A/N (Glossy): The Reapings are really starting to flood in now. If you haven't gotten yours in yet, try to soon because the sooner we get them done, the sooner we can move on.

Paisley "Blue" Button, 13 (written by TheSnowyAngel)

District 8 Female

"Ouch!" my mother exclaims. She sucks the blood out of her thumb then continues sewing. Father and I walk into my bedroom where my mother and grandmother will help me get ready. Mother sews the last stitch and uses her teeth to cut the thread.

"There. It's complete," she says and shows me the dress.

"Thank you mother, it's beautiful," I say and give her a kiss on the cheek. My name is Paisley Button. I'm 13, that means today is my 2nd reaping. My family isn't like the others in District 8, for one, we have a strong Chinese Heritage. Well, on my mother's side at least.

"Now go on sweetie," mother says. "Put your dress on and I'll do your hair."

My father takes this as his cue to leave and walks out of the room. I walk into the bathroom and slip on my Cheongsam; it's Chinese for 'long dress'. It's the traditional dress of the Chinese. This particular one is special to my family. It's been with the Chan's (my mother's family name) for generations, passed down from mother to child for at least 30 years. Since the Capitol only gives us the 'privilege' to wear nice clothes on reaping day, mother intends to make the most out of it.

Every year, she undoes the stitches and sews it again to fit my growing figure. This is the only nice thing I have in my dresser. The dress is pearl white and falls to my thighs. It has golden dragon embroidery, the symbol of the Emperor. My feet slip into matching sandals and I step out of the bathroom. Mother tells me to twirl for her and I do. I can see the tears in her eyes start to fall.

"My little Blue has grown up," mother says. Blue is the nickname given to me since birth. The umbilical cord wrapped around my neck tightly and my face turned blue. Luckily the mid-wife managed to unwrap it before anything bad happened. Father said something along the lines of: "That's my tough baby girl, Blue." Somehow it just stuck.

Mother tells me to take a seat on the chair in front of her. I pull out my hairband and my hair falls to my waist. She grabs the hairbrush beside her and lightly runs it through my long black hair.

"Paisley," she says, "Remember to tell your children about this moment when you brush their hair. This is your way to remember me when I am gone."

"Yes mother."

She ties my hair into a simple bun and sticks in a wooden hairpin to secure it. "There. You're ready."

"Wait!" I turn and see grandmother walk towards me, the knocking of her wooden cane makes a 'thump, thump, thump' with every step she takes. She pulls out a small red peony and slips it above my left ear. "I picked it today," she says and gives me a smile.

We exchange positions with grandmother sitting on chair and me standing beside her. Mother brushes her hair like she did with mine and ties it into a bun. Despite her old age of 75, my grandmother is still glowing with beauty.

Mother helps her to stand while I retrieve her cane that leans against the wall. "Come on," grandmother says. "We better get moving." I admire my grandmother's kind but stern nature; it's what keeps the home in running order. Father greats us as we walk out of my bedroom and has a playful expression on his face.

"Excuse me Miss," he says. "I can't seem to find my daughter. And I can't help noticing you're wearing her dress."

"Father, it's me!" I giggle.

"Just kidding Blue. You look so grown-up and beautiful. I really can't recognize you."

"It's true," my mother says.


I give my parents and grandmother a light bow before walking towards the check-in station. As I stand in line, I see some peacekeepers separating a mother from her 12-year-old child. She falls to her knees and sobs as the peacekeeper tugs on her son's arm roughly and pulls him away. I hate the Capitol. But I need to keep my feelings down. Otherwise, there will be consequences.

I bow politely at peacekeeper that takes my blood. He raises an eyebrow at me and waves a hand to dismiss me. "Respect everyone," my grandmother says, "it doesn't matter if they are good or evil. You are a kind girl and you must be respectful."

I take a spot with the other 13-year-olds at the farthest corner. The reason why I do this is because I don't want to attract attention. Boys torment me while girls talk behind my back and spread rumors. It has something to do with my father's rank in the factory. He is the manager, which is the highest rank there is. Any higher and the title would belong to someone from the Capitol. Adults despise him because of jealousy so it's natural for their children to do the same with me.

As the minutes pass, I watch as the other children file in. The 12-year-olds cling to the older sibling's arm tightly as they walk towards the check-in, 17 and 18-year-olds glare at the peacekeepers before turning their attention back to the stage. I see a young couple, about 16; kiss each other goodbye before checking in and walking towards their respective pens. Why do they this? Don't punish us! What did we do? Exist?

