Iris Meadows- district Twelve

-Reaping

When light shines through your window so beautifully in the morning, it's hard not to feel happy on such a pretty day. Even if it is the reaping day.

It's so early and quiet, the sun is just rising. I climb up to the roof to catch a better view. I can't help but sigh at the magnificent sight. Today is going to be a great day. And then I remembered I have my first reaping today.

I'm scared, really scared. If I get reaped into the games, there is no chance that I will win. I'm so small and tiny and only twelve. Twelve year olds usually don't win the games, and being from district twelve won't help either.

I stay up on the roof for a while, looking at all the beautiful scenery. Up here, just above all the coal dust and grime, it's so pretty. I stay up on the roof until the sun is almost overhead. When I'm thinking I often lose track of time.

I slowly climb down the small tree next to out house. When dad died a few years ago, my older sister Lily and I planted this tree when it was just a sapling. It's getting bigger now.

When I go back inside, I find that my sister and brothers are already up and ready for the reaping. They don't have to get too fancied up because they aren't of reaping age. I'm the youngest in the family by eight years.

I go and bathe off a bit and my mom helps me get dressed and do my hair. I'm wearing a green dress which is a muted shade of my eyes. It was my Lily's dress from when she was younger than me. But still it is giant. It Mom pulls my mousey brown hair up into a tight bun.

In the mirror I look so scrawny and tiny. But when I run somewhere or do something to work my muscles, I feel like I can do anything. Obviously, I'm still scrawny and tiny and weak, but in a world full of negativity, just being positive a bit can brighten someone's day. Typically it's my own but, you never know.

My stomach is full of charging beast. Some people say when they are nervous they get butterflies in their stomach, but that makes no sense. Butterflies are so dainty and pretty, they could never hurt a thing. This feeling is making me feel like I'm going to puke, this is not a butterfly.

"Are you nervous?" asks my brother Rivers.

I nod. "I was nervous too on my first reaping. It only gets worse because you know you have more chances with every year you get older," says my other oldest brother Cavern.

"Oh yeah," Rivers chimes in. "On my eighteen reaping I was freaking out. Do you remember? Probably not."

"Rivers! Cavern! Stop, you're making her turn green!" Lily scolds.

She's right, presently I am probably as green as my dress. "We are just trying to reassure her that she has nothing to be nervous about now, most likely she won't get reaped till later," Rivers replies, trying to sound helpful.

Now I start hyperventilating. Lily comes and hugs me and shoots the boys a look. Then mom tells them to stop acting childish and we need to go. Suddenly I remember my best friend Jacinta and I were supposed to meet an hour before the reaping. That was almost thirty minutes ago!

I run to right outside the square where we prearranged to meet. She's standing there, tapping her toes. She loathes it when people are late, and she herself is the most punctual person I know. She's never a minute early, never a minute late. I don't know how she does it.

"Iris! Where were you?" Jacinda says angrily.

"Sorry, I was caught up at home and forgot," I say sheepishly.

She rolls her eyes and mutters something unintelligible under her breath. "What?" I ask.

"Nothing, nothing. Come now, we need to give them our blood samples."

I must look pretty surprised and scared. "Don't worry honey, it doesn't hurt," she assures me.

Jacinda is fourteen, so she's the expert on the reapings. She promised to help me, even though she can't stand by me during the real thing. "Do you think I'll be picked?" I ask.

"How much tessera did you have?" she asks back.

"I have six entries," I say.

I hate the tessera system, it gives the poor people the worst of luck.

"Nah, you won't get picked," she says confidently.

"How much do you have?" I ask.

"Eleven," she whispers.

That's not so much, but it's more than the richer people have to take when they're eighteen. It is sickening, sorry to be so negative but it is.

We go and she shows me where to sit with the rest of the twelve-year-old girls. We are in the back since we have a lesser chance of being picked. I feel bad for the older kids.

Once I get settled in, the mayor comes up and says the Treaty of Treason. I didn't get it when I was younger, but now I understand it better. Not completely, just better.

Then the escort comes. I think that capitol people are so weird. They're just so careless and (for lack of better words) stupid. They spend all their time and money getting their skin dyed and adding enhancements to their bodies while what little money we have goes to trying to survive. When they fail it means their newest surgery didn't make such an obvious change. When we fail, we or our family die.

"Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be every in your favor!" she says.

I'm all for chipperness and positivity, but this is an overload. People dying isn't something to be chipper about.

