[3] - Rochelle

"Please hold out your arm," a woman dressed in all white instructs me, and I wince as a needle pierces my skin. The woman nods at me as I'm identified, and I proceed into the District Plaza, where the larger group from the orphanage is waiting.

As we wait for everyone to be processed, the girls wait with Miss Fedhelm as the boys gather around Lucilio. I head towards Fedhelm, but the girls at the back of the group clear away as I approach. I glare at some of them; what's the point in acting like I have some sort of disease? I'm probably going to die anyway, but it would be a lot nicer to treat me like a human being. Luckily, Maria spots me and leads some of the other girls to greet me.

"You look great," Maria says, clearly unsure of what else to say. I offer her a small smile before turning to look at the boys. Somewhere in the middle, I spot a head of greasy hair towering over the others - that must be Diego.

"Do you see Diego?" Maria asks, and I turn my attention back to her. She looks somewhat nervous - just in case Diego or I died before the Reaping, backups were selected from the orphanage, and one of Maria's brothers was selected to replace Diego in the case that he killed himself.

"He's here," I reassure her, and she deflates a bit.

"I can't believe this is it, Rochelle," the girl in front of me says, tears springing up in her eyes. "Ten years together, and now this..."

"This isn't it," I say. I look away to avoid crying myself. "Everyone may see us as easy kills, but I'm going to fight as hard as I can to come back here. No matter what."

"Well, there's always that twist," Allison says hopefully. "Maybe the twist in the Games this year will work to your advantage."

"I sure hope so," I grumble. "I'm going to have to adapt to whatever they throw at me. But I'm ready."

The last of the girls arrive, and Miss Fedhelm begins forcefully dividing us into our age groups. "Is Rachel Carrillo here?" she screeches, accidentally knocking aside a group of thirteen-year-olds.

"I'm here, ma'am," I call, not bothering to correct her. I'm not surprised that she doesn't know my name after all these years; her memory's never been great, and she probably doesn't care enough to learn.

"Perfect," Fedhelm says, returning her focus to the younger kids. "Now, everyone, let's head to the front..."

The group begins to move, and I realize that this is it. My last chance to say goodbye before I leave District Eight. I move to hug Maria and end up hugging a whole group of girls. This time, one lone tear slips from my eye, and I quickly wipe it away. I take a good look at the other girls - Maria, Allison, Shelly, the triplets. Most of us have grown up together, and I may never see them again.

"We had a good run, girls," I say with a laugh. "I'll fight like hell to come back. I promise."

Allison tenses up, her eyes glancing beyond my shoulder, and I turn to see Miss Fedhelm approaching. The girls around me scatter, but Fedhelm's not concerned with them. Her eyes are dead-set on me. I wince a bit as the old woman grasps my shoulder with a surprising amount of force.

"Make us proud," she says, her old eyes glossy. "You saw how our orphans have died in the last few years. Just... don't do what they did."

I nod a bit. Somehow, I don't think it's going to be that simple. "I will, ma'am," I say, avoiding her gaze. "Thank you."

Miss Fedhelm's eyes clear for a moment, and I watch her realize that she's being legitimately nice to one of her orphans. She steps away, returning her focus to the other girls.

"Get in the crowd, girls," Fedhelm calls quietly, her typically volatile tone absent from her voice. "The Reaping's about to start."

At Fedhelm's orders, we join the crowd of girls on the left side of the District Plaza. It's not long before Mayor Cyril takes the stage and the Reaping begins. As he returns to his seat, Venetia Lacoste approaches the microphone.

"Welcome, welcome, to the Reaping ceremony for the 101st Annual Hunger Games!" she chirps. "The time has come to select one brave young man and woman to represent District Eight in this year's Games. Before we begin, the Capitol has two important announcements."

This piques my interest - if the Capitol has something to say, it could help my chances of escaping the Reaping bowl. I turn toward a large canvas to the right side of the stage where the Capitol seal is being projected.

The screen flickers for a moment before displaying the typical propaganda it usually does. It's the same video that they play every year; I don't think it's been changed since the Second Rebellion twenty-five years ago.

The crowd groans around me, and I turn my attention back to the stage. Venetia Lacoste is giving the video her full attention, clearly trying and failing to model behavior for the audience to follow. Behind Lacoste, Mayor Cyril is sitting next to District Eight's two Victors. The older woman is named Leah Strulovich, and she's one of the only Victors still alive from before the Second Rebellion. She's in her fifties, but she looks a hell of a lot older. Sitting next to her is Ramona Hatcher; Ramona's younger than Leah, but she won about twenty-five years ago, right after the Rebellion. Ramona looks like she just rolled out of bed, and she looks on the brink of killing herself right here on the stage. I shudder a bit, turning back to the screen as the propaganda film ends. I have to hope that my mentor in the Games is Leah; Ramona doesn't look capable of completing basic tasks on her own.

The video on the screen fades away, replaced by a new announcement. The Capitol seal fades away to reveal President Snow. He's sitting behind a desk in an all-white room. The only non-white object in the room is a bright red envelope on Snow's desk, and my attention is brought to it immediately.

"Welcome to this year's Reaping for the 101st Hunger Games," Snow begins. "Prior to the Fourth Quarter Quell held last year, it was announced that in each of the following twenty-five Hunger Games, a minor twist would be introduced that would have an impact on the Games. These twists will come in a variety of forms... some may change the rules of the Reapings, and some may change the rules of the Games themselves."

A chill runs down my spine. This is the twist that Allison was talking about; the contents of that envelope could help save my life. The possibilities are endless: the Capitol could hold the Games with only Career tributes, or they could choose to Reap adults. I have to hope that whatever's in that envelope, it'll change the rules of the Reaping. Otherwise, I will be entering the Arena.

Snow slowly picks up his envelope, sliding a card from inside. The card inside is decorated on the back, with the number 101 marked in gold.

"For the 101st Hunger Games..." Snow reads, "The twist will not have an influence on this year's Reapings. Because of this, the twist will be announced upon the tributes' arrival in the Capitol."

The girls around me groan at this news, and I have to tear my eyes from the broadcast. My face starts to burn. I guess that's it, then: I'm going into the Hunger Games.

"The twist can still help you," Maria whispers, but I don't acknowledge her. How does Maria know that the twist is going to help me? This is the first time that a twist like this has ever happened. The twist might be that the District Eight tributes are automatically killed, for all I know. The Gamemakers are notoriously unpredictable. If I want to win the Games, I'll have to fight for myself.

"How wonderful," Venetia says into her microphone as Snow disappears from the screen. "With regular Reaping rules still in place, let's begin."

Venetia slowly approaches the Reaping bowl. It's funny how such a huge bowl can be filled with just one name. The other girls already begin to move away from me as Venetia selects a paper and brings it back to her microphone. Maria squeezes my hand as Venetia unfolds the slip.

Finally, after six months of anticipation, the moment arrives. Maria releases my hand for the final time, and Venetia Lacoste reads my name.

"Rochelle Carrillo!"