Scott Foreman

Scott stood in front of the tall mirror in the long corridor that the District 9 group home passed off as the boys' bedroom. Along one wall was a row of beds, each facing its own, short dresser. There was just the one mirror in the "bedroom" but Scott had waited for all the other boys to leave for the Reaping before getting ready himself. He was alone with his reflected image, which is what he preferred, hating it when other people stared. He had already put on his nice jeans for the ceremony, but he had become drawn into his memory, distracted by the sight of his gruesome looking scars in the mirror.

The bear appears suddenly, crashing through the woods with such intensity one would think it was put on the Earth for the sole purpose of attacking these sleeping people. It is this cracking of branches and thrashing of leaves that instantly wakes Amylia, who runs outside without thinking and, with one great swipe of claw and deadly mass, is cast to the ground, the life instantly taken from her body. Airic and five-year-old Scott follow, coming face to face with the bear just outside their tent. The bear sets its sights on Scott, attacking the young boy with claws and teeth on the right side of his small body. Airic flies into action, grabbing the largest stick he can lift off the ground, and, shouting, charging the bear with it. The animal drops Scott unconscious and bleeding into the leaves and pine needles, favoring this new loud and moving prey. Airic meets the same fate as his wife at the claws of the ferocious bear, landing in a bloodied heap near Amylia. The bear, satisfied of its bloodlust, storms off as quickly as it had arrived, forgetting about the unconscious Scott it had left on the forest floor.

Scott had spent a month in the hospital after this attack in the forest, recovering from his deep wounds, lucky that he still had the arm and leg of his right side. Now, years later, at 14 he absent-mindedly ran his left hand over his shoulder and chest, feeling the raised gashes and uneven flesh under his fingertips. He might have stayed in front of the mirror like this for hours if not for the firm grasp of another hand on his scarred shoulder. Instantly, Scott snapped out of his memory feeling enraged, not only at whoever was touching his scars, but also furious with whatever twist of fate had put that bear in the path of his parents. He whipped around, ready to throw a punch at whoever thought they could sneak up on him like this, but was met with the cold, stern look in his older sister's brown eyes as she looked down into his blue ones. She also lived in the group home and had come into the boys ward to collect Scott, they were running late. "Easy, Scott," she admonished him, "put your shirt on and let's go." Scott did as he was told, just as he always did with his sister. But with everyone else, including the adults at the group home, Scott was a smart-aleck and a rule-breaker, preferring to cause trouble for the sake of a good joke. Scott buttoned up his short sleeve black shirt, wishing that the people at the home had given the boys long sleeves to wear instead, his scars reached all the way down to his hand.

Walking to the train after saying a strained goodbye to his sister and his best friends Aaron and Casey, Scott didn't remember much of the Reaping looking back on it. The only moment that stuck out in his mind was the feeling, not one of rage, as Scott had prepared himself to feel as he climbed to the stage, but one of sadness as every person in Panem saw his scars and wondered where they came from. They all thought that they were a sign of toughness, of resilience; this kid must be a survivor Scott knew they were thinking. But Scott knew the truth, these scars did not mean he was tough, he was not a fighter. He may come across as arrogant and independent, but in actuality he was torn. They were badges that he had lost his parents, had been forced into a loveless community home, had been raised by a sister forced to grow up too fast. Today, more than ever, Scott wished his scars away, not to rid himself of the annoying and constant stares, but because it would mean his life would have been normal, would have been right.

Luna Night

Luna awoke and knew from the foul feeling in the air that it was Reaping day. Her younger sister May was already awake but sluggishly moving about their house. May, like Luna, was in no hurry to get to the Reaping. Now that their abusive father is dead, the Night family was finally returning to a sense of normalcy. Luna's siblings were returning to a normal life, but such a luxury was no longer available for Luna. Luna had been the main target of her father's abuse. In order to survive she made herself sarcastic and funny, attempting to hide the pain with laughter, but on the inside Luna is distrustful and still becomes furious at the mention of her father.

Luna showered and started to get dressed. She then put in her purple contacts. She found the contacts on the ground when their escort dropped them at the Reaping when she was twelve. Ever since that day Luna has always worn them. The purple suited her face and made her pretty and unique. If only her eyes could be purple permanently like some of the girls from the Capitol. She then put on her black knee length dress and black flats. She looked at herself in the mirror and admired her own beauty.

At the square the mayor started the ceremonies with the traditional history of Panem speech that Luna very quickly lost interest in. When the escort called her name she became absolutely lost. Grabbing her silver chain with a nine that hung from her neck kept her focused as she made the lonely walk to the stage. All around her people stared blankly at her, like those viewing a body at a wake. No longer do they see their friend and peer; they only see the corpse where their loved one's soul once resided. Once on the stage, she made eye contact with their escort who, upon realization that Luna was wearing her beloved purple contacts she glared at her but didn't want to cause a scene. Luna smiled a little knowing that her beloved contacts were her own little revenge against the escort whom she wasn't fond of. Luna sat on stage wondering how she would be able to kill. She would have to kill, take another's life in order to preserve her own, but not for herself. She needs to live for her mother, for May, for her youngest siblings Nico and Nina.

After shaking hands with her partner Luna made her way to the justice building to say goodbye. When her family came there was no talking only silent embraces. Luna's entire family sat intertwined in each others' arms. At the end when they said their final goodbyes Luna started to cry and Nico looked up into her purple eyes and said "Don't cry, you will be home soon, right?" In that moment Luna knew she needed to win. Luna would kill who ever stood in her way because her brother was right, she would be home soon. Winning the games means a new house, enough food and money, a normal life for her family, and maybe some inner peace for herself.