I'm already getting sick of the Reapings :D. They're so mundane compared to the chapters I've been writing the last few months. Lennox is from Author-Hime and Nikola is from Tyquavis.

District 3

Nikola Allegra

My hands fly around, molding and twisting the wires together. I stick out the tip of my tongue in concentration. It's one of the things Thomas makes fun of me about, although he makes fun of a lot of things about me, so I've learned not to really listen to him.

I feel a small spark as I touch the tip of the wire. I wince and my hand jolts back. I shake off the temporary pain and get back to work. I want to finish this before…

The door slowly creaks open. I desperately slam off the light next to my bed and duck under the covers, hiding my wires and tools underneath me. The screwdriver pokes into my hip, which is mildly uncomfortable, but I try not to move, mimicking sleep. I hear footsteps walk toward the side of my bed, and I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to seem asleep.

"Nikola, I know you're awake," Mom says. I peek my eyes open and glance up at her. She frowns down at me, looking a little upset. I sit up, and the blanket falls off of me, revealing my project and tools. Mom sees them and sighs. "Nikola, how many times do I have to tell you? You need sleep - you can't spend all night working on your inventions."

While she speaks, Mom picks up all of my inventing stuff and dumps it across the room, on my desk.

"Sorry," I mumble, even though I'm not really sorry. "I just couldn't sleep, and I wanted to finish my invention before Chip -"

"Nikola, you need sleep!" she insists. "Especially today. It's the Reaping, and I don't want you exhausted."

"That's why I couldn't sleep!" I say. "I was afraid I was going to be Reaped."

"Honey, you won't be Reaped. We have plenty of citizens in District 3, and your name is only in there three times. I'm just worried that you'll fall asleep while the escort is talking and we'll get in trouble with the Peacekeepers."

"The escort's speech is pretty boring," I smirk. Mom sighs.

"You know that isn't what I meant." Mom checks her watch. "It's only 5 AM, Nik!" she realizes. "But since you're already up, why don't you begin getting ready?"

"It's only 5 AM!" I argue. Mom raises an eyebrow.

"You clearly don't care about sleep. If you're going to be up early, you'd better use the time to make yourself as presentable as possible," she says.

"Fine," I grumble, and swing my legs over the side of the bed. Mom looks satisfied at seeing me get up, and leaves.

I don't want to get ready, especially at this time, but I did promise Mom that I would, so I reluctantly get up and walk toward the bathroom. While I'm walking there, I begin to strip down. Nobody else is up yet, so I should be fine.

I throw off the wrinkled t-shirt in the hallway. I'm sure Mom will give me grief about it later, but she's the one who made me take a shower at 5 AM, so she can deal with it. I only strip off my pants when I reach the bathroom and the door is closed. Despite it being 5 AM, I don't want to be stark naked in the hallways in the unlikely odds that one of my family members happen to wander out.

We're about middle-class in District 3, so we have access to water and showers and stuff, even though it's never really hot. I turn on the water and don't waste any time stepping in. I've learned to take short showers, since I don't want to jack up the water bill. Mom and Dad used to get super mad when I took long showers and wasted the water.

I grab the bar of soap off a little ledge and begin scrubbing myself down. I especially spend time scrubbing my curly brown hair, since it seems to attract a ton of dirt. I take a deep breath as my heartbeat begins to speed up.

Today is the Reaping… I've only attended two so far, but in my experience, they're nerve-wracking experiences that are never happy. I know that statistically, there is only a microscopic chance of me being chosen, but I'm still terrified. Because it could happen, and it happens to someone every year. Why couldn't it be me?

District 3 has one of the highest populations in the Districts, besides 11, so that also decreases my odds of being chosen. I'm also only 14, so I'm not nearly as in danger as the older kids. Those are all the things Mom, Dad, and my best friend, Chip, say to me to reassure me that I won't be chosen. None of them seem to ease my worries, though.

I hear hammering at the door and I jump. I quickly scrub all of the bubbles out of my hair and turn off the water. I wrap a towel around my waist, and look out the door. Thomas stops his thumping and glares down at me.

"What took you so long?" he demands, angrily.

"I, I was in the sh-shower," I stutter, confused. Why is he so upset?

"Well, obviously. But you were in the shower for fifteen minutes! Don't you realize what a waste of water that is?" he asks.

"That was fifteen minutes?" I ask, astounded. Thomas nods like I'm an idiot.

"Yes, you just jacked up the water bill! Dad's going to be furious. Don't you know we're struggling as it is?"

"Well, yeah…"

"I even had to take out tesserae this year!" Thomas exclaims, and I fall silent.

"You had to take out tesserae?" I ask, quietly. I remember a month ago when Thomas brought home some grain and oil. We had all eaten it excitedly, under the belief that Thomas had traded for it with my old clothes at the market. That's what he told us. I'm only now realizing how he actually got it.

