We're on to District 2! Thanks to those of you who have reviewed. This chapter is kind of cruddy, but whatever. Enjoy!

Octavian

I sit in the grass, enjoying the heat from the sun. My friends sit all around me, talking and laughing. For a moment, they talk about the weather and their siblings and whatnot, but it's not long before the discussion turns to me. The discussion always turns to me. Not that I'm complaining.

"Wow, Octavian!" My friend Jake chirps. "I can't believe you're going into the Hunger Games!" I shrug like it's no big deal. "Well, it's not surprising. I am pretty awesome, after all." My friends laugh, even though they know it's true. I am the definition of awesome.

"You know, you really should be training right now." Another friend of mine, Braden, says. I snort. "Please." I say. "I could win this thing even if I had never trained in my life." Of course, if my mom knew I was hanging out at the park instead of training, she would kill me. But that's irrelevant.

Jake checks his watch. "The Reaping's in an hour." He tells us. "We should go home and get ready." I nod and gather up my stuff. My friends wave goodbye to me and I head towards my house.

I'm about two minutes from my house when a familiar figure comes into view. Jennifer. "Octavian!" She calls. She runs to me and leaps into my arms. She kisses me, and I feel as if nothing else matters in the world but her.

I've had more girlfriends than I can count, but Jennifer is the only one I truly love. When she laughs, the sun starts to shine brighter. When she cries, the Earth goes dark. A thought crosses my mind that if I die, I will never see Jennifer again, but I push it away quickly. I'm going to win. Then I can marry Jennifer and we'll live happily in the Victor's Village. The thought calms me.

Jennifer leaves to get ready for the Reaping, and I enter my house. My mom waits for me, a sour expression on her face. "What were you doing before?" She asks me suspiciously. I gulp. "I was training." I tell her. "Just like you asked me to." "Your father was out and saw you at the park with your friends." My mom says, scowling. Dang it.

I expect her to scold me, but instead she pulls me into a tight hug. "I just don't want you to die." She whispers. "Don't worry, mom." I tell her. "I'll be back before you know it." My mom sighs and releases me. "You had better get ready quickly." She says. "The Reaping's in forty minutes, and I want to be early."

Ten minutes later, I'm ready to go. I wear a simple black suit and red tie, and my hair has been slicked back. "Where's dad?" I ask my mom. "He's already at the Reaping." My mom explains. "He's making sure everything stays in line." Of course he is. My dad works as a Peacekeeper. He's always making sure people are doing what they're supposed to. You would think that since he's my dad, if I did something wrong, he would let me off easy, but nooo. He's the hardest on me. Let me tell you, that can get really annoying at times.

My mom ushers me out the door and we head over to the Reaping. I sign in and stand next to my friends. We talk to each other, but the mood is quieter than usual. We're all a little bit nervous.

Finally, the mayor steps onto the podium. He describes all of the disasters that came upon us before Panem arose, announces the past victors (we've had 13 in all, more than any other district), and finally hands the microphone over to Macklin, our escort. He looks ridiculous, as usual. "Good afternoon, everyone!" Macklin shouts. "Are you ready to see the lucky contenders for this year's games?" Everyone cheers. Macklin goes over to the girls' reaping bowl and grabs one of the names. "I'd like to give a warm welcome to… Reyna Longtri!" He says.

"I volunteer!" Someone yells. It's Juno Armstrong. Everyone's heard of her, but nobody likes her. She looks innocent in a long, pink dress, but that fools no one. People practically run each other over just to get out of her way. Juno is one vicious girl.

After Macklin congratulates her, he strides over to the boys' bowl of names. "Mayhem Ruckus!"

"I volunteer!" I cry. I put on a confident face and stroll towards the stage, in no rush to get to it. Finally, I reach the podium. Macklin gives me a warm congratulations, Juno and I shake hands, the mayor reads the Treaty of Treason, and we go into the Justice Building. I wait in a small room for visitors. After a moment, my parents come to see me. I have no siblings. Sometimes I wish I did.

My mom has tears glistening on her cheeks. She embraces me, telling me that I must come home. I promise her I will. My dad, however, has a very different perspective on things. "You're lucky you get to volunteer." He says gruffly. "Don't screw this up." Then my parents' time is up.

My friends come to see me and give me some words of encouragement. Finally, Jennifer comes in.

"You'll win." She says. It's more of a statement than a question. "I don't see any reason why I wouldn't." I reply. She kisses me, then holds something out in her hand. A lock of her hair. "Use it as your token." She tells me. I grab the hair just as a Peacekeeper comes to tell me our time is up.

I'm taken to the train station. It won't be long before I'm in the arena. I have a moment of doubt. What if I don't come home? What if I die?

No. I'm going to survive. The others won't have a chance.

Or so I hope.

Juno

I stab the cloth dummy in the gut, then spin and chop off its arm. My knife becomes a blur of destruction. I slash and slice and hack until I am completely out of breath. The dummy lays in pieces at my feet.

I wipe the sweat off my brow and set my knife back on the weapons rack. I can feel eyes on my back and I spin around. It's a small group of twelve year olds, staring at me with wide eyes. I glare at them and they scurry away. Idiots.

