Ok, I am seeing a lot of the same people commenting on the story so far, and not very many new people. Thank you to all the people who have replied, your comments mean the world to me! I love to hear what you like and dislike about my stories (even if they aren't my characters!) So I am making a little addition to this chapter as well as a regular sponsor question! Review the reaping chapters up to this one, and I will give you a sponsor point for every reaping chapter you review. Your reviews must be in by Monday for this to count and it only applies this one time. For all those of you who have reviewed, I have already given you a sponsor point for every one of your reviews ;P (this will also make up for the lack of sponsor questions in the first few chapters when I was trying to work out sponsors ;P)

On another note, I have gotten a few suggestions for me to get a beta reader to improve whatever formatting and grammar errors I have. Thank you for the advice, but I don't have the money or the time right now to get one, so I am stuck using the resources I have (Word 2007) I apologize if you find it distracting, but I am doing the best I can with what I have. I might be able to get one during Christmas break, but I think that might be a little too late for this story!

Ok this is chapter four's reapings. The characters featured in this chapter are Bethany Brey by flamingsapphire and Zander Lacerta by Dramione4evs. Flamingsapphire, you did not give your tribute an age, so I gave her one myself. I had fun writing about Bethany and her brother, couldn't resist some cute stuff to put in there. Zander's POV is a little short, but I couldn't come up with a whole lot for him. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Remember to be working on your alliances! I am still missing 9 peoples, so please get to work and get them in! Sponsors, your question is below!

District Four:

Bethany Brey-

I don't know why I'm out here, but I always find myself coming here every morning, expecially on this day every year. Today is the reaping. I am standing on the beach, still in my nightgown, digging my toes in the sand and letting the waves crash against the shore and spray me with the salty water of the ocean. It is still dark out, but the sun will be rising soon. It always gives me reassurance, watching the sun rise above the blue ocean waves out in the horizon. I love to see the sun light up the darkness. I love coming here. I love everything about this place; the gusts of winds that blow my hair around, the warmth of the water, the smell of the sea. I feel so small next to the ocean, but when I am here I feel free. Free from my father, free from grief and pain, free from training and school and reality. Free.

I use to come here with my mother when she was alive. She never told anyone about it, not even my father. She said it was our secret place, our special hide-a-way. "If you ever need a break away from the world, if you ever are feeling lost or discouraged, Bethany, come here. Let your heart make its home in these waves, because when your heart belongs to the sea, no one can tame you." My mother is dead now. She has been dead for 9 years now. I never know how she died, and I don't know if I will ever find out. When I came home from school one day my father just told me she had passed away. That was it, no explanation, no sympathy, no sorrow. He just said it, like it was some sort of bug on the windshield of his perfect day. Ever since then, I come here. It's the one place I can sort out my thoughts and feelings, the one place I can find myself; the one place I can be with her again.

The sun rises and its glow reflects off the water. I sit quietly on the shore as it rises higher in the sky. I don't have much longer, so I let my senses drink up everything they can before giving the view one last look and making my way towards home. I am carful to make my way quickly through the twists and turns of our village until I reach the victor's corner. My dad will be waking up soon. I hurry around the side of our house until I reach my window. I grab the ledge and carefully slide it open and climb inside. Then I hurry to hop in bed.

My father comes in only moments later to wake me up. "Sand, everywhere!" he exclaims. "There is so much stupid sand, I don't know where it's all coming from! Bethany! Wake up! Would you like to explain this?" I can tell he is angry, and I put on my best groggy face and fake a yawn. "I left my window open last night, it was getting to stuffy in here. The sand must have blown in with the wind." He is grumbling but luckily he suspects nothing. "well clean it up! And do it fast, I want you dressed and ready for the day in half an hour." With that he storms out of my room.