"Let's go women first," she says, like anyone would do it any differently. "Iris Meadows!"
The name rings among the silent crowd. It's my name.

Raven Justus- District Twelve

Back roads are good roads. Any way around having to see too many people is the way I want to go. I'm a loner. Some people call me reclusive and a freak. I call myself selectively social.

I have my reasons too. I don't want anyone to know what's wrong with me or else they will make fun of me. I'll just be the laughing-stock of everyone. People can be mean. No one bullies me now, but if they knew what's wrong with me they would.

I'm about halfway home when I hear a familiar voice calling out my name. This can't be anything good. "Hey, Raven! Wait up!"

I turn around. It's Europa Huley. She's the most beautiful girl in the world. Well I'm sure maybe someone is more beautiful, but I don't see any other girls. She's breath taking gorgeous, she's so nice and caring, she's brilliant, hilarious, talented, and amazing.

She jogs up to me. "How's it going?" She asks.

"Me? Oh, yeah, it's going, it's going good." Oh gosh I sound like such an idiot.

She smiles that bright amazing smile. "Why do you take the back roads? I thought they would be a lot faster, but they really aren't."

"I, um, I don't know. Fewer people?" I stutter out.

"That's true. I guess in the silence you really have time to think."

"Yeah," I sigh. Little did she know most that time I'm thinking about her.

"Well, I don't like too much quiet. That's why I came to talk to you."

Pang to the chest. She came to talk to me because it was too… quiet. Not because she was interested in me or anything.

"You seem pretty cool. We should hang out some time."

"Yeah, that'd be fun," I say, attempting to play it cool.

"How about tomorrow morning before the reaping?"

"Sure."

Then I flip my hair back, like I've seen other guys do. She stares at my eye for a few seconds. Darn it, I forgot. I have two different color eyes. One is oddly magenta. The other is a dull gray. Usually I cover the messed up eye with my hair, but today I forgot. She nods. " See you tomorrow." Then she walks away.

In hindsight, I'd say I did pretty well.

-Reaping

I get up super early. I am so excited. I have a date/ not date with Europa. She didn't specify which, but I'm thinking that the latter is the case. But if we really hit things off like we did in my dreams last night, there will be plenty of dates.

I take extreme caution in getting ready. I take extreme extreme caution in making sure my hair is covering my weird eye. She's probably weirded out enough already by me, I don't want to add even more to it.

As soon as it is ten till noon, when I think she wanted to meet at noon, I leave. I run at first, but because of my chronic disease I can't run long. So I take a break then continue. I have had a crush on Europa for like, ever. Since we were nine and we were all outside. They were all playing a game and she asked me if I wanted to then taught me how. I had a tiny crush on her, and things have snowballed from there.

I wait just outside the square where the reaping is held. She's a merchant daughter, so she lives and usually hangs out in the town square. I wait. And wait. After about half an hour, I go looking for her. I start looking in all the shops. Then I go to the back of them. When I get to the textiles shop, I find her.

She's making out with Hake Shelley.

Hake is one of the most popular boys in the school. He's tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. I'm surprised she hasn't gotten with him yet. Europa hasn't ever dated him. she's dated plenty of other guys, but I should have known it was just a matter of time before she started on him. they've been close ever since we were all little kids. When a boy and a girl are such best friends, it's inevitable that one falls for the other or they both fall for each other.

They are so wrapped up in each other, they don't even notice me. Good; I don't want to talk to either of them. It's not fair, I've been after this girl longer than he has.

I leave for the reaping heart-broken. Most of Europa's relationships don't last too long, but I have a dreadful feeling that this one will.

There isn't anything that I can do but hope and dream now. I can't believe I actually thought that someone like her could actually love someone like me. She has no idea. She doesn't even know me. I know her though. I'm not a stalker, I just… pay attention.

I'm not paying attention now though. I look up just to glance at the girl tribute. Some twelve-year-old girl named Lily or Daisy or some other flower name.

Then I hear my name. Everyone looks at me. The people on the stage looked at me. I was reaped. I go up to the stage. First I get heartbroken by the only girl I have ever been in love with. Then I receive an almost positive death sentence. What a day.

I try to keep my hopes up. I could always get lucky and pull something out of my sleeve. Then Europa would have to love me, because I am a victor.

(A/N) Sorry! I would have put this one up yesterday but I ran into some complications. Now I have tributes done so it's time to party! Yay!