"Yes!" he says. "Now let me take a shower. I'm meeting Amber before the Reaping." I feel a smile creeping up my face.

"Your girlfriend?" I ask, teasingly.

"Shut up," Thomas growls and pushes me into the hall, but he's blushing. He slams the door in my face. A minute later, I hear the water begin to run.

I walk back toward my room, feeling a little guilty. Not about the whole girlfriend thing - I'm entitled to a little teasing, aren't I? After all, Thomas makes fun of me all the time. But the whole tesserae thing… Maybe I shouldn't have been scared about me being Reaped. Thomas is seventeen, which means he already had double the amount of slips in the bowl.

And he also took out tesserae, as well. Which I feasted on. Maybe I shouldn't be so concerned for myself. If any Allegra were to be Reaped, wouldn't it be Thomas?

District 3

Lennox Porter

"Come on, Ada," I whisper as we walk through the crowded streets of District 3. "Don't lose track of Mommy." Ada nods and shuffles along, clutching tightly to my hand. She has always been a little nervous of crowds, especially since she's begun to notice how they all stare at us. I tell her that it's just her wild imagination, but it's not. They all gossip about us.

One day she'll figure out that they really are staring at us when we pass, but I prefer for that day to come later rather than sooner. I don't want Ada becoming paranoid or something, like I am.

Maybe I should clear some stuff up: Ada's not my daughter. I know I referred to myself as "Mommy", but that's only because I'm basically her mother. After all, I raised her. I quit school and picked up several jobs to support us. I let my entire family kick me out onto the streets, just so I could take care of Ada.

Why did I do all of that for someone who's not even my child?

She was Devin's.

Devin, who was my best friend since age two. She discovered she was pregnant when she was fifteen. Her boyfriend, who was a pompous ass, completely ditched her, saying that he didn't want anything to interrupt his ambitions. He acted like Devin was nothing more than a burden, which is why I'm filled with anger whenever I see him.

We see him a lot, since he's a pretty influential guy in District 3. He's the top of the class and already has an offer to design communication devices in the Capitol after he graduates. I'm sure he knows that Ada's his daughter. She doesn't know that he's her father, though. Nor does anyone else, except maybe Devin's parents, and they're in too much grief to care.

Devin died giving birth to Ada. Ada was going to be sent to the community home, but I couldn't let that happen. She was the last piece of my best friend since childhood. I wasn't going to let her rot in the under-funded community home. So I stepped in and offered to take care of her.

My parents were furious. Their perfect daughter, the one who got straight A's, had plenty of friends, and was on track for a perfect life, suddenly got caught up in a scandal they wanted no part of. One that would probably "ruin" her life.

They told me to either send Ada to the community home, or leave the household.

I'm sure you know which one I chose.

As Ada and I approach the Reaping, I pick her up and begin to carry her. People really aren't mindful of small children in Town Square, they're much too occupied with their own problems. If I leave her on the ground, she tends to get knocked around. I begin scanning the crowd for Eddie.

Eddie's my only friend, and the only person I trust to watch Ada. He's nineteen, thank goodness, which means he'll watch her as I'm forced to sit in the Reaping pen like cattle. Ada knows him pretty well, since we see him a lot. He even let me stay with him while I earned enough money to buy a home after my parents kicked me out.

I'm about to give up searching for him when I feel a hand tap my shoulder. I turn around and see Eddie standing there. He looks a little solemn, but his face immediately splits into a grin when he sees Ada.

"Uncle Eddie!" she exclaims, and reaches out for him.

"Hi, Ada!" he says, cheerfully and I transfer him from my arms to his. Ada hugs him, very happy to be in his arms.

"Good luck," he whispers to me. I nod. I haven't told Ada about the Reaping yet (she's only two!) so she doesn't know the danger her Mommy's facing. I'm a pretty reasonable person, so I know that the odds of me being Reaped are small, but that doesn't stop the concept of the Reaping from striking dread into my heart.

I enter the line to check-in, sparing one last glance at Ada and Eddie as they walk over to the viewing area. The line is taking a frustratingly long time, but I'm not as bothered by it as I usually would, since I'd prefer to stay on this side. I feel a few people staring into my back, but I do my best to ignore them. I'm not opposed to picking fights, but I'm just not feeling up to it, today.

I finally reach the front of the line and hand the Peacekeeper my finger. She grabs it from me and jabs the needle into my finger. I wince, but she doesn't seem to care. Why would she, though? She presses my finger onto a page, where it leaves a streak of blood, and she scans it.

"Lennox Porter," a robotic voice reads. The Peacekeeper waves me past, and I quickly enter the Reaping pen. I jam my hands into my pockets and keep my head down as I work my way through the crowds of people. I hear whispers all around me, but that might just my paranoia setting in.

Unfortunately, I have to walk all the way to the eighteen-year-olds section. I slide in, and some people make room for me. I can feel eyes boring into the back of my neck. I glance back, hoping to see Eddie and Ada, but they're lost in the crowd. I sigh. It was a long shot anyway.

