Archibald Pell - D8M, 13

I scratch my furry friend behind the ear as he wriggles in my hands. I squeeze him closer to my chest and he calms down. I wonder if I should name him. I may never see him again. I guess, considering the odds, it's unlikely. If I go to the Hunger Games, it may be the last time I see anything again. I try to hold the tears back when I think of everything I could lose if my name is drawn. My family, my friends. I guess I wouldn't lose them, they'd just lose me.

I wonder if this rat has a home. Not just the lab, which is honestly more like a prison, but a real home. I wonder if this rat has a family, friends, feelings, worries, and fear. My rat definitely needs a name. A few come to mind.

Mickey.

Ratty.

Jerry.

I've noticed that some of the other lab rats have weird injuries or scars. I check this rat, but he has none. Sometimes the chemical testing hurts these rats. I feel a twinge of sadness in my heart, but then I feel angry. These rats don't deserve this. I try not to think about little Trevor- the decided name for my rat- getting hurt. I try not to think that he may never see his family again. I try not to think about a lot of things these days. Especially the Reaping that will happen in less than an hour. I hug my rat until it squeaks. I loosen my grip and stare into its eyes.

"I will never let anything else hurt you, Trevor."

The rat just stares back, but I get the feeling he understands me.

"That's your name now. Trevor. And you can call me Pell. Just Pell."

I slowly lower Trevor into my pocket. He shuffles around and pokes his head out. He clacks his teeth and begins squirming out, but I grab him and stroke him. He calms down.

"Archibald?" My dad comes into the room. He's in charge of maintenance at this textile factory.

Whenever I help, I always wander into the chemical area so I can see the rats. My dad knows where to find me by now. "Are you ready to go?" he asks.

"Yeah," I answer, moving so Trevor is hidden. I follow my dad out of the factory, my new friend squirming around in my pocket.

Kjole Schmeichel - D8F, 16

I stand prepared, hardly moving, my eyes fixed on my opponent. In just a moment he will strike. In just a moment, I'll have to move with lightning speed. All the background noise is nothing to me. I have to be ready.

"Kjole?"

As my opponent draws nearer, I try to tune out everything else.

"Hey Kjole?"

He's almost here now, but I'm ready for him.

"Kjole! Can you let me have a turn in the goal?"

"Yeah! You've been in there forever!"

My concentration breaks, and all the noise comes flooding back. I turn to my younger cousins, Anja and Mathias. They're right outside the goalie box, arms crossed.

"Not now guys," I answer. "I have to stop this goal." I need to focus.

"Come oooooon!" Mathias groans.

"You always get to be goalie," Anja whines.

I turn towards them once again. Sometimes I'm surprised that such a large amount of sass can come out of such small bodies.

"I said not now!" I snap. "You'll get your turn later."

"When you miss?" Anja asks.

"Yeah, sure." I want this conversation to be over. I turn back, and my heart skips a beat. Andreas is pulling his foot back. The ball is flying through the air.

In a lunge of desperation I try to grab the ball, but I end up on the ground, pride hurt, hands empty.

Andreas cheers. "I scored against Kjole! This is the best birthday ever."

I rack my brain for ways to regain my pride as I slowly crawl up off the ground. Fake an injury? I don't think I could stoop that low.

Anja approaches me. "It's my turn to be in the goal," she reminds me haughtily. "You missed."

"I'm aware of that." I pick up the ball and throw it out of the goal. It stops halfway across the pitch. Let's see how much she likes being goalie after this.

"Can I use your gloves?"

I turn around in disbelief to face my impertinent cousin. Did she just ask to use my gloves? My gloves? My prized possessions?

No.

Absolutely not.

"I don't think you'll need them," I respond mysteriously. I have a feeling that being the goalie won't be as fun as she was expecting. My short black hair rustles in the wind as I sprint down to get the ball. The feeling of the ball bouncing against my feet as I dribble feels right. It's muscle memory by now. My eyes are locked with Anja's. Determination gleams in her eyes, but I know she doesn't stand a chance. I charge down the pitch, ignoring my family's requests for me to pass the ball. This is between me and my twelve-year-old cousin.

Yes, I realize how ridiculous that sounds, but there was no turning back now.

With a powerful kick the ball flies into the goal. Anja dives too late, and she hits the ground empty handed, just like I had in the last few minutes. Anja gets up and dusts herself off.

"I don't think I want to be goalie anymore," she confesses.

I grin triumphantly. "Then you can give Mathias a turn. I'm going home."

Andreas runs towards me, and I'm nearly knocked off balance by the force of his hug. "Thanks for playing Kjole," he whispers. "This was the best eleventh birthday I've ever had."

"It's the only eleventh birthday you've ever had," I laugh.

My cousin runs back onto the pitch and the game resumes. Watching the people I love play the game I love makes me smile. I stand still for a bit and watch. Eventually I turn around and walk home, leaving the perfect chaos behind me. I'm heading home. I could really use a cat nap.

Ebony Stilletto - Capitol Socialite, 17

We can't stop talking about it.

A volunteer in the very first District.

This is going to be the most promising Hunger Games yet.

"He looked really strong," Danica observed with a smile.

"I expect to see that boy make it pretty far," my dad added, "but that girl won't last a day."

Everyone is talking about Culter Spring. According to them, we already have a potential winner.

I hope not. It's clear that his heart belongs to someone else. Why else would someone like him volunteer? I silently shake my head. Love could never work out in the districts. Besides, what's the point in having a cute male victor if he's already taken?

"District Eight is starting!" Danica exclaims, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Hyacinth Cane is on the stage. "Happy Hunger Games!" she exclaims.

I tune out the video and the other formalities. Those are meant for the districts anyway. I only care about one thing.

"And now for the reaping!" Hyacinth draws a name with exaggerated theatrics and opens it. "Kjole Schmeichel!"

The girl walks up calmly. It's respectable, but quite boring to watch.

"Look at her hair!" Danica exclaims!

I stifle a laugh. The girl's hair is like nothing I've ever seen! It's cropped short and hideous, like Marcelene Chaplin gone wrong!

We only have a short time to laugh before the boy is announced. "Archibald Pell!"

There's no response. No movement from the crowd.

"Archibald Pell!" Hyacinth repeats.

The peacekeepers start heading towards a boy who appears to be in a daze. Eventually, he begins to slowly walk up towards the stage. Everyone in the apartment laughs as he trips up the stage.

"Bloodbath," Danica's father announces. He's right. The boy looks twelve. Maybe thirteen.

"Shake hands," Hyacinth orders.

As Archibald reaches for Kjole's hand, a rat jumps out of his pocket. Hyacinth lets out a scream, which is repeated by Danica a few seconds later.

"It's only on the TV" her father reassures her. "There's no rat in here."

The stage erupts into chaos. Archibald is chasing his rat as Hyacinth yells, "Kill it! Kill it!"

Finally, the rodent is caught by Kjole, who hasn't moved this whole time. She hands it to Archibald Pell in disgust, and the rat disappears.

"Well," my father chuckles, "the tributes may be a disappointment, but that was definitely a show."

It's true. If the District Eight tributes could put on as much of a show in the arena as they did on the reaping stage, this will truly be the best Hunger Games ever!

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long! I had to take a hiatus during the spring musical! I'm back and will try to get a bunch of chapters done so I can keep this story going! My first reaping scenes were really long, but I think I'm going to shorten them up, starting with this one. I also told the actual reapings from Ebony's point of view because it gives me more freedom with the reaping scenes. Please tell me what you think of my changes in the reviews! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! You guys are the best!