District 5 is here! Tributes courtesy of TheCritic and handr4ever.

Echo Drifting:

This can't be true. This can't be true. This can't be true.

How is this possible? It happened: the unthinkable. It is the thing that keeps everyone on pins and needles. It is the thing that strikes terror into all, both old and young, strong and weak. It is the inescapable. It came to me.

"Where is a Miss Echo Drifting?" the silver Capitol man called out. He doesn't sound as excited and preppy as other escorts does. Instead, his voice reflects what this means. Doom.

I feel my face freeze and then slowly fall. The corners of my mouth, which are always up in a smile, sink down.

What is wrong with me? I can't be sad. I can't. There has got to be a plus side to this. I bounce up to the stage as I think. Hmmm...I get to see the extravagant, glorious Capitol this way. I will experience things I've never tried, or dreamed of, before. I will get a makeover. I've never had one of those, but they sound amazing.

What the crap. Who am I kidding? This is the worst possible thing that can happen to me! I scan the crowd, looking for a familiar face among the masses. My eyes meet with my mom's blue grey eyes. My eyes are the exact same color and shape as hers. I wonder if they are showing the same fear as well.

I try to swallow, but my throat gets caught.

Jeremy Soraks

These Games are so useless. The only thing they are good for is giving us a day off of school.

The deep voice of the escort goes on. And on. And on. And on...I've heard this speech so many times it's funny. I mouth the words of the Treaty of Treason in perfect sync of the Capitol man. It isn't long before the sixteen year old section is laughing.

One thing I now know: laughing during this is not a smart idea. The escort glares over in my general direction. Peacekeepers pace the area, looking for who knows what. Everyone is on edge.

The silver man reaches into the bowl of girl names and calls out the name "Echo Drifting". The girl walks out of the eighteen year old pen. That must suck. She was so close to being free of the Reapings.

She is kinda pretty. I feel bad for the guy who will have to stab her. She shakily brushes her dark curls out of her face. Amazing. Somehow, she doesn't look to overly scared, other than the slight tremble in her face. She holds herself together better than last year's girl, who broke down into tears.

The man gives her a sympathetic glance and then walks over to the guy names to condemn someone else.

"Jeremy Soraks" Oh shit. I can't be hearing that right. He did not just say that. But he did.

Ok. Let's do this thing. I can't fight fate.

Echo Drifting

I feel a hand wrapped around mine and there is a quick reassuring squeeze. My feet move forward without any real conscious thought. I move slowly down steps and somehow I end up sitting down on a couch.

I'm not exactly sure where I am at this point of time. Wherever I am, it's more luxurious than any place I've ever been.

Voices echo in the distance and I can barely make out the words in the hum. I open my eyes and see my father standing before me. When did he get here?

"Be strong, Echo," he says gently. I can hardly comprehend what is going on. It's a blur as his arm reaches out and wraps around me tightly in a hug. I can feel the embrace, but it seems distant.

My face feels wet. I reach up and touch the tears running down my face. I hold up my finger and see the tiny droplet of water balanced on it. I'm crying. How am I going to handle this?

Next time I open my eyes, there is a boy in front of me. Who is he? Why is he here? He isn't anyone I know. His dark, almost black eyes bore into me.

"Hey, you okay?" he asks softly. I shake my head and he awkwardly gives me a hug. "It's gonna be fine. We'll make it out of this, promise," he smiles widely.

Somehow, even though I know he is wrong, I believe him.

Jeremy Soraks

Everyone in the train is so dang serious. It's wrong. Echo is crying her head off. I feel bad, but there is nothing I can do. She is distancing herself from people at the moment.

The food at dinner is better than anything I've ever tasted. If I could get more than five words out of these people, it would be great. There is no sense of humor here and it's starting to be annoying. I hope tomorrow will be a whole heck of a lot better, though I doubt it at the moment.

Ok, I changed my standard "intro, reap, over" format. I needed to change my writing a bit. Some will start off at the Reapings like this one. Some will be like the others.