I'm dragged out of my thoughts as our escort, Shay Lockheart, flounders up the stage. Her creepy peacock dress prevents her from walking with ease. The feathers on her back, brush against one of the victor's nose. He sneezes then glares at Shay. Either she chooses to ignore it, or is oblivious.

She taps a scrawny finger onto the mic. It produces a high-pitch sequel that echoes throughout the square, everyone covers their ears and scrunches their faces. "Welcome District 8, to the reaping of the 15th Annual Hunger Games!" She starts to clap like a maniac, but everyone else is silent.

She coughs, breaking the awkward silence and continues her speech. "Well, I guess it's time to show you all a special recording, all the way from the Capitol!" On cue, the screen behind her starts to play. At this point, I completely zone out and start to look for my family. They are at the back, with the other parents. Father gives me a small wave and I smile back at him.

Soon the video ends and Shay clears her throat. "Now, let's start!" She walks towards the girl's bowl and sticks her hand in. I don't bother to think about how many times my name is in the bowl. Grandmother says that this all comes down to fate.

Suddenly the girls in my section clear their path. I look at them confused. Everyone has his or her eyes on me. Oh no, they only do this for one reason.

"Are you Paisley?" Shay locks eyes with me, and I gulp. "You there, with the… weird dress thingy."

I feel a sharp pain on my back; a peacekeeper has come to collect me. He pokes me with his baton and forces me towards the stage; I place one foot in front of the other. They feel heavy, like a pile of rocks. We make our way through the crowd and up the steps towards Shay.

Up close, I can see her medium tanned skin. She smiles at me, reveling a dimple on her right cheek. She has no pimples, no blemish whatsoever. If it weren't for her ridiculous clothing, she would be the prettiest woman alive.

She yanks my shoulder and I stumble towards her. My sandals make loud thumping sounds on the stage. Shay walks back to the mic. "Now, the boys!" she says excitedly. As she mixes the cards around, I feel some tears wet my cheeks.

"Gabriel Newman!"

A young boy walks up the stage, casually, like this is no big deal. He holds his head up high but I feel him trembling inside, just like me. He's a lot older than I am, 16 at least. There's no way I can fight him. I'm going to die.

Shay tells us to shake hands and we do. His grip is strong. I can imagine his hands around my neck, squeezing tightly. "Give it up for our District 8 Tributes!" Shay says.

People start to clap, glad that they haven't been chosen and glad that I'll be gone. Mother has tears in her eyes, and they aren't the happy ones from this morning.


The doors burst open and my family runs to hug me. Mother lets out a loud sob, she holds onto me tightly and I do the same with her. I breathe in her scent, she smells like sweet flowers. Father is the strong one, he strokes my hair gently and I cry into his chest, my tears soak his shirt. "I c-can't do this," I say shakily. "I-I can't k-kill anyone."

"Paisley, listen to me," grandmother says. "There is no honor in hurting others, but there is also no honor in death." I turn to grandmother in surprise. She's the one who tells me to be kind to others, despite their cruelty to me, to be polite to others, as I want them to be with me. And now, she's telling me to kill. Grandmother pulls both our hairpins out then gives me hers.

"This has also been in the family for generations." I stare at the golden hairpin, it has different coloured beads tied to the ends.

"Wear our family symbol with pride." She uses a finger to lift my chin up. "Keep your head up high, don't back down. Just come home to us." Grandmother pulls me into a tight hug. "I love you, my beautiful grandchild."

"I love you too grandmother." I use this moment to study all their faces. Mother is beautiful with her black hair and dark blue eyes while father has brunette hair and black eyes, similar to mine. Grandmother has white hair with traces of black, her eyes are like mother's, dark blue. This will be the last thing I think of before I go.

Suddenly the peacekeepers barge in and whisk my family away. "We love-" They don't even get a chance to finish their sentence. I don't know if I can live up to my promise.

I'm going to die.

Gabriel "Gabe" Newman, 17 (written by Grand Coconut)

District 8 Male

I wake up to the sound of chaos and rushed footsteps outside of my bedroom door. I hear my brother and sister arguing about who spilled the milk on her outfit and I smell cinnamon rolls and breakfast baking in the kitchen. No one has come to wake me up yet, which is weird. Plus the sun has just peeked it's head over the factory rooftops, so I can't help but wonder why everyone is up so early on a Sunday. It's the weekend after all.

Then I remember, the reaping is today.

I scoff as I roll out of bed, my blankets falling on the floor as I get up. It is so like me to forget that such a huge event is today. The reaping is only the most terrifying and daunting day of the year, I wonder how many other people in the district have let it slip their mind as well. Probably zero.

