District 12: Remi Gardner (17) Pov-

I wake up before the sun. If I want plenty of time to gather breakfast, I have to have the element of darkness on my side. I slip out of bed into my shoes that are several sizes too small but have molded to my feet. I tiptoe past Mom and Dad, Willow, Cal, Nash, and Ali. Then I'm out the front door.

The white flash of a peacekeeper's uniform startles me. A closer look tells me that he's circling around a nearly block of houses. I duck down into the shadows and wait until he's out of sight before moving on. The last snares I set aren't far away. I should easily be back home in twenty minutes, if not ten or fifteen.

Before I know it, I've come to the first snare. It holds a wriggling chipmunk in its clutches. My hands reach for the knife in my pocket like I've done this a million times before. The thing is, I have. I quickly kill the chipmunk and drop it into my bag.

I continue to follow the line of snares, collecting grouse and snakes and squirrels and whatever they've collected over the night. The meadows of District 12 teem with life. It's no surprise that almost all of my traps have caught one animal or another.

My ponytail barely touches my back as I make the journey home. I have to break into a run when the first golden rays of sunlight illuminate the slum houses of District 12 that are falling apart. But, luckily, I reach home before anybody sees me. I've gotten great at treading quietly over the years if I do say so myself.

Mom, Dad, and Willow are already up by the time I get home. Willow is chopping up leaves and tossing them into a bowl. Dad's face, coated with coal dust, looks tired and exhausted as he quickly cleans dishes. But Mom is the worst of all. I know how much she hates Reaping Day. Two of her sisters have died in the games, and she was lucky not to be the third.

"Good morning," I say softly, so as not to wake Cal, Nash, and Ali. None of them is over seven and they need all the sleep they can get for the big day ahead.

"I have a surprise," I continue. I set down my bag. The sides fall down and reveal the game inside. Mom looks like she's about to faint.

"How did you… but… where… you…"

"Happy Reaping Day," I say simply. We're going to have a huge breakfast this morning, that's for sure.

District 12: Hopper Vigo (12) Pov-

Life in the community home really isn't so bad. There's always a warm bed to sleep in and plenty of other kids to talk to. And always someone to play a good prank on.

Someone knocks on the door. I know right away who it is. It's a weird talent I've always possessed.

"Come in, Smelter."

"Okay, that it just creepy," Smelter says with a goofy smile.

I roll out of bed and fit on my shoes all in the span of five seconds. Then we're both ready to execute our plan.

"Did you get the rope?"

Smelter nods and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a coil of rope. It's thin, but strong. The type we always use.

"And the zip ties?"

He nods once more and pulls out a handful of the small plastic pieces.

We quickly scurry down to the Matron's office. At one point, I spot a worker walking past with a cart. Smelter and I duck down until she passes. She looks our way, but quickly dismisses our shuffling as her imagination and begins to disappear around a nearby corner.

We tiptoe ever so slowly into the Matron's office. By the sound of her rather masculine snores, she's sound asleep in the adjacent room. Smelter hands me a few zip ties. Taking infinite care, we search the room for all of the scissors we can find and zip tie them together. We only leave once we're confident all of the scissors are taken care of.

Smelter and I close the door softly behind us. But before we leave, I tie one end of the rope to the outside doorknob. Smelter ties the other end of the rope to the doorknob of a nearby room. I jump once to wake her up. Then we scram.

"Who is up at this hour?" the Matron demands. We scurry down staircases and through halls, having no goal but to get back to our rooms before she can spot us.

We both know how the rest of the plan will work. She'll realize that her door is tied closed. Then she'll try to find a pair of scissors to cut the rope. But then she'll realize that they're all zip tied closed. And she won't be able to cut the zip ties because the other scissors are also bound together.

"To be honest, that went way more smoothly than I imagined," Smelter remarks as we stop to catch our breath.

"Too bad there weren't any peacekeepers around. That would have been even more amusing."

"We pranked a peacekeeper last time," Hopper says. "And besides, they're not much fun; they're all the same. At least the staff here have varied reactions. You never know what you're going to get."

District 12: Remi Gardner (17) Pov-

District 12's escort, Summer Nelson, is just as depressing as District 12 itself. She wears a despondent expression even when she talks about how exciting this year is going to be. With every pause, I find something dreadful about the way she phrases her sentences or how her accent drowns out her words.

"I suppose we'd better pick a female tribute," Summer drones as she saunters toward the girls' reaping ball.

"Remi Gardner."

Cold terror runs through my veins instead of blood. I am going into the Hunger Games! I don't think Mom can take losing another family member. How will my siblings get by without me?

Every fiber of my body is telling me to stay still. But I have no choice. Trying not to shake or cry too much, I break into a brisk walk and start up to the Justice Building.

District 12: Hopper Vigo (12) Pov-

"Are you all ready for me to pick a boy tribute?" Summer asks, her voice as monotone as always.

The more the silence wears on, the more tension grows in the air. "Alright," she says, walking to the boys' bowl.

"Hopper Vigo."

I can't help feeling amused as I walk to the stage. I've always wanted to visit the Capitol. From what they show on television, it's a million times more exciting than any of the 12 districts. And with so many people to prank… the possibilities are endless. The thought of death doesn't even cross my mind. A guy's got to die some time. And what is death really but the next great adventure?

If I'm going to go out, I might as well go out with style.

I lean to the right and punch Summer in the face. Lightly, of course. The escort winces and staggers back a few feet.

"Excuse…"

I grab hold of the microphone. "You've just reaped the worst boy in 12!" I scream, my voice amplified into the microphone so I sound like a fire alarm. "Don't expect your lives to be anything short of miserable for the next week!"

I drop the microphone and swagger into the Justice Building, leaving stunned silence behind me.

District 12: Remi Gardner (17) Pov-

My family comes to say goodbye all at once. Mom and Dad stand beside each other, Dad holding Cal and Mom cradling Ali. Willow holds Nash with both arms.

"We're all going to miss you very much," Dad says, looking like he's about to cry.

"Don't worry. I'll try to make these games quick."

I start to tell them about my snare traps so they won't starve after I'm gone. But this room is most certainly tapped, so I decide against it.

Willow steps forward. "You're a great sister, and…" her voice is choked by tears. "You have to come home."

None of them say anything about the games themselves. I think they all know deep down that I'd be a miracle if I actually came home with my life.

District 12: Hopper Vigo (12) Pov-

"That," Smelter says, patting me on the back. "Was incredible."

"If I win, I should totally run for mayor, right?" I intone.

"Yeah, definitely. The mayor should be a twelve-year-old idiot."

"Hey!" I give him a light punch in the shoulder. "I'd cancel school on Friday. Mandatory party day for everyone!"

"Yep. And the district would be in turmoil every other day of the week," he predicts.

"You'd better not die," Smelter says.

I'm quiet for a moment. "Nah. I'm not going to."

"Okay. Good. I'll see you later, then." Smelter lifts his fingers in a wave before heading out.

There we are! The reapings are now over. Thanks to QueensDoItBetter for Remi and Cragmite Blaster for Hopper. And thank you to everyone who submitted for these wonderful characters!

Question 1: What style is Remi's hair the morning of the reaping?

Question 2: What day of the week would Hopper declare as a party day if he became mayor?