ALICE "STATIC" MAGNESIUM, DISTRICT 3

My alarm clock that I made of lights and wire zapped into a dazzling circle of bright bulbs precisely on cue. I sprang out of my lumpy bed, yelling "Finally!" while flailing my arms and jumping around. Demetrius, who was practically my brother, walked into my cubicle with a sleepy look on his face. "Static, what's going on?" "Look what I finally got! It turned on right at 7:00!"

Demetrius, who I often call my mentor, came over and inspected my contraption. "You know, it would be brighter if you used CO-2 capsules instead of these bulky ones." I flopped down on my bed exasperated from the exertion it took to jump around. "I couldn't find any around this place, Mr. Know-It-All." He smiled at me and said, "Well, I'll go wake up the gang. Get dressed, would ya?" I nodded and went to the box where I kept my few outfits. I picked up my nicest tee shirt and put it on, and I kept on my jeans that I wear almost every day. I live in a community home here in District 3. My sister Eliza was a victim to the dirty District 2 brutes in the Games four years ago. My mother committed suicide shortly after, and my dad was killed by Peacekeepers in a random citizen attack at the factories (they have those here).

Demetrius is family to me, as are the most of the other kids who live here. We don't have much, but we take care of each other. It's today, the Reaping Day, that worries me. There are over fifty kids who live here, and odds are that sometime one of us is going to get chosen. I combed by light brown hair into a ponytail with a comb I made out of dried electrical compound paste before I walked into the main room of the home.

"Hey, guys." I said cheerily. Gala, the oldest girl in the house, said, "Hey, Static. What was up with all that noise you made in there?" I smiled and said, "Nothing. I just finally mastered my latest experiment." "Very interesting," Ollie, one of the younger kids, muttered. I rolled my eyes and Demetrius said, "We'd better get walking. Don't want the Peacekeepers after us."

We strode the mile or so in single file to the city square. Our square was very steely and high-tech, and there were many kids who stood waiting for the escort, whose name was Pilaf. She was a shiny orange lady with blue hair that was riveted into two side buns. "Welcome to the Reaping, everyone. Women first." Pilaf was standing over the bowl before my mind caught up with my surroundings. She was reading the name just as I realized that she had already retrieved a slip. "Alice Magnesium." Alice was what my parents called me before my nickname Static caught on. That was what froze me; the insidious death awaiting me was irrelevant to my racing mind.

I was pushed along by Gala, who had bent over the steel separator bar that split up our age subdivisions. She wasn't going to volunteer for me. I knew someone who loved me enough to do just that, but he wasn't a girl. At least I didn't think so.

I heard the Peacekeepers marching behind me and I forced myself onto the platform. I looked around to find him, my last hope. He smiled and mouthed, "It'll be okay."

DEMETRIUS SILVERSTREET, DISTRICT 3

The word "Finally!" woke me up out of a deep and hazy slumber. The first thing I did was reach for my specs, which I was blind without. Ollie, the youngest boy here, was curled up beside me in the fetal position under the scratchy wool blanket that I brought from my old house. My parents died a long time ago, and I was placed into the community house. I soon grew to love the other inhabitants.

Since I am the second oldest of the house (I am 15, Gala is 17), I am a very fatherly figure to the other kids who live here. We always stay together, especially on days like the Reaping. I tucked little Ollie back in. He was too young to understand the Reaping. We just said that we were going on a field trip.

I walked into Static's little corner. She was bouncing around like a caffeinated squirrel. "Static, what's going on?" I rubbed my gunky eyes. She told me that her light alarm that she had been working on had prevailed success. I mentioned an improvement just to tease her. I am two years older than her, but we moved into the house around the same time. She is the closest thing I had to family at that time, and I loved her.

I told her to get dressed and I went to do the same. I slipped on a white tee shirt and a maroon sweater over my everyday jeans. We didn't really have much, but it didn't matter. We were all brought here by a sense of abandon and we were all connected by a feeling of hope. I quickly ran my fingers through my shaggy blonde hair and I wiped my glasses clean. I walked into the main room, where Gala was sitting with Ollie and the others playing around with my chess board.

Static walked in, looking cute as always. I'd like to say I didn't have a crush on her, because we did have a brother-sister relationship. Still, she was smart and easygoing, and I liked that about a girl. I've never actually had a girlfriend, mostly because I'm awkward and gangly. I'm also considered "homeless", and typically, girls don't like that. Static didn't care, because we were just alike.

I could never tell her that I felt something for her. I taught her about electricity and wiring, so I could also be her teacher along with her brother. A relationship with that going on was just wrong, but really, does love know bounds? To clear my mind, I told the group that we had better head down to the square. We started walking in single file behind me. Even Gala looked up to me, because I was a leader.

We reached the square in time for the drawings. Pilaf, the escort, went over to grab a girls' slip. I hoped it wasn't Gala, Static, or any of the other girls who lived in the house. Of course, it had to be the one that I loved most. "Alice Magnesium." I watched her shaky little body walk onto the platform. I wanted to volunteer for her as badly as I could, but I wasn't allowed. I prayed Gala would, but I knew she was too selfish. Weak, sweet little Static only had one hope.

"Now time for the boys." Pilaf strutted to the other bowl, and I knew what I was going to do. I touched Ollie's head through the separator bar, and even though he was young, he was intuitive about my actions. I guess my love for Static was clearly visible. She found me in the crowd, and I told her it would be okay. It would all be okay…

Pilaf drew a neatly folded slip. "Jo-" "I volunteer! I volunteer." My voice sounded oddly like I imagined Perseus's would be if I could've witnessed his amazing feats. At that moment in ever-moving time, I was powerful and ready to slay some Gorgons.

I joined Static on the floating platforms. We shook hands, and I told her once again that it would be okay. Now that I could be with her, I meant it.

Hey everyone! I happened to find a few free moments to write, edit, and post this. I hope everything is okay because I was kind of pressed for time, but I am going to try to be consistent with my updating. I am really starting to get attached to these tributes, and I can't imagine killing any of them! (Even Wren, haha.) For those of you wondering, I need a District 5 male! Thanks for reviewing and supporting, and see you tomorrow with the fishing district's tributes.

And by the way, if you Googled CO-2 capsules, I just made that up.