Midas Relia, 18 years old, District 1 Male

My mother, father, and older sister all walk into the room. A peacekeeper closes the door behind them, leaving me alone with them. My mother runs to hug me and kisses me on the cheek. I squinch up my nose as she does. I don't like her super wet kisses, but thankfully she doesn't kiss me very often.

"Kill all of them. All of those rebels." My mother says with a venomous sneer on her face. It almost seems like she is about to laugh at the thought.

I am not much better. It's something I inherited on top of looks - mom's bloodlust. I remember cuddling up with my mother while watching The Hunger Games when I was younger. She would cheer whenever a tribute died, even if they were from District 1. I cheered along too. July was one of the few times my family spent quality time together.

"I will. They'll fear me once they see what I can do." I smirk.

My father pats me on the back and smiles. "We are proud of your sacrifice no matter what, son."

"You'll be even more proud when I become a victor."

My father nods in response and pulls something out of his pants pocket. "This can be your token." It is a family picture of everyone, excluding my older sister Prudence who died a long time ago in the war.

I roll my eyes slightly as I see the picture and shake my head. "I don't need it. I remember what you all look like."

We have never been close, so there's no reason to bring it into the arena. All I need when I get in there is a dozen throwing knives.

I hear my sister scoff at my response to the picture. She crosses her arms and rolls her hazel eyes. "You are such a dick. I hope you get gutted in the arena by a stupid outlier."

My parents gasp at her words, but all I do is laugh. I feel pains in my abs from laughing so hard. Me, dying from a stupid outlier? Yeah, right. They'll have to try much harder than that.

"Don't talk to your brother like that, Aria!" My father scolds her as he points a finger into her face.

My mother just shakes her head at my sister and me.

"Unfortunately for you, I won't be going anywhere," I say as I wink at Aria.

A peacekeeper walks into the room. "Time's up." A womanly voice says.

"We love you." My father says as they walk out of the room.

I am not expecting anyone else to come. I don't have friends, more like associates, that I use for certain things. So if they visit me, I will be unpleasantly surprised.

"You have more visitors." The same peacekeeper says as she lets two boys in. Shit. It's the fuckers I was thinking about.

"Hey, Midas!" They say all in unison.

"Hey," I say without much enthusiasm as I narrow my eyes at the boys. I can't remember their names at all. I'd rather be on the train to the Capitol right now than be stuck here with these two halfwits.

"You're going to kill it out there. Literally." The redheaded dolt says.

"Hilarious," I respond with a frown as I slowly blink at the dolt.

"You should give us a shout-out during your interview, Midas!" The taller one says with glee as he puts his arm over the redhead's shoulder.

I give them a deadpan expression as I put my hands on my face. I could tolerate my family, but now I have to listen to these two idiots talk for the next 5 minutes.

Juno Karitavich, 18 years old, District 2 Female

I stare at my father with a slight frown as he gets emotional. He's tearing up and shaking as he looks at me. His crying doesn't upset me. I am just annoyed at his tears because he is acting like an overgrown baby. Crying won't change reality.

"Why Juno?" He says as he bawls up his fist.

I shrug plainly and blink slowly as I look up at my dad. I don't answer him, which only seems to piss him off.

"I said why!" He yells and sniffles. I can tell he's trying his best not to cry, which is a little funny. It's not working very well, old man.

"I'll show you why," I say as a smile creeps up on my face.

Explaining it to him at this point is redundant. He'll never get it. If I told him the only reason was that I want to feel the rush of killing someone, he would drop dead from a heart attack. My dad is not like most in District 2. He avoids the Hunger Games as much as possible.

"This isn't funny, Juno." He shakes his head at me as he lowers his eyebrows.

He looks disappointed in me, but what else is new? He has been like this for months. Ever since I was chosen to volunteer.

"You are right. It is not funny. But you'll see why in the arena, dad." I say dad plainly, putting all of my emotion into the other words.

