Thank you to Dynamite-Dreams and i-am-foxface for reviewing :) Two more reviews before I update! Please vote for the poll on my profile and check out my other SYOT The 102nd Hunger Games: The Return Of The Mockingjay, I need more tributes.
There is a rule change. The tributes loved one can win with another tribute from a different district. So, for example, the D1 tribute could win with the D7 loved one. But two tributes can't win and two loved ones can't win. The tribute can win on their own, but the loved one can't win on their own.
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Reapings For District 9
Nick Haebrid
I woke up shivering. It was getting much colder at night now. Bella, my younger sister, had suggested a few times that we go back to the community home. But I was never going back there. I didn't need to, Bella and I were just fine and we didn't need any help.
Bella was still asleep next to me, I decided to let her sleep while I went and stole what we needed. She had just turned thirteen, so she could look after herself until I got back.
It was the reaping today. I looked down at my clothes. A ripped up black t-shirt and jeans, it would have to do.
I smiled at I looked down at the street. People were rushing around, carrying so many different things. I usually targeted the richer people, they had the nicest things. I made a list of what we needed in my head. I had less time than usual, because of the reaping. Some sort of food, bread would be nice, two jackets because it was getting colder now, some money or expensive jewellery and whatever else that I could find.
I was on the roof of a house, tracking people that had the most things. I watched a rich looking man go in to a bakery. He had a warm jacket and would come out with fresh bread. I also saw three girls and a boy walking together, the boy looked my sisters age, so his jacket would be perfect. The girls looked really young, about eleven or twelve, so when they get off the street, I'll jump them.
The man had come out of the bakery and was walking down a quiet street to his house. I followed him on the rooftops. He would know who I was, but he would never see me coming. Almost everyone in district 9 knew who I was. I was known as Shadow. People thought I appeared out of nowhere, I never let them see me jump down from the roof. The man was almost at his house now. I jumped down behind him and took out my knife. He never even turned around. I flung my knife at the door, it almost hit the man and it hit the door in the middle. The man gasped, he knew I was there now.
"Give me your jacket and your bread." I ordered.
"Y-y-yes." The man stuttered, clearly afraid. He took of his jacket, dropped all of his bags and ran away screaming Shadow.
I cursed. I had to be really fast now because people would come running very soon. I grabbed the jacket, bread, wool and my knife before climbing quickly on to the roof. I looked down again. People had crowded around the bags that I had not stolen, muttering to themselves.
I nearly laughed out loud when I pulled money out of the jacket pocket, there was about fifty dollers in total, it would last me for a long time. I ate half of the bread I had stolen and put the other half in my pocket with the wool and money.
I wandered around on the roof tops until I found the kids I had targeted earlier. They were walking on a quieter street now, heading towards the fields. I waited until they got to the end of the street. I didn't really know how they would react when I jumped them. I was right behind them now, I had them cornered. I threw my knife at the boys bag.
"Shit!" The boy yelped and turned around. He was about to say something, but I cut him off.
"Give me your jacket." The girls had turned around now and the boy had started to take off his jacket.
"Rye, don't give him your jacket, you knob head." A girl hissed.
"Oh, yeah, so I'll just let him kill me instead."
The youngest girl was holding back a girl who was trying to attack me, probably stopping her from getting herself killed.
I threw another knife at the girl who had spoken, it hit her shirt and pinned her to the door.
"I'm gonna make this really simple for you all. Give me what I tell you or I will kill you." I wouldn't actually kill them, but it was important that they think I will.
The boy threw his jacket to me. I walked slowly and deliberately up to the girl pinned to the door, she was squirming now. I ripped off her necklace collected my knives and walked out of the street before climbing on to the roof. I could hear lots of swearing behind me. The girl who was being held back seemed pretty freaky to me.
I went back to Bella, she was awake now and she was pacing.
"I can't believe you left me!" She scolded when she saw me.
"Whatever, I got some stuff," I gave her the jacket, bread and necklace, "get some money for the necklace after the reaping."
Bella sighed. "We need to go now."
We walked to the reaping and I stood with the other sixteen year old boys. They all looked worried, I couldn't really be bothered, I would win if I was reaped anyway.
The escort walked on stage. She surprised me every year because she was, normal. She had on a short red sequined dress and red high heels. Her hair was down, it wasn't dyed or anything like that, it was just left its natural colour. Her eyes were the same hazel colour as her hair and she had freckles over her face. She was slim and pretty and didn't look like she was from the Capitol at all.
"Welcome, District 9 to the annual reaping!" She didn't even have a Capitol accent. There was no way she could ever be from the Capitol. "For those of you who don't know, I am Katherine Eliza Myrical. Good luck to everyone."
She walked over to the girls names. "Astoria Vance." The girl who was being held back from attacking me this morning walked to the stage. She looked brave at first, then worried as some woman started screaming and shrieking hysterically from the audience. I think it was her mother.
Astoria had shoulder length brown hair and dark green eyes. She was a small girl with tanned skin and muscles from working in the field.
"Who will you be taking with you in to the arena?" Katherine sounded really sweet and gentle.
"Jasmine Arum." Jasmine walked to the stage, she looked fierce.
"Now for the boys, good luck!" She pulled out a slip, "Nick Haebrid."
