AN: Looks like we've reached the final reaping chapter! Sorry it's taken so long to get to this point; most, if not all, of the submitted characters will make their first appearance in the next two chapters. Thanks for reading!

(Side note: "Ruy" rhymes with "Guy", "Tybalt" is "Tibbult" not "Tye-balt")

Tybalt Egan / District Nine Male

Sometimes I like to practice my smile in the mirror, just to make sure I'm still doing it right. You can't be too careful in times like these; in Nine, it's noticeably harder to pretend to be happy in the weeks surrounding the reaping.

"Why can't you sleep in for once?" Ruy, annoyed and groggy, shields his eyes from the light.

I let the rain drum against the window for a moment, absorbing my roommate's displeasure. I do my best to be cordial and nice to Ruy at all times, but most days, I can feel the hatred oozing off him like a scented candle. It's a real pang to my self-esteem, because although he's kind of mean, I still think he's great.

"Early bird catches the worm," I tell him. "That's what my mom used to tell me."

"Second mouse gets the cheese, my aunt always said." Ruy mutters, rolling over.

He responded! I feel like we've made a breakthrough today. My spirits lifting, I fire a perfect smile at his back.

"That's a nice saying, too."

"Shut up. I didn't say anything." And it's gone. It's been two weeks since he moved in; why can't I make this guy my friend? I'm perfectly likable.

With an audible sigh, I move past my roommate and creak open the door, crossing into the empty hallway. It's pleasantly quiet in the normally turbulent orphanage dorms, save for the patter of the rain against our windows. I must be the first one up again, but I can't blame the other kids for sleeping in. A good portion of them are eligible to be sent into the Games today.

Little do they know, a few extra hours of sleep won't change that.

I wait under cover until people start to gather in the street, a motley mess of umbrellas and parkas. In just my thin cardigan, I'm definitely starting to feel the chill of the weather. I decide the best group of people to infiltrate is one with plenty of umbrellas, and lucky for me, they're not hard to find.

"Hi, guys!" I insert myself into the animated conversation, seeking out faces I recognize. I find quite a few.

"Tybalt!"

"Hey, man!"

I've walked with this group before; I try to recall as many names as I can from my memory. Danno. Barbra. Rigby. Arva. Shiloh. And some others I don't know. All kids from school, none from the orphanage. Most of them bear umbrellas and jackets, well equipped to survive the weather. I feel lucky to have these friends.

That is, until I catch sight of Ruy, braving the storm by himself.

So he's finally gotten out of bed. Part of me wants to ignore him; he's been rude to me. Why should I keep trying to please him? But the more overwhelming part of me can't help but want to have another go at him. I honestly don't think I'll be able to stop until we're best friends.

I dismiss myself quietly from my friend group and run to join my roommate.

"Hey, Ruy! Ruy!" He pulls his jacket closer around himself when he sees me, his curly hair sopping wet and plastered to his forehead. The weather renders him much less intense-looking, less guarded. To me, he almost looks kind of adorable; if you can say that about a person who's half a foot taller than you.

"Please leave me alone."

I stop short. "You won't even give me a chance! I'm your roommate. I just want to be your friend!"

"I didn't ask for a friend," Ruy tells me curtly. "I asked to be left alone."

"Sometimes what we want and what we need are two completely different things." I try to make it seem like I know my stuff. "We all get how it is for you now. I know it's been hard on you, losing your aunt."

Ruy's expression hardens. "Don't talk about her."

"What, you're the only one allowed to bring her up?"

"Yes, I am," he says defensively. "How would you like it if I asked about your dead family?"

I blink at him, unsure of what to say. "I'd be, uh, happy to answer any questions you had, I guess. It was so long ago, I don't really mind talking about—"

"Fine. I mind," he cuts in. "It's been two weeks, Tybalt. I don't want to talk to you about it."

"We can talk about other things."

"I don't want to talk to you at all," he clarifies. That how he's always been, for the two weeks that I've known him. Talking to him is like swordplay; he parries with questions and blocks with answers.

Give him time. I tell myself to ease my frustration. He can't avoid you forever.

