Damion Cloud, 14, District 3

Finally, the school bell rang. Class was over for the week. Like most kids my age, I preferred the weekends to school. But for me, it wasn't the free time or the extra time to socialize; it was that I could finally be alone, which was how I liked it. No teachers, no classmates, no John, no nothing. Paradise.

I stood, yanking my backpack off the floor and pulling on the straps. I headed straight for the classroom door, but before I could escape, my teacher stopped me.

"Damion?" he asked. "I'd like to speak with you for a moment."

"What?" I said, rolling my eyes. "Is it really so important you have to hold me back on a Friday? Really?"

"I wanted to talk about your most recent essay," said my teacher, holding his ground. He pulled my battered assignment out of his desk, motioning to give it to me. I could see the C- written in red ink on the front. Honestly, probably more than I deserved. "I know you're smart, Damion. If you could just try putting in a little more effort-"

"Look, sir," I said. "That's as much as you're going to get out of me. Got it?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused," I said. I turned on my heel and left. He didn't come after me. Of course not; the concerned teacher act was always just that. An act. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't about to escape school quite yet.

In the hall, I ran into my ex-best friend, Colton and his girlfriend Lauren. They were leaning up against the old lockers, the ones whose paint flicked off at the lightest touch. I could tell they'd been waiting for me. They'd been making a habit of it lately.

"Oh, hey, Damion," said Lauren fake-sweetly, feigning coincidence. "I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Go away, bitch," I replied.

Her smirk deepened into a scowl, and she tossed her hair over her shoulder. "You're really going to let him talk to me like that, babe?"

"Don't talk to my girl like that," said Colton, puffing out his chest and stepping towards me.

I rolled my eyes at the sight. "Like you could take me, you pea-brained idiot. Can't believe I was ever friends with you."

"Shut up!" said Colton, turning red.

"In your dreams," I said, trying to step around him. He blocked my escape. Colton cocked his fist, and in response, I tackled him. Before I knew it, we were on the ground, Lauren cheering on her boyfriend.

"Get him, babe!" she shouted.

Just then, my teacher stepped out into the hall, summoned by the commotion. "What's going on here?" he yelled. He got in between us, yanking us apart by our collars.

"I know tensions are high with the Reapings tomorrow," he said, "but this is unacceptable. Do you understand?"

I rolled my eyes again.

"Yes, sir," Colton mumbled.

"I'll let you off with a warning this time," he said. "Count yourselves lucky. I'll see you in class Monday, Damion."

I nodded. The teacher let go of our collars, and Colton and Lauren made a hasty retreat, hand in hand. It made me want to vomit.

"And for the record, Damion," said the teacher, "I expect better from you."

I saluted him. "Aye aye, captain," I said. The teacher shook his head and returned to his classroom. After all the delay, I finally left school.

When I arrived at the orphanage, the first person I saw was John. Go figure; considering my luck so far today, it made enough sense.

"Have you been fighting?" he asked, crossing his arms. He put on his big-boy voice, and wore a frown. It was similar to the one my teacher always gave me.

"No," I said, heading up to my bunk in the boy's room.

"You're lying," he accused me, following me down the hall.

"It's none of your business," I replied. I increased my speed, hoping his shorter legs would make it harder for him to keep up. Unfortunately, it didn't.

"You're my brother," he said. "It absolutely is my business."

"I'm your big brother," I corrected him. "So I'm in charge. And I said it's not your business."

He humphed loudly. "I disagree."

"Too bad," I said, arriving at my room. "Kindly go find something else to do instead of being up my ass all the time."

"Damion!" he protested. But alas, it was too late; I had already shut the door in his face.

Halley Todd, 13, District 3

The morning of the Reapings, I woke up to Quinn gently shaking me awake.

"Good morning," they said cautiously, backing away from the bed. "There's breakfast downstairs."

I yawned and rolled over. "M'kay."

Quinn hesitated. "There's bacon."

I flopped back over and put on my glasses, squinting at them. Were they fibbing and just trying to get me out of bed, or was there really bacon? Because if they were lying, they'd soon come to regret it. And I knew they knew that. They glanced at the bedroom door.

Then, I smelled it. My sibling had told the truth. I smirked at them and threw back the covers, heading down the master staircase for some breakfast.

