SILVER WEISS (15)
DISTRICT 1

The reaping is a bore. But this year might be interesting. Two girls? More the chance for me to get in there. Of course, there's the chance I don't even want to go. Do I? A sudden shove startled me out of my thoughts. Ugh, it was her neighbor. That girl whom they called "Mia". She was at least three inches shorter than me, with wavy blonde hair and brown eyes. I rolled my eyes.

"Watch it." She looked up at me, raised an eyebrow, and opened her mouth to say something before being pushed along by the rest of the girls herding into the ring. I grimaced. This had to end now so I could do something far more important. Or get picked – something. On stage, a tidy patchwork old woman knocked on the microphone and handed it to the Mayor. Mayor Stabb read the usual boring speech and allowed the patchwork woman to continue.

Lula Rint was older than dirt. She was a wrinkly, pruny old hag. Or, she probably used to be. Due to living in the capitol, her wrinkles were pulled back into a disgusting smile and smooth face. I touched my own and realized the similarities with a grimace. At least I could do that. Lula took the microphone, wrapped around her toothpick waist like a snake, to the large glass ball filled with pink slips.

"All right, young ledies, who's gunna go to the Capitol?"

No answer. They might as well have taken all the District 1 tributes, heck, all of District 1. Perfect clones waited eagerly for the name to be called.

"Nova-"

"I'll go!"

I turned to look at that Mia chick. Her hand was raised and she bounced around like a rabbit. It was customary to let Lula finish reading before so rudely offering to go in place, But Lula shrugged and gestured a tight finger for her to get on stage. The short girl would make a decent district partner, I suppose. She was small and looked weak, and would make an easy kill at the start. On stage, Lula sighed.

"How's about this? When I say so, first hand I see gets to go to the Games. Capiche?"

There was a collective nod from our fifteen ring down to the twelve ring. The empty circles for sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen made the volunteering easier at any rate. Lula unwound herself from the microphone and took a deep breath. "Now-"

"I will!"

I smiled pleasantly when all eyes focused on me. I was going to the games!

MARTINA KROWLEY (15)
DISTRICT 2

Instinctively, my hand was up first. It was an impulse, like my heartbeat. I had to get picked this year. I could guess most of the girls would be pansies, as usual in the games. I'd have them all taken down by the end of the week at most, no sweat! So I actually felt excited when our Representative invited me on stage. I looked different than the other girls. Usually they tried to look cutesy and younger than usual, maybe to begin an angle. But I was ready for the interviews. My angle was planned the very day I was adopted.

I got onto stage and snatched the microphone away from the rep. "Martina Krowley." I felt maybe it would be good to act like the lumbering doofus our District is known for, at least until the games start. Just my name, nothing else. I can't have any of the other tributes watching and knowing I was a real force to be reckoned with.

I took a seat in the chair that built into the stage and looked for a potential partner. Most of them were in my "15" ring, huge bulky women who looked ready to break a few arms. The rest were pretty tiny and looked like if you hit them with a pencil they might implode. Our district may be known for being large and lumbering, but not our younger kids. I stretched out and yawned while the Mayor and the Rep went over something.

Finally, the Rep asked for volunteers. The first hand to go up was in the "15" ring. I felt a smirk form on my face. Piece of cake, the idiot would die in the bloodbath. But she wasn't what I expected. She had curly hair that was a pink-red color like wet cotton candy and eyes greener than grass. She was pleasantly thin and yet had some muscles on her. Everyone gaped at the random appearance of this Capitol child, but said nothing.

"Hello, all. Fistillia Kaleidoscope, that's my name. And let's just say – killing is my game."

Well. Her dorky rhyming aside, she didn't seem like any force. She sat in the chair next to me and crossed her long pale legs. I noticed a tattoo on her thigh that looked similar to a barcode. I can't wait to see the names "Fistillia Kaleidoscope" on the list of dead tributes now.

ICHIGO HANA (14)
DISTRICT 4

Splitting from my parents is always difficult. Although they can be a bit too smothery for my tastes, I do love them. I shifted into the crowd of fourteen year olds just in time for the mayor to read the usual stuff. How we should be thankful for the Games, what they symbolize, blah blah blah…

I puffed my dress down again. It rode up onto my waist too much to be considered comfortable. It was a nice teal color, like the sea. I arched my neck around another tall girl and saw the waves pawing at the shore ahead. I'd be much happier when I went back there in a comfy pair of huge overalls from my Dad to fish, or wearing something less shapely when I took th day's catches to the processing plant or the mayor.

