It feels so good to be almost done with the Reapings. Bit by bit, we're getting closer to the end!

Aldair Indira, 25
District 5 Male

5 days before the Reaping

Hugging a bag full of groceries, Aldair set on his way home.

District 5 was full of the usual bustle. Adults were excited to escape the factories after a long day of work. Children ran to and fro, excited to show off their new training techniques they learned from 5's Academy. The Sun was still high, but it too would set and retire for the night.

Aldair rummaged through the bag, just to make sure he hadn't dropped anything. Rory and Herbie were extremely insistent on him buying a certain type of sourdough bread, even though Aldair didn't know that there were different types. But that wasn't something he really felt like questioning right now.

The factories gradually melted away and more homes popped up as Aldair continued from the industrial area of the district into one of the residential communities. A woman opened her door and kissed the man on the other side. A pair of young girls played with a skipping rope. One teenager had gotten his hands on a skateboard and was now trying off some moves on the street.

For the most part, everything seemed typical. Until Aldair came across a boy sitting on the ground, crying. A small pool of blood was located underneath his leg. Aldair carefully cradled his shopping bag in his arms and knelt down next to the boy. "Hey...is everything alright?"

"I'm fine!"
"Are you sure about that? You seem hurt."
"I...I just fell and scraped my knee! It's only a little bit of blood!"

Aldair rummaged through the shopping bag. Thank goodness he had planned on replenishing the medical cabinet of the house he shared with his friends. He found a new roll of bandages and opened it up. "Can you show me where you're bleeding?"

The boy reluctantly stretched out his leg. His knee was scraped, but nothing a little bandage couldn't fix. Aldair wrapped the bandage around the boy's knee, then tucked in the loose end. "There you go. Now, where are your parents?"
The boy pointed towards a house across the street. "I live over there."

"And do your parents know you're out here?"
"Um...no."
"Run along now." Aldair stood up. "A scab will form in a day or two; you'll be fine."

Everything seemed typical once Aldair arrived home. He couldn't see his friends, but he did hear some strange noises upstairs. Aldair decided not to investigate. Instead, he went straight for the kitchen, looking for some dinner.

A plate sat on the counter, with a note next to it. Leftovers. Aldair brought the plate over to the table and sat down to eat.

Amperia Fremont, 22
District 5 Female

20 days before the Reaping

Another day.

Another day of waking up in the same melancholy state over and over. Another day of the dull trek towards a dead-end job that she couldn't stand. Another day of malfunctioning equipment over bitter coffee, and screaming coworkers with the overseer watching on in disapproval.

If Amperia had it her way, things would change.

Somehow.

But now, she was almost falling asleep into her mug, before the sound of sizzling bacon snapped her awake. Standing at the stove, Radia Fremont clicked her tongue, a sign of her displeasure. Amperia rubbed at her eyes. Just as her vision was getting back into focus, she heard her father and brother coming downstairs.

Coiler dropped a a thick stack of papers onto the breakfast table with a loud thud. Joule poured himself a cup of coffee, then gave his wife and daughter a kiss. Amperia just wrapped her hands around her mug, still half-asleep. She pointed her chin in the direction of Coiler's papers. "What's that?"

"Just some assignments I need to hand in."
Amperia didn't need to look up to know her mother was staring at her. "Right...I hope you pass."
"I hope so too."

Breakfast passed by, then Coiler left for school, while everyone else went to work. As usual, Amperia joined the line of people entering the factory. She punched in was she was inside. She said a brief hello to some coworkers, then met up with Ion and Covalence. Ion nodded in acknowledgement, while Covalence continued chattering away. Amperia tuned her out, pressing the same old buttons, staring at the same old dials, as the same old day began yet again.

There had to be something she was missing. There had to be a silver lining to this job, to keep her going. There had to be more than life. Amperia wanted to find it. Needed to find it. She was stuck in a rut, all the energy and positivity sucked form her, leaving her dry. She wanted to push through. She wanted to break free.

But she didn't know how.

