Author's Notes:

Sorry, for the inconvenient delay. Special thanks to my beta Heslen, I sent this to her yesterday and she wrote back to me like a couple hours later! Also to those who sent in the tributes, jds2416, and Mykindleisawesome. Read, review, and enjoy!

Sophia Redwood POV:

I scrub myself until my whole body tingles. The lukewarm water still feels nice. When I step out of the tub, the surrunding cold envelopes me and I shiver, as I grab a towel. When I finish drying off, I go into our room. My twin sister and I share the small, dreary dungeon that is known as my room. Laid out on my bed is the dress that I picked out this morning. As I put it on, I feel the rough material on my skin. I remember when it used to be so soft, laced with velvet and silk, or satin.

It all changed when our dad died. He brought home the money, but when he passed away, we were left with very little. Well, 'passed.' He was actually killed by a faulty machine built to cut wood. Not a human leg! He bled to death before the emergency crew arrived. I guess that I shouldn't really complain, there was a couple that was also killed. You work in a pair, he was with some woman, when it went bezerk, it cut my dad's leg off, and the woman's arm, and a big gash across her chest. Her husband while trying to turn off the machine, he was cut right across the throat. At least he died painlessly. Meanwhile his wife and my dad had to suffer a long and grueling death. Three deaths that didn't deserve to happen.

After that, my mom, sister, and I had to move to the poorer part of town. We had to give up running water, nice clothes, tasty food. Anything enjoyable.

Then, my sister got sick. It was cancer. She has fought through though, she survived. My mother and I were so scared - after my father's death, we couldn't lose Ava.

"Boo!"

"Agh!" I scream. I whirl around to see my sister laughing on the bed. She scared me out of my daydream.

"Very funny Ava," I say as I try to keep a straight face, but I just can't help concealing the smile forming on my face.

When she stops giggling, her face is bright red from all the laughter.

"I'm sure Bryony would think you look great," I tell her. The result; Ava turning a brighter shade of red and telling me to stop it.

Ava has had a crush on Bryony for a long time now. I tell her that he likes her, but it's a lie.

When she got cancer, people thought that it was contagious. They still sort of do. Well, anyway none of the guys like her because she doesn't have any hair. It makes me so mad, because it's what's on the inside that matters.

Truth is, he likes me. I wish me and Ava could switch places. Honestly, I've never been interested in guys, neither has Ava, or so I thought. I guess that secretly, she had a crush on him for awhile.

I head down stairs while Ava does her "hair." My heart hurts for her all the time, she wants to be like everybody else, but after having cancer, you might not be the same. Might.

District 7's Male Tribute: Derek Lowe POV

"Tierra, sleepy head wake-up." I say it as kindly as I can.

Her eyes flutter open a little bit, before she squeezes them shut tight.

"You don't want me to take drastic measures do you?" There might be a bit of mischievousness in my voice.

Slowly, I take the pillow that I've been clutching in my hand, and hit her with it. It immediately jolts her awake. She quickly grabs her pillow under her head and starts attacking me with it. Her squeals of laughter make it so much fun.

Tierra is always shy and quiet like my best friend James. That's why I get along so well with them, because I am the opposite of them. I'm funny and - dare I say it - charming, always cracking a smile.

After five minutes of our little pillow fight, we stop, both of us are a little bit tired of our fun.

I've had to raise Tierra since I was 13, so now, it's been five years. Our parents died in a faulty machinery accident. It took the life of another man also, I think.

I look at Tierra, she is sitting on our little blue couch. Her shoulders are slumped and she looks hopeless. When she looks up, I turn away. I did this whole pillow fight thing to cheer her up, but it doesn't seem like it's working. I do a lot for her, but she was only young when our parents died. She had to have her own brother raise her. I know their are moments in her life that I can't be a very good "parent," but I should have to be.

"Uh, are we going to go to the reaping, with James?" She snaps me back to reality.

"With James, with James. If I had known any better, I would think that you liked him." I say it as a joke, sort of hoping to see a blush on her cheeks or something. As I would say, in a perfect world, they would end up together, but then again, it's not.

She glares at me instead.

"No, idiot, he's your "Bro," as you so often call him. I thought that we would go with him and I know what you were implying when you said that. Just drop it, me and James aren't going to happen."

Well, I guess my best friend isn't going to be my brother. At least not anytime soon.

I leave the kitchen to go change into more "appropriate attire." I put on a pair of blue denim jeans and my best button-up shirt I have. It's a dark forest green that hopefully brings out the color in my eyes - the precise shade of Tierra's, and mom's.

"Let's go Tierra, we don't have all day!" I hear her feet stomping on the steps she's running on.

"I'm here, and besides since when have you become such a go-getter? Like normally, I would be waiting for you for like an hour."

"Oh Tierra, people change, and become nicer." I really emphasize on the becoming nicer.

She rolls her eyes.

"It would be nice, if you would just act normal. You start a pillow fight with me, then you're playing matchmaker with me and James, next thing I know, you're ready to go to the Reapings before me." She says it all in one breath, and I can't help but tease her.

"Need to catch your breath, sweetie?"

"Shut up - let's just go, Derek."

I chuckle as we head out the door.

Ava Redwood POV:

"Come on, Soph!"
She walks out of our room. Her hair is blond and perfectly straight, her eyes aquamarine orbs. I get a pang of jealousy. She is so pretty, and I'm... well, not. I have boring blue eyes - they almost look more grey - and like a fluff of blond hair. Honestly, I would probably look just like Sophia if I hadn't gotten leukemia. Oh, wait, I did, before. My life could be so different. I see the way guys drool over her, and it's not that I want that, but to have someone say that I'm beautiful, and mean it, would be nice.

