Riggs Blackson, age 15

District Five Male

Riggs shuffled along, blending into the pack of people heading towards the square for the reaping. He was good at that: blending in. Not standing out. It didn't bother him, either. It just gave him more time to himself.

The heat hung heavy in the air. On any other day, Riggs would be sitting inside, probably reading, maybe keeping an eye on the people around him. He just didn't enjoy oppressive weather.

How fitting that the heat had the same attitude as the Capitol.

The same attitude as the reason District Five trudged towards the glass reaping balls.

Two boys stood in front of Riggs as the crowd split into lines to sign in. One of them grabbed the hand of the other, but he shook it off. The first boy glanced upwards, his eyes wide. Terrified.

First reaping, Riggs thought, watching the young boy fearfully sign in. Then it was his turn. The small pinprick on his finger stung a little, but it wasn't unbearable. Being reaped must be unbearable.

He tried to imagine it. The heart-pounding anticipation, then the fear when you realize the name called was yours. The horror. The terror. The walk to the stage lasting an eternity. The walk towards death. Because District Five rarely lasted long in the Games. The sole exception was Thera Pollux, who won five years ago. Other than that, being a tribute from Five was almost a guaranteed death sentence.

Riggs was so lost in thought that he walked right into another boy in his section. "Hey, watch where you're going," the other boy snarled. Riggs just nodded at him, any words getting stuck in his throat.

He's scared. He's scared and lashing out is how he's coping with it.

Riggs made sure not to stand next to that boy, but to get lost in a different sea of faces.

The clock bell rang, and the entire district fell silent, waiting for the reaping entourage to take the stage. Marcellus, a large, jovial man with alarmingly yellow hair bounded to the microphone, the others walked quietly to their spots.

"Happy Hunger Games, District Five!" Marcellus boomed into the microphone, his voice carrying across the whole square. "This reaping is very special to me, because it will be my last. So let's not wait any longer! Time to choose your tributes for the 95th Hunger Games!"

Marcellus's last Games. The last time he got to send children to their death. Riggs wondered how he felt about it. He certainly looked a little upset underneath his upbeat demeanor. Regardless, he selected a slip from the girls' glass ball and read out the name, "Miss Nicola Ackerman!"

Nicola Ackerman, age 18

District Five Female

Nicola's eyes widened. Her heart began to pound. And on either side of her, two women squeezed her hands. Bexley held Nicola in an iron grip, refusing to let go of her left hand. Elodie sobbed on Nicola's right.

This isn't happening.

"Where is Miss Ackerman?" Marcellus asked, as if he couldn't see the commotion in the front row. The Peacekeepers saw, though, and started heading towards Nicola. Tears welled in her eyes. But Nicola managed to keep them at bay, her mouth wavering. She gently detached herself from her girlfriends and headed towards the Peacekeepers waiting to take her to the stage. It was no use fighting. No matter what, she would be taking her place on that stage.

Nicola fought to keep a smile on her face, even as tears slipped down her cheeks. Better to let them see the real her as opposed to the reaped, scared her. The version of herself who always had a smile on her face, always wanted to be around people, always wanted to make new friends.

Now, the new people she would be meeting would want to kill her.

The thought made her chest tighten.

A watery smile still on her face, Nicola mounted the steps and took Marcellus's outstretched hand. He guided her to the left side of the microphone, then said into it, "Let's have a round of applause for your female tribute, Nicola Ackerman!"

Some people clapped, probably the ones where glad they, or loved ones, were safe. But Nicola looked down to see Bexley and Elodie clutching at each other, Elodie still sobbing. This was what the reaping did. How could anybody expect to be happy when somebody you love could be ripped away and murdered at the will of chance?

Stop it. Don't think like that.

Nicola counted her blessings. She knew how to stay upbeat during tough times. A beam of hope when all hope seemed lost. She would just have to keep that up once she reached the Capitol.

Once she entered the arena.

The thought sent a shudder through her.

"Who else will be representing District Five this year?" Marcellus asked, trying to build suspense. He bounded over to the other reaping ball, and dug deep into the slips to pick one. "Can I please have Mister Riggs Blackson on stage?"

Nicola caught sight of the fifteen year old section parting around a boy with brown skin and unruly black curls. The boy, Riggs, put his head down as he moved towards the stage. He didn't cry, or scream, or attempt to run, but instead kept glancing up towards Nicola as he took his place next to her.

