Wow I'm getting through these fast! Anyway here is the District Eight Reaping. Hope you all like it. And thank you for your reviews, keep them coming you're making me a very happy writer.

District Eight Reaping

Denzel Cartwright

"Take that!" I shout swinging my sword and making a dent in the side of my wardrobe. After a few more swings, some practising with throwing knives and one arrow sent into a poster on my bedroom wall I stuff all my weapons in a bag under my bed and sit down. That's training done for today.

I'm not a Career or anything, in fact the last thing I want to do is get reaped and be a part of the Hunger Games but a guy's got to be prepared. Just in case I am reaped I've been training for so long, getting ready with every weapon that I can get my hands on or make myself, reading over plant books to tell the difference between what's edible and what isn't. I watch re-caps of previous Hunger Games to see what the Gamemakers throw at the tributes. Everything I can think of to get me ready just in case I am reaped. I undress myself from my pyjamas and put on a black shirt, white tie and black trousers ... my reaping clothes. I hate that you have to look your best on a day that is so horrible, well horrible for our district, in the Career districts I bet reaping day is like the best day ever.

"Denzel, dad needs some water!" My brother Hayl shouts from downstairs, next I hear Jayden saying the same thing. The two of them are always acting like this, trying to be better than the other. I suppose being twins is like that. I sigh, leave my room, pick up the small bucket outside the door and leave the house. I wish my dad wasn't so sick, but he's been in bed for years now and has been told that leaving the house could kill him. My mum is always busy at work, my brothers far too young and our neighbour who looks after my dad is obviously at home, getting her own children ready for the reaping. It's not too bad looking after my dad, I had to do it all the time when he first got sick and he had no carer. Mum was far too busy to help, maybe that's why we don't get along. I don't hate her but I wish she could have been the grown up and taken control.

"Idiot!" I hear Romita Spike shout after me as I pass her. I stick my middle finger up and carry on down the street. I'm not the most loved person in the district, in fact I don't actually have any friends. See I'm one of those people that says what's on their mind. If I have a problem with someone I'll say it to their faces, I've pushed away everyone except for my family. It's better that way anyway, not having so many people to care for. It's that much harder if they get reaped if you like them. I learnt that the hard way when my old best friend, my only friend was reaped three years ago and killed in the final four. A spear straight through his head ... that District 1 bitch. Finally I reach the water pump of this part of the district and let the water flow into the bucket. When I'm satisfied that we have enough I run back to the house and through the door before Romita can say anything. Hayl takes the bucket off me and poors some into a dirty glass. Jayden then takes the bucket and places it on the kitchen counter. Teamwork or rivalry, I'm not really sure.

"Here dad have a sip." I hear Hayl say, pouring the water into my dad's mouth. They shouldn't be doing this, not at seven years old. They should have a life of their own, friends to play with, a proper house to mess around in.

"Dad I've got to take Hayl and Jayden to the reaping. When Mrs Tatherman has got her children ready and sent them to the reaping she'll be over to care for you until I get back." He grunts and raises his hand to give me a thumbs up. Mrs Tatherman would normally care for him from the morning to night but on the reaping I know she just wants to be with her family. She'll apologise later on and I'll say it wasn't a problem.

If I don't get reaped that is.

Ruby Rodriguez

"Mum I miss district two!" I shout as she hurries past carrying a bundle of dirty washing.

"I know you do Ruby, hopefully it's only temporary." She shouts back.

We moved here a few weeks ago, stupid and disgusting district eight. I was in the posh district, a district the Capitol loves but that all changed when dad got the message that a peacekeeper had been killed and they needed someone to fill his shoes. My dad was selected, we didn't even get a say in moving, it was either that or getting thrown in jail for a few years. And I'd much rather move than having to face that dirty place where common filth spend their days.

"Where is your sister?" Mum asks as she walks back to me and through to the living room. She's always so busy.

"I'm not her keeper alright!" I shout back, normally it takes a lot to set me off but I'm very anxious today. Mine and Rosie's first reaping is today, and although I may have been brought up in a Career district and received some training I never wanted to volunteer to compete in the Games. Dad begged us to do it one year, as soon as we thought we were ready but then mum managed to change his mind. He always listens to what she has to say. Never me or Rosie, we're not as important. I do love my dad but he can be annoying at times.