And so I leave him, jogging to catch up with my big group again. I walk to the reaping under the cover of their umbrellas, talking about their annoying siblings and their summer jobs in the fields. After signing in, all of us stand together in the sixteen-year-old section. I catch sight of Ruy, shivering among the sixteens on the opposite side of the aisle, but this time I don't give in to my whims. Today I can pat myself on the back for having some self-control, but it's still hard to pretend nothing's bothering me as my friends and I discuss the new escort.

Angusta Svelte is narrow as a rail and looks so skinny she could snap. Nine's only victor, one-eyed Whitaker Kovach, looks like he's afraid to shatter her arm when he shakes her hand. Her voice is delicate and graceful, albeit quite hard to hear over the worsening rain.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's so very nice to be representing the Capitol in District Nine this fine afternoon!" Angusta says airily as we strain our ears to hear her. Luckily, she leaves it at that, plunging her hand into a waterlogged reaping bowl without even telling us which one it is.

I bite my cheek. Not me not me not me.

"Perry Killam!" she says, and I heave a sigh of relief. I've never heard that name before in my life.

However, I'm still only vaguely sure of whether or not I still need to be worried for myself. Especially when Perry comes forward from Ruy's side of the sixteen-year-old section, and I find myself unsure if the selected tribute is a boy or a girl. They're fairly tall, with broad-ish shoulders and a flat chest, but their hair is long, and there's a sort of softness about their face that makes it difficult to tell from a distance.

I suppose I'll find out when Angusta calls the other name, then.

"Hello, Perry!" The escort greets the new tribute. They're shivering slightly, whether from cold or fear I don't know, but their expression is blank.

"Let's move on to the boys, shall we?" Angusta asks us then, and my heart skips a beat. Barbra and Arva and the other girl all look at each other, relieved.

I can't believe you let yourself think you were safe.

I watch the escort's skinny arm dig around in the half-flooded boys bowl until she finds a slip of paper that hasn't been reduced to a soggy pulp. This one has remained crisp, dry, and legible in the center of the pack, and I'm terrified to figure out if I'm the unlucky sap whose name is written on it.

"Tybalt Egan!"

The sound of my name sucks every bit of air from my lungs. Everyone I've ever spoken to immediately cranes their necks to see my face, but for once, I don't want them to find me. This has to be some kind of mistake. I feel myself start to choke, tears burning at my eyes.

"Could Tybalt Egan come up here, please?" Angusta's voice barely reaches my row, but it breaks me out of my stupor. Bleary-eyed, there's only one thing I can do.

I burst into the aisle, running for the back of the square, but the Peacekeepers get to me first. The tears are coming full-force now, my composure cracked and leaking like the clouds as they drag me to the stage. I kick weakly, but I know I'm outmatched.

"Hello there… you…" Angusta grimaces slightly as they set me down next to Perry, bawling into my hands.

What must they think of me now?

I thought I'd get a lot of visitors, even after I broke down onstage. I thought it wouldn't matter that I didn't have any family; that my friends would come and comfort me in my darkest hour. But I must have been wrong about that, too, because no one shows up to say goodbye.

The tears are still going strong when Ruy appears in front of me.

"Sorry I'm late," he says to the chair, his dirty coat looking out of place among the ornate decorations. "I thought there'd be a line."

This just makes me cry harder.

Ruy's mouth pulls into a grimace. "Hey, wait—"

"I-I spent time with so many people," I choke out. "I had so many friends. But you're the only one who showed up to say goodbye, and you don't even like me!"

I cover my face with my hands again, masking my shame. Pretending that he isn't here and it's Danno or Rigby or one of my friends instead.

"Tybalt!" My roommate nearly shouts, effectively shutting me up. "They weren't your friends."

"Y-yes, they were. I'd talk with them…"

"I know. I saw you," he says in his curt way.

"Then what—?"

"You did that with everyone," he tells me, gesturing. "And if you try to please everybody, you don't please anybody. That's what my aunt always said. You know what that means?"

"Kind of…" I look down.

"It means that kindness doesn't mean anything if that's just the way you'd treat anyone."