So instead, Amperia continued on with life. She pressed buttons and watched dials. She broke ten minutes after noon for lunch, then headed back to work. She carried on until 5 o'clock, until a bell rang and everyone field from their stations to leave, Amperia among them. She just continued forwards, always marching in a circle, doing the same thing she had done for three years.

Aldair Indira, 25
District 5 Male

Reaping Day

"Rise and shine, sleepin' beauty," Rory snickered, handing Aldair a cup of coffee. "Overslept, huh?"
"Did I miss work?"
"Dude, the factories are always closed on Reaping Day."

"Oh yeah." Aldair took a sip of coffee; it was a bit too sugary for his taste. "Actually, staying home doesn't sound so bad. By the way, you and Herbie should really fix your bedframe. I heard it making grunting noises from across the hall."
"That wasn't the...you know, let's pretend it was the bedframe." Aldair grimaced and Rory laughed, punching him in the shoulder. "Oh come on, you like listening in on us."

"Not when it's late and I'm trying to sleep." Aldair yawned for emphasis. "What are you up to today?"
"Eh, not much. Probably doing the laundry."
"I can help."

Rory shook his head. "Nah, I'm good."
"Well, I can help with something!" Aldair yawned again. "I insist."
"Right...and I insist you go take a nap."

"I am fine." Aldair slumped into his chair. "I'm good...just needed the coffee."
"Whatever. I'm gonna go wake up Herbie."
"Okay..."

Once Rory left, Aldair stood up and started poking through the cupboards, looking for some pans so he could start breakfast. He figured it would be a nice things to do with his friends. Upstairs, Rory could be heard trying to wake up Herbie...unsuccessfully. Rummaging in the fridge, Aldair found some eggs, milk, and bread. He prepared a batch of French toast and dumped it into a stack on one plate as Rory carried Herbie down the stairs.

"Ugh, you lazy bastard...Aldair, I thought I told you to go take a nap!"
"I'm not tired!"
"And I'm not complaining." Herbie took a fork and stabbed it into the food. "Mmm, breakfast. Come on, try some!"

"Oh, fine." Rory snatched the plate away, offering Aldair the chance to get some food first. "Are you sure you have the energy to stay awake?"
Aldair nodded. "Once you two finally fix the bedframe."

Amperia Fremont, 22
District 5 Female

Reaping Day

Amperia mused offer the textbook in front of her. "Hmmm. Okay, I see what to do here."
"Did I do it right?" Coiler asked.
"I think you're supposed to divide and multiply first."

Coiler's hand hit his forehead. He began erasing away at his answer. "I always forget to do that! I'm an idiot."
"No you're not. Everyone makes mistakes."
Coiler began to tap the pencil against the textbook. "Hey, where's Mom?"

Amperia glanced out the doorway and into the hall. The door to her parents' bedroom remained closed. "Still sleeping. Are you looking for her?"
"No, I just...can you keep this between us?"
"Of course."

Coiler sighed. "I don't know what I want to do after I graduate."
"You mean...as a job?"

"Yeah. It would be cool if I could work in the Justice Building like Candella, but I don't have the credits for that and I'm not fully interested in working with politics. I don't want a factory job because they're so underpaid and boring...er, no offense. I know I'm probably gonna end up going to the college first, but I'm still keeping my options open for opportunities but nothing really appeals to me. I wanna work somewhere where I actually love my job, but..."

Amperia shrugged, completely unsure on what to say. "Um...well...there's stuff."
"Like what?"
"The Training Academy. They're always looking for trainers, and you'd only have to brush up on weapons and survival knowledge? Or an overseer?"

Coiler continued tapping the pencil against the textbook. "I don't know if I want to become a trainer or an overseer. I just...I'm trying not to panic, but it's such a hard decision. What do I do?"
"I really don't think I'm the person you should be asking," Amperia muttered. "Based off experience."
"No, I'm not asking you because of that! I'm asking because I trust you."

Amperia frowned. "With what?"
"The fact that no matter what I choose to do, you'll never judge me. You'll be happy no matter what. Therefore, I can trust you."

Amperia's response was to give her brother a hug.

Sandrus Lemar, 18
District 5 Escort

Reaping Day

Sandrus did not expect to start off Reaping Day with the sight of Kelvin Junicho, Victor of the 144th Hunger Games, in a wheelchair.

