OMG this is so freeeeeeaking short! URGHHHHHHH! Sorry, yall, I'm just SO FREAKING SICK OF THESE REAPINGS! GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Yeah. Sorry again. Hope you like this.

Albin

I grin, staring up at the sky. The puffy white clouds drift through the air, in no rush to get anywhere. They mix and swirl together to form strange shapes. I spot a majestic unicorn in one cloud, and a tiny monkey in another.

"Hey, honey, are you out there?" My mom calls. "Yeah!" I respond. "You should probably get ready for the Reaping!" She says. I sigh. I was trying not to think about that.

"Okay!" I shout back. I stroll down the driveway, whistling, and enter the house. My mom has already set out a plate filled to the brim with eggs and bacon. I beam at all the food. We only get this much to eat on really special occasions. Like the Reaping, for instance.

I gobble down my food in a matter of seconds, licking my lips in satisfaction. "I'm going to go get dressed." I tell my mom, who's standing by the sink. She nods, and I run up the stairs to my room.

As I'm walking down the hallway, a small framed picture catches my eye. I frown a little. It's a picture of back when I was six years old. I hate it, but my grandmother, who lives with my mom and dad, insists on keeping it around. You look so cute in it! She always says. I stare at the picture. My long chocolate brown curls are pulled back in braids, and I beam happily at the camera, one of my front teeth missing. It was back when I was… um…

Well, I suppose it might as well come out now. I'm a transgender. I was originally born as a girl, Althea Ainsley. But as I went through my life, I just never really felt like a girl. It took me a long time for me to accept it, but once I realized who I really was inside, I felt a lot happier. My parents and grandmother were all supportive of me, and things have all been much less stressful since then. Sure, kids can tease me sometimes, but I don't mind all that much.

I walk into my bedroom, where I pull out a navy blue shirt and black pants. Then I walk to the bathroom, where I grab a comb and begin combing out my tight brown curls.

"You have to leave right now if you don't want to be late!" My grandmother calls. I stare at myself in the mirror. My hair is still slightly unkempt, but I suppose it's good enough. I rush down the stairs, where my entire family is waiting for me. "Took you long enough." My sister, Estelle, mutters. My grandmother interrupts me before I can say anything. "We should probably get going." She says. I nod in agreement and push the door open. "After you."

xxx

"Hello, District 9! How are all of you on this wonderful afternoon?" Our escort, Manta Strongbell, says. I don't get how Capitolites can get so excited to see twenty four innocent children go off to an arena to fight to the death with each other.

After a moment of silence, the escort chooses a girl. "Rois McCormack!"

The girl, Rois, steps out of the crowd and begins to move towards the stage. She has very short hair that's so bright red it looks like it's been smeared with tomato juice. She's extremely pale, and by her dirty fingernails and thin body, I have a feeling she comes from a very poor family. She looks a little bit freaked, but other than that, her face is expressionless.

Nobody volunteers for the girl, and Manta walks to the boy's glass, her high heels clicking against the stage. I begin to pray that it's not me. Please, please, please…

"Albin Ainsley!"

Every muscle in my body feels like it's turned to stone. My heart seems to stop working properly, and I feel as though I'm going to faint. I can barely make myself move to the stage. I look out over the sympathetic crowd in a daze, barely registering what I'm seeing.

I think Mantra asks for volunteers, though I don't pay much attention to it. It's not like anybody's going to volunteer for me.

Soon afterwards, I find myself shaking hands with the girl and am taken into the Justice Building. I'm thrown into a room, the lock clicking behind me.

When I was Reaped, I was so shocked that I couldn't really feel much of any emotion. Now that the surprise has left me, however, I'm filled with a devastation I've never felt for. Tears begin pouring out of my eyes, and I make no attempt to stop them. One sentence runs through my brain, over and over again:

I'm going to die.

I'm going to die.

I'm going to die.

I'm going to die.

As much as I want to think that maybe I have a chance, I know it's useless. I'm not going to survive these games. How could I? I'm going up against people who are twice as strong, fast, and athletic as I am. Sure, people from outer districts have won before, but it's usually because of luck.

My thoughts are interrupted when my family bursts into the room, all crying hysterically. They throw their arms around me and squeeze me so hard I think I might suffocate. "It's alright." My mom says, her voice so quiet I almost can't hear it. "You… you can win. You're athletic. And you're smart. It'll all be fine." I can hear the doubt in her voice, and I can tell that she doesn't have much faith in me. I guess I can't blame her, though.

My grandmother comes forward. Her eyes are filled with sadness. She takes off a tarnished silver ring on her finger and hands it to me. "It's your token." She explains. "Use it to remind you to fight for what you think is right." With that, a Peacekeeper bursts into the room. "Come on, everyone, get out." He says gruffly. After a moment of hesitation, my family leaves.

A few of my friends visit me, but it all feels like a dream. Soon, a Peacekeeper collects me and takes me to the train station. I take a deep breath and take one last look around District 9 as I wait for the train. I try my best to take it all in. After all, it's going to be the last time I see it.

Rois

Ring!

The school bell begins ringing, signaling the end of the day. I grab my backpack off of its hook and push all of my books into it. "Remember, you have a science test tomorrow!" Our teacher, Mrs. Hokins, shouts as the students and I leave the class. I let out a long sigh. Great. Not only is the Reaping today, but I also have to study for a test. Woohoo.