Sighing with relief, I go over and begin to sweep up the mess. When I am finished, I go to take a quick shower. Once I have washed all the sand and salt off of me, I get out to dry off. I grab my brush and blow dryer to dry my hair. I am happy with the results. Then I rush to my closet to pull out my reaping dress. It's a black top with a purple skirt. I match it with my white belt. Then I walk over to my jewelry box and pull out my mother's necklace. If I go to the games today, then I want to have this be my token. The necklace has a stone on it, and in the middle of the stone is a diamond casing that is filled with pure water. It's small enough not to be considered an asset in the games, but it's the most valuable possession I have. It was passed down in our family for many generations. The water was supposedly from the Fons aqua Consisto Palam Mare-Maris. It was said that my great-great-great grandmother was out with her family at sea one day when they got lost in a storm. All of their supplies and fresh water were tossed overboard in the chaos so when the storm calmed, they were slowly dying of thirst. The only thing my grandmother had left was a stone from her home village, and she tossed it as an offering into the sea. From the spot the stone fell, a spring rose up out of the ocean and they were saved. Renna, my great-great-great grandmother, was gifted with the stone charm as a reward from what she did. She and her family set sail for home, and no one has ever seen the spring since. The stone has been passed down to women in our family since then. 'It will bring you luck, Bethany." My mother had told me when she gave it to me on my fifth birthday. I don't know about the luck that she said it had, but it reminds me of her, and that's good enough for me. I slip it on and hurry downstairs to meet my father.

I meet my brother on the way down. He is up and dressed, too. "Hey Zack," I say. "How are you feeling?" he shrugged. "Good, I guess. Any idea why dad wants us down so early?" I shrug. Zackary seems nervous. He's always nervous on reaping day. Ever since my mom died, my father has been training me to fight in the games. My mother never approved of it, she said it was awful what the Capital did to us. But now that she is gone, my father can do whatever he wants with me. Zack is so sweet and innocent, ever for a fourteen year old; he would never hurt a fly! Luckily, I've managed to keep my dad's focus on me so Zack doesn't have to face training with my father. Our dad doesn't know about Zack's soft side, but I can almost guarantee if he did, he would beat it right out of him or toss him on the streets. My dad was a victor a while back; to him, winning is everything. I take what I get from training with him and teach Zack pieces of it, just in case he ever has to go to the games, I don't want him to be unprepared. I'm a lot easier on him than our dad would be, so he takes the training despite his dislike of them. I try to keep to the edible plants, climbing trees, swimming, camouflage, stuff that doesn't involve killing for now, because he tends to freak out when I pull out a weapon to teach him to use.

"I think he is just going to give us his annual reaping talk," I reply reassuringly. Sure enough, when we reach the kitchen for breakfast, we find our dad already there. "Good morning children. I wish to inform you that I have made my decision to start training Zackary." I watch Zack's face begin to drain and quickly but it. "Dad, no! You can't!" "And why can't I?" he asks. "Because,..because, I,..I've been training him already." I blurt out. "And why have you been training him and not me? Tell me!" my father barks. "I needed someone to practice with when you're busy, and Zack was willing to help." I look over to Zack. Hopefully our dad takes it.

"None the less, I wish to start training him." I try to interrupt, but my father cuts me off. "NO BUTTS! I am training Zackary and that's final! Now listen up and listen closely, because I am about to tell you something very important and I mean every word I say. I will not have one of you go to those games and loose, you got it? We are a family of victors, and that's what I expect from you two. And if I see one of you loose those games then I will deny ever having you as my child and burn your things, no questions asked. Got it? I want you to go in there and show no mercy, slice every throat you can and give your father a good show, ey? Now go off and play, I've got work to do. And you better be at those reapings or you're going to wish that the peacekeepers were still whipping you when I get a hold of you." With that he leaves the house and slams the front door shut.

My brother is really shaken, so I make him some cereal and sit down with him. "You don't really think I'm going to be picked this year, do you?" he asks me. "No, there are plenty of other people, I think you'll be safe." I reassure him. "What about the training, do you think he is serious about that?" he asks nervously. I nod my head. "I'm sorry kiddo, just keep our head up and try not to let him see the fear and disgust in your eyes. It'll be alright. After the reapings I'll try to convince him to train us together, that way you won't have to do it alone." "Promise?" he asks holding out his pinky. I laugh silently. Mom told us about that, the pinky promise. Apparently it was some old tradition her mother use to do with her friends when she was little, and had passed it down to our mom. "It's a sign of trust," she told us. She'd always make us pinky promise each other after that. "Promise," I reply shaking his pinky.