Finally our bumbling representative grabbed a large glass tank and heaved it onto the table in front of him. I didn't bother to remember his name; nobody did. He was just there and gone, like the wind. He made a few hand signals to the Mayor. He took the microphone and banged his fist on the table. "Ladies, calm down. Uh….Delicose will be picking names now."

Delicose, yes, that was it. He reached a beefy little arm into the bowl and pulled out a small slip. He showed it to the Mayor and dropped it on the table. "Your first District 4 representative is Catherine Walter."

Catherine Walter was a scrawny, quiet, and disheveled mess of a girl. She came out white as a ghost from the twelve year olds section, her knotty brown hair being accentuated by the bright sun. Catherine was constantly sick, but due to her constant sickness they figured she could make it to her first reaping. She wearily hobbled onto the stage and sneezed loudly.

"I'll volunteer in her place, Delicose!" All eyes turned, including mine, to a short girl with long brown hair in a high ponytail. She was smiling with her hand raised just before she ducked under the dividing ropes and flounced onto stage with energy. Delicose raised an eyebrow and calmly patted Catherine's shoulder. Catherine had turned into a sniveling little thing, covered in more water than perhaps the ocean. She looked at the girl briefly and brought her into a tight hug before jumping off the stage and vomiting in the bushes.

I winced. Catherine's parents came down the aisle and were allowed to bring her into the crowd accumulated in the back of the square in town. Calmly, the Mayor let the microphone over to the girl with her pretty face. "My name is Monique Steel, and I will be one half of your District 4 team."

In the crowd, I heard a sharp gasp and something that sounded like whirring. Looking back, I could see a fairly young man in his early thirties looking ready to burst. If he were a cartoon, steam would be flying out of his ears. His face was a mixture of pain, fear, and anger. But he couldn't volunteer at all, and so the reaping had to continue.

Delicose extracted another piece of paper and handed it to the Mayor. He read it over and laid it down next to Catherine's slip. "This year's second female tribute is Ichigo Hana."

I felt my eye twitch. Uh oh.

ROCKET FRAY (13)
DISTRICT 8

I had to come alone. Mom was running late with Zekey, and Dad would be here from work after the opening ceremony. Carson was somewhere. I was alone again. Except for Oscar, who decided to come with. He looked down at his shoes the whole time though, his hands pushed deep into his pockets. It wasn't a good time for talking anyway.

He looked up when he saw the "13" pen and stared at me with blank eyes. "Good luck." He murmured quietly before stumbling away to get a better view. I shivered. It wasn't like him at all. The pen was packed, more so than usual. I started feeling nauseas when finally our representative came up. He had lime green hair in a combover with a bright orange feather hanging off his head. He had a huge cartoony chin and purple eyes,

As usual he stepped up to the ball, this time only a single one, and smiled charismatically as he pulled out the first paper. He read it over multiple times, examining it, pinching it, holding it up to the sun, until the Mayor kindly tapped him on the shoulder so he would continue. The representative coughed with embarrassment and stood up straighter.

"Half of your District 8 team will be….Rocket Fray!"

I froze. Suddenly the crowd of kids I was in narrowed. Just me, the stage, and Oscar. Then I could see my family slowly forming in my mind, behind a mother holding two children in her arms. And I could hear cheering as the girl in front of me slowly pushed me out to the edge of the ring. "Go on." She cheered. "It will be so fun!"

My god. I was going to die. I felt a tremor when I hit the first step. My blood pounded in my ears. I felt tears well up and I quickly brushed them away with my sleeve before turning to face the crowd. "What courage! Give it up for Rocket Fray, everybody!" He grabbed my arm and raised it in a victory signal, but all I felt was cold fear.

He left me standing there, like a fat turkey to a crowd of hungry citizens while he selected the next one. Before the name was fully read a girl jumped up. "I accept, your kindness! I accept with prestige!" The voice was familiar, she was the girl who thought of the Hunger Games as fun. I lifted my big sleeve to my arm and chewed on it as she hurried up. Her shorts were ripped and exposed white spots of undergarments, and her long sleeved shirt was littered in holes. Her dark hair was held in pigtails over her shoulder.

"Fennie Stitch, at your service! Let's make this the best Hunger Games ever!"

Is she really my district partner?