Heather Monroe, 16

The train in front screeches to a halt under the dark night air. I feel myself shivering at the sound and also the biting cold air however I maintain my composure and face forward sternly. We have been selling arms to a rebel group from District 2 for the past few months. Ever since the formation of the new government, the Peacekeepers have become increasingly short sighted. Who wins or loses? It doesn't matter to me. I'm just here to further the success of my family's business. The rebel's leader is a young lady named Saskia, in our dealings in the past I've found that she reminds me a little of myself, although she has far too much compassion for her fighters which will end up costing her in the end.

"You're late," I state as she hops off the train with two bodyguards next to her.

She strides towards me from the train track to where we are standing on the district border, carrying several briefcases and completely unafraid.

"I only deal with your father," she tells me now directly in front of me.

"Well, today you're going to have to deal with me, he's away on urgent business until tomorrow," I inform her.

After we've finished the exchange, I shake hands with the rebel leader. She has some twinkle in her eye that I can just notice under the moonlight and she sends me a slight smile.

"You know you've got some fire in you young lady, we're looking to push the movement to outside District 2 and your family has been loyal to us so far..." she begins...

"I'm not interested in whatever you're offering, politics doesn't concern me," I scoff, while signalling my people to take the money.

"People will know of our cause… After the next hunger games... you will know us, mark my words!" She shouts, as I turn and leave her behind.

I don't think much of her statement, just another dumb pointless comment.

The next morning

I'm standing on the outskirts of District Five, gazing over the never ending hills that surround this town. The breeze blows my blonde hair back, cooling off the summer sun. I take out my mother's ring and begin turning it in circles, the movement giving me a deep calming sensation in my body. The ache in my side will remind me until my injuries heal to never let my guard down.

Attacks against us are becoming more and more frequent - too frequent if you ask me. Even though he caught me off guard last night after the exchange with the rebels, it wasn't hard to take him down. If I had been more prepared, I would've made his death longer and more painful. Fortunately for him, my first stab was fatal.

He was a member of the Horde, our biggest family rival. I could tell by the look on the other Horde member's faces when I dragged his body to the square and left it hanging over the edge of the Justice Building stage. Although my injuries needed stitches, they aren't the worst ones I've ever had, nor will they be the worst ones I ever receive. In our business, that's a guarantee.

The attack just doesn't sit right with me. It's the second one this week, within the last three days even, directed against me. They assume since they can't take out my father - the leader of our family, they'll go for the next best thing. Well, I don't care how many idiots they send after me. I'll kill them all in a heartbeat! Maybe we should retaliate, conduct our own attacks. I'll mention it to dad…

I pull my thoughts back to the present and decide I can return to this plan after whatever job my dad has instored for me today. I return to the perimeter of the district and carefully push through the weak section. After carefully returning it to its original position, I make the short walk to our house. Although it's on the edge of the district, not too far from the fence, it's one of the largest ones. "Family provides for family." Dad always tells me.

I enter my house with the simple twist of my key, quietly and respectfully like my father has always taught me to be. I notice him standing in the kitchen, talking to someone on our phone. He speaks in a whisper, so I can't quite make out what he's saying. Although once he sees me, he seems to lose all interest in whoever's on the other line.

"Let me call you back."

"Father," I greet coldly but in respect.

I really want to rush forward and hug him, however he has made it clear that to be a successful leader of the Monroe crime family, I must keep my emotions in check.

"Father I was thinking…"

He holds up his hand to signal me to be quiet and immediately I do just that.

"I have a job for you today… an important one."

My heart skips a beat at the sound of these words but I manage to contain my excitement.

"It's time to move into the Horde's territory and steal some of their clients…"

Relief flows through me! It's not as violent as the solution I had in mind but it's something...

"Remember the owner of the Locksmiths? Hydro Lock?"

I nod.

"We offered him protection last week and he turned us down, looks like he's already getting it from the Horde. We smashed his window with a rock but still he refuses. I want you to go there with one final offer and if not we hit him with the big guns."