As I turn back to face the stage, I catch a glimpse of a tall boy walking down the aisle. My eyes narrow, immediately recognizing who he is. It's him. Ada's father.

He rubs the grime off of his glasses as he joins his friends in the eighteen-year-old section.

I hope he gets Reaped, the gruesome thought shocks me, but only for a second. I realize that I do want him to be Reaped. I want him to feel lost like Ada. Have his whole life derailed like me.

Die like Devin.

My thoughts are interrupted when I hear a loud tapping noise echo throughout Town Square. My head spins to face the stage, where our escort, Blick Newter, stands, wearing a bright purple ensemble. He's grinning from ear to ear, clearly pleased with this event.

"Welcome, District 3, to the Reaping for the 248th Hunger Games!" he exclaims. "It seems like only yesterday that the Hunger Games first began…"

"Well you weren't alive then, doofus," I growl under my breath. To my surprise, the girl behind me giggles slightly.

"Before we see what lucky kids will get the honor of representing District 3, let's watch a video from the Capitol!" Blick says chirpily. He steps aside and looks toward the giant screen on the right of the stage. The entire crowd stifles groans. Nobody wants to watch this!

The video begins, and I almost completely ignore it. Alexandros Divine is the one narrating this year, and he's taking a different approach to the late President Chorley. Chorley couldn't help but giggle throughout the entire speech, but Alexandros sounds very serious. When he warns about the dangers of rebellion, he's practically spitting every word.

He finally ends by promoting the Hunger Games, and the whole screen shuts off.

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

"Did that inspire anyone else?" Blick asks, looking touched. It's hard to tell from this distance, but I'm pretty sure there are tears in his eyes. "Well, now let's go through your living Victors. Living embodiments of the Hunger Games and all of the glory they bring. First we have Margaret Vance, Victor of the 174th Hunger Games…" I shut out Blick for the rest of his speech. Luckily, we don't have very many Victors, so the speech isn't very long. However, Blick insists on describing each aspect on how each Victor won, so it takes much longer than it should.

"Now for the part we all came for: the drawing of the names. Let's switch things up and start with the boys, shall we?" Blick swaggers over to male's bowl first. His hand hovers over the slips for a moment before selecting a name from the very top. He holds it out in front of him as he walks back, so we can all see it. He poses in front of the microphone as he unfolds the paper tantalizingly slow.

"Nikola Allegra," he finally reads. The crowd's quiet before a boy comes shuffling out of the fourteen-year-old's section. He doesn't look particularly strong, and his reaction is proving that he doesn't really have any skills. He looks a little shocked and dazed as he walks through the aisle and toward the stage.

I hear a woman crying in the distance, who I assume is his mother. Nikola stands on Blick's right. He looks rigid, until he breaks down and begins to sob. The whole audience gets uncomfortable, like they always do when a kid starts to cry.

"Now for the girls!" Blick announces over Nikola's tears. I feel bad for the boy. He doesn't look like he'll be returning home, and it's clear that he knows it. But Necessity didn't look like much, and she ended up in the finale. Maybe he stands a chance…

I suddenly realize that Blick has called out a name. I begin looking around for the unfortunate girl, before somebody nudges me.

"That's you, isn't it?"

"What?" I ask, shocked. They must be mistaken… I couldn't have been Reaped.

"Lennox Porter," Blick repeats. That's definitely me. I shake off the surprise as I begin to walk up toward stage. The girls have made a pathway for me, so I don't have to worry about getting through them.

"Mommy!" I hear Ada in the distance, and begin to tremble. I won't bring myself to tears, I could never cry in front of all of Panem. My legs feel wobbly as I walk up the stairs, and for a minute, I'm afraid I'll collapse. I shuffle over next to Blick. He looks me up and down, and it's clear he's not impressed.

"Are there any Volunteers?" Blick asks hopefully, but the whole crowd stays quiet. Nobody moves a muscle. "Very well! May I introduce your tributes for the 248th Hunger Games: Lennox Porter and Nikola Allegra!" The crowd claps politely, and I hear Blick whisper in my ear to shake Nikola's hand.

I mechanically take his limp hand and shake it. I'm trying to pretend I'm somewhere else, but it's not working.

"Mommy!" Ada calls again, and this time I can see her. She and Eddie are close to the front of the pen. Eddie looks shocked and terrified for me, but Ada's smiling. She's proud to see her Mommy up on stage and doesn't seem to notice how awfully scared her Mommy looks.

I'll return home, Ada. I might be gone for a few weeks, but I will return home.

QUESTIONS:

1. What do you think of Nikola?

2. What do you think of Lennox?

3. Who do you prefer?

4. Which do you think will make it farther?

5. What book do you think had the worst movie adaptation? (I think the whole Percy Jackson series. I could go on a whole rant about this, but I won't because I don't want to waste your time :D).

- Lilah