District 1

Flora Harper

I swivel around in my chair and watch as Cayan styles Mrs. Arlicure's hair up into a bun. His nimble fingers work with her graying hair very fast. Cayan is a good worker and even Mrs. Arlicure rarely complains about him, which is the only reason why I'm allowed to be here. If I was anyone anyone else's sister, I would be kicked out immediately. Mr. Lush hates me because I apparently I drive away business. Apparently I'm rude to people, but I think the real reason business is driven away is because his face is painful to look at. He didn't like it when I told him that.

I'm sitting behind the front desk. Normally someone else gets paid to sit here and welcome in clients, but they've already left. We're closing up for the reaping as soon as Cayan finishes with Mrs. Arlicure's hair. I sigh as he sprays her hair with several ounces of hairspray. I've been sitting here for almost half an hour now, and I'm getting so bored!

"When are you going to be done!?" I complain at Cayan. He turns to look at me and sets down the comb he was using. He places his hands on his hips and gives me a stern look.

"Flora, will you stop bugging me?" He asks. Mrs. Arlicure looks confused as to why he has stopped. "You've only been here for thirty minutes. I need to take my time with Arlicure's hair." He bends over and starts smoothing her hair down. I groan loudly to make sure he notices. He ignores me, even though I know he heard it.

"Why do I even need to be here?" I ask him again.

"Mom wants me to keep an eye on you." He responds, not looking up from his work.

'Why?" I inquire. "I'm fourteen. Why can't I just hang out with my friends? I bet they're all hanging out together anyway." I spin my chair in another circle.

"They're probably not." He says, and I scoff. "It's reaping day. I doubt their parents let them go out. They need to get prepared before heading out to the reaping, and if they're anything like you, they'll lose track of time."

"I never lose track of time!" I insist. Cayan raises an eyebrow and I fall silent. He knows I somehow lose track of time every single day. Yesterday I had been late to school by fifteen minutes because while I was walking there I noticed that the fruit stand had got a new sign. I went over to check it out, then spend twenty minutes buying fruit. My teacher didn't exactly let it slide, even when I offered her a fresh apple.

I watch as Cayan finishes up Mrs. Arlicure hairdo, and I impatiently tap my foot on the ground. After what feels like a million years he finishes, and collects the money from Mrs. Arlicure. He sticks the tip in his pocket and places the rest in the cash register.

"Thank you, Mrs. Arlicure." He says, and flashes her a smile as she leaves.

"So we can finally leave, now?" I ask, and Cayan sighs. I happily follow him out the door and into the street. The street is bustling with people who are all preparing for the reaping. In District One everyone gets really excited. There's almost always volunteers, so nobody really needs to worry about being reaped. Even if they were, going into the Games is considered an honor and they'd probably be somewhat competent since training is mandatory from ages ten to fourteen. I would be finishing up training this year, but I won't get a chance to because I'm going to volunteer.

I haven't told my family yet because I know they wouldn't be happy about it. Both of my parents definitely admire volunteers, but they would never want anybody in their family to go into the Hunger Games, least of all me. Everyone thinks I'm incompetent and am an idiot, but I'm not. I want to prove them wrong. I need to prove them wrong. Otherwise I'll go my whole life with everyone looking down on me.

I squeeze between two men bickering about something, and escape onto our street, which is much less rowdy than the other, which leads straight to Town Square where the reapings will take place. Our home is nicely situated as one of the first on the street, so I barely have to walk before I reach it. I knock on the door, and my mom answers it almost immediately. She must have been waiting for Cayan and I.

"Did you have a fun time at Cayan's work?" Mom asks. I shove past her and scoff. I don't have time for casual chit-chat, I need to prepare for the reaping! I can't look like I just rolled out of bed when I volunteer. I make my way up to my room, and search through my wardrobe for the best possible outfit.

I realize that a lot of the dresses I own are either too small or out of fashion, which greatly narrows my choices. Luckily, I find a nice gray dress with long sleeves. I pull off my shirt and pants and slip into the dress. I fluff out the skirt and walk down the hall to the bathroom. Pine is combing his hair carefully. He's wearing a white button-up shirt and gray pants. He sees me and frowns.

