. I left my maple coloured hair loose and put on a gold dress falling to my knees. I was not tall, around five foot three, and my hair came till my waist. I had blue-grey eyes that my Isis said resembled a storm. Well, a storm was what was about to hit Districts Seven and One.

Two years ago my best friend Vulcan and my sister Siren were the tributes in these Games. I was devastated when that happened. At best one of them could return. But fate did not let that happen. Vulcan was murdered by the girl from One and my sister, my sister was brutally killed by the boy from Seven. The love that I had for Siren was way deeper than those between ordinary siblings. I secretly liked Vulcan. And both of them died.

I knew it was time to take training seriously. Vengeance. I wanted revenge. Yes, I would volunteer this year and kill the girl from One and the boy from Seven. But I would not make it easy. No, if the Capitol wanted gore, gore was what they would get. I could already see myself slitting their throats, hearing their cries of plea. That would be music to my ears.

Of course, I could not tell my family about my plan. They were too emotional and broken after Siren's death. Mom still had nightmares about her demise. She would be so happy when I would avenge her. I looked forward to it. I hadn't told the academy, I hadn't told my friend. Telling them would cause hindrance, and that had to be avoided.

I met my parents after getting ready, telling them not be worried. I kept a bright smile on my face while still being empathetic to them. I left for the Square, my feet trembling slightly at the excitement I felt. There were so many ways to kill those pathetic tributes. Poisoning would be a great way, completely neat. I saw a boy fall down and graze his knees. There was a gash which bled. I smiled at the beautiful sight of his pain and then moved on.

This was not what I was like before. Vulcan and Siren's death did this to me. Those nasty tributes did this and in the end even they died. I kind of liked Sasha Flame for killing the boy from Seven. This year, I would slaughter him.

I got my finger pricked and then joined the eighteen year old girls. The escort, a funny woman covered in so much makeup that I couldn't really make out what she looked like, almost skipped onto the stage.

"Welcome District Four! I'm Linda, your escort and as always, it's a pleasure to be here!"

The crowds cheered and clapped. Pathetic.

"Let's start with the girls!"

It never made any sense in a Career District like Four. Why couldn't they just ask who would like to volunteer? Why such formalities? It was annoying, to be honest.

"Kiera Wave!"

"I volunteer!" I called out in a loud but calm voice. The chosen volunteer glared at me and started for the stage. I tripped her, making it look like an accident. Then I ran up to the stage and smiled at the crowds. I took the microphone from the escort, whose name I could never remember, and said, "District Four, this is Victoria Mason and I'll be back, bringing glory to us!"

They cheered and applauded, whistled and clapped. Of course they would. I would definitely win and keep my promise. And the deaths I had planned, the beauty of them… I honestly could not wait for the Games to begin.

I had zoned out completely and didn't realise that the boy's name had been announced. I waited for Carlos to volunteer but the voice that rang out was definitely not his.

"I volunteer!"

It was so calm and lacked enthusiasm that I was really surprised. That was until I saw who had volunteered. Then, I was shocked. And so were the other children. Skyler was never known to be a Career material. In fact he was boring. A genius mastermind with thoughtful eyes. His eyes unnerved me, as if someone was devouring all my secrets. He did not say anything when he came on the stage but regarded me in a very analytical way. He was smart and I had to be careful around him.

"What's your name dear?" the escort asked.

"Skyler Laois," he replied, "And so much makeup makes you look like a zombie."

I stifled a laugh. What he had said was true. She turned completely red at that and gave him a death-glare. Regaining composure, she continued.

"District Four! Your tributes this year. Let's hear it for Victoria Mason and Skyler Laois!"

We shook hands, his grip was firm. I smiled at him. This was going to be so much fun.

Okay, first Reapings! Thank you for submitting them! I had D4 so I decided to write for them. And I don't really follow an order while writing the Reapings. Please let me know what you thought of them! And I'm sorry Red but the spots are already full...