Chapter Seven:

District Seven's Reapings

~~Ava Tatum's Point of View~~

The sound of rain softly coming down on the tin rooftop awoke Ava. She sat up quietly, looking around the tiny shack. In one corner of the room lay her tiny twin sisters, Emmi and Eve, curled up next to each other. Ava smiled sadly at her peaceful little sisters. She was so afraid of having to leave them.

Ava's father had lost his job, and become an alcoholic after their mother died, leaving Ava to care for her two younger sisters and their depressed father. The reason for her sadness was that her name was in the crystal bowl 56 times since she had to take so much tesserae to keep her sisters and herself alive.

And for some awful reason, Ava just knew that she would be picked. She had a hollow feeling in her core. Eve began to stir, which caused Emmi to wake up too. They each looked at Ava with wide blue eyes and round pink cheeks. They had round cheeks because the baker of District Seven had a soft spot in his heart for the two, so he often gave Ava the extra bread. Ava of course gave all of the bread to her sisters.

"Sissy, what's wong?" Emmi asked in her cute four-year old speech. Ava came over to them and gathered them both in an embrace, patting down their blond curls.

"I just love you two so much," she said to them reassuringly. The little girls smiled up at their big sister. "Are you two hungry?" Her question was answered with eager nods. She got up and crossed the tiny room, pulling open a creaky door. She reached into the cabinet and pulled out a small loaf of bread and a tiny jar of blackberry jam that she had stolen from someone at school. She opened up the jam jar, stuck her finger in the jam straight, and licked her finger. "Yummy! You two split this while I get dressed. After all, today is the Reaping day."

"What's a weaping?" Eve asked, jam smeared all over her face.

"It's a feast that only big kids are allowed to go to," she said, dancing around the somber truth.

"Are you going to the feast? I don't want you to go, Avey," Emmi said. Ava sighed and started to pull a hairbrush through her long brown hair.

"I don't want to go either, Emmi. But I don't know if I'm going to go," she said.

"Please don't go," Eve said, her big blue eyes shining brightly, begging Ava. Ava finished combing through her long hair, letting it flow around her shoulders and down her back. Then she took off her dirty tank top and sweat pants and put on the short sleeved white blouse and silken dark blue skirt that her mother had left behind for Ava's seventeenth birthday and Reaping. Ava pulled on her heavy old rain-jacket and her hiking boots. Then she came over to her two younger sisters, frowning when she saw them. What would she do with them while she went to the Reaping? Their father had left the house in a rage the night before, and hadn't returned yet. She couldn't take them to the Reapings and leave them alone in a gigantic crowd. But she couldn't leave them at home, because every citizen was required to attend the Reapings unless on their death-bed.

"What am I to do with you two?" she said under her breath. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Ava went to answer it, and was greeted by the welcoming face of the baker.

"Mr. Aldjoy! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Ava! Your father… After he left you last night, he… I'll just get to the point: we can't find your father. He has been missing for twelve hours. I can take Emmi and Eve to the Reapings for you," he said sadly. Ava stood shocked. He went missing? Would he be in the forest? Did they even look for him?

"Oh-oh. Okay," she said quietly. "Em, Eve, Mr. Aldjoy is here to take you to the Reapings. As soon as it's over, you can come back to me, okay?"

They looked at her with scared expressions, but she smiled reassuringly. The kind baker came into the house, and took each little hand in one of his massive hands. He took them out the door into the rain, and opened up an umbrella. Ava could see the little girls looking up at the device in wonder and smiled at their young curiosity.

~~Chase Jannsen's Point of View~~

Chase left the house at the same time his father did. He left for the store. His father had gone to deliver some books to a family.

So Chase just strolled over to his father's general store to have some breakfast. He opened up the shop: unlocked the doors, turned on the few light that they had, and went into the back where they kept the water jug and the bread.

The Reapings began at twelve o'clock, and it was about 11:30. He sat at the front desk of the shop and waited for his father to return. He realized after only a little while that he didn't need to open up. It was Reaping day, and all shops closed after twelve. Chase sighed. He always forgot about these things. He was quite a forgetful person.

The old cowbell that had been attached to the front door jingled, and Chase's head shot straight up.

He would recognize that face anywhere. It was Ava. He wondered why she was there so close to the time of the Reaping. And why she was there at all. Chase knew that Ava was quite poor, and, though his father would never admit it, the goods were pretty expensive and over-priced.

"Hey, Ava, what are you doing here?" Chase asked nonchalantly.

She twirled her hair around her finger. Ava didn't look up from what she was looking at. She mumbled, "I have a bit of money. I need something. Put it together."

Wow. Chase had never really interacted with Ava. He had wanted to, but he just had not. So he had no clue that she was feisty like that. He kind of liked it, but that sounded weird to him, so let that thought leave him.