Just then, the doorbell rings. I answer it to find my friends Michael, Mikayla, Rachel, and Cahalan waiting for me at the door. "Hey," Rachel greets. "We wanted to know if you could hang out before the reaping?" I look back at my brother and then turn back to my friends. "Sure, um, would you guys mind if my brother tagged along? It's been a crazy morning and I don't want to leave him alone." My friends agree. "Hey Zack! Get your things; we're going to hang out with some friends before the reaping."

In no time at all, we are making our way out into town. All the shops are closed for the reapings, so we just walk along the boardwalk. Mikayla warms up to Zack pretty quickly. They laugh and talk following closely behind us. I meanwhile, can stop worrying about him and hang out with my other friends. Rachel walks on one side of me. She is funny, smart, caring, sweet, and loyal, he picture perfect BFF. I am the closest to her out of all my friends. She has always been there for me, like when my mother died and when I was having troubles with my father. Michael walks on my other side. I've known Michael for almost as long as I have Rachel. He can be super cocky and totally arrogant at times, but I don't really mind most of the time. He's a total flirt and we all know it, but when you finally get him to be himself he can be a real down to earth guy and I know I can always count on him. Sometimes though, when I look at his face, or listen to him talk, I wish we had something more. I wish that we could be more than friends. Cahalan walks on the other side of Rachel. She is shy and super quiet, but she's our friend, so we try to include her best we can.

We talk and window shop until it's time to head to the square. Mikayla heads off to her section to wait for my brother. Cahalan says goodbye and heads off with the rest of the fifteen year olds. I give Rachael and Michael that look and they pick up right away. "We'll see you in the square, Bethany." I nod. "Are you nervous?" I ask Zack. "a little," he admits. "Don't be. It'll be fine. Now I got to go, I'll see you after the reaping?" I tell him. "Wait! Beths, promise me something." He says. "What?" I ask him."Promise me that if you're picked, you'll come home." He says, holding out his pinky. I shake my head. "Ok," I say, in return offering my pinky out to his. We shake on it and he walks off to his section. I head off to the sixteen section to find my friends. "He a little nervous?" Rachael asks me. I nod. "I don't blame him. He was too young when my mother died to really remember her, and my father has been pushing the games so hard at us it scares him." I tell her. The reapings start quickly.

Our mayor comes up onto the stage to tell the story of the Hunger Games. Then he invites our district representative, Perry Kissengar, up to the stage. This year, like every year, she is wearing blue. Unlike most Capital people, her style stays relatively the same every year. Her dress is made of so many different shades of blues and greens and white, it looks to me like a jumbled mess. I guess it's supposed to represent the ocean, but it's not doing a very good job. Her skin is tinted a bluish green and her makeup matches her dress. She's always been like that, totally into fashion and looks. She hops up on stage to announce our mentors.

This year, the girls mentor is Sparrow Knightly. I notice her glare as she goes up on stage; it sends a chill down my spine. Sparrow is only 19. She won the games just last year by backstabbing the careers by knifing them in their sleep. She was so quiet and camouflaged when she snuck around, not even the cameras could pick her up! I think she lived in the alleys, because she didn't look very much like a career when she went to the games. Everyone pretty much left her alone until they found out what she could do. The other mentor is Herrin Nets. He was the idol tribute from district four. He was actually a close cousin to Finnick Odair, having the same blonde hair and blue eyes, muscular and handsome. He won the games because he could hold his breathe for a really long time. He would hide under the water of the lake and kill unsuspecting tributes that came to the lake for water. He was a loner for most of the game; most people believed that he was a Capital monster. The lake was the only source of water in the 73rd Hunger Games, so his plan worked well. He walks onto stage to join his fellow mentor.

When the mentors are up on stage, Perry goes over to announce the female tribute. As she reaches her hand into the reaping ball, I can feel it even before she calls out the name. It's me. I am going to the 76th Hunger Games. As I walk up to stage, I can see the shock in my friends faces. But what pains me the most is Zack's face. His eyes are already tearing up and he is trying hard to stay strong. There is pain on his face. I take my place up on stage and see my father's eyes gleaming with hope that I will win, I know he will take all the credit for training me, but I don't care. I stare him down. Know this, father; If I win it will not be for you. I will win because I promised my brother I would be coming home. And if there is one thing my mother taught me, you can never break a pinky promise.