The emotion is fake, but I have been putting up this act my entire life. I've always pretended to be like everyone else, and I cannot wait until the gong sounds. Then I can show my true colors. I am not the preppy little blonde that everyone thinks I am.

My dad stays silent at my response and pulls out a handkerchief from his back pocket. He wipes the tears from his eyes with it before putting it back.

"You are the only one I have left…." My dad mumbles, but I still hear him because it is completely silent in this room except for the fan.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be away for like a month. Sure, there is a chance that I will die. But there is also a higher chance that I will win."

He opens his mouth to respond but stops when a peacekeeper walks into the room. "Time is up."

"Goodbye… Love you." My father says before walking out of the room.

"Good luck." The peacekeeper says to me as he holds the door open.

"Thank you," I say with a smile. Finally, at least someone is happy for me.

The man closes the door behind him, and I am finally left alone. I'm glad I have no one else to bother me and ask me redundant questions. I don't have any super close friends, and all of my classmates congratulated me before I volunteered. I like it this way, though. Most people irk me somehow, so I just talk to them to have connections.

Connections can win you almost anything you desire.

Noemi Anders, 18 years old, District 4 Female

I've been crying since I stepped up on that stage. I thought I was holding in my tears very well, but when the realization hit me that I may never see my mother, friends, and boyfriend again, I couldn't stop crying.

I sniffle and watch as my tears stain my dress. There's no point in wiping the tears out of my eyes. This is my worst nightmare, and I have no clue how to take the news. I always trained my body physically, but I never thought about how I would act if I got reaped. How I would hold in my anger and despair.

A Peacekeeper opens the door, and my mother runs inside the room. She wraps me in her embrace and instantly breaks down. I sob into her shoulder and wrap my arms around her. Neither of us speaks, and we just let our emotions out. I may never see her again. I don't want to let my mom go.

My mom suddenly pulls away from our hug but keeps her arms around me. She looks into my eyes before saying, "Noemi. I hate that this happened to you. But I believe in you. Not just because you are my daughter. I have seen how you train. You can come back home…."

I stare at her and slowly nod in response to her words. I've trained since I was a child, just in case this happens. I've even pushed people away to avoid the heartache of losing someone to the Capitol.

"We don't have much time." My mother says softly as she takes her necklace off of her neck.

"This can be your token. So you have something that reminds you of home." She tenderly puts the necklace into my hand.

The necklace is a silver heart necklace. It is not super flashy, but my mother has worn it since she was a teenager.

"Thank you." I hug my mom again and sniffle.

"Time's up!" A peacekeeper says at the entrance of the room.

"I love you, Noemi."

"I love you too, mom."

My mom squeezes me one more time before walking out of the door.

I walk over to a tissue box that is on a dresser. I pluck out a tissue and wipe my face with it. I don't dare to look in the mirror nearby. I know I look horrible because my makeup is runny.

"Noemi." I hear a voice call my name behind me and whip my head around.

It's Alexandros, my boyfriend and the love of my life. He has a frown on his face, but he is not crying. His father and my friend Cari are behind him.

I run to Alexandros and wrap him in my embrace. I stay quiet as I softly cry into his chest. I am happy to see him. I don't want to leave him. We are always together, and he is my best friend.

"I love you. You will win, Noemi. You are one of the strongest girls in District 4 and probably in all of Panem." My boyfriend chokes out.

"I love you too. And I will try. I want to see you guys again." I say as I glimpse at my boyfriend's dad and my friend.

My friend is softly crying in her hands while Aaron is frowning at us.

"I am going to miss you so much!" Cari cries out before joining in on the hug.

"She's going to come back. You'll see her again. We all will." Alexandros says as he frowns at Cari.

"I... I didn't mean it like that-" Cari stammers as tears roll down her face.

I know that Cari didn't mean it in the wrong way. But my mom and Alexandros are right. I'll be in District 4 again, and life will return to how they were before the Reapings. So I refuse to give up. I owe it to Alexandros and my mom…

"Time is up!" The same peacekeeper from before says in a booming voice as he holds the door open.