"I won't let you down," I respond, like a soldier taking orders.

He moves closer to me, his eyebrows shifting to this more intense look he does, however his eyes are still full of care and love, I can tell. He gently places his hands on my shoulders.

"I know you won't," he assures me.

My father puts a lot of faith in me to be the woman my mother was and I won't let him down! I glance down one more time at her wedding ring in my hand. I will surpass her!

That afternoon I hit the Locksmiths shop with Jonathan, the son of one of my fathers most trusted helpers. He is short but has cute eyes and hair which is something. I know he knows I like him but despite that I have no time for boys at the moment. Why did my father send me out with him? He tries to make a move on me almost every time. Anyway, he is incredibly smart and talented at what he does.

We pause and look at each other outside the Locksmiths shop one last time, before going in. His window is still smashed in from the rock we hit him with before.

"Haha, it was a good throw if I do say so myself," Jonathan laughs.

"You ready?" I ask sternly.

He smirks at me with his mischievous eyes.

"If this goes well what do you say about getting a drink after?" he offers.

"Jonathan…"

"Sorry."

We push open the locksmith's door and I see the old man almost jump out his skin at the sight of Jonathan again.

"What do you say old man? It looks like you should have paid us that protection money after all." Jonathan laughs as we move to face him at his counter.

The locksmith points his finger at us in an accusatory way.

"I know you're behind this," he snarls.

I look at Jonathan with a smile and together we pretend to look as shocked and innocent as we possibly can.

"Us?" I exclaim.

The locksmith reaches under his counter and pushes the rock into Jonathan's chest.

"If it wasn't you then explain this!" He growls.

Jonathan examines the rock carefully with a dumb look in his eyes.

"Well, billions of years ago the Earth was a molten mass however scientists believe that when the earth cooled it solidified forming what we now call… rock," he explains.

I glance at Jonathan briefly, bewildered that he was paying that much attention in science class.

"Don't play dumb with me," the locksmith says, snatching the rock back. "I want you outta my shop! Never come back here!"

I let out a deep, disappointed sigh.

"Alright… well can't say we didn't try to help you…" I murmur...

We slowly turn around and head back outside the shop, the bell on the door dings one last time as we step onto the street outside. Then several people with assault rifles emerge from the street corner, I give them a quick nod and they head straight for the shop. As the gunfire begins erupting on the locksmith's, I don't even turn around to see the carnage. I just keep my eyes trained in front as I stride away. Never look back, always forward. Never regret anything. That's what my father always says.

Kalen Demner, 18

Sweat drips down my face as I hone in on my breathing. Keeping my pace steady, I turn at the fork in the road that leads back to my family home, or more of a shack. Not that it really matters, it fits the three of us fine.

I reach the front door and twist the door handle to get inside, making sure to bend down ever-so slightly to avoid knocking into the door frame. Despite having been this tall for years, sometimes I still find myself carelessly hitting my big head.

Stepping into the silence that culminates in the house… when there were four of us, there was nothing but joy within these walls. Those days were numbered and ever since my mother died, that joy has been replaced by silence. Her picture sits on top of my father's old wooden desk, serving as a constant reminder of what I lost. If I had only been faster…

I hear a door click shut and my sister, Eleanor sheepishly joins me in the living room. She crosses her arms over her chest and her eyes find their way to the same picture I've been staring at. She looks at the picture for a while before turning back to face me.

"How are you?" She asks. I avoid eye contact, my eyes stay fixed on the photo.

"Fine." I respond softly and short. I know it's wrong. I know I should be more supportive of her, but I can't stop my impulses from firing off these responses. Every reapings, she gets more and more nervous, in contrast to me where I become less and less worried. It's jarring to see her, typically so full of energy, to be so reserved and petrified. And I can't even sympathize with her. With only one reaping left, I find myself not even giving it a second though. But Eleanor isn't as lucky as I am. With three more reapings ahead of her, I know I should be a better brother. That's what our mother would want. But like I failed her, I can't help but fail my sister too.