"What do you want?" He asks.

"What do you think? I need to get ready for the reaping." I roll my eyes. All of my brothers can be such idiots sometimes. He goes back to combing his hair.

"Well, so do I." He says. "Wait until I'm done." I do the logical thing and shove him out of the bathroom. I slam the door shut before he can complain.

I look into the mirror and see that my hair looks slightly unkempt. Knowing that having even a slightest hair out of place means I could lose a sponsor, I immediately grab a comb. I brush my blonde hair so it bounces to my shoulders. When it looks nice enough, I dig into my stash of makeup. Mom doesn't like it when I use to much, so all I do is apply a delicate layer of lipstick, blush, and mascara. I wish I could do more, but I'll have plenty in the Capitol.

I ignore Pine's shouting outside the door and admire myself in the mirror. I look perfect, and I know the cameras will love me.

"Flora, Pine! It's time to go to the reaping!" Mom shouts from down stairs. I force myself away from my reflection and leave the bathroom. Pine grumbles in and snatches up the comb. As we head downstairs, he continues trying to comb his hair. I slip into my sandals by the door, and wait surprisingly patiently for Pine. Cayan leans up against the door. "Where's Saffron?" She asks, him, panicking.

"He already left with Dad, they didn't want to be late." Cayan informs, and she breathes a sigh of relief.

"Okay, good." She turns to Pine and I. "Are you ready to go?" I nod enthusiastically, and Pine shrugs, still trying to tame his hair. I look back as we leave the house. I may never see it again.

District 1

Garnet Reed

I attack the dummy with such force it snaps in two. My friends all applaud in the background, but their enthusiasm has died down by now. I've done this many times already, and I can tell they're getting bored. I should probably wrap this up soon, since I still need to prepare for the reaping. And my friends are getting tired, anyway. We all came in to get in some last minute practice, but I'm the only one who's still practicing. Everyone else finished about fifteen minutes ago. I use my machete to chop off the final dummy's head.

"I think you're prepared for the Hunger Games." Lukas says. I grin back at him. Everyone knows I'm volunteering today, and even though I know a few of my friends were looking forward to volunteering, they're all excited for me. I place my machete back in the weapons closet and grab my bag. I sling it around my shoulder.

"Are we all ready to go?" I ask everyone, and they nod. I lead them out of the training center. I'm kind of the leader of my group, and for a good reason. I'm very good at getting people to do what I want, whether with my looks or my personality. Lucius, the newest member of the group, rushes up next to me. He's younger than the rest of us, and quite frankly, an idiot. I wouldn't have let him in, but Lukas insisted and I owed him a favor. Normally I don't pay off my debts, but Lukas's my best friend, so I had to.

"You're looking real good for the Games." Lucius compliments fast, as if I was was going to cut him off; which I probably would've done, except I like when people compliment me. I try not to make eye contact with him, hoping he'll leave me alone.

"Yeah, I think so, too." I pick up my pace, but Lucius speeds up as well.

"Can I come say goodbye to you?" He asks, hopefully. I shrug.

"I don't know, they only really let close family in," I lie. Anyone can say goodbye, even complete strangers. I just hope that Lucius doesn't because he really gets on my nerves. I'd rather not look bothered when I exit the Justice Building in front of the cameras. "Besides, I won't be gone permanently. I'll be back in less than a month."

"Yeah, in a wooden box." Bliss jokes. I glare at him, and he backs away. Bliss tends to joke, which I like, but I'd rather it's not at my expense. Or about me dying, which is clearly impossible. They all know that, they saw me demolish those dummies moments before. Speaking of dummies, Lucius keeps blathering on about how much he'll miss me during my stay in the Capitol. I roll my eyes. Being popular has its perks, but with people like Lucius it also has its negatives.

I live near the training center, so I'm able to escape Lucius faster than the rest.

"This is my house," I announce, interrupting Lucius. I start up the steps.