Zander Lacerta-

I wake up early this morning to a scuffling sound by my window. I try to ignore it, but it gets louder and louder. "Lucky! Go away!" I groan. He doesn't listen. When I hear whimpering, I break down and get up out of bed. Sure enough, Lucky is waiting for me at my window. Lucky is a stray dog I found about a year ago. He was a small sickly mutt with a broken paw and matted fur practically starving to death on the street. It was so sad; I took him into the alley and made a splint for his paw, then fed him some of my lunch. He was cautious of me at first, but after I fed him he started following me around. I call him Lucky because, well, quite frankly he is lucky to be alive. Little did I know how much he would grow in the next year, or how much he would eat. I have a hard enough time trying to help my mother support us without having the extra mouth to feed. But I still do anyways, he's my friend. And dog friends can't turn on you, so I won't turn on him.

I grab a jar of dog food I bought yesterday out from under my nightstand and crack it open, pouring a little onto the ground outside my window. He begins to chomp on it immediately as I stroke his fur. A few years ago, my dad was out at sea fishing when his boat was caught in the storm. He drowned to death. It was a really hard time for me, and my best friend, Tyler, just laughed at me. Needless to say we did not stay friends for much longer. My mother has had a really hard time trying to support us. She is terrified of water ever since my father died, and since we live in a district that thrives off of the ocean, she had a hard time finding a job that did not remind her of her husband.

She works every day and long hours, so I am usually by myself. I try to help her out by fishing in open fishing areas, and doing the laundry, things like that. But times are getting tough, and we need money. So I am actually considering volunteering for the Hunger Games. I think that the Hunger Games is good for someone like me, because it can give my family a chance to survive. I think I might be able to win. I am very good with a knife, because we live in a more dangerous part of our district, so I have to be handy with some kind of weapon.

After I am done feeding Lucky, I head to the kitchen. My mom is making breakfast. She has whipped up some scrambled eggs and fried fish she usually saves for special occasion. I guess today is a special occasion. Today is the reapings. "Good morning," I tell her. She smiles. I love her smile; I don't get to see it very often. "Good morning, I made some breakfast." She says. We chat as I eat. After breakfast, I head to my room to change into my reaping outfit. It's not super fancy, just a white shirt and blue jeans. Then I take my father's ring out of the box beneath my bed. It's on a thin rusty chain I found. I carefully clip it around my neck and tuck it under my shirt. No need to remind my mother of him today. But I want to take it with me if I go to the Hunger Games. I want to have some reminder of my father there.

My mother is flustered when I come out. She is trying her best to straighten up the house and wash the dishes. I offer to take over so she can go get ready. I don't mind the work, and it gives me time to sort things out.

At quarter till 12, I head to the square with my mom and make my way to the fourteen's section. The reapings start with the mayor announcing the story of the Hunger Games. I don't pay too much attention as he introduces our district rep and the mentors are picked. Instead I weigh out my options. Bethany Brey is called up to stage and Perry starts digging around in the male reaping ball. I have made up my mind to volunteer hen she calls my name. I am a little surprised, but I guess it works. I make my way up to stage where I am told to shake hands with my counter tribute. I am going to wins these games, mom. I think to myself. I promise I will win, and when I do, I will get us the better life we deserve.

This is the end of District four! Below is the sponsor question, remember, everyone is sponsoring their own tribute except for the dancegurl and meanzombiequeen situation!

In Bethany's side of the story, she talks about the Fons aqua Consisto Palam Mar-Maris. This place comes from the Latin language. What would the Fons aqua Consisto Palam Mare-Maris be in English? (Exact wording please! it's easiest if you enter just one word at a time, the word with the dash just means it is one word with a space inbetween, so mare-mairis would need to be typed in "mare maris" to find the translations! each word has a few meanings, but you should be able to figure it out, I'll give it to you if your really close!) This SQ is worth 1 point! Answers must be in by this Monday!