A Message From The Panda: Hello! I would just like to use this space to promote my newest story; '23 Flies', which focuses on Johanna Mason's story. Please review, if you choose to read it.

Huggles,

The Panda

District Ten

Alana Burg's POV

Reaping Day is the only time of year my mother actually takes a breath. And then I'm reminded of how much of a control freak she is.

"Alana! Clean that dress before you leave the house! You can't go out in that filthy thing! It's humiliating! And look at your hair. Can't you run a brush through it?" My mother grabs my arm as I'm heading out the door. She practically rips the pale blue dress off of me and throws it into the sink, which we use to clean dishes and clothes.

"Mom, I have to go! Paisley's waiting and she needs cleaning more than that does," I say, rolling my eyes. Paisley is my best friend. Her family doesn't care about her and she is forced to work all year long. She dropped out of school in order to support her family of eight. Today is the only day when she isn't dirt-caked, and that's only because I give her warm water for a bath and a dress for the ceremony.

"Why do you have to go now? The Reaping isn't for two hours!"

"Paisley takes a while to get ready, okay?" I snatch the dress, which is soaking wet and covered in suds, and wring it out. "Great. Now I can't even wear it."

I throw it on the drying rack with last night's dinner plates and pull on a frilly pink thing that's a size too big. Slamming the door behind me, I run away from my mother's scolds.

Damon Ryder's POV

"Just shoot for the stars
If it feels right
And aim for my heart
If you feel like
And take me away and make it OK
I swear I'll behave."

"Damon! Get your ass out here before I kick it out!"

I sigh and run my hand through my perfectly messed-up hair. "Be right there, Dad!" I call through my bedroom door. I can't get two seconds to myself around here.

Singing calms me down, but if anyone found out, I'd be as dead as the meat I chop at the butcher's. I quickly pull on a light blue t-shirt and my nicest leather jacket.

"Mon-Mon, Daddy's shaking!" My two year old sister Gemma runs through the door, tears welled up in her eyes.

"It's okay, Gem. He just forgot to take his... medicine." By medicine, I mean liquor. But I could never be the one to tell Gemma that her father is an alcoholic and that's why she has to share a bed with her older sister Lacey and her big brother Zane sleeps on the floor. That's why we sometimes go without dinner or heat. We don't have enough money to buy all the necessities. He spends it all on whiskey.

My dad promised to sober up for the Reaping, but I would rather deal with him passed out in his own vomit than his withdrawls. I hold Gemma for a few minutes, then walk with her out to the kitchen/living room, where our dad stares absently at his hand.

"Dad, I'm just going to check on Melina. Once she's ready, we can go. Okay?" He looks up for a moment, then back at his hand. "I'll take that as a yes," I say and walk down the short hallway to my best friend, Malina Patron's, room. She lives with us, since she has nowhere to go. Her parents were killed in an uprising and this was the only way to keep her out of the community home.

"Knock knock," I mumble as I open her door. "You ready?"

"Oh, yeah," she replies with a smile. My eyes widen as I take in her outfit; low-cut, skin-tight green dress that brings out her eyes. Her height is increased by about three inches due to tall white heels. Around her neck is a single emerald on a silver chain. Her mother gave it to her on her twelfth birthday.

"Wow," I breathe. "You look... stunning." She smiles, and I swear she shines a little brighter as we walk to the square.

Alana Burg's POV

After an hour and a half of brushing, scrubbing, and pulling, Paisley is finally ready.

"Thanks for doing this, Lane. It means a lot to me."

"No problem. You deserve it." She grins; something I rarely see, and we rush to the Reaping.

The escort puts her hand into the glass ball just as I take my place among the 16 year olds.

"And this year's female tribute is..." he pauses to unfold the tiny piece of paper in his delicate fingers. "Alana Burg!"

My jaw drops open, and I hear Paisley gasp. My dad and I make eye-contact. His expression sums up my emotions; devastated. I see my mother's worried face, but conclude that it's probably due to the fact that I'm wearing the most embarrassing dress in the entire District.

And then, despite my situation, I begin to laugh madly. I stop only when every pair of eyes in the square is staring at me. Then I make my way to the stage, hands shaking violently.

The escort pulls the male name and reads, "Damon Ryder!" My eyes widen. Damon Ryder is every girl's dream boy.

A girl in a green dress cries out. Damon, who's standing next to her, looks pained for an instant. But then his face is emotionless again and he makes his way to the stage in the coolest manner possible. My knees go a little weak as I take him in, superstar of the school, standing right next to me. A little ironic, how this is the only way I'd ever get close to him...

Damon Ryder's POV

I hug my siblings tight, forcing the tears to stay back, making sure they don't see. I swallow hard and look at Lacey, thinking about how in five years she'll be eligible for the Games. And Zane only has two years of safety left. Of course, if Dad doesn't stop drinking, they might starve.

"Melina. Please take care of them. Make sure they don't die."

"I will," she says. I sway, summoning the courage to tell her how I feel.

"And... make sure you know you- you were what made me get up in the morning. You were what kept me going. Just... make sure you know that." I look at the floor, feeling my cheeks redden.

She throws her arms around my neck and whispers, "I'll never forget you. Here, take this." She takes off her necklace and puts it in my hands. "So you'll never forget me." She leaves, tears rolling down her cheeks. Zane, Lacey, and Gemma surround her, and I wave a final goodbye to them.

Next to come in is my mentor, the butcher; Attilio. He's like a father to me, the person I spend the most time with and learn the most from. He hugs me and slaps my back. "You have been the best apprentice I've ever had, Damon. Good luck."

"Goodbye, Attilio," I whisper as he is led out by a Peacekeeper. I am then brought to the waiting train, and turn back to blow a kiss to a group of girls in the crowd. They squeal and wish me good luck. But what they don't know is that among them was Melina Patron.