"Can I come in?" Lucius asks. I shake my head, not even bothering to come with an excuse. I shut the front door on my friends (and admires) and enter the house. I remember to shake off my shoes before entering, since my mom's real picky about dirt.

"Garnet, are you home?" Mom asks from the kitchen.

"Yeah."

"You should've been home sooner. You still need to get ready for the reaping. You don't want to be late." I check the grandfather clock in the hall.

"We have two hours."

"Better safe than sorry." I roll my eyes. If my father didn't reason with her, we'd always be the first ones in Town Square. I begin to climb the stairs to my room. "And take a shower. I can smell you from here."

I open my dresser and randomly snatch up a shirt and pants. It doesn't really matter what I wear, since I look good in anything. Also, almost all the clothes my mom buys are somewhat fancy. I lay the outfit out on the bed, and move to my personal bathroom.

I crank on the water. As it warms up, I shed my lucky tracksuit, which I always wear when training. I pull aside the shower curtain and test the water. It's fine for now. Normally I'd think that it's too cold, but I'm really hot after training. I don't both washing my hair since it's so short, but I lather by body with a bar of soap. I let the cool water glide over my body, washing my sweat into the drain. I spend a few more minutes in the shower, even though I'm already clean, because I'm still tense from training.

I shut off the water, and step out of the tub. I snatch a towel off a hook, and quickly dry myself off. I hold it around my waist and walk back into my room. I drop my towel and pull on my black, simple shirt. I roll up one sleeve to look tougher. I pull on underpants and denim jeans, and my socks. I search underneath my bed for my shoes, and finally figure my mom must have taken them downstairs.

I run out into the hall and slide down the banister, a habit I've had since I was a child. I land at the bottom, and look up to see my father. He smiles when he sees me.

"Are you ready for the reaping?" he asks me. I smile.

"I was born ready."

District 1

Flora Harper

I hold out my hand for the Peacekeeper, who gently pricks it and presses it into the check-in book. I move past her into the roped of area for everyone of reaping age, holding my bleeding finger so not of the blood gets onto my dress. The younger someone is, the further they are from the stage, so I squeeze in with all the other fourteen year olds near the back. No one seems nervous at our reapings, because everyone knows that someone will volunteer.

"I like your dress." the girl next to me says. I smile and look down at her own dress. I don't like her dress, so I decide not to say anything other than a thank you.

Up on stage are all of our previous Victors. We have a lot, more than anyone except for District Two. They all sit up on the stage in order of their victory. I'm not sure who'll be mentoring me this year, but I hope it's one of the good, recent victors and not any of the old guys who can't hear anything lower than a scream. I straighten my dress uncomfortably, watching the stage, waiting for our escort to come on. Every year my mom thinks we're definitely going to be late, and every year we end up waiting fifteen minutes before the reapings even start. Our escort, Astria Mebliss struts up onto the stage and stands in front of the microphone.

"Welcome, District One, to the reaping of the 247th Hunger Games!" She shouts into the microphone. A few people cheer in anticipation. I feel my heart begin to pound as she introduces every single living victor we have. She then shows us a video about the dark days, which she shows us every year. Finally, she announces that she'll choose the female tribute for District One, even though she knows that someone will end up volunteering. This year it'll be me.

She walks over to the glass bowl containing each of the girl's names. Her hand plucks one out. She unfolds it as she walks back over to the microphone.

"Silk Raychette!" She reads. Whoever Silk Raychette is, she doesn't move, because she knows someone will volunteer. I take a deep breath and shove past people into the makeshift aisle.

"I volunteer as tribute!" I shout loudly, wanting to make sure everybody can hear me. Astria smiles, and beckons me up to the stage. I can feel some older girls glaring at me as I pass them in the aisle. I ignore them and skip up onto the stage and take my place next to Astria.

"What's your name dear?" Astria asks me.

"Flora Harper." I smile for the cameras, as I've practice for weeks. I look into the crowd and spot my brothers looking shocked. Pine looks at me confused. I don't pay attention as Astria draws the name for the boy, I'm too busy trying to look confident. A boy with red hair volunteers and moves up to the stage next to me. He towers over me, but I don't care.

