POV: Blaze Phoenix (13) Submitted by Miss Unaprochable.
The smell of bacon gently wakes my up as I open my eyes. I smack my hair away from my face. "Stupid hair." I mumble. I hate my hair, it's long enough to hang down to my waist and is straight down to the end where it curls a bit. Oh yeah, and it's orange, very orange.
I get out of bed and run downstairs with my stomach growling. "Hey mom, is the bacon ready?" I ask. My mom and sister, Maya are chatting in the kitchen. Mom doesn't seem to notice me as I walk in. "Mom?" I repeat.
"Oh, hi Blaze." My mom turns around, just noticing me. Sometimes, this really annoys me. It's like I'm invisible to my parents, they only care about my six year old sister and 15 year old brother, not the middle child. I guess it's kind of a good thing that they ignore me, I don't like being around people so much, and I can always get away with everything because they don't care.
"Food?" I ask.
"Not until you put on a nice outfit for the reaping." She responds, looking me up and down.
"No!" I say in a stubborn voice.
"Honey, you have to look nice. Go put on that nice white skirt you have, and that green blouse!" She says excitedly. Okay, so I'm not completely invisible to her. I know she loves and cares about me, but sometimes I feel like my siblings get all the attention.
"Fine!" I say while storming out of the room. When I get back to my room I put on the clothes my mom suggested and my necklace with a clover pendant. When I re-enter at the kitchen, my Dad and brother, Xavier are sitting at the table.
"Here's some food, kids." My mom sets three plates on the table.
"Mommy, I want cereal!" Maya squeals.
"But honey, I made you an egg." Mom says in a sweet voice.
"Cereal!" Maya commands.
"Okay, I'll get you some cereal." Mom gives in. I stifle a laugh at how weak my mom is. She just can't say no. Maya's only six, and she's already a spoiled brat.
"Blaze, there's a spider on your shoulder!" Xavier yells.
"WHAT! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" I scream and frantically swat at my shoulder.
Suddenly, Xavier bursts into laughter, almost falling off his chair. "I was kidding, calm down, you're such a baby." He teases.
"Shut up, spiders are the scariest creatures on earth, I'm not a baby for disliking them." I reply with a sneer.
"Blaze, you're afraid of everything. If you got reaped, you wouldn't make it five minutes in the games."
That does it, my competitive nature comes out in a second. "I would get farther than you could ever dream of getting! You're just an idiot, you wouldn't even make it one minute!"
"Blaze, Xavier, calm down. Neither of you are getting reaped." My Dad motions for me to sit down before I punch Xavier.
"I'm leaving." I say stubbornly and storm out the door. I swiftly walk down the street, ignoring the people who try to talk to me. I'm just in a bad mood, and I can be a bitch at times like this.
When I get to the reaping, I check in and enter the thirteen year old section. Finally, the escort comes on stage and begins the dreadfully boring ceremony. I get impatient waiting for the video to end, and when she is ready to draw a name out of the bowl, my mood is at an all time low.
"Okay, for the ladies we have…Blaze Phoenix!" She exclaims.
I'm frozen from shock. How could it be me? I don't deserve this. I can't die. Then I remember what Xavier told me earlier. 'If you got reaped, you wouldn't make it five minutes in the games.' This is just an opportunity for me to prove him wrong. I put on a straight face and hide my terror as I walk up the stage.
"Yeah Phoenix!" Someone calls from the audience, cheering me on. I smile a little bit, biting back the tears that are prying at my eyes. Just wait until you're off stage. I say to myself, desperately trying not to cry.
POV: Perry Nightheart (14) Submitted by jakey121.
I wake up with the sun barely gleaming through my window. Immediately, I remember what day it is. It's one of my parent's favorite days, and my least favorite. My parents love the Hunger Games, and the reaping is just plain exciting for them. I absolutely detest their beliefs. The Hunger Games are horrible, once when I was little, I ran away from home because I hated how they support the games so much. Eventually a peacekeeper brought me back here. So now I'm stuck keeping my mouth shut about the games at home.
I get out of bed and begin rummage through my dresser, looking for some clothes to wear. Eventually, I settle on a checkered shirt, baggy black trousers, and my white trainers. I sweep my dark brown hair over my eyes in the usual style and head downstairs.
My mom is waiting for me with an anxious face. "Good morning Perry." She says, trying to hide her fear. I'm glad she's at least nervous that I'll get reaped. Of course, my parents don't want me to go into the Games. They enjoy watching it, but they don't want to watch their only son die.
"Morning." I greet her while grabbing some food. My mom tries to make conversation with me while I eat, failing miserably. I'm not that close to my parents, I don't have deep conversations or anything with them. I 'm closest to my best friend, Oliver. Oliver's a great guy, and he actually appreciates my outgoing and cheeky attitude, unlike some people. Recently, Oliver gave me a small charm bracelet. I wear it all the time. He's my best friend, and he probably knows me better than my parents do.
"Okay, I'm going to head out. See you later." I promise, and hug my mom. I can tell she's worried that I won't come home, but I give her a confident smile anyway.
"Bye, Perry." My Dad says as he enters the room to see me off.
I walk out the door and head over to Oliver's house to meet up with him. Oliver only lives two blocks away, and soon I'm at his house. "Hey Perry." He says while coming out the front door.
"Hey Home boy." I say jokingly.
"Nice shirt. That'll sure get you some attention." He says, giggling at the checkered shirt I'm wearing.
"Thanks." I say. Oliver knows that I crave attention and it's just like me to wear this shirt to the reaping.
When we arrive at the town center we check in and enter the fourteen year old section.
"Welcome, to the 99th annual Hunger Games!" The escort yells, silencing the crowd. "We will begin with a short video about the origin of the Hunger Games!" The usual video plays, and about five minutes later, the escort takes the microphone again.
She grabs a piece of paper from the bowl, and announces, "Okay, for the ladies, we have…Blaze Phoenix!" I immediately recognize the last name, Phoenix. I see the girl and recognize her orange hair as well. I know her older brother, Xavier. He's a year older than me, but he's a well known name for always getting in trouble. I wonder if she could be as devious as him. She looks a bit scared as she stands up on the stage.
"Now for the boys." The escort says, ushering my attention over to the opposite bowl. "Perry Nightheart!" She reads off the slip of paper.
What? did she just call my name? I frantically think. I stand there for a few seconds before someone behind me pushes me forward. Finally, my brain connects to my feet, and I start walking up the stage. I can feel my hands shaking with fear as I try to calm down. I muster a brave face and stand to face the girl next to me.
I shake her hand. She's taller than me. I think she's a year younger than me, but I'm short for my age, and she's tall. She has a slender figure with straight orange hair and greenish grey eyes. I give her my best confident smile as we walk off the stage. I can tell she's about to cry. I also try to hold back tears as we prepare for the games.
A/N: More than halfway done! Aren't you guys excited for the games to start? I can't wait! So here's district seven, and district eight will come tomorrow. But I have to let you guys know, after tomorrow I'm going away for a week. I'm actually going on vacation in Italy! Isn't that exciting? Well, you guys probably aren't excited because you don't get anymore chapters until next Monday :( Sorry, but I can't really post anything because I probably won't have internet, and I'm going to be on vacation, so I can't spend all my time writing. So next chapter tomorrow, then we'll finish the Reapings in about a week and a half!
Your Gamemaker,
Bluebird