"You don't want to brush your teeth first?" Quinn weakly called after me. I ignored them.

"Hello, sweetheart," my mom greeted me. She was flipping pancakes in a skillet, which was unusual- she didn't often cook. Usually she left it up to the help. She must have given them the day off. Ugh, that meant Alina wouldn't be around. "Hungry?"

"Yes," I said, sitting at the table. My mom brought me a fresh stack of syrup-drizzled pancakes and a side plate of bacon, which I quickly began wolfing down. She also put a glass of water next to me, which I ignored.

"Mind your manners, Halley," said my father. I opened my mouth to show him my chewed-up food and bugged out my eyes, glaring at him. He sighed and returned to his morning newspaper.

"Oh, kids will be kids, Xavier," piped in Mom. To that, I closed my mouth and swallowed my food. Everything was less fun with permission.

Quinn joined us downstairs, sitting next to me at the table and daintily picking away at their pancakes. After a moment, our mom joined us. Eventually, we all finished eating.

"Do we have to go to the Reapings?" I whined.

My father looked away from his newspaper for a moment. "It's mandatory, Halley. You know that," he said. I glared at him again, but he ignored me.

"Let's just go now and get it over with, then," I said, standing up.

"You can't wear that, Halley," said my father.

I glanced down at my outfit: old sweatpants, with a few syrup stains on them; a purple t-shirt, with a hole on the shoulder; slippers; and my glasses. "My outfit is fine," I insisted, feeling the heat rising to my cheeks.

"Your outfit is unacceptable," my father countered, disregarding my anger. Of course, that only made me more upset.

"I laid out an outfit on your bed," said Quinn. "You just have to put it on."

"Do I look like I want to put it on, Quinn?" I asked, twisting their name in my mouth. Used to my tantrums after thirteen years, they just rolled their eyes.

I turned back to my father. "I'm not wearing it."

"At least something a little nicer?" my mom suggested.

"What don't you understand? I. Will. Not. Change!" I shouted. I picked up my sticky breakfast plate and hurled it. It hit the fridge and shattered into pieces. My father stood and grabbed my arm, dragging me upstairs to my room. I quickly became feral, scratching and biting. A few times, my father almost let go, wincing in pain. But he held on.

"Maybe we should just let her go as is," my mom called after us. She had to shout, because I was busy screaming.

"You've always been too lenient!" my father replied. "This ends now."

He shoved me into my room and shut the door behind me. I fell to the floor, continuing to kick and scream in protest. This went on for about twenty minutes.

Then, a knock on the door. "Halley?"

The door creaked open, and Alina stood in the entryway. She was beautiful today, dressed to the dime for the Reapings in a long purple dress. Her hair was braided, too, and she was wearing makeup. I immediately calmed down, sitting up on the floor.

"They tried to make me change," I said accusingly.

"I heard," she replied. "Can I come in?"

I nodded slowly, suspicious. My twin had probably called her here. Which meant she probably had ulterior motives. Like making me wear the stupid dress.

"What did they want you to wear?" she asked.

I pointed to the bed wordlessly. She walked over and picked up the dress, examining it. "Oh, good! We can match!" she said, turning around to show it to me. Mine was shorter and more childish, but they were clearly the same color. I still didn't want to wear it, but she was beaming so brightly that I couldn't say no.

"I'll put it on for a kiss," I said.

Alina smirked. "I'll give you a kiss if you brush your teeth," she replied.

I wrinkled my nose. "Really?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Fine," I replied. "Be right back."

Kellin Williams, 25, District 3 Mentor

I applauded along with the rest of the crowd as the Mayor of Three finished her speech. She smiled broadly and sat down next to me.

"That wasn't half bad," I whispered. "Borderline entertaining."

She smiled again, to me this time. "Thank you, Kellin," she said. She winked.

Edda was young for a Mayor, only being in her late twenties. But she was whip-smart and commanded a room like no other, and she was full of ideas and passion. It was no wonder she'd gotten the job. I couldn't be prouder of her.

Then this year's Escort, Saint, took the microphone. Time to announce the tributes. "Let's get to the exciting part, shall we?" he asked. The crowd didn't respond. Still, he took it in stride, heading straight for the girl's bowl. "Ladies first!"

He reached around inside, prolonging the suspense by taking literally forever to pick a slip. After at least three minutes, he pulled one out, returning to center stage to read the name.