I leave the academy and begin the short trek to my house. People scramble to get out of my way. They fear me. Good.

My house comes into view. It's not the worst house in District 2, but certainly not the best, either. The walls are dirty and the shutters are rusty. My parents are almost always busy, so they don't have much time to fix it up. I would try to help, but ever since I was chosen to volunteer for the Hunger Games, I've been extremely busy with training. Of course, I could probably still win even if I didn't train. But a little extra never hurts.

I step into my house and am immediately bombarded by my two younger brothers, Slayte and Remus. They grab on to each of my legs and pull me onto the floor. A laugh tumbles from my lips. I'm much bigger than them, but they're strong. It takes a moment for me to pull them off me.

"Are you excited for the Reaping?" I ask. Slayte and Remus nod vigorously. "Someday, I'm going to volunteer, just like you!" Remus brags, dancing around my legs. "Nuh-uh!" Slayte shoots back. "Not if I volunteer first!" They begin to wrestle, throwing insults at each other. I leave them to their game and head up the stairs to my room. I see that my mom has laid out a flowing pink dress with long, cuffed sleeves. I wrinkle my nose. It's too girly for me, but I put it on anyway. Once the games start, everyone will see that girly is not my thing.

I'm brushing out my long brown hair when I hear the door creak open. My dad walks through, looking tired but happy. I'm a little surprised. My dad almost always works at his stonemason business from morning until night. Even when it's Reaping day, he won't come home beforehand, and he'll get back to work as soon as the Reaping is done. The Capitol is always demanding more from him. I have to admit, it can get really frustrating at times. I've always wanted to like the Capitol, but sometimes, it can be… tricky.

"How's my little volunteer doing?" My dad calls out. I grin and hug him. He's dirty and has dark circles under his eyes, but even so, he has the essence of a god. After a moment, my dad pulls away and asks, "Where's your mom?" "Right here." A voice says from behind me. I spin around. My mom stands there, her blue eyes sparkling. She embraces me and then does my hair in a tight bun. "Are you ready?" She asks me. I smile. "I was born ready." I tell her. Then my family and I head out the door and begin walking towards the Reaping, or what I like to call, the beginning of my victory tour.

Macklin Stewar, our escort, looks completely and utterly ridiculous. He seemed to have tried to die his hair all the colors of the rainbow, but it ended up melding into an ugly brownish-green color. He wears a poofy, bright yellow jacket that is obviously way too big for him, and his pants are bright green and furry. Behind him billows a long, pink cape. I don't understand how even the purest Capitol citizen could consider this outfit stylish.

The mayor says some stuff and then Macklin steps onto the podium. "Good afternoon, everyone!" He says. Despite his idiotic costume, everyone cheers. "Are you ready to see the lucky contenders for this year's games?" More cheers. "Very well!" Macklin says. "Let's pick a girl, then, shall we?" He shuffles around the girls' glass of names for a while, trying to build the tension. Finally, he pulls one out. "I'd like to give a warm welcome to… Reyna Longtri!" He announces.

As soon as he announces the name, I step out of the crowd. "I volunteer!" I call. I walk towards the stage, trying my best to look tough. I'm really starting to regret wearing that dress. Fortunately, my years of shoving, kicking, and punching people has paid off. As I walk, people trample each other just to get out of my way. That'll show the Capitol citizens how fierce I really am.

Macklin slaps me on the back and congratulates me, then moves over to the boys' glass. He plucks a name out and reads it. "Mayhem Ruckus!"

A boy steps out of the crowd, but before he can take two steps, another boy comes forward. "I volunteer!" He calls out. I've seen him now and again at training, but I'm not sure what his name is. He walks towards the stage, a confident look plastered across his face. He seems strong enough, but I think I could kill him easily. It's a shame. He may have had a shot at these games if weren't for me.

Macklin talks to the boy for a few seconds, then cries out, "I give you the tributes of District 2!" There is a chorus of whoops and whistles. The boy and I shake hands. The mayor reads the Treaty of Treason and we are taken back into the Justice Building. I am taken to a room filled with fancy furniture and a silky couch. I sit on the couch until my family comes in. They give me some encouragement, say their goodbyes, and leave. Nobody else comes in. I don't have any friends and don't intend on getting any. I'd much rather have people fear me.

Peacekeepers take me to the train. Cameramen swarm me, filming everything I do. For some reason, this ticks me off. Maybe it's because while my dad is working all day long carving stone, the Capitol citizens are sitting on the couch doing nothing, and yet they're the rich ones, not my dad. I have to do something to get back at them. So I stare straight into the cameras and give the fiercest glare I can muster.

If only looks could kill.

So, that was District 2. Thank you to Smiley for Juno Armstrong and somerandomtom for Octavian Grimes. District 3 is coming soon! Here are the questions:

Q1. What color was Juno's hair?

Q2. How many siblings does Octavian have?

I kind of added a thing or two to these characters, like how Juno's mom has blue eyes. Sorry if you didn't want me to! District 3 will be coming soon! Bye!