(trigger warning for homophobia and implied parental abuse in Prince's PO)

Dakota Grangerford, 12

District 9 Female

Dakota woke to the sound of rain on the roof. Rain wasn't common in District 9, and while many found its rhythmic drumming soothing, it was beginning to get on her nerves. And if it lasted, it would make for a miserable Reaping Day.

District 9's reapings were usually held around noon, which meant everyone was hungry and grumpy. And while this was Dakota's first year eligible, she'd attended plenty of reapings in the past. The community home kids all traveled as a pack.

She shared her shoebox-sized room with two other girls, Trinity and Sarah. Sarah was the oldest, but also the nicest. She and Dakota had a silent pact. Sarah helped Dakota get dressed and get into her wheelchair. Dakota gave Sarah half of her meals. And no one commented on it, ever.

Dakota laid on her side, listening to Trinity snoring in the bunk above her. A small dresser was tucked under Sarah's bunk; a dresser they all shared. A small standing mirror with a crack sat on top.

There were no clocks in the room, but Dakota heard the sound of footsteps in the hall and knew instantly that it was 8. They were allowed to sleep an extra hour on Reaping Day. Ms. Kornfeld rapped her knuckles against their door three times before moving on. Dakota laid still as her roommates stirred awake.

Trinity got dressed first, ignoring Dakota. She slipped on a yellow skirt and white blouse before trying on her only pair of nice shoes, and wincing.

"They don't fit?" Sarah asked. Trinity shook her head, tears swimming in her eyes. No surprise there. Trinity was a huge crybaby.

"Try these," Sarah said, offering her worn leather strap shoes to her. Trinity slipped them on and smiled a little.

"They fit!"

"Great," Sarah said. "Maybe Dakota can wear your old ones."

Once Trinity was gone, Sarah helped Dakota sit up. No one quite knew what was wrong with her legs. She could feel them, though not very well, and they wouldn't move, no matter how hard she tried. There was also a small, thin-skinned lump on her back. Ms. Kornfeld thought it was related, but she wasn't sure, and they couldn't afford a doctor's visit.

Only emergencies warranted a trip to District 9's small hospital. Dakota's first seizure had landed her there. She didn't remember it; she was only about a year old. The only time Ms. Kornfeld seemed to care about her was when she had a seizure. In a weird, twisted way, she enjoyed the attention.

Sarah pulled a plain white cotton dress out of the drawers and helped Dakota dress. Then she slid her arms under Dakota's shoulders and pulled her into the wheelchair. Then she held the door for Dakota, and as soon as they left the room, they were no longer allies. Not until tomorrow, at least.

Indigo Li, 13

District 8 Female

"INDIGO!"

The shriek from upstairs made Indigo jump, pliers falling from her hands and clattering to the ground. The pin she was trying to dislodge joined it.

"What?" she shouted back, leaning down to retrieve her tools.

"Get up here this instant!" her aunt screeched.

Sighing, she set her tools down and climbed the stairs from the basement, wiping her grease-stained hands on her pants, just to annoy her aunt. The woman was sitting on a stool in the kitchen, white-knuckled hands gripping an envelope.

"This is from the Head Peacekeeper," Aunt Victoria said, her jaw tense.

"Yeah, he's a good friend of mine," Indigo sassed, moving to the sink to wash her hands.

"There was another incident at school."

"That was entirely accidental."

"A student died."

"What?"

Indigo froze, cold water rushing over her hands. It matched the chill in her veins. Someone died? Nothing like that had ever happened before. Indigo was known for the occasional prank, and sure, some of them leaned on the dangerous side. But none of them resulted in the injury of others.

"Maia Blackmoore, a third-year," Aunt Victoria continued. I believe the two of you shared a science class. She stumbled across your project while cleaning up."

"It wasn't dangerous!" Indigo protested, finally remembering to shut off the water. "It's not my fault!"

Out of curiosity, and boredom, she created a pressurized box that would explode when opened. It would be noisy, but not harmful in any other way. Did she make it too powerful?

"There will be a trial," Aunt Victoria said. "And you are under house arrest until then. A Peacekeeper will escort you to the Reapings later."

"No," Indigo grumbled. "Very kind of them, but I prefer to be alone.

"Indigo!" she shouted again, making her niece jump. "This is not a joke! Go to your room, immediately! I need to figure out what to do with you."

"Fine!" Indigo shouted back. "Have fun! It's not like you actually cared about me in the first place anyways!" She stormed out of the room before Aunt Victoria could respond.

Slamming her door behind her, Indigo kicked a pile of clothes out of the way and flopped down on the floor. She sat cross-legged by her bed, leaning her head against the frame, and pulled an old shoebox out from underneath.

Opening it, she pulled out a picture of her parents. Dakota's dad died when she was 3. Her mom died when Indigo was 8. It was cancer, the doctors said. There was no cure. She'd been living with Aunt Victoria ever since.

Her parents wanted her. Indigo was sure of that. Unlike Aunt Victoria, they had seen her potential. She was smart! She aced every test she actually bothered to take, she made cool inventions, and she was an overall badass. But no one seemed to see it.

Whatever. They were idiots anyway. So was Maia. Everyone knew not to touch a project that wasn't theirs. Right? It was Maia's fault. Not Indigo's. It couldn't be Indigo's.

Prince Middleton, 17

District 1 Male

"So, you're really doing it?" Maia asked, leaning her head against Prince's shoulder. He nodded softly.

"Yeah."

"Ali is going to be upset," she whispered, turning to look fully at her best friend. Prince sighed heavily.

"He knows why I'm doing it."

Prince made the choice to volunteer six months ago, when his parents found out about his boyfriend Ali. They yelled at him and forbid him from talking to Ali ever again. His father literally dragged Ali out of the house.

Ever since, Prince had been training. As victor, there was no way his parents could keep him and his boyfriend apart. They wouldn't have the authority. Prince and Ali still met up, but it was quick and secretive. He wanted to love his boyfriend with pride.

Maia was the only one Prince trusted with this secret. They'd been best friends since the age of 5, and he knew Maia would never betray him. She'd even gone as far as to pretend to be Prince in his bed while he was out with Ali.

"Maybe. But he also doesn't want you to die," Maia snapped. The one thing she hadn't been supportive of was Prince volunteering. She thought it was stupid and reckless. So did Ali. But they didn't understand. They wanted him to stand up against his parents. But he knew he couldn't. They would tear him apart.

"I don't want to die either," Prince said calmly. "But fighting for Ali is worth the risk."

"Fine," Maia grumbled, pushing herself up and stretching. "You go ahead and die for love. Leave the man you love alone forever. See if I care!"

"Maia…"

His red-headed friend began to march away, but she paused when she heard Prince say her name.

"You know you can't change my mind. But I don't want to risk my life knowing you're upset with me."

"Of course I'm upset with you," Maia said. She turned around, sniffling a little. "I'm scared of losing you."

Prince got up and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry it's a possibility," he said. "But I truly believe this is the right choice. And I will fight so hard to get back to you and Ali. I promise."

Maia nodded against his chest and then released him.

"Well, you better go get ready. Ali and I will be waiting." She gave his hand a squeeze before walking down the front steps and disappearing into the morning fog.