The truth is, the reaping doesn't scare me that bad. I mean it used to, but over the years I've realized that I'm probably not gonna get reaped anyways and worrying about something that hasn't happened yet is pretty silly. I've made it through five reapings already and nothing happened to me then, so the same can probably be said about today and next year as well.

And even if I did get reaped, I'd probably be kind of excited in a weird way. After all, it would sure be a hell of an adventure.

I like surprises, it keeps things exciting.

I walk to my door with heavy feet, sleepiness still in my system, and open it up. The bright lights from the hallway flood my room and I close my eyes for a second until they adjust. I am beginning to look around when my mom's screeching voice pierces my ears.

"Oh my god, why aren't you dressed yet?" Her eyes are wide like a frog and she looks ready to panic. I flinch at her loud voice. Something inside of me twangs irritation and I can't help but stare at her like she's an idiot.

"If you wanted me awake earlier, you should have woke me up yourself." I say with an attitude as I stand in my doorway.

"I expected you to wake yourself up! You're seventeen years old, Gabe. Is a little responsibility too much to ask?" She says dramatically.

"It's Sunday." I spit.

"It's Reaping Day." She says right back, then disappears back into the kitchen before I can get the last word in. "Get ready." I hear her say from the other room.

I have half a mind to go back to bed just simply because she told me to get ready, but I decide not to. I grab a towel off the dryer and walk to the bathroom. I have a defiant streak, I can't deny that, but I don't have a stupid one. I know that if I even ATTEMPTED to skip the reaping, the peacekeepers would be on me in an instant and I just don't feel like dealing with that today.

I shower and brush my teeth more quickly than I usually do and hop out, my wet feet splattering water onto the tile floor. I wrap the blue towel around my waist and walk out of the bathroom, the steam following me down the hall as I leave.

When I get back in my room, I grab some clothes off of my dresser and toss them onto my bed. I'm not really in the mood to dress up today, so I don't care what clothes I grab, all that matters is that they're clean. I pull on my underwear and tug a crisp white t-shirt over my head and yank it down. The fresh smell of laundry detergent lingers in my clothes and smells gentle and nice, like a fresh breeze. I take a pair of denim jeans out of the bottom drawer and pull them on too. As I button my pants up, I walk over to my mirror and look at my reflection to make sure I still look alright since the last time I checked.

And I do. My blonde hair sits short and neat on my head and my eyes are just as blue as they were last time I looked. I think I'm a pretty good looking guy. I always had relativity good skin from my mom's side and my teeth never grew in crooked. Unlike my brother and sister, I never needed braces when I was in middle school. They say I should be thankful. Apparently they're no fun.

But looks were never something I've obsessed over anyways. I've always been more interested on what's on the inside. Like blood and guts! No, I'm kidding. I like people based off of their heart. Their personality, their dreams, their ideas and aspirations. If you can stimulate my mind, then looks don't really matter as much.

By the time I'm ready to leave, my mom is still waiting for my sister to change clothes, so I just decide to leave without them. The town square isn't that far from my house anyway, and there's no way I want to walk anywhere alongside my deadbeat dad.

I step out the front door and follow the sidewalk until I'm exiting the neighborhood. I know the sky should be more blue than this, but this district is so polluted with factory smoke, it only looks grayish at best. I honestly do get sick of this place at times, but I don't see a way out. People usually stay in the district they're born in all their life. It's just how things work.

I walk with relaxed posture and my head held high as I enter the town square. I know I exude confidence and security, something so rare to find on reaping day. Kids know me from school, but don't say much more than "Hi" and "How are you" as I walk by. I let the guy at the sign in table prick my finger and then I move onto the seventeen year old's section as the ceremony begins.

The guy standing next to me is actually quivering with nerves as the mayor gives his short, scripted speech.

"You okay?" I ask him quietly, glancing his direction.

He lets out a nervous laugh. "Yeah I'm fine, thanks. Just a bit scared." He replies quietly, his voice trembling ever so slightly.

"Ah." I say with a nod, understanding him. I raise my head and see the escort, Shay something walk onstage in a very richly colored peacock inspired dress. Her deep green hair is tied into a tight, high bun and her skin is tan and smooth, kind of like caramel.

A lot of district people say they hate capitol fashion, but I don't. I think it's usually really creative and fantasy like. Clothes can be a way of self expression, art even. I don't hate her wild dress as much as the kids around me apparently do. I can tell because of their giggles and stares as she rolls a film of the dark days and what not.