"Now, what's your name?" Astria asks him. He leans over to speak into the microphone.

"Garnet Reed." He states, and a few people cheer from the audience.

"Okay, shake hands you two." Astria says cheerfully, and Garnet holds out his hand. hesitantly shake it, and he does the same. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the District One tributes for the 247th annual Hunger Games!" There's light applause in the crowd. Most people are jealous that they didn't get the chance to volunteer.

Garnet and I are escorted into the Justice Building by Peacekeepers. I'm brought to the first room on the left, where I wait for my family. I sit down on the plush sofa, and stare at the door. A few minutes later, my mom rushes in.

"Flora, why would you volunteer?" Is the first sentence she shouts. I expected this reaction, but am still taken aback by her intensity. Dad, Cayan, Pine, and Saffron file in behind her. Mom envelopes me in a large hug, squeezing the air out of me. In my ear she whispers, "why, why, why?"

"Flora, you know how we feel about the Hunger Games and volunteering," my Dad says, "we believe it's noble, but we don't want our children risking their lives merely for the entertainment of the Capitol!" My mom finally lets go, and I'm instead taken into a hug by Cayan.

"I'm not going to die." I assure them, "I'm going to win and bring back a lot of money!"

"We don't need money, we're doing fine." Saffron points out, and then joins Cayan in hugging me. I'm surprised about how affectionate each of my brothers are being. I don't think any of them have hugged me since they were twelve.

"I would still like a lot of money. And a house in the Victor's Village." I remind them, and shrug off Cayan and Saffron only to be hugged by Pine.

"It's not worth it." Pine cries, and I'm shocked to see tears coming out of his eyes. I'm speechless at all of their affection and lack of belief I'll survive. "Do you have a token?" Pine asks me, squeezing me so hard I can barely breathe. I hold up my hand.

"Yeah, my ring." I answer. Pine glances up for a second and goes back to hugging me. Behind my Dad I can see a peacekeeper coming to the door.

"Time's up." He says, and none of my family pay any attention. "I said, time's up!" Dad listens to him, and drags my sobbing mother away. Pine finishes the hug, and wishes me good luck.

"Goodbye, I love you all!" I shout as they all leave, but I'm not sure if they heard me.

District 1

Garnet Reed

On my mom's wishes, we arrive at the reaping much earlier than everyone else. There's a few kids scattered in the designated sections, but not many. I quickly sign in, not even wincing at the slight prick, and take the few people as an opportunity to stand close to the aisle. I want the escort to see me immediately, in case someone volunteers at the same time as me. It's happened before, and in those situations the escort just chooses the first person she sees.

I've instructed my friends to applaud when I volunteer, to make it seem like I have a very good chance of winning (which I do, of course). Slowly people begin to flow in, and stand next to me. My friends find me easily, so we can all stand together. I watch as all the previous Victors walk on to the stage and sit in the seats in order of their victory. The oldest one is almost ninety years old, so I hope he's not the one to mentor me.

All of my friends are seventeen but Lucius, which I am thankful for. All the friends I actually like (Lukas, Bliss, Alistair, etc.) can stand next to me and support me, while little Lucius is condemned to the fifteen year old section. I occasionally look back and see him craning his neck to look at me. On those occasions he enthusiastically waves at me, while I pretend I don't see him. I impatiently check my watch, and moments later our escort walks onto the stage. I don't remember her name, I rarely ever do, but she has turquoise colored hair and a matching dress.

I've suffered through the routine of the reapings for a long time, so I make sure to zone out while she and the mayor make their speeches. I've paid attention to the video about the dark days on some occasions, but they show the same video every year so this time I watch the escorts instead. They all look even more bored than any of us. One of them, who's nearing eighty, has fallen asleep in his chair. I roll my eyes.

Finally, our escort announces that she will draw the girl's name. I pay attention, now. She walks over to the bowl and grab a slip of paper. She unfolds it quickly. Nobody cares about whose name is on the paper, because someone will definitely volunteer.