As he took his place as her district partner.

Riggs Blackson, age 15

District Five Male

Everything Riggs had thought about being reaped was true.

The gravity of the situation hadn't quite hit him yet, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before he truly fathomed what was happening. That he was a tribute. That he was probably going to die. But he didn't tell his parents that.

"I'll fight," Riggs promised his mother and father, who both stood in the small room with him, tears trickling down their faces.

"I know you will," his mother told him, her voice wavering. "I…." Her voice broke over a sob, but she quickly composed herself. "I love you so much, Riggs. Just try to come back, okay?"

"And you're so smart," his father added. "You could outsmart any tribute in that arena."

The arena. That word made the air stick in Riggs's throat. It made him conjure up images of a burning desert, of a dark forest, of a picturesque island quickly turned deadly. The arena itself could be fatal, even without the other tributes.

Riggs just nodded in response to his father, words failing him. His mind started to wander, but his mother grabbed his hands, grounding him. "You can win," she whispered fiercely. "I know you can. Just try your best out there." Riggs nodded again.

"I love you," his father said, bringing Riggs in for a quick hug. "Always remember that."

"I will." Riggs's voice finally came back once the Peacekeeper came in to take his family away. His parents didn't fight, just turned their heads to look at him one last time before the door slammed shut. It didn't stay closed for long, Gavin and Oliver bursting through as soon as they could.

His friends didn't cry. Gavin looked close, but he didn't cry. Instead, he wrapped Riggs up in his arms.

"Don't die," Gavin said, and Oliver laughed weakly. Riggs just smiled. He couldn't bring himself to laugh, although it was nice of Gavin to try.

"I'm gonna try," Riggs told him.

Oliver glanced up at the ceiling, at the walls, out the window. Anywhere but at Riggs when he asked, "Do you think you'll be able to kill someone?"

"Oliver!" Gavin exclaimed. Riggs just shrugged.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "But if I want to win, I'll have to."

"Hell, I want you to win," Gavin said. "Can you imagine having a victor for a best friend?"

"That and we don't want you to die," Oliver added, giving Gavin a dirty look. "That also would have been nice to say."

Riggs smiled weakly at his bickering friends. He would miss them when he was in the Capitol. He was sure they would miss him if he died in the arena.

Nicola Ackerman, age 18

District Five Female

The door slammed shut, leaving Nicola alone. The Peacekeeper outside had to drag her parents out of the room, had to drag them away from her. Nicola tried to steady her breathing, but couldn't. What if she had just spoken to her parents for the last time? What if her parents had just told her that they loved her for the final time?

Don't think like that. Positive.

But it was hard to stay positive when Elodie ran, bawling, in the room.

Nicola swept Elodie up into her arms as Bexley entered, too. Bexley pulled Nicola close until all three of them were pressed together.

"You're coming back to us," Bexley demanded. "Don't even think about dying in there, Nicola, you hear me?" Bexley placed her hands on either side of Nicola's face to gently brush their lips together. "You have to win."

"Please," Elodie begged, not moving from her spot curled up against Nicola's chest. Nicola pressed a kiss to the top of her head in response. A promise.

I'm coming back to these two. I have to.

"I'll get to meet some new people," Nicola said hopefully. Bexley huffed out a laugh.

"You're the only person who would say something like that when you're about to go into the fucking Hunger Games."

"Don't swear," Elodie murmured. Nicola just smiled, glad that Elodie was at least starting to recover from her shock and her tears.

The three sat together in silence for a moment or two and Nicola's mind wandered. She couldn't kill another person. She couldn't take a life. But no victor walked out of the arena as a saint. And Nicola planned on coming back to District Five. Back to the two girls wrapped around her.

"I love you two," Nicola told them, tears pricking her eyes. "I love you so much."

"Don't say it like a goodbye," Bexley said, pulling Nicola closer. "But I love you too."

"Just come back," Elodie whispered. "Promise you'll try."

Nicola pursed her lips, feeling a few tears slip down her cheeks. "I'll try my best. I want to come back to you two." And she would do anything in her power to do so.

And here's our District Five tributes, Riggs and Nicola. As always, let me know what you thought. I love hearing from you all! :)

See you in District Six!

-D9T