Sherman Yang, 18, District 2 Male
I wake up and I leap out of bed immediately. Today is the day of the reaping. I will finally be able to win the hunger games! I won the volunteer competition easily, because I am the strongest out of all the boys at the training academy. I couldn't start training there until I was 14, but I helped my father out at work by doing the heavy lifting for him. He hurt his back around the time when I was a few years old, and I've helped him out for as long as I can remember.
I decide to head to the training centre to get in a couple hours of solid training so that I feel good before the reaping. I specialized in hand-to-hand combat, but my favourite training activity is lifting weights. I get dressed in my workout clothes, each breakfast, and head straight to the training centre.
There are a few other people hanging around outside, including my buddy Ellis Wakefield. We often train together in the mornings. He wanted to go to the games too, but he's very supportive of me going instead.
"Hey Ellis!"
"Hey Sherman! You wanna wrestle before we have to get ready for the reaping?"
"Yeah, sure! That sounds fun!" We both know that I am better at hand-to-hand combat, but it is always fun to practice together.
We head into a practice room that is padded and begin. We circle around each other a few times, then Ellis makes the first move. He goes for a punch to my face, but I duck and he stumbles forward a bit.
"Sorry, but I don't want a swollen face for the reaping today." I taunt. Then I rush forward and we are engaged in a battle between our limbs until I finally end up on top, and he taps his hand three times.
"Good job!" I say. "I think you lasted a bit longer this time!"
"Nah, we were only going for 5 minutes. My longest is 6 minutes, I think." he responds.
"Well, you did awesome anyways! Do you want to lift some weights now?"
"Let's try again a couple more times, then we can lift weights."
We wrestle two more times, then we progress to lifting weights. We are both quite strong, and we like to compete against each other to see who can lift the heavier weight. We also help to spot each other, as I do not want to get injured right before the games. We are able to lift the exact same weight, and we head to my house to get ready for the reaping.
Kayla Knowles, 15, District 2 Female
I can't believe it! I won the volunteer competition this year! I have competed since I was 13, but I never thought I would win this young. I know that I am ready, and I am thrilled to be able to go to the Capitol and have a chance at winning the hunger games.
I specialized in archery, and I am quite accurate, if I do say so myself. I can hit a target from 100 metres away almost every time. I am very excited to show this skill to the gamemakers, and I'm sure that I will get a very high score.
I just hope that the other careers will take me seriously. Just because I'm only 15 doesn't mean I'm any less capable than them, and I intend to show them that. I have heard of other years where they kicked tributes out from the career pack for being young, but I will not be one of them!
My parents are quite supportive of me being in the games, and they are confident that I will be able to win. I have two younger brothers, and they sometimes get scared for me, but I always reassure them that I will be fine. My parents encouraged me to sleep in and take the morning off today, but I want to get some archery practice in because it always makes me feel calmer and more focused.
I get dressed and head downstairs.
"Hi Kayla! You're up early. I thought you were going to sleep in." my mom remarks.
"Yeah, I know, but I wanted to do some archery practice at the training centre before the reaping"
"All right, but don't stress yourself out. I've seen how skilled you are, and you did win the volunteer competition after all! Do you want some of this smoothie I made?"
"Sure, thanks mom! See you in a few hours!" I grab the smoothie and head out the door.
"Don't forget to be back early enough to get ready for the reaping!" my mom calls.
"Don't worry! I'll be back with plenty of time!" I respond.
As I walk to the training centre, I drink the smoothie. It doesn't take long to arrive, and once I am there, I grab my bow and arrows and head to the archery centre. I am a bit sad that I won't be able to use my bow in the arena, but I bet they will have a bow in the cornucopia for me.
I shoot at the targets and hit every one. Then I go to the next level and practice hitting moving targets. I feel someone approaching me, and I dodge them while shooting at a target that I hit.
"Wow! That was impressive! I thought for sure you were going to miss that one!" says Lacy. She's my best friend, and although she has never wanted to compete in the hunger games, she often helps me train or just hangs out while I train.
"Hi Lacy!"
"Hi Kayla! Haven't you done enough training for today? We should do something fun on your last day here!"
"Lacy, it's just going to be a few weeks until I will be back, but we can do something fun if you want. I already trained for a while anyways. What do you want to do?"
"Let's go swimming!"
"Okay, sure! Do you want to bring our siblings too?"
"Yeah, let's bring them."
We head to my house and pick up my two younger brothers, Brian and George, then we head to Lacy's house and pick up her younger sister, Lilac. Then we head to the pool, get everyone's swim suit on, and go swimming. We all learned how to swim when we were quite young. Lacy and I play some games in the water, but soon we have to head home to get ready for the reaping.
"Bye Lacy!"
"See you soon!"
I walk home with my brothers, and we talk.
"Do you have to volunteer this year, Kayla?" says Brian.
"Yeah, you have three more years that you could spend improving and still be able to volunteer." says George.
My brothers are twins and 12 years old, so this is their first reaping. They have no interest in competing in the hunger games, but luckily there is always a volunteer for District 2.
"Guys, isn't it better that I just win the games this year and then I will be one of the youngest victors? Anyways, this is my life goal! I'm doing it, and that's that!"
"It was worth a try" mutters George to Brian.
"I heard that!"
Once we are back home our mother ushers us inside.
"Oh Kayla, your hair is all wet! And you smell of chlorine! Get in the shower and wash your hair fast. I want to braid it for the reaping."
"Fine, Mom." I groan.
I take a shower as fast as I can, and once I get out I see that my mom has laid clothes out for me on my bed.
"Those are so pretty! Thanks Mom!"
I scramble to get my clothes on quickly and head downstairs. I see that my mom is ready to do my hair, and I sit down on a chair in front of her. She dries my hair and quickly braids it.
"Everyone come on! We're going to be late if we don't walk quickly!" says my dad.
We walk as fast as we can to the square and stand in line to get our fingers pricked.
"Don't be scared, it doesn't hurt much." I say to my brothers.
Then we head to our place to stand, based on age and gender. We watch a video that says how the hunger games came to be, and finally it is the reaping. Our escort, Yarrow Littleflake, introduces the living victors and sticks his hand into the girls' bowl.
"Our female tribute is… Sarah Middlesworth!"
Quickly, I say, "I volunteer as tribute!", and start running up to the stage.
"What is your name, young lady?", says Yarrow.
"I'm Kayla Knowles."
"What a nice name!" Yarrow says as he shakes my hand.
"And now for our male tribute." says Yarrow as he reaches into the boys' bowl, gives it a little swish, and pulls out a piece of paper.
"George Knowles!"
What? My brother got reaped? I can't believe this. I am in a state of shock until I hear a gruff voice saying, "I volunteer as tribute!"
Oh right! I live in District 2 where there is always a volunteer! A tall, older boy walks up to the stage with quite a swagger. He looks very cocky, but also quite strong.
Yarrow says, "What is your name, mister?"
The boy replies, "Sherman Yang."
Oh right, I remember him from the volunteer competitions.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please let me introduce you to your tributes, Sherman Yang and Kayla Knowles!" Yarrow announces.
Sherman and I shake hands, and we are quickly rushed off the stage into the Justice Building by peacekeepers.