Aaron, Alexandros, and Cari give me one last hug before leaving.

I grasp onto my necklace and cry some more once I am left alone. I will return, but I can't shake away the sharp feeling of pain in my chest.

Rudy Buckner, 14 years old, District 9 Female

My inner cheek begins to bleed. I've been chewing on it since I got put in this stupid tiny room. It's fancy lookin', but I don't want to be here. No one in District 9 does. This room probably has ghosts from all the kids who have died from 9 in the Hunger Games. I hope I do not become one of those kids. 26 kids go in every year, and normally, only 1 comes out. I can't just lay in my pity and die. I have to do something… The thought is driving me crazy.

All five of my family members barge into the room. My mama is already crying. My papa is holding her in his arms as he looks at me with teary eyes and a frown. Seeing my mama weep makes me tear up a little. We have never gotten along and fought often, but we still love each other. My mama thinks I should be a girly girl, and I disagree.

All three of my older brothers rush to hug me. I feel my body squeezed tightly by them, and I make a noise from the discomfort. I love my big brothers, but they are a lot taller than me, and they are squeezing the shit out of me.

"This… hurts…" I manage to mumble out as I struggle to breathe.

"Oh, sorry." My older brothers all say in unison before letting me go. I take a few deep breaths once I am free from their grasp.

"I would've volunteered for you if I could've…." My brother Brian says as he looks down at the floor with heavy eyes.

I would instead go into the Hunger Games than my brothers. I can handle myself… I am not as big or strong, but I still will find a way. People my age and even younger have won before. It's just… very rare.

"I wouldn't have wanted you to," I respond softly as I weakly smile at Brian.

"Don't do anything stupid out there. You are brave, but you are hot headed too. That can bite you in the butt." Maximillian, my oldest sibling, says to me.

I roll my eyes and shake my head in response. "I ain't stupid, Max." Mama usually lectures me about being so angry and boyish, but it's hard for me to hide how I feel.

"You ain't stupid, but you sure can get upset easily." Maximilian counters.

I scrunch my nose up at him and press my lips together. It's not like I can help it! There's no need to be mean right now, minutes before I'm sent away to the Capitol like a farm animal.

"You two quit it," Dylan butts into the conversation, and I turn my attention to him once he does.

"Just don't trust anyone too much, okay? We have both seen how many people get stabbed in the back on television."

I nod. I want at least one ally, as I don't want to be completely miserable and lonely while I am away from home. Unfortunately, my odds aren't the highest with my young age, so my best bet is finding an older tribute that seems okay in the head.

"And use that good aim of yours. There ain't no shotguns in the arena, but you can find another ranged weapon." Dylan says.

A bow and arrow or dart gun ain't the same as a shotgun. But it will have to do because I have no real talents other than shooting and painting.

We all move toward each other and have a group hug. Again, I am in the middle, but I am not getting squeezed to death this time.

We hug for what seems like an eternity, but the sweet moment is shattered by the noise of the door creaking open.

"Time is up!" A huge peacekeeper yells at us.

I cling onto my papa for a little longer, before letting him go with the others. I don't want to let him go, ever.

I love my family, and I may never see them again.

Soloman Jaxson, 17 years old, District 11 Male

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. Yet, despite that, I still cannot cry even if I want to.

I need all the time in the world to think about how I will pull this off. But, unfortunately, I only have about a week once I am on that death train. A week to come up with a plan to save my life.

My thoughts are interrupted by my mom and dad walking in. My dad has a long face as he holds my sobbing mother. It hurts me to watch her be so upset and unable to do anything.

I stand up and instinctively walk over to my mom. I wrap my arms around her and just hold her. The room is deathly silent until my father pulls away from us.

My father pulls a singular key out of his pocket and puts it into my hand. My eyes widen, and my mouth drops open slightly. This isn't just some standard key. It is the key to my dad's repair shop. He's never let me or anyone else touch it until now.

"Thank you," I say as I smile softly at him.