I walked to the stage. I had been exposed. Anyone who I had stolen from would recognise me and it wouldn't take long for everyone to know who I was.
"I'm taking Bella in to the arena with me." I replied when I was asked who I would be taking in to the arena with me. There was no one else I could take, I had no one else. Bella would have had to have taken me if she was reaped.
Bella came to the stage and we were taken straight to the train. There was no point in going to the justice building. There was no one to visit us.
I plonked myself on a chair when we were inside the train. My gold ring should bring me some luck in the arena.
Astoria Vance
My mother was screaming when I woke up. She was screaming for the voices to stop. I could hear my father, Xavier, trying to comfort her. My father spent most of his time looking after my mother, Daphne, now. My mother does try to keep it together, for her family, but sometimes she just can't.
I got changed in to my dark blue dress. It was my favourite dress and I loved how it floated around me in the breeze. When I came downstairs my sister, Chrysanthemum, my aunt, Flora and my cousin, Jasmine, were already eating their breakfast. My other sister, Mimosa, was in bed. She was always sick.
I ate my breakfast quietly. Mim came downstairs eventually to have breakfast. She had the flu, so she was sniffing and coughing a lot.
"Will you just be quiet!" Jasmine hissed at Mim. Mim was only nine, small for her age and really quiet. She only really spoke to her family.
"Shut up Jas, she hasn't done anything." I said calmly.
"Oh, calm down Astoria." Jas said mockingly.
I lost my temper and smacked her across the face. She could really make me angry sometimes. Before Jas could hit back my aunt Flora sent us both to our rooms, telling us not to come out until it was time to go to the reaping.
I lay on the bed, bored. I could hear Jas opening her window and climbing out. My aunt didn't really let her out of the house much and if Jas ever wanted to go out my aunt had to be with her. My aunt had been that way ever since her husband was beaten to death by peacekeepers two years ago. He had been caught stealing food from the fields where we worked. Jas usually sneaked out most of the time. She was rather good at it, she had only been caught once.
I heard a knock at my door and Chrys came in.
"Hey, cheer up." She said.
"God, Jas can be such a bitch sometimes."
"Yeh, but on the bright side, you hit her hard enough that she will have a purple face for a while."
I laughed a little at that.
"Why don't you sneak out?" Chrys suggested.
"I'd probably get caught."
"You might not."
I thought about it for a minute. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try." I smiled.
"I'll go and make sure aunt Flora doesn't come upstairs." Chrys walked downstairs.
As it turned out, my escape went perfectly. I climbed out the window, jumped on to the grass and ran away without making a noise.
I walked to the square to meet up with my friends, Aziza, Rye and Mazie.
"Hi, Astoria!"Aziza was the first one to notice me.
"Hi." I replied.
"Hurry up guys, I need to get some stuff before the reaping!" Rye told us. Rye was the oldest of us, he was thirteen. I sometimes worked with him in the fields.
We walked around for a while before walking down a street leading to the fields. I spun around when I hears Rye yelp and curse.
"Give me your jacket." The person ordered. It was Shadow. No one knew his true identity, but they feared him all the same. I was not about to let him rob us.
Mazie held me back when I tried to attack Shadow. I was screaming and cursing.
Aziza was telling Rye not to give Shadow his jacket. Rye was being his usual arrogant self.
Then Shadow threw the knife at Aziza, pinning her to the door. I was screaming more now. I was going to rip his head off and break all of his bones.
"I'm gonna make this really simple for you all. Give me what I tell you or I will kill you."
Rye threw him his jacket. Shadow walked up to Aziza and ripped off her necklace. Aziza was squirming to get free and punch him in the face. Shadow collected his knives and disappeared somewhere.
I had calmed down now. Rye and Aziza were swearing loudly.
"Let's just go to the reaping." Mazie suggested.
We walked quietly to the reaping. I stood with the other twelve year old girls as the escort walked on stage.
The escort was really normal. She was wearing a short red sequined dress and red high heels. Her brown hair was left untouched and her skin wasn't unnatural. She was actually quite pretty.
"Welcome, District 9 to the annual reaping!" She wasn't from the Capitol, she didn't even have that ridiculous accent. "For those of you who don't know, I am Katherine Eliza Myrical. Good luck to everyone." She seemed quite nice and polite.
She walked over to the girls names. "Astoria Vance."
That was me. I took in a deep breath and tried my best to stay calm. I walked to the stage.
Then my mother started screaming about how the voices did this. She was taken away by someone.
"Who will you be taking with you in to the arena?" Katherine asked me sweetly.
I couldn't take any of my friends or family. "Jasmine Arum." I said without really thinking about it. I couldn't take anyone else. Jasmine looked fierce as she walked to the stage. My aunt looked horrified.
"Now for the boys, good luck!" She pulled out a slip, "Nick Haebrid."
Shadow walked to the stage. I recognised him from before. He was skinny and pale. He had short, spiky black hair and dark brown eyes.
He looked as if he didn't care. Even as he chose his sister to take with him in to the arena.
My mother and my aunt didn't come to see me in the Justice building. My mother was probably too ill and my aunt hated me.
My father and sisters and my friends all came to visit me though. My sisters gave me a woven braclet with wooden flower charms.
We all hugged and then that was it. I was taken to the train and away from district 9 and everything I had ever known.
