District Three: Steven Sparks' Reaping

"Welcome to the 38th Annual Hunger Games" Sparks Electric shrieks into the microphone. She is looking particularly awful this year in a lilac puffy dress, like a doll.

The video about the Dark Days flies across the screen quickly, and then the girls name is called. Rachael Matthews. No volunteers, per usual. That goes past quickly, as if it is on fast forward.

"Steven Sparks" Sparks shrieks into the microphone.

I let out a loud scream. It can't be me. I am just getting ready to go up on stage when I hear a deep voice yell "I volunteer". Within seconds, my seventeen year old brother is on the stage, replacing me. Saving my life.

Time fastforwards to the tributes being raised into the arena. The arena was a shrap heap. A metal dump. Sean was ready. He ran up to the cornucopia and grabbed a backpack and ran away again. Then, it fastforwards to him hiding in a bush, as the careers pass. They have almost passed when Sean sneezes, making them spot him. The girl from four and the boy from one continuelly stab him possible, making sure he hurts, but taking care not to kill him yet. They want him to suffer. His screams echo round my head, soon mixing with my own.

"Steven, Steven! Wake up! It's just a dream. Wake up!" I am shaken away by my lovely Mother, Jill Sparks.

"Was it the same dream?" she asks softly, stroking my hair.

I nod, letting the tears fall freely. Not caring. I have had the same dream the night before reaping day since my brother volunteered for me when I was twelve. He placed six, dying at the hands of two careers. My Mother is there to comfort me every year without fail.

"Come on, lets go and get a drink. It's time for you to get up anyway"

I nod and follow her downstairs, feeling like a baby. I'm sixteen years old for pete's sake.

I drink my water whilst my Mother wakes up my thirteen year old brother Scott, and my Father. She soon returns with them both. We hurry through breakfast, just wanting today to be over already. Since Sean's death, my Father, Shane, has taught Scott and I how to make weapons and fight with them, so if the worst happens, we have a fighting chance.

"Come on, Scotty, let's go get ready for the reaping" I tell him, leaving my parents some time alone.

We go upstairs, and I let Scott go and wash first. I find our reaping outfits and lay them on our beds. Mine is a red sweater with blue jeans. When Scott has finished in the bathroom, I go in and have a quick wash and brush my teeth, I'll have a shower later. Then I pull on my reaping clothes and comb my brown hair. Then, I check Scott is ready and we go downstairs together, My parents are waiting, both dressed and ready to go. We always leave early on reaping days to visit Sean's grave.

Once we have visited Sean's grave, we go straight to the reaping. I stand with my mates Jake and Josh, leaving Scott to stand near the front with the other thirteen year olds. We chat until our escort, Spark Electric, walks onto the stage in an awful pink merangue dress. She shows us the video we watch every year about the dark days, and what will happen if we try and cause a rebellion. She then proceeds with the reaping. The female tribute is called. Xanthia something, I think. I look around for her, pitying her. I see a small, scrawny twelve or thirteen year old ascend the stepd. Poor girl.

I watch as Sparks sticks her pink gloved hand into boys bowl. Please, please don't be me.

"Scott Sparks" she calls out, reading from the piece of paper in front of her.

Thank goodness it's not me. I look around and see Scott, my brother, shakily walking to the stage. Why is my brother walking to the stage? Then it clicks.

"I volunteer!" I yell, marching to the stage, gently pushing Scott down the steps to join his friends.

A/N hi! so that's the district three males reaping! Big thanks to Flintlightning for Steven! Let me know in the reviews what you thought of him and how he was portrayed! Also, just to let you know, I am now a betareader, so if you are looking for a beta, please feel free to have a look at my beta profile, as I am currently accepting beta requests! Thanks xxx