"Halley Todd!" he announced.

I surveyed the crowd, searching for the tribute. A large berth cleared in the thirteen-year-old girl's section. Well, a larger one than there already was. Her peers seemed happy to give her distance even before she was singled out. The girl in question, Halley, stood stunned, She wore a purple dress. Then, she walked up to the stage. As she got closer, I could see that her hair was wild and tangled, and her acne was completely out of control. I think a few spots on her face were actively bleeding, likely from picking at them. She wore purple frames atop her nose. She arrived silently next to Saint, who thankfully wasted no time in selecting the next tribute.

"And for the boys…" he trailed, taking another three minutes to select the name, "Damion Cloud!"

A fourteen-year-old boy walked up to the stage. His jaw was sharp and his eyes were cold and unforgiving. He wore an unemotional, uncaring expression, seemingly bored with what was going on around him. To his credit, he was at least well-groomed- unlike Halley, he seemed to be clean enough, and his hair was brushed and spiked up. He quickly arrived next to Saint.

"Let's welcome Halley Todd and Damion Cloud!" Saint cheered. The crowd applauded for a moment. As soon as the cameras were off, Saint started herding the tributes towards the train station, and the crowds began to leave.

"I'll see you when you get back," Edda said, taking my hand and squeezing it. "Good luck, okay?"

I considered that. "I don't think this is the year," I said. "Thirteen and fourteen. Not great."

"Have some optimism," she said. "Miss you already."

She kissed my cheek and left. I watched her go until she disappeared, Peacekeepers escorting her back to her office. Then I made my way towards the train.

Damion Cloud, 14, District 3

The only person who came to visit me was John. Go figure.

"Please come back," he begged.

"Telling me what to do until my last moment," I said sarcastically. "Geez, John. I'm just going to go and die and never see you again. How do you like that?"

"I'm serious!" he said. "I don't want to lose you."

"Didn't know you cared," I replied.

"Of course I care," he said. "I'm your brother!"

I rolled my eyes. As if he's never used that line before.

"I'll see you if I get back," I said.

He nodded. "Can I have a hug?"

"Nice try," I said. "See ya later."

His face screwed up, and I thought for a moment he was going to cry. Sometimes I forgot he was only twelve. But the moment passed.

"Bye," he mumbled. He left, shutting the door behind him.

Halley Todd, 13, District 3

My family came to visit me first. My mom, father, and Quinn all came into the room. My mom and Quinn hugged me quickly, knowing how much I disliked being touched. My father didn't bother, likely still nursing the scratches I'd dealt him this morning.

"I love you so much, sweetheart," my mom said. She was crying profusely, which I didn't particularly like. Still, she was my mom, so I put up with it.

"Be brave," Quinn said. "We'll be cheering you on, okay?"

I nodded. I looked to my father. "Any words of advice?"

He shrugged. "If you fight like you fought me this morning, you'll be fine," he joked. I smirked. He had a point.

My mom blew me kisses, and Quinn waved, as the three of them left the room.

Then Alina visited me. I let her hug me for a long time before she pulled away.

"This is terrible," she said, tears streaming down her face. I watched, fascinated, as they took her mascara with them. I wanted to wipe them away, but knew I'd loathe the feeling. "I'm so sorry, Halley."

"Not your fault," I said quietly. "Kiss before you go?"

She smiled sadly. "Of course," she said. She leaned forward, and I did the same, pressing my mouth to hers. We lingered there for a long moment, unsure if we'd get another moment like this ever again. Eventually, though, she pulled back.

"Don't go," I begged.

"I have to," she said quietly. "But I'll miss you so, so much, okay?"

"Okay," I said. I swiped viciously at the tears pooling in my eyes. She kissed my forehead, and then she was gone.

I pulled absentmindedly at my purple skirt, fraying the edges. I needed to process what was happening.

*Hi, everyone! How did you like Damion and Halley? Thanks to wiifan2002 and evilpencilbox for sending them in!

I apologize for the long update. My essays are done and I've finished moving, so that's a relief. I also don't have class this week, so I'm expecting to get the Reapings done by the end of this week! Yay! And more good news- all the tribute spots are filled! After this will be District 4, finished by District 5.

Hope you all have good weekend, and I'll see you next time!

-r-b*