"I need to get ready." I go around her and disappear into my room. I let out a deep sigh and slip into my bathroom, locking the door behind me, leaning against the counter and staring back at my reflection. Dark circles have formed under my green eyes, emphasized by my pale complexion. Although my brown hair grows fast, it's still short enough to reveal the small red heart tattoo underneath my shirt collar. I quickly look away. She's everywhere, more so than any other year. The feeling creates a pit in my stomach, one I can't seem to shake.

It's time to fill up the tub with water and slip in, allowing the cold temperature to pull me away from my thoughts. I stay like that for a while, enjoying the silence it brings. But after some time, I can feel my nerves going numb to the cold. Knowing I can't be late to the reapings, I finish cleaning myself off and get out of the tub, wasting no time drying off and getting dressed. My reaping outfit isn't anything fancy, a grey shirt with dark jeans, but at least it's comfortable. Before I head out, I throw on a grey hoodie. I manage to get out of the house without any more uncomfortable interactions with my family. Thankfully.

I stick my hands in my hoodie pockets and make my way to the square, making sure to stand back from the crowd and so I end up being one of the last to check in. I take my spot near the very back of the 18-year-old section and stare up at the clouds that barely hide the grey sky above. Ugly weather for an ugly day.

Our escort walks up to the mic and takes her time going through her annual speech, video, and other bullshit that she unnecessarily drags on to keep the spotlight on her. After what feels like ages, she finally decides to pull a name out from the male's bowl. I manage to focus my attention on the stage, wondering who the unlucky victim will be.

"And our male tribute is...Kalen Demner!" Her voice echoes throughout District Five's square. Many of the kids look around for the boy who belongs to that name. Only a handful know it's me. But once the few start moving aside to make a path for me, the rest follow.

I swallow back my emotions and walk through the crowd, stepping onto stage as calmly as I can. I get a glimpse of Eleanor in the middle of the girl's section, one hand over her mouth and the other over her heart. I think I even see her crying.

I don't have enough time to wish for her safety before the female tribute, Heather Monroe, is chosen. I don't recognize her, but her sneering face tells me all I need to know about her. We shake hands before we're whisked away into the Justice Building. As I'm locked into a small room, I find myself void of the emotions I should be feeling. I'm going into the fucking Hunger Games, with twenty three other tributes, many of them well trained and well fed. What are the odds?

Not surprisingly, Eleanor and my dad, Jason, come in. They don't rush in or pull me into a hug, instead they stand by the door. Silence fills this room, just as it's been filling my house for the past decade and a half.

"You'll try to win….right Kalen?" Eleanor asks, taking a step closer to me. I nod.

"What else would I try to do?" I respond dryly. Eleanor nods. Her eyes drop down and she takes my hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Good. We'll be rooting for you, okay? I love you." She pulls me in and I don't reject her hug. My mind rattles, trying to think of the last time we hugged like this. I can't recall.

After she pulls away, my father takes a step forward. He clears his throat.

"I'm sorry, son. Your mother...she's proud of you." He tells me. He pulls something out of his coat pocket and hands it to me. I look at the object, quickly realizing what it is: her favorite green scarf. According to my father's stories, she never took it off.

"Thank you." I pull it close to my heart. If I close my eyes long enough, it's almost like she's here with me. If only that were true.

"You can do this. Just...believe in yourself. We believe in you." My father tells me. I nod, knowing that as a man of few words, he genuinely means it. Maybe I do too. It's hard to tell at this moment, with so many conflicting thoughts rattling around.

A Peacekeeper comes in and informs us our time is almost up. I give them both one last hug before they disappear from the room. As soon as the door clicks shuts, the wave of emotions settles in. And, just like my mother's death, I can't do anything to stop it.

Here we are with another chapter! We're getting through these intros haha. Not much to say other than District 6 should be soon and also we'll start working on the blog so expect that soon! Thank you to owlthewriter for Kalen and n3b for Heather!