"Sol, I believe in you. All of District 11 knows you can come home." He says in a calm voice.

His voice washes some relief over me. It's what I need right now. I can come home. I can outrun anyone in that arena; if they cannot catch me, they can't kill me. I'll have to figure out the rest, but hopefully, I won't run out of time…

My mom kisses me on the cheek. "We'll send you gifts in the arena." She chokes out as she smiles through her tears.

Her hands tenderly cup my face as she stares into my eyes. We connect foreheads, and I close my eyes. This brings me back to better times when I was young and just wallowing in my mother's love, but now all of that is about to end.

"Time's up!" A voice booms from the front of my room. I open my eyes and see a peacekeeper standing in the doorway with a baton.

I shudder at the sight of the peacekeeper. There's no telling how many people he has struck with his baton.

My parents hold hands and walk out of the room. We exchange one last "I love you" before I am alone in the room.

The door opens back up after several seconds of waiting. My two closest friends, Zenith and Nunnia, join me in the room.

"Shit, man. I am so sorry. I wish there was something I could fucking do." I watch Zenith bawl his fists up and shake his head.

I press my lips together and sigh. I don't know how to respond. There are no right words.

I look over at Nunnia, walking back and forth around the room. She looks like she has seen a ghost; her face is the palest I've ever seen. I feel a sharp pain in my chest as I watch her. She usually is so outgoing and preppy.

"I am going to go crazy without you here," Zenith says with a chuckle.

"He'll be back in like 2 weeks…." Nunnia says softly in response to Zenith.

Zenith frowns at Nunnia and looks down at the ground, avoiding eye contact with Nunnia or me.

Zenith is probably actively mourning me, to make it easier if… I don't make it back home. I can't say I blame him, but you'd think he could hide his doubt better.

I notice that Zenith and Nunnia make eye contact with each other as if they are speaking without opening their mouths.

"I love you, man." Zenith hugs me before walking out of the room.

I expect Nunnia will leave with him, but she instead wraps her arms around me, and I blink in confusion. I tenderly embrace her and begin to rub her back. She feels delicate in my arms. I wish I had more time with her. I wish I could tell her how I really feel…

I smile down at Nunnia as she pulls away. Her brown eyes are beautiful, the color of honey and milk chocolate. If only she felt the same way.

I feel a wet kiss on my left cheek. I blink as I realize that the kiss came from Nunnia. She grins at me and holds my hand.

"I've loved you for a while, Sol… I am sorry that I am just telling you now. But I wanted you to know."

I am almost speechless. I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks as I process what happened. Nunnia likes me back? No, she loves me.

"I-I love you too," I say awkwardly.

"Time's up, love birds." A peacekeeper yells from the doorway.

I hold Nunnia's hand for another second, but she promptly leaves before the peacekeeper gets annoyed.

I never wanted to let go of her hand.

Celandine Leavy, 16 years old, District 11 Female

I sniffle as I wipe the tears off of my face. I am the unluckiest girl in District 11 right now. Why was I picked? Is it some type of karma? I've never hurt anybody - at least not intentionally, and I haven't taken out tesserae that often.

Some girls in District 11 have taken out over 30 extra helpings in tesserae. This is because many people in District 11 have large families to help in the fields. My mom and dad tried to have more kids after Robin and me, but all of my little brothers and sisters never made it out of mom's womb.

I grab a napkin from a tissue box on the coffee table and wipe my eyes. My eyes are burning, and I am close to breaking down completely, but I don't want my family to see me upset. That will just make them even feel worse than they probably do.

I hear the door opening as I drop the tissue into the small trash can near a table. I turn around and see my dad, mom, Robin, and Pumpkin walking into the room. The door shuts behind them, and my mom quickly embraces me.

"Maybe you can use your witchy powers in the arena," Robin says with a crack in his voice.

Robin normally teases me about being interested in Wicca, but right now, the teasing just falls flat, and the silence turns awkward fast.

"That's not funny, Robin!" My mom snaps at Robin, and I watch as he lowers his head before shuffling his feet.