After it's over, she walks over to the girls' bowl and draws out a name. It all happens pretty quickly.

"Paisley Button." She says into the microphone.

I look over in the girls' direction and search for her. I don't know any Paisley's, so I have no idea who she could be. After a moment though, the girls in the thirteen year old's section spread out, revealing a small Asian looking girl in a satiny white dress that looks like the ones Chinese people wear.

She looks confused for a moment, and then before she knows it, peacekeepers are escorting her up to the stage. As she passes me by, I notice a golden dragon is embroidered onto her dress, curving up her side.

As she walks onto the stage, I see some tears fall down her cheeks and I frown slightly in sympathy. Poor kid, I think to myself.

Before I know it, Shay is drawing a name out of the boys' bowl and I can't help but wonder who it will be. I don't really care since my brother is nineteen now and can't be reaped. The only one left I really care about being reaped is myself.

"Gabriel Newman."

And what a coincidence. Right as I think I'm safe, my name gets called. You know what, actually this would be just my luck. Something like this would happen to me.

I always seem to be the one that gets singled out.

As I slip into the isle, I don't feel as nervous as I imagined myself being. Kids stare at me and I hear some whispers, but I don't feel stiff, uptight, or anything. My limbs are loose and my posture is confident and tall, like it usually is.

I guess I'm the one going on an adventure this year, I think as a small smirk crosses my face.


I'm escorted to the justice building with the Paisley kid, who is trying to stop crying, but can't seem to. I don't cry though. I don't feel the waterworks begin and I don't really want them to either.

My mom bursts into the goodbye room alongside with my older brother and little sister. Now she is crying, but then again she cries a lot. I expect the dramatics to be on full blast today.

"Oh, my son. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I yelled at you this morning. I didn't know this was going to happen. I'm sorry!" She says through tears, squeezing the life out of me in a hug. "I love you, never forget!" Over her shoulder, I can see my brother and sister crying too, only they aren't as theatrical as mom.

I laugh breathlessly as I peel mom off of me. "What? You act like I have no chance." I say with a smile. "Have you forgotten who I am? I'm smart as a whip! I can come back."

This makes my older brother, Nate, smile a little, but he still cries. "God, Gabe, I just hope your big mouth doesn't get in the way." He sighs as he wraps me in a strong hug, my mom still sobbing in the background. "I know you can come home, but you gotta watch yourself in there. You have a tendency to piss people off."

I laugh and try to shove the negativity aside. I knew the goodbyes would be a drag to get though, but all this moping around is just dampening my mood. I believe in myself. Why don't they?

"And another thing, you're so freaking loyal. Don't let that bite you in the ass." Nate says as he lets go of me. "Don't trust the wrong people. Because I KNOW you. You'd take a bullet for those you care about."

I shrug. My younger sister just wraps me in a hug without saying anything.

My mom wails as the peacekeepers tell her it's time to go and hugs me one last time. "I love you! I love you so much. Don't you forget it!" She sobs as the peacekeepers yank her off of me. In the madness, I only catch one last glimpse of my family before the door slams shut.

After that, a few friends from school come to say farewell, but I'm disengaged. I thank them for coming to see me and put on a smile, but inside I'm over the goodbyes. They're all so depressing.

My last visitor is someone who makes my blood run hot though.

"What do you want." I spit as my dad walks in the room.

He stops before he can reach me and his eyes soften. "I'm coming to say goodbye to my boy." He says like he's surprised at my venomous voice. "Look Gabe, I know I've been tough on you, but-"

"Tough on me?" I interrupt in a flabbergasted voice. "You abused us. You beat the hell out of me, Nate, and Rosie for years and you think that was being tough on us? You can't possibly think I'm gonna forgive you for that. You disgust me. I hate you so god damn much, will you just leave now? I don't wanna see your face ever again."

Dad looks speechless as he furrows his brow in frustration. "Why you ungrateful little-" He begins.

"Get out!" I yell in an angry voice as I stand up, clenching my fists. I can't let him walk all over me anymore.

Suddenly, the peacekeepers burst in the room and I tell them to get rid of him. They listen and take dad by the arms and pull him backwards. He tries to fight them, but they yank him out the door. On the way out, he yells "You little devil's child! This is the last time I ever try to reconcile with you."

I roll my eyes at him. "Yeah, why don't you go home and shove mom into the coffee table again." I call back to him as the peacekeepers take him away.

As he leaves, I try to calm myself, but it takes so long. Even though the anger though, I realize one thing.

I'm finally free.

Free from this stupid place and this messed up family.