"Look darling, I know that today is your first reaping but your name is only in their once. The chances of it being you are so slim."

"Yeah but mum it happens, twelve year olds do get reaped you know!" I'm getting fed up of people telling me it will be okay, when I know it won't be. Someone is going to get reaped and that someone is going to die. Especially in this Games where there is double the tributes and an arena full of determined loved ones. I feel sorry for whoever is going to be picked. They sitting at home not knowing what's about to happen.

"There she is!" Mum says, pointing her finger and grabbing Rosie by the shoulder. "And really, pink?" She says frowning at the streak in Rosie's long brown hair. "At least Ruby picked a more classy colour." I smile at her and stroke my red streak in my shoulder length brown hair. Me and Rosie may be twins but boy are we different. I've got quite a temper and more tomboyish, Rosie is a girly girl and very shy. But I like being different, we already look identical we don't need to have the same personalities.

"Now you two everything will be alright you know." Mum says wrapping her arms round us and squeezing us tightly. I let her hug us for about ten seconds before pulling away.

"We better go then, we don't want to be late for our first reaping now do we?" I laugh and leave through the front door. I see mum roll her eyes and giggle slightly. Rosie looks in the mirror, combs her fingers through her hair and closes the door behind us.

Our neighbourhood is already getting crowded with people heading for the Square. I gaze at everyone, some holding hands others chatting quite loudly. I guess people deal with the anxiety in different ways. Maybe someone round here is even planning on volunteering, it never normally happens in district eight but some years it does. The Capitol just loves a volunteer from a lower class District.

"Come on Rosie, I don't want to get caught up in the crowd!" I grab her hand and pull her away from mum, as we run off I hear her shout to meet her afterwards. If I don't get reaped that is mum, it could still happen. My name's in the reaping ball after all.

Denzel Cartwright

"Is your father alright?" Mum asks from the back of the Square. Hayl and Jayden are holding either of her hands, looking at me with their eyes wide. I can tell both of them are scared for me, if I was reaped and died I'm their primary carer, I look after them whenever mum isn't. Mrs Tatherman's priorities are my dad, not Hayl and Jayden.

"Yeah I think Mrs Tatherman is with him, she was just getting her children ready for the reaping. I think that's them now." I say pointing to a very small little girl and a tall, lanky boy stepping to their sections and waiting for the reaping to begin.

"I better go." I give my mum's hand a squeeze, smile at Hayl and Jayden and take my place in the fifteen year old section. I can tell how scared everyone is, twitching nervously, awkward conversation until our Mayor walks onto the stage and everyone becomes instantly silent.

Our Mayor is quite a friendly woman, I've even talked to her before and she was nice to me. The only reason for that though was she was worried about our dad's condition. Nonetheless she seems nicer than I imagine the other district's mayors are like.

"I welcome you all to the 150th reaping, I am sure you want things to move by swiftly so I won't stall any longer." She then starts babbling on about all the things to do with war, rebels and then why the Games were set in motion.I notice a few people staring at me with evil grins on their faces, I stick my tongue out at each individual and return my focus to the stage ... I don't care that no one likes me.

"Now we have Senelia Vaavox to do the reaping for us today, let's give her a big round of applause." I can hear the sarcasm in the voice of the Mayor and that's one reason why I like her, that she disagrees with the Games and isn't just a Capitol puppet.

Senelia walks onto stage and I automatically hear some people laugh and then cover it up by coughing or fake sneezing. Last year Senelia looked fairly normal, with waist length blonde hair, her skin its normal shade of white. But this year that's all changed, her skin is now a sickening pea green, her hair all above her head in a nasty shade of bronze and silver and her face is covered with glitter and jewels. I wonder what the Capitol's like if this is what's classed as normal.

"Welcome everyone, I am not going to put of this joyous occasion any longer so let's begin by selecting our female tribute." She walks over to the female reaping ball and dives for a piece of paper. I can tell all the girls are holding their breaths, praying it isn't them. We'll see who it is in a second.

"Our female tribute ... Ruby Rodriguez!"