"Silk Raychette!" she reads. I know Silk, she's in my grade. I scan across the aisle, but can't make her out through all the people. She doesn't move, because we all know in a second someone will take her place.

"I volunteer as tribute!" someone shouts. I shift my attention back to the younger kids and am surprised to see a girl who can't be older than fourteen standing in the aisle. Normally only older kids volunteer, because they have more experience and power. She walks past everyone up to the stage, and stands next to the escort. The escort asks for her name and she states, "Flora Harper". So that's the girl I'll be competing against. I expected some kind of struggle, even if I would be victorious in the end, but it looks like this will be easier than I thought. I change my attention back to the escort, who is now drawing a name out of the boy's bowl. I prepare to step out into the aisle.

"Glaze Tepher!" she announces, and I run out into the aisle before she's even finished saying the name.

"I volunteer!" I shout. I follow her beckoning up onto the stage, aware of all the eighteen year olds hating me. I stand next to her and bend down next to the microphone to tell everyone my name.

"Garnet Reed." I announce, and on cue my friends begin to cheer and clap, especially Lucius. The escort tells us to shake hands, and I bend down to take Flora's hand. Her hand is tiny and dainty, and I immediately believe she'll be the first person to die in the Bloodbath. I shake it, and we're introduced as the tributes for the 247th Annual Hunger Games. I wave at the crowd as the Peacekeepers lead us inside the Justice Building.

They have Flora go into a room on the left, and a little ways past is my room. I go inside, and the door slams shut behind me. There's many expensive-looking sofas, but I don't bother sitting. I need to stay active, so I do some push-ups before my family enters the room. My parents are both glowing with pride, and I'm glad they're proud of me. Of course they are. My parents both give me quick hugs.

"You're definitely going to win," Dad assures me, patting me on the back.

"Yes," my mom agrees, "but don't go crazy in the arena. When you return I want you to still be my same little boy." She has me bend down so she can kiss the top of my head. Normally I would object, but I won't see her for a few weeks. I grin.

"You know I like to keep my head," I reply, "both literally and figuratively." My dad laughs a little. I spend the remaining minute joking (with my dad) and hugging (with my mom). When the peacekeeper alerts us that our three minutes are up, my parents leave without any objection. My mom wishes me luck, and tells me once more to keep my dignity. And as the door closes, my dad jokes that it won't be a problem since I never had any in the first place. I roll my eyes at my father's attempt at humor, and turn around to look at the decorations.

A few minutes later I hear the door open again, and look around to see a large group of my friends (minus Lucius). Lukas is the first one to come over and congratulate me. Everyone else does so in a similar fashion. They clap me on the back, and a few that I'm closer to give me hugs. The three minutes passes quickly, and they're forced out just as we're saying goodbye. I assume that no one else will come in, but a minute later the door opens again. I turn around and see Lucius standing in the doorway, looking nervous.

"I know you said that I wouldn't be allowed to come in here, but the Peacekeeper said that anyone can-" Lucius starts, talking fast.

"Oh, well I guess I forgot." I interrupt awkwardly. Lucius gulps, and stares down at his shoes.

"Look, I know you don't like me very much, but I wanted to say good luck." He murmurs, clearing nervous about upsetting me. Before I can say anything in response (not that I want to) he rushes out of the room.

So that was the District 1 reaping. Let me know what you liked and what I can improve upon in the reviews. I'd love to know who you liked better. I've decided to change reviews to be worth 5 sponsor points, but also add some questions at the end of each chapter. Each question answered correctly will be worth 3 points. I recommend not going back to find the answer, but I obviously can't stop you.

1: What are the names of Flora's three brothers?

2: What color is Garnet's hair?

3. What is the escort's name?

I'll try to post the District Two reaping soon. Sorry if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes here, I get really bored reading my chapters over to make sure stuff makes sense. By the way, we still need the District 12 female. If you haven't submitted already, I recommend you do so, and even if you already have you can probably submit another (the maximum is 4). Of course, it's not really a rush yet. I still have plenty of chapters to write, and if things get slow I'll add another peek of a mentor.

- Lilah