Sensing something is wrong, she puts her arm around my shoulder, almost like she is shielding me from everything. She always knows what to do or say. My mom and I both agree that she is basically the backbone to our family. She is like our guardian angel that protects us, and comforts us when we need it most.

I let my head fall back against her shoulder. Then my knees buckle and I start to tip forward. Quickly she grabs me around the waist and pulls me up. Calmly, she guides me to the table and sits me down on the chair.

It doesn't happen often, but they do on occasion happen. We call them energy zaps. Basically, the energy is zapped out of me. I lose control and I collapse. Luckily, Sophia was here. I have some ...lets just say, 'bad experiences' when we were in gym and I had an energy zap, and everybody stood around my crumpled form and laughed.

It was a nightmare, that became real. I have a lot of them, my dad being killed, getting cancer, having to move to the slums. There are still a few that haven't become reality, like me or my sister getting reaped. Today is obviously reaping day, which means just another day of my life that could be ripped out of my hands so quickly.

Derek Lowe POV:

I wait beside Tierra as she gets her finger pricked. She pretends to shoo me away, but I know that in her mind, she's terrified.

"You know, you didn't have to wait for me." She's glaring daggers.

"Well, you know I don't like being alone." It's a partial lie: I don't like being alone, but I also could just have easily gone into my section.

"Goodbye Mr. Scaredy Cat."

"Bye," I say with my most charming smile. She just rolls her eyes.

Okay, we are just barely on time, so that means that our escort should come out anytime now.

BOOM!

I don't think that one person in the crowd didn't scream. It makes me feel like I'm already in the Games.

Then I see our escort. He used to be a magician in the Capitol. Duh, a smoke bomb, that sounded more like a bomb. Hodrir Drikotnoit is his name. How many times does that get messed up?

"Welcome to the 100th Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour! Now, we will watch the special video that the Capitol sent to us! How nice!"

How nice!? He's got to be kidding. Nice enough to let us send innocent children into a death match! I rant in my head as the video plays, doing my best to ignore it.

"Wasn't that just wonderful? Well, from that beautiful note, I will pick the lucky female tribute. Our lucky young lady is... Ava Redwood!"

There is shuffling, screaming, and an 'I volunteer'. I don't know what happened, until a girl emerges. She jogs up to the podium.

I'm just glad Tierra is safe.

"Derek Lowe."

The name echoes through the square, but doesn't reach my senses.

What?! I'm drawn out of my daze, into confusion. Did I just get reaped? My question is silently answered, when I see all the other kids move over, so that I have a clear path to the stage. I hear Tierra cry out. This is not happening!

Ava Redwood POV:

My name rings out, loud and clear, over the square.
No!
I glance at Sophia, who's screaming. She looks at me, and fear is all I see in her eyes.

"I volunteer!" But she can't - she doesn't understand. I push her to the ground, and she yelps.

"I'm sorry, but I'm screwed up as much as can be, and mom needs you." Tears are brimming my eyes as I jog to the podium. She couldn't volunteer for me, she has too much going for her.

I'm praying as I jog up to the Justice Building that I don't have an energy zap. I haven't exerted that much energy since before I got cancer.

"And you are..?" The district escort is asking me.

"Ava Redwood."

"Okay. And darling, make sure you save that for the arena," he says, gesturing towards the crowds where I, on live television, threw my sister to the ground.

I can't help but wince.

The escort calls the boys' name. "Derek Lowe."

I see an older boy make his way towards the Justice Building. He could probably snap my neck in half, but he seems like, I don't know, like you would have to really piss him off to get him to do anything like that.

"Your tributes from District 7! Please shake hands." Derek's warm hands make me feel safe, then he's ushered into the Justice Building and so am I.

"Ava!" I turn to see Sophia.

They put me in this little room and told me that if I had any friends or family, they would visit. Rude.

"Sophia, I'm so sorry, but you don't understand! I am so sorry."

She hugs me and we both cry.

"Sophia, You need to help mom and live your life."

"Ava, I can't help mom now and what you did was wrong, and the only way that I can forgive you is if you make it back."

"Sophia, what happened to mom?"

A peacekeeper comes in and takes Sophia out.

"Sophia, where is mom!"

"Come back Ava." What happened to my mom? The last thing my sister might ever say to me. It didn't include where mom was. Oh no, I can only assume the worst.

A different peacekeeper comes in and grabs me roughly by the arm.

"I need to talk to my mom."

"Sorry Miss, but she can't talk to you unless you don't make it back."

"What does that even mean?"

He gives me a long sad look.

"What happened to my mother?! Tell me!" I'm screaming now, but no one else is around.

"I can't."

He puts me on a waiting train.

Mom, where are you?

Derek Lowe POV:

"Derek, what am I going to do?"

"Tierra, calm down. Everything will be alright," James reassures her.

"James, whatever happens, you need to look out for Tierra. Understand?"

"Of course. Hey, you make sure that you make it back for us, okay?"

"I'll do my best, but I don't know how to kill someone."

This time, it's Tierra who speaks. "If my life depended on it, I would."

That's pretty dark for Tierra, who would make me try to heal a bug that she accidentally stepped on.

We have a group hug before a couple peacekeepers pull us apart. They go and shortly after, I'm on a train speeding towards the Capitol.

All I can think about is how Tierra doesn't deserve this. Both her parents died and now, she might have to see her brother die on TV. But I can't think that way. No one deserves that. I'll make it back, or die trying.

Author's Notes:

1. What can I do better?

2. Who do you like better?

Fun question! So I've been watching The Flash now, for quite some time. (I'm obsessed with it) So, what superpower would you have if you could have any? Mine would be cyrokinesis.