Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Hunger games or any of the characters in this chapter.

District Eight Reaping

Samantha "Sammy" Robinson POV

"Very good Sammy. Try it again, just swing the sword a little higher." Says my best friend Walter.

Walter and I are standing in the middle of forest. Walter set up dummies for me to slash at with swords and throw knives out. I swing in a circle and slash open the dummy's chest, stuffing falling out.

"No Sammy, just a little higher. Here let me help you."

Walter comes around and places my hands on the sword. Then he puts his hands on top of mine. It feels so normal. Walter moves his feet and I move mine in sync with his. We swing in a circle and I hear the dummy's head come off in one swift movement.

"Do it like that. Ready to try it on your own?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." I say. "Walter? Walter? You have to take your hands off mine for me to swing the sword on my own."

Walter blushes and takes his hands off. I swing the sword in a circle, my straight, waist length chocolate brown hair that matches my eye color swinging in a circle with me. The dummy's head comes off and I cheer.

Walter throws his head back and laughter but freezes. I stop cheering and listen. The voice of my nineteen year old brother Lumen floats through the breeze of the trees. He's telling me to come home now.

"He's so overprotective of me!" I groan.

Walter gives a small chuckle and starts packing up the swords and knives.

"You should get going. See you at the reaping." Walters says.

"See you Walt!" I say before disappearing into the trees and breaking out into a sprint towards my house.

When I enter the house, I'm instantly pulled into a hug. Lumen holds me so tight I feel like he may cut off my airway.

"Lumen…Lumen…I have to…get ready…" I mange to wheeze out.

Lumen lets go before leading me to the bathroom to get ready for the reaping. Figures he would have prepared a tub for me.

I sink myself into the warm water and scrub any dirt off of me. Once I'm done cleaning myself and making my skin shine, I dry myself off with a towel. I slip into a simple red dress. I'm a little chubby and short. My skin has a yellowish tint to it. Other than that, I look like a clone of my mother and my older sister, Melody.

I sigh just thinking about my twenty one year old sister. She has been depressed since I can remember and I'm afraid of her for that. But nobody pays attention to her. My parents, Messa and Reel. My father is determined to keep me out of the games if it's the last thing they do. And my mother is like a mama bear. Everybody treats me like I'm some delicate flower or a vase that's going to fall at any minute and break. And I hate it.

I starting walking meet Walter at the divider. The fifteen year old section is separated down the middle with boys on one side and girls on the other. So Walt and I always stand right next to the divider and talk till the reaping starts.

As I walk to the spot to meet Walter, I see her. Riley Brody. Riley made fun of my hair a couple years ago, telling me it was younger. Lumen stepped in and told Riley off. Now she runs away ever time she sees me. Like now for example. Riley's blue eyes land and me and she runs. Everybody backs away from me as I go to meet Walter. Its Lumen fault that everybody fears me.

"Hey Sammy." Walter says leaning on the rope.

"Get off that stupid. You want to break it and have the peacekeepers rush down here?" I say seriously.

Walter gets off the rope and reaches into his pocket.

"I want you to have this." Walter says while pulling at a gold bracelet out of his pocket.

"Walter…" I start but he puts his hand up and slides the bracelet onto my wrist. I hold it up and examine it.

"It's beautiful Walter. Thank you." I mange to say. I'm fighting back tears at Walter's generosity.

"Sammy I have to tell you something."

"What is it Walter?"

"I…"

Walter gets cut off by the sound of someone tapping on the microphone. He falls silent as the mayor reads the Treaty of Treason. I glance at him every now and then, and he seems angry that he didn't get to finish what he wanted to tell me.

"And the girl tribute this year is Samantha Robinson!"

I don't even think. My body reacts for itself. I find my feet shuffling forward but something grabs my wrist. It's Walter. He pulls me into him and kisses me. I don't know what else to do but kiss back.

We pull apart slightly. Our foreheads are touching as are the tips of our noses.

"Promise you will come back? I need you Sammy. I love you." Walter whispers.

"I promise you Walter. I promise." I whisper back.

Walter pulls me into another kiss. One of the tears falls onto my cheeks. We pull apart and I walk up to the stage, wishing I could be next to Walter instead of heading to my death.

Ezra McCully

"Well hello ladies." I greet a small group of girls as I walk into the town square. I wrap one of my arms around a blonde and another around a brunette. The girls giggle as do the other five. Perfect.

"Hello Ezra." A redhead says coming up. She runs her finger around the stubble on my chin.