"What exactly am I putting together?" Chase asked coolly.

"Clever. What do we have here, a genius?" Ava retorted, still looking down at the trinket.

"Precisely, miss Tatum," Chase said.

Ava's head shot up. "You know my name? That's not creepy. Not at all," she said, narrowed eyes.

"We go to school together. You should know my name," Chase replied, engaged with the conversation.

"I have better things to do than to go around and learn everybody's names, okay?" Ava said, still looking at him.

"Yeah, like what?" he asked.

"Like take care of my little sisters and keep them away from the imbecile of a father that I have!" she yelled, suddenly emotional.

"Woah, Princess, calm down. I was only kidding," Chase said, wanting to comfort her. But that would be so weird if he did. She apparently didn't know him, so if he hugged her, like he wanted to, she would freak out.

"Yeah, I hear that one all the time," Ava replied bitterly. "Kidding. If you were kidding, then why did you ask in the first place?"

"I thought you were just saying that, like sarcastically," Chase said, feeling bad for invading her space. "I honestly didn't mean to hurt you."

"Whatever," she muttered. "How much for these?" Ava held up two leather bracelets that she found in the back of the store.

"The red one's three, the brown one's two. But since it's Reaping day, I'll give them to you free," Chase said, trying to redeem himself with her.

But apparently he'd done the wrong thing, because she flipped out. "I don't need your charity! What, you think because I'm nearly an orphan that I'm the District charity case? That I need your stupid handouts? I don't! I can take care of my family, thank you very much! And what, are you treating today like holiday? Like it's something to celebrate? Well, it's not! And for a second, I liked you! Forget the stupid bracelets!" Ava yelled, and then proceeded to throw the bracelets at him and hit him square in the face.

Chase sat still, in shock. She had just exploded to him and he had only said something meant to be kind. Chase was surprised: he'd heard that Ava was a sweet girl. But rumors were so warped and twisted at their school, you could never tell if they were true or not.

He waited a bit longer, stuffed the leather bracelets in his trouser pocket, and closed the shop up for the day to go to the Reaping. He strolled into the District Square and met up with his friends, Ryan and Lukas. They all got their fingers pricked and filed into the seventeen year-old section.

Lukas nudged Chase in his side. "Dude, there's that chick that you like!" Chase immediately looked up and followed Lukas' finger to Ava, who was braiding a girl's hair.

"Lukas, shut up!" Chase said, turning bright red.

"Man, you know you do like her! Stop dancing around it," Ryan said, watching Ava too. "She is pretty good-looking, you've got to admit."

"Yeah-no-I guess, maybe. Ah, come on! Ryan, you always do that!" Chase exclaimed, growing more and more frustrated by the second.

Ryan and Lukas high-fived and laughed as Chase ducked down when the girl with her braided hair pointed at Chase and said something to Ava.

Ava narrowed her eyes again, and said something back to the girl, who then laughed. Ryan and Lukas punched Chase in the shoulder.

"Bro, it's war!" they said to him.

~~Ava's Point of View~~

Alexis nudged Ava. "They're saying something again!" she yelled.

Ava looked over at them and noticed the brown haired boy from the general store. Why was he still looking at her?

"That boy is so creepy. He won't stop staring at me," Ava said to Lexi. The boy blushed under Ava's gaze and she rolled her eyes.

"Ava! That's Chase Freaking Ryder! And he's into you!" Alexis said his name as if he was a god.

"And that's significant because…" Ava drawled, motioning her hand for Lexi to continue her thought.

"Because he's himself! And he's so hot!" she squealed to Ava.

"Well I think he's a stalker," Ava said.

"He's stalking you! That's so awesome!" Lexi exclaimed.

Their whole conversation had been going on while the mayor droned on and on about the Treaty of Treason and why the Hunger Games exist and why all of the things that are are in place. And the whole conversation consisted of the group of weird boys stealing glances at Ava and Lexi, and them gossiping about the boys.

After quite a long repetition of this, the mayor backed off stage and allowed the hideous escort Polyrose to take over the microphone.

"Oh here we go again with her," Ava whispered.

"I think she looks good this year!" Lexi said, taking in the escort's outfit.

"Jesus, Lexi," Ava mumbled.

"Hello! Hello, and welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the District Seven Reaping of the Thirty-Second Annual Hunger Games! Brought to you by none other than myself! The magnificent Polyrose! Now, we must begin, as always, with the reaping of the lovely young ladies!" Polyrose yelled.

She strode over to the glass bowl with names of hundreds of girls, and expertly extracted one slip of paper with a name on it.

Ava's stomach knotted and twisted around in anticipation. She was so nervous, and Lexi could see that, so she grabbed her best friend's hand to console her. Ava was still anxious, but the action was sweet on Lexi's part.

