Sorry for updates being so slow, guys! I'm really going to need some time because I have an upcoming contest! Thanks for understanding :) ~Squintz

DISTRICT 10 REAPING

Lilliana Jones-

I slowly crouched in the underbrush of the forest, waiting for the wild dog a few feet away to scurry off. I clicked my tongue, then watched the dog lift its head, looking around, then dart off into the safety of the woods again. I walk towards the bush the dog was so intrigued by, then inspect the berries that hang loosely from the branches.

I had been looking for food in the woods all morning, since tesserae wasn't enough for Alexander and I. Unfortunately, I had no weapons to cope with, so that was a disadvantage. On the bright side, I knew my herbs and berries. I knew I didn't have much time until Alex woke up from a nightmare or something, so I tasted a berry. Seemed ripe enough to me. And good. I loved raspberries.

I plucked off all the berries from 5 of the branches, then tucked them in my pockets, and took off. When I came to the electric fence, I grabbed a twig and flung it at the barbed wire, seeing the spark and zap. I frowned, then scaled the tree that had a single branch hanging over the fence, and jumped down, landing on my feet. I brushed off my jeans, then ran home, holding my bulging pockets.

When I was 13, my parents were killed in a District uprising. Ever since then, my brother and I had lived on our own in the house, holding our own. No one except my friend Lana knew. And we planned to keep it that way. Anyway, I always had to keep an eye on Alex. He was 14, but still had nightmares. He hallucinated, too. He usually needed medicine to keep him sane, so I worked extra shifts on the farms with Lana to earn more money to pay for the pills.

I arrive at the house, then slip through the back window so no one in the neighborhood can see me. Alex sits in the corner, rocking slowly back and forth, his eyes sealed shut. He whimpers quietly, shaking his head and whispering to himself. The minute the sole of my shoe hits the wood floor, Alex is alert. He blinks hard, then stares at me.

"Where were you?" He cries, thrusting his arms out as he pulls me into a hug. He sniffles, burying his face in my shoulder, trembling in my arms.

"It's okay Alex, I was only out getting food... See?" I smile at him, keeping my cool as I slip a berry into his mouth.

He chews contently, then swallows, a weak smile forming on his face. "Do you have any more?" He asks, his eyes full of hunger and weakness.

"Of course I do! C'mon, buddy." I laugh, patting his head and pulling him under my shoulder, leading him into the kitchen. I pull out his chair, letting him sit down, then walk into the kitchen, pulling a plain plate from the cabinet, then placing it in the center of the table. I dump the berries onto the plate, spilling a few, but catching them. Alex digs in, then I grab his wrist.

"I was saving this... But I think we have enough..." I laugh, pulling a drawer open and removing a plastic-covered loaf of bread from it. I place it in front of the table, then throw away the plastic covering, splitting the loaf in half.

Alex lights up with glee, his eyes sparkling with happiness. "Oh my god! Where'd you get this, Lilliana?" He exclaims, digging into the bread. I giggle, then press a finger to my lips.

Alex looks at me. "It's a secret." I smile, poking his nose, then grabbing his medicine from the cabinet, handing him a pill, then a glass of water. "You gotta get it down, Alex." I sigh, watching him choke down the pill and the water. He coughs, then wipes his sleeve along his mouth, eating a few more berries.

"I hate those pills..." He growls, picking a piece of his bread off and chewing it slowly.

"I know..." I say quietly, brushing my fingers through his golden blonde hair that matched the shade of my own, trying to fix it up. I stand up slowly, finishing my piece of bread, then ruffling my brother's hair. "I'm going to go and get dressed. You finish up here." I smile, walking from the room.

I dress in a simple Reaping outfit, a white skirt and a light green shirt. I tuck my shirt in, then brush out my hair, pulling it into a pony tail. I walk from the bathroom to see Alex huddled in the corner again, gnawing on his finger nails. "They're outside!" He screams, pointing to the window.

"Who?" I ask, tilting my head at him. He shivers, helplessly hiding in the corner.

"The Peacekeepers!" He yells, tears rolling down his face. "They're coming to get us!" I frown, then walk to the window, seeing nothing but Rose walking around in her pen outside.

"Alex, it's only Rose." I sigh, scooping him up and leading him to his room. I pull out a Reaping outfit for him, then leave him to get dressed, and walk out to feed Rose. I give her a smaller piece of bread and a few berries, running my fingers over her thick wool. Her tiny little cotton-like tail wags around, and she sniffs my hand. Rose was the lamb that I had saved from slaughter on a farm, volunteering to take her, since she was the runt of her other two siblings.

I pet Rose until I hear the screen door open, and Alex emerges. His slacks are black, and his shirt is green like mine. Green was similar to the District's color. Symbolizing Livestock in a way...

I brush my hand along Alex's hair, straightening it a bit. "There. Now you look nice." I smile, taking his hand and leading him to the Square.

When we're close, he stalls, skidding his feet along the ground. But I continue to walk, letting him follow me. When we arrive, I have to hold his arm out so he'll stay still during the finger stab. The woman draws his blood, then presses it to the paper, scanning it, then letting a Peacekeeper take him to the crowd. I can sense the panic coming from Alex as I shuffle into my own crowd, taking stance next to Lana. She smiles weakly at me.

"Hey, Lilli." She says quietly.