I hear my mom start to gasp like she can't breathe. Then I feel the wetness on my shirt and realize that she is crying. I blink in surprise as I rub my mother's back. She usually keeps her emotions hidden. I haven't seen her cry like this since the miscarriages.

My dad grabs her and wraps her in his arms, taking her away from me. Tears roll down my face as I watch my mom sob and nearly fall into my father's arms. I reach for another tissue and wipe my eyes, hoping that doing so will comfort me a little.

"I can't believe they can get away with this. Panem is a shithole." My dad says.

He typically doesn't talk this way. But, really, no one does. It's a death sentence to defy the Capitol, and it's an unspoken rule in District 11 to keep your mouth shut.

I don't know what to say. I wish I could tell them that I will come back home alive, but the wheel of life isn't favoring me right now.

"I'm so sorry." Pumpkin hugs me and sniffles into my shoulder.

"Don't be," I respond, and my tears fall again as I hug my best friend.

"I am sorry for being so closed off over the years, Celandine. I love you and always will, no matter what." My mom says as my friend stops hugging me.

"I love you too, mom. It's okay." I smile at her weakly.

"Time's up." A peacekeeper says as he holds the door open.

I hug my brother as the others leave. After that, he walks out of the room, and the door is shut again.

A second after my family leaves, Bryony walks into the room. She's the old lady who introduced me to Wicca and planted the seeds for my spirituality.

"I know this is a hard time for you." She coughs and pauses for a moment, "But do not mope. Don't lose your morals, as your soul will come back in another life."

I furrow my eyebrows and slowly nod. I don't want to die, and part of me doesn't want to return in another life. I know my family would be heartbroken, but at the same time, there isn't much I can do to change the wheel of life, and it would be hard to kill someone.

The woman slowly moves towards me and puts her hands on my shoulders. I close my eyes and let her touch me.

"I seek protection and sound, may Celandine's alarm, body, and spirit be safe from harm. Her aura a shield to stay strong, may she block negativity and all that is wrong." Bryony prays over me.

Bryony lets go of me, and I open my eyes to look down at her. She is a very short woman. She hardly comes up to my shoulders. But to be fair, I am taller than most of my classmates.

She puts something in my hand and smiles at me before walking out of the door. I open my fist up and see a necklace shaped like the moon. I've never seen a chain like it before, but it is really cool.

I put the necklace on my neck and prepare for what's to come.

EARLY BETTING ODDS

District 1: Midas Relia (M) 5-1 Larimar Reltova (F) 4-1

District 2: Aurelius Vylar (M) 7-1 Juno Karitavich (F) 9-1

District 3: Cooper Bronze (M) 50-1 Yulixa Diordna (F) 20-1

District 4: Atlantic Murray (M) 8-1 Noemi Anders (F) 13-1

District 5: Cabel Frost (M) 18-1 Elektra Luminata (F) 19-1

District 6: Gauge Harrison (M) 17-1 Catalina Motors (F) 26-1

District 7: Conleth Rowan Boyle (M) 16-1 Maylis Alivia Poirer (F) 32-1

District 8: Patrick Whitmoore (M) 26-1 Veronica Chiffon (F) 20-1

District 9: Clive Whitaker (M) 35-1 Rudy Buckner (F) 35-1

District 10: Ezio Sequeira (M) 23-1 Rose Salazar (F) 18-1

District 11: Soloman Jaxson (M) 15-1 Celandine Leavy (F) 28-1

District 12: Stevon Lumbren (M) 17-1 Elsha Slater (F) 38-1

District 13: Valerian Ashwagandha (M) 30-1 Annalise Plenna (F) 47-1

A/N: A month in between updates. I want to shorten it to 2 weeks at the most, but I am trying my best with how busy my schedule is. Right now I am on a 4 day vacation/college visit so I have a bit of free time with the 15 hour car ride. On a side note, this chapter was hard to write because I felt sorry for these kids and their families.

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS BTW! I READ EVERY SINGLE ONE :)