It seemed to have gained mixed reactions from everyone. Katarina Cashley was completely emotionless. Surge Gunrad just collapsed into an armchair and sighed. Carmichael Park stood in the corner, wiping tears from his eyes. "It's not fair," he muttered to himself. "It's not fair. It's not fair."

Sandrus wasn't sure what to say. He had always considered the possibility of writing the biography of a Victor someday and Kelvin seemed like a really good choice for a future bestseller. before he could approach the Victor, Carmichael interrupted him. "Must you stick your nose somewhere it doesn't belong?"

Sandrus rolled his eyes. "I'm an escort. I'm allowed to be here."
"Kelvin wants nothing to do with you right now." Carmichael gestured towards the notepad and fountain pen in Sandrus's hands. "Nobody in the Capitol lets a District man die with dignity. So I highly suggest you take that pen of yours and shove it up your ass."

Kelvin slowly raised up a hand. "Carm..."
"What!? You said yourself you didn't want anyone-"
"Carm. Behave yourself. Please."

Carm folded his arms and scowled. Kelvin didn't seemed too bothered. "He's rude to everyone; don't think too much about it. Anyways, how can I help you?"
"Do you think I could schedule an interview with you sometime? I want to write a Victor's biography someday, and I thought...y'know..."
Kelvin shifted in his wheelchair. "Well...I suppose a quick interview later today..."
"We can have it on the train."

Kelvin shook his head. "Oh, I'm not mentoring this year."
Before Sandrus had the chance to ask, a Peacekeeper poked him in the shoulder. "The Reaping will begin in 10 minutes."

"Oh, right." Sandrus shoved the notebook into the pocket of his blazer and tucked the pen behind his ear. He ran a hand through his curly black hair. Despite the Sun, a cool breeze was running through the district; Sandrus was glad he brought his blazer with him.

There was a rather tense atmosphere in 5. All the men and women who once believed themselves to be safe from the Reaping stood in the closest sections to the stage. None of them smiled and Sandrus felt awkward. There was a good chance that the tribute he picked would be older than him.

The procedure was straightforward and Sandrus had seen it many times on television, but this felt much more real to hm. This was his first time as an escort. When he stepped onto the stage, he felt a rush of adrenaline and nerves. Part of him wanted to run away screaming. Instead, he ignored that part and drew the first slip.

"Amperia Fremont."

For a second, Sandrus thought he had Reaped a teenager, but a small woman slowly shuffled towards him. She had blue eyes and her skin was littered with burn marks from whatever factory incidents. Her most notable feature was her bright red hair pulled back into a ponytail. Amperia's eyes darted back and forth, before a completely neutral look washed over her face, as if she couldn't be bothered to care about her fate any longer.

Sandrus took a quick breath before reaching into the second glass ball, coming up with a new slip. "Aldair Inderia."

Aldair wasn't too hard to find, because he was extremely tall. He had dark skin, dark brown eyes, and messy black hair that stuck out all over the place. He seemed rather shocked, but by the time he reached the stage, any fear melted away and he was grinning to himself instead.

That wasn't so hard, Sandrus thought. Sure, it was a bit weird for him to be younger than both tributes, but he survived his first Reaping as an escort. Inside the Justice Building, he waited patiently for Kelvin, until the Peacekeepers sent him off to the train. Grudgingly, Sandrus obeyed.

Katarina and Carmichael were already waiting. Katarina couldn't be bothered by Sandrus's arrival, but it was rather clear Carmichael wasn't happy to see him. Sandrus sat down from across the Victors, who just ignored him. So much for getting an interview.

But there would be plenty of chances later. Somehow, Sandrus was gong to end the 150th Games with some new stuff for a new book. He just had to keep his eyes on the prize and try to not fuck up his escorting duties too much on the way there.

Finally, almost done the Reapings! Sorry this took a little longer to get out; I was really tired this month and running low on motivation. But hey, I got the chapter finished, so it's worth it.

Also, quite a few people seem to have caught on to my silly little order. So District 6 is up next! Stay tuned for that chapter sometime in March!

-Vr