"Hey, Lana. How's it going?" I ask just as quietly.

"Good." She says grimly, clenching my hand, pressing her palm to the burn marks along my own.

We watch as Pix Flick walks on stage, her ridiculous outfit looks amazingly different from our own. She claps her hands, jumping up and down. "Oh this is so exciting! Welcome District 10! Welcome to the Reaping of the 455th Annual Quarter Quell! Before we start, let's view the special video all the way to you from the Capitol!" She smiles, making us watch the video, then prancing her way over to the bowl. Her hand hovers in the bowl for a while, and then she shoves her palm into the sea of slips and picks out a choice one.

When she arrives back on stage, my whole body goes numb, praying it won't be me...

"Lilliana Jones." I breathe out in relief, then look around as everyone turns to me. Sheesh, good thing that girl got chosen instead of me... Wait... I bluntly stare, then hear Alex screaming my name. "Lilli! Lilli, no!" He screams, running into the isle as I'm pushed along by a few girls into the dirt isle myself. The Peacekeepers drag Alex, pulling him back, but his insanity is no match to their strength.

He pounds his fists into the helmets of the Peacekeepers, even tearing off one and throwing it into the crowd. People gasp, others gape, a few stare blankly at the scene. "Alex! No! Please, I have to take care of him!" I scream at the Peacekeepers. They ignore me.

Lana charges into the isle, grabbing Alex's hand. "Shhh... Shhh. It'll be okay, I'll take care of you..." She says quietly. Lana smiles half heartedly at me, then pulls Alex out of the grasp of the Peacekeepers, taking him to the back of the crowds.

The Peacekeepers move on from Alex, and begin leading me up to the stage. My heart continuously skips beats while I stare at the stage. I'm forced up beside Pix, who smiles at me. "Well, that was interesting." She smiles stupidly. "Was that your brother?" She asks. I only nod in silence, watching Lana try to keep my brother calm in the distance.

Remedian Altevolo-

Esmee smiles at me, her head wagging from side to side. "You really did it this time, Rem." She laughs, staring at the mess of a prank in front of her.

"Yup, and you almost walked into the trap." I nod, stepping through the door, but lifting my foot over the fishing twine that rested on the floor.

"Yes, siree. You almost had me there." She laughs again, following me through the door. She trips over the snare wire, and a bucket of water dumps on her head. I break out in a loud laughter, shaking my head.

"Oh, man! You didn't even see it coming!" I exclaim, throwing my hands out into the air. She places her hands on her hips, then spits out the water, and begins to laugh with me.

"On the bright side, you don't have to take a shower!" I chuckle, patting her back. We laugh for a while, and then the fun is gone. Of course, only because it's Reaping day. We fall silent, then stare out the window, watching people file into the Square.

"Good thing I'm already dressed, huh?" I ask, staring at my shoes. Esmee turns to me, a sad smile on her face.

"Remedian, I just want to say it's been really fun working with you... And if I'm chosen, I'd love for you to take over the shop." Esmee pulls me into a friendly hug, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

Esmee was the mayor's daughter, and a good friend of mine. We constantly pranked each other back and forth. It was fun too, because she owned the shop, there were basically no rules. We always had laughs together, and we were a good team working at the shop. Esmee handed me my weekly pay, then brushed her wet hair from her face.

"I think I'll go clean up. Thanks for the laugh, Rem." She smiles, tossing me the keys. "Lock up."

I nod, then clean up my messy prank. Mopping up the water, cleaning up the sticky honey that covered the floorboards. When I finished, I walked out the door, locking it, and tucking my keys in my pocket, whistling as I jogged home.

The moment I arrived home, I saw my mother and father standing on the porch. They smiled at me, and I handed them my pay. "Here, use it to pay for food. I'm going to the Reaping, before I'm late." I smile weakly at them, letting my mother pull me into a hug. I hug her back, then smile at my father, and dart off to the Square.

I meet up with my two friends, Tex and Bryant, and we head into the lines. I let the woman prick my finger, then move on into the crowd. Tex and Bryant standing beside me. Pix Flick-Ugh, such a stupid name-Trots on stage, her platform heels holding her up about 8 inches from the ground. She picks out a girl, who I've seen at school before. Her younger brother, Alex, was my age at 14.

I watch the episode between her and her brother. The screaming, the begging, the Peacekeepers fighting off Alex. He could get killed for that sort of thing. We shuffle uneasily as Pix draws another name, her tiny, nimble hands picking the perfect victim for the Games. She carries herself daintily back to the microphone, then unfolds the slip. She taps the microphone a few times, as if it won't work, then announces the name.

"Remedian Altevolo."

My heart stops, and the world freezes. I'm mortified. My heart skips a beat, then I snap into reality. Tex and Bryant stare at me, then look down to their shoes. I shake, my knees trembling, then stumble bluntly on stage, the Peacekeepers solemnly following me.

The girl on stage stares at me, then looks down at her shoes. "District 10, your this year's Tributes! Lilliana Jones and Remedian Altevolo!" Pix exclaims, clapping her hands. All the people in the Square press their three middle fingers to their lips, then hold them out to us. And I'm mortified. Tears run down my face as I shake Lilliana's hand, and then we're thrown into the Justice Building... My only hope is that the Capitol will like a jokester...