I sling my backpack onto my shoulder and begin walking down the halls. As I head towards the front door, however, a noise catches my attention. There seems to be a bunch of cheering in a different hallway. I take a few sharp turns, intrigued by the noise. Finally, I turn into a small corridor and find a large group of kids circled around a locker, laughing. My eyes narrow and I push through the crowd to see what's happening. I reach the front and find that a huge boy has a tiny kid with curly blond hair and bright blue eyes that are wet with tears pushed up against a locker. His fist finds its mark in the small boy's stomach, and he doubles over in pain. The bigger kid smirks and prepares to strike again.

Without thinking, I shout, "Hey!" The huge boy turns to see who would have the nerve to stand up to him. He sees me and frowns. "What?" He grunts.

"What are you doing to that kid?!" I ask, enraged. The boy grits his teeth. He releases his grip on the smaller kid, who seems relieved, and begins walking towards me. "Who are you to ask me that question?" He responds. "Who are you to beat him up?" I shoot back. "Try picking on someone your own size." The boy's face turns red, and he keeps coming closer to me until we're nose to nose. "Do you know who I am?" He asks, his voice quiet. "I am Kio Makin. And I do not react well when anybody questions my position of power. Now if I were you, I would be running away right now as fast as your legs can carry you." I snort. "No way." I say. Kio glares at me. "Are you sure? Because if you try and fight me, it's not going to end well for you." I can't help but laugh. "You seem pretty desperate for me to run instead of fight you. Are you scared of me or something?" With that, Kio charges at me. He swings his fist towards my head, but I duck and twist his arm back behind his back in one smooth motion. He lets out a yelp of pain and squirms out of my grip. His face turns a deep shade of red and he lets out a bellow, but before he can run at me, I hear a voice from another hallway. "What's going on over here?" The person calls. I immediately recognize it as Mrs. Hokins. The big crowd of kids, including Dao, runs away, not wanting to be caught in the middle of a fight.

I smile and walk away. Another victory for Rois McCormack.

xxx

"I'm home!" I call as I push the door to my tiny home open. My brother, Grain, runs up to me and envelops me in a hug. "Hey." I say, ruffling his hair. "You ready for today?" Grain nods, his smile fading. "Don't get picked." He warns. I nod. "I'll try not." I promise. I try to sound confident, but my voice wavers a little.

"You should probably go get ready for the Reaping, honey!" My mom calls from the kitchen. I bounce into the room that me, my brother, and my mom all share. My dad got into a tractor incident and died, and my mom is paralyzed from the waist down, so we're just barely getting by. Still, we're alive, and that's all that matters.

I pull on a simple green t-shirt and light blue jeans, the nicest pair of clothes that I own. Then I take out a brush and attempt to comb out my messy, curly red hair. I wince in pain as I brush it. When I'm finished, it still doesn't look great, but it doesn't seem like a rat's nest like it did before, so I decide that it's okay.

"I'm heading to the Reapings!" I call before heading out the door. I feel butterflies beginning to build up in my stomach. I hate admitting that I'm scared about anything, but the Reaping terrifies me. What would happen to my family if I was picked?

You're fine, Rois. Just breath. I let out a long exhale, trying to calm myself down. There's no way I'll be picked.

At least, I don't think there is.

xxx

She looks like a chicken with makeup!

That's what I was thinking when our escort, whose name I can't remember, prances onstage. She waves at the crowd. "Hello, District 9! How are all of you on this wonderful afternoon?" There's no response from the audience other than glares. The escort sighs. "Why don't we choose a girl?" I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to think about the tons of tesserae I took out this year as she chooses a name. "Rois McCormack!"

Welp. Wonderful.

I'm completely freaked out, but I manage to keep a straight face as I walk to the stage. "Congratulations!" The escort says, much more excited than she should be. I grit my teeth and stare straight ahead, trying not to cry.

I don't pay any attention when the male is chosen, and before I know it we're being announced as the tributes for the 48th Hunger Games. I turn to shake hands with the boy. I look at him closely. He has thick, chocolate brown hair and downturned light blue eyes. I can't help but think that his features look somewhat girly, but I don't think much of it.

I'm shoved into the Justice Building by a Peacekeeper and taken down a dimly lit hallway. There, I'm pushed into a door and am left alone.

The door is pushed open once again after a few minutes, and my family rushes in. Grain is sobbing, and my mom looks like she's coming close to tears.

"Rois!" Grain screams, throwing his arms around me. I hold him, blinking back tears. I can't believe this. Why do these stupid games even exist in the first place?!

While me and my brother are hugging, he hands me a bracelet that seems to be made out of an old belt. "Thank you." I whisper. I clutch the bracelet, the last I have to remind me of my family.

My mother wheels forward in her old wooden wheelchair. She gives me a heartbroken smile. "It's alright." She says, her voice barely audible. "You can win. You're tough. You're a fighter. Just… win. For us." I know that I have no chance, but before I can tell her this, a Peacekeeper comes in and orders my family out. Grain bares his teeth and grips me tighter than before. The Peacekeeper grabs onto him and rips him off of me. However, while he's carrying him out of the room, my little brother bites him on the arm. The Peacekeeper yelps and lets go of him. Now free, Grain goes crazy. He throws his arms around, knocking down fancy furniture in his rage. He lets out a battle cry and charges at the antique clock. He knocks it down and begins stomping on it. However, before he can do anything else, a Peacekeeper comes in with a needle. He sticks the needle in Grain's arm and after a minute, he falls unconscious.

I can't help but smile as he's carried out of the room. Good. Now the Capitol will have to clean his mess up and replace all of the things he broke. I can't help but feel proud of him.

The sense of pride is soon lost when I'm taken to the train, though. My mind fills with terror.

What am I going to do now?

Here are sponsor point questions:

1. What is Rois' token?

2. What was Albin's name before he became a boy?

See you in District 10!