"May I have Miss Ava Tautum come up on this stage?" Polyrose asked in a sickly sweet way.

Ava froze.

And

She

Fell

Off

A

Cliff.

She had just been Reaped. She was going to die.

Where would her sisters go? To Mr. Aldjoy? He was kind, but would he take on two little girls, two extra mouths to feed?

No one would in this district.

Ava was in shock until Lexi pushed her forward.

"Lexi! What the hell?" Ava said.

"You know how strict these Peacekeepers are! Get up there or they'll shoot us both!" Lexi pushed her again.

She had a twisted logic, but Ava did as told and went forward.

~~Chase's Point of View~~

Chase stood devastated as he saw the girl he pretty much loved go upstage to meet her ultimate death. His heart just shattered when he saw the look of utter horror on her beautiful face. He found himself wanting to console and hug her again. He promised to himself that he would go visit her in the Justice Building.

"Lovely, dear! Now, would you like to pick the boy's name?" Polyrose asked.

"Never. I would absolutely hate to ever do that for you disgusting people!" she spit out at the woman.

"Well, alrighty then!" Polyrose said in exclamation as she waddled over to the second glass bowl with boys' names. "And our lucky male tribute is…" She pulled the seal off of the slip and read, "Chase Ryder. Come on up, sweetheart."

Chase's world was turned upside down in that instant.

The girl he loved was going to die, and he was too.

But Chase went up. He went up, even though those would be his last free steps. He went up even though his world was done.

"Wonderful!" Polyrose squealed. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present you with your future tributes of the Thirty –Second Annual Hunger Games, Chase Ryder and Ava Tatum!"

No one cheered or clapped. In fact, they began to file out and away, seeming not to even acknowledge the fact that two innocent teenagers were going to die.

Chase grabbed Ava's hand in a moment of courage, and gently gave her the leather bracelets that he had been holding during the Reaping.

"Please, Ava, take these," he pleaded quietly as Polyrose escorted them to their rooms in the Justice Building.

She took them and left Chase.

He smiled.

~~Ava's Point of View~~

Ava was crying as Emmi and Eve were led into the room.

"Ava? What's wong?" Eve asked as she climbed onto Ava. Emmi followed suit and Ava had two little girls sitting in her lap, playing with her hair.

"I'm going to be gone for a long, long time," Ava said through tears. Emmi's tiny little hand reached up and wiped away one of her older sister's tears. Ava's heart just broke at the sister's gesture. She tried to smile, but the situation before her seemed so bleak that she just could not bring herself to try to be happy.

"Where?" Emmi said, concern in her shining blue eyes. "Are you weaving us?"

"Only for a little bit, I hope," Ava stuttered. She sniffed half-heartedly and just brought her sisters close, hugging them since that would be the last time she could. "I love you two so, so much. Remember that when I go away, okay?"

"Of couwse!" Emmi said. She hugged her sister's neck and buried her head in Ava's neck. Eve did the same, and Ava held them to her tightly, wanting to never let go.

"Ma'am, your time is up," a Peacekeeper said to them. The little girls refused to let go. Ava tried to get them off, but they just started to cry.

"Sissy! Where are you going?" they cried to her. Ava cried harder, but she didn't reply. The man pulled them off of her.

The little girls cried as they were forcefully dragged out of the room.

Later, Ava found out that her father's body had been found in the creek on the other side of the district.

She didn't cry too much.

~~Chase's Point of View~~

Chase's family came and went, everyone shed a tear. Chase's friends came and visited him too, wishing him luck in the arena as well as with the girl. They told him to protect her. He smiled through his tears and told them that they were the best friends.

Polyrose and the one mentor that they had piled into a tiny black with Chase and Ava car that whizzed to the deserted train station on the far side of the district. Chase held onto Ava's clammy hand the whole time.

And she never let go.

A/N: WOOHOO! I've posted another chapter guys! Awesomeness! Alright, so I'm going to be writing pretty short Reaping chapters from now on, because I really want to get the alliances started, and the Games too!

Okay, not too many people got the trivia from last week right. But here are the answers:

1 : Au

2 : Sam Claflin

3 : Leven, from District Three (nobody got this one, but I guess I wasn't specific enough.)

And here are the new trivia questions:

1 : Which district were Bonnie and Twill from?

2 : What was Peeta's favorite color?

3 : What was the nickname dubbed by the soldiers of the suicide pills in Mockingjay?

Okay, thanks for sticking with me, guys! I only have seven chapters, and nearly fifty reviews! That's awesome. So thank you all so much!

Thanks for reviewing and staying with me through this! Please leave me your thoughts!

Chase was created by Kaitlandia101, so a big thanks goes out to her! And I created Ava.

Have a good week, and I will try to update next Sunday! Thank you.