A small girl from the twelve year old section steps forward shaking from head to foot, a girl standing next to her who must be her twin grabs hold to stop her going but a peacekeeper splits the two girls apart.

"We only moved here a few weeks ago! It's not fair!" The other girl is screaming, it's pretty sad to watch this. Ruby makes it onto the stage and I can see that no tears are falling but it's pretty obvious how terrified she is, she doesn't look so weak I heard that she'd had some training before having moved here. The Rodriguez family were the talk of the district for about a week.

All I'm thinking is who she's going to pick, you don't just have the horror of getting reaped, you have the absolute agony of choosing a family member. All I can say is I feel for this girl.

Ruby Rodriguez

Why did we move here! If we had stayed in district two then someone would have volunteered no doubt, that district always gets volunteers, but no one has for me in stupid district eight. Nope I'm going into the Hunger Games and there's nothing I can do to stop that. I can see mum crying at the back and poor Rosie, tears falling in waves from her eyes. She knows what's coming, we had decided the minute that President Aphrodite announced the Quarter Quell who I would take, I just hadn't believed that it would happen though, that I would get reaped against all odds. I'm so sorry Rosie.

"Now for the even more exciting part, members of Ruby's family take a step forward!" Rosie is first, then mum and dad in his peacekeeper uniform. It happens so fast, Rosie shoots her hand up and runs on stage before either mum or dad can volunteer. I hear mum cry out in protest but it's too late now, both her daughters are going into the Games and there is nothing she can do to stop that.

Rosie clings onto me as Senelia looses interest and carries on the whole process, she plucks a male name from the reaping ball and unfolds it as slowly as possible.

"Our male tribute ... Denzel Cartwright!" I don't see anyone move, someone out there has just been chosen and they don't want to go. Just get here! I didn't want to go but here I am up on stage. Finally a boy is pushed forward from behind, I don't recognise him at all. He has light brown hair and rather tanned skin and looks a little muscular, not much though, nothing compared to the district two boys.

Like I am, he's shivering with fear. I don't like to admit I'm scared but I am, I'm absolutely terrified.

"Cartwright family step forward!"

A woman holding the hands of two little boys who are twins like me and Rosie step forward from the back. What happened to his dad, did he die or something?

He doesn't even have to think about it for more than two seconds, if I was him I already know who I would pick out of the three of them.

"Patricia Cartwright, I'm so sorry." He lowers his gaze to the floor. The woman with tears down her cheeks has to bend down to remove her twin son's hands. It's horrible. One of them steps forward but a nice old lady next to him pulls him back and embraces them both. Patricia reaches the stage, and hugs her son. Senelia doesn't even bother to interview either of them, she bids everyone goodbye and leaves us to be escorted into the Justice Building to await our goodbyes.

Rosie and I sit on the same chair, squashing ourselves against eachother for comfort. I don't cry but Rosie lets the tears fall, one by one onto my lap. I whisper sorry over and over but she doesn't stop. She doesn't blame me I'm sure of it, she was the one that came up with the idea that I would pick her or she would pick me. But we never thought it would happen. We never even talked about it afterwards because of how unlikely it seemed.

"Darlings, my beautiful ... beautiful babies!" Mum sprints across from the door and throws her arms around us ... am I the only one not crying? I stroke her back as she kisses both us on the cheek, one after the other. Finally dad comes in, he hasn't been crying at least. I'm sure a part of him is even thrilled at the prospect of both his daughters going into the Games, he wanted us to volunteer after all.

"I know one of you can do this, one of you will come home I know it." He says, walking over and crouching next to mum.

"I have to go now, the head peackeeper has called for me but you know I love you and both of you have a real shot at this. I'm just sorry that only one can win." He kisses us both and leaves the room. Mum starts howling, sobbing in our laps. Only one of us can come home, the chances of either of us winning is so slim. But there has to be a victor, and I'll make sure it's one of us.

The Rodriguez sisters shall not be overlooked.

After what seems forever, mum is called to leave and then we are escorted to the train station. I smile at Denzel and his mum. I can't distance myself from such a broken family, together in the morning now torn apart in the space of ten minutes.

That's the power of the Hunger Games. It destroys not only you but everyone you care for.