"Hello to you too." I say "And how are the rest of you?"

They giggle in response to my question. Then I hear someone screaming my name. I twist my head over my shoulder to see my little seven year old sister Maria running towards me.

"Excuse me ladies, but my favorite girl is here. But once again, since seeing you and you all look lovelier than ever."

I walk away and hear a chorus of giggles and goodbyes. Then the squeals erupted. I smirk and put my arms out to catch Maria and spin her. Out of all my siblings, Maria is my favorite. She looks just like me. We both have curly coal black hair and hazel eyes, although one of our eyes is greener and the other is browner. Her first word was my name, so I think I'm her favorite too.

"Hey Maria." I say planting a kiss on her forehead.

Maria giggles and the rest of my siblings come around us. My oldest sister Erin, who's twenty, pulls Maria out of my arms and to the ground. I pout as does Maria. Erin just laughs it off. My fifteen year old sister Dahlia comes next to me with my parents in tow. Then my little twin twelve year old brothers, Tread and Fleek come running past. I can see a glimpse of something shiny in Fleek's hand. Then my friend Judd, who's seventeen, runs past me, screaming at Thread and Fleek. My other best friends, Riley and Shiba stop next to me, out of breath.

"Do I want to know?" I ask Shiba, whose pushing her brown side bangs out of her face to wipe sweat off her forehead.

"Fleek and Tread ran past us on our way walking here. They stopped to say hello, then Fleek grabbed Judd's wristwatch and ran. We have been chasing them ever since." Riley says, bending over to regain his breath.

Fleek runs past me again and I grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull him up towards me.

"Will you please give Judd back his watch?"

"Yes Ezra." Fleek says with a smile

I place Fleek back on his feet and put out my hand. He puts the watch in my hand and I walk over Judd, who just joined us. I hold the watch out in front of his face and Judd reaches his hand out to grab it, but I pull it away at the last second. Anger crosses Judd's face and I laugh. I really love to cause mischief.

The clock chimes in the town square and everybody freezes. It chimes again and now everybody is rushing to get to their sections. I quickly scope Maria up off the ground and give her a kiss on the cheek before handing her off to Erin, who kisses me on the cheek before I run off the Riley and Shiba to the eighteen year old section. Shiba goes to the girls' while Riley and I run into the boys just as the mayor taps on a microphone.

"The Hunger Games are held each year…" The mayor says as he begins to read the Treaty of Treason.

Then it's time for the tributes to be selected. The escort, Eloise…something, I forget her last names, comes onto the stage. She walks over the girls' bowl and pulls out a name.

"And the girl tribute this year is Samantha Robinson!"

I see a path clearing in the fifteen year old section for a girl. But no one is coming to the stage. Even though I'm 6'4, I still have to go on my tip toes to see what's taking so longer. I can see the girl, who I assume is Samantha, kissing some boy. Poor kids. Probably trying to have their last kiss before the games. They probably know the odds of Samantha making it out are slim, so their making it count.

Samantha finally makes it onto the stage. Eloise takes a small step over to the boys' bowl and rummages around for a name.

"Tread McCully!"

My twelve year old brother. This year tribute. I can't allow it. So I do the only thing I can.

"I volunteer!" I scream.

I shove my way to the stage. Tread is on the stage when I make it up there, shaking with fear. I pick him up and I'm grateful he's so light. I'm also grateful I work all day in the textile factories. Working all day gave me the muscles I have, and I'm shaking so hard with anger right now that I'm glad I have my muscles to keep Tread from feeling it. I place Tread down next to Fleek and I pull both of them into a hug.

"Promise you will come home?" Fleek whispers into my ear.

"I promise." I whisper.

"Please Ezra, we need you." Tread whispers next.

"I love you both."

I pull apart from the hug and make my way to the stage. I can hear girls' crying in the audience, who I assume are the girls I flirted with this morning.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Eloise says. "A volunteer! And what's your name?"

"Ezra McCully." I say bitterly. I already hate the Capital, but I hate them more for doing this. Tearing apart my close knit family like this. But I had to do it. Tread wouldn't survive in the games for a minute. I at least have a chance.

"Wonderful! Ladies and Gentlemen, Samantha Robinson and Ezra McCully, District Eight's tributes!"

Nobody in the audience claps. And I'm glad they don't. The only sound is cries from the girls and my family.

Samantha and I shake hands. I can tell she is upset about this too. And I know it will be hard to kill her. We both made promises to love ones to come home.

The only promise is only one of us can come home. And it has to be me.