I blink at him. "That's not true!"

"I don't care." Ruy shrugs. "It's what I think. And I'm not here to give you friendship advice, either. I'm here to tell you to pull yourself together."

This being the most I've ever heard him say at one time, all I can do is look at him.

Ruy avoids my gaze. "You're not like this, Tybalt. I don't want to see you like this."

I wipe my nose with my sleeve, blinking the tears out of my eyes. "If you're just here to tell me I looked a mess out there, you can save yourself some time and get out."

"Is that what you want?"

"Yes."

"Well, it's not what you need." I gape at him; I'm not used to having my words thrown back at me, especially by someone who normally prefers monosyllabic replies to conversation.

"Then tell me, Ruy, what do I need?" I ask him bitterly.

"Hope," he says. "Need someone to tell you that fighting's only half the Games. Other half's politics, and you'll be good at that."

"Who cares?" I say. "Fifty percent is a failing grade."

"It's more than most of the others." Ruy points out. "You're smart, friendly, good-looking. You'll get loads of sponsors, but not like this."

"You think I'm good-look—?" I start to ask, but he cuts me off again.

"If you want to win, you'll have to do what you do best."

"What's that?" I ask carefully.

"Be fake."

My mouth drops open. "I am not—"

"Just do it." Ruy's eyes are glued to the floor. "Do whatever you have to."

It takes a minute for his advice to sink in, but it leaves me feeling a lot less like I want to cry, a lot more like I want to start training. I realize this is the first nice thing he's done for me; for anyone, as far as I know. And it feels special. Maybe he's not as wrong as I thought.

"It's still a shame you don't want to be my friend," I tell him after a moment. "Because you're good at it."

"You don't need to be friends with everybody." Ruy says. "Soon you're gonna have enemies, too. Are you ready for that?"

I'm not ready, but it seems pointless to hope he's wrong.

AN: And that wraps up the reaping chapters and the introduction of Luetis's POV characters! Now seems like as good a time as any to introduce the sponsor system. I've never made one of these before, so bear with me.

How it works: When you review this story, you receive a certain number of points, which you can later exchange for food and supplies to send to the tributes in the arena! Once the Games are in full swing, anyone can send supplies to any tribute, even if you have not submitted to this story! (However, it will still go through the tribute's mentor first, so the gift may not show up immediately). Here's the point system as it is now:

1 Review = 5 points

1 Review + Chapter Question = 10 points

1 Favorite = 10 points

1 Follow = 20 points

And the item prices, although they are subject to change!

FOOD/WATER: Crackers (10), dried fruit (20), beef jerky (20), soup (20), bread from a tribute's district (40), cast iron pan (30), empty canteen (15), full canteen (30), flint/steel (fire starter) (40), matches (50), water purification tablets (50)

SHELTER/CLOTHES: Sleeping bag (50), tarp (20), tent (80), hammock (30), rope (20), duct tape (10), change of clothes (50), raincoat (40), jacket (60), sunglasses (20), empty backpack (10)

MEDICINE: Basic first aid kit (40), heavy-duty first aid kit (100), bandages (20), burn medicine (20), sewing kit (20), antiseptic solution (60)

NAVIGATION/HUNTING: Arena map (50), night-vision goggles (50), compass (20), walkie talkies (100), fishing rod (60), flares (30), flashlight (20), net (20), multi-tool (60), pepper spray (50)

SPECIAL ITEM REQUEST (100): Please specify in your review.

I've also calculated everyone's current point balance:

calebbeers21: 20

CelticGames4: 60

ColMikeFuser: 10

CrissKenobie-the-Numenorean: 20

Declan42: 20

emeraldfire000: 20

Emrys Holmes: 25

HogwartsDreamer113: 40

Wetstar: 15

That about sums up the system, I think. If I've left anything out or you have any questions, PM me or ask in a review! I'll end this lengthy AN with the first chapter question. You don't have to answer these questions, but I'm hoping they'll let me know what you want to see in future chapters.

Chapter Question: Who was your favorite POV? Favorite district partner?

As always, thanks for reading! - KTGAP