Goodbyes

Chris Vashugin (12) District 5 POV

Oh my god. I've just been picked to participate in the Hunger Games, a sick game of death run by the capitol. At least I might have more of a chance than the other twelve year olds, seeing as I'm smarter than the smartest sixteen year old, according to the school.

The first person to come in is my friend Ashton, who is the second smartest in our grade, only behind me.

"Hey, promise me you'll at least try to come back alive. I don't want to lose my only friend to the capitol." He says looking like he's about to burst into tears. I nod in reply and he hands me a colorful looking cube. There are six different colors on the cube with 9 squares on each side that all have a five in them.

"What's this?" I ask him curiously.

"I called it a color cube. You have to twist the different columns or rows on the cube to get all of the sides to be the same color. I found it behind my apartment building a few years ago and carved the fives on it and have brought it to the reaping ever since just in case someone needed a reminder of home." He says sadly.

"Thanks." I say and he leaves soon after.

Next my family comes in. My mother is in tears, and I have assumed that she has been ever since my name was called during the reaping. My older brother Alex and my dad both look extremely depressed; the worst that I've ever seen them.

"Sweetie, we love you and I hope you know that. But this is the Hunger Games so I want you to do everything that you can to come back alive. You're the smartest person I know, so use that to your advantage. I know you can do it, I have faith in you. We all do." She says in her most stern voice. I just nod in reply, because if I talk, I'm afraid that I'll burst into tears, and I know that there must be a camera on me so some random capitol citizen can judge my every move. I don't want to come off as the weak twelve year old that I am.

"And dude, if you die, I won't have anyone to make fun of." Alex says trying to make me laugh, but ultimately failing.

We sit in silence for the next fifteen minutes only to be interrupted by my mother's sobs. My father stands up, and motions for Alex to stand up as he helps my mother up.

"We love you." My father says as he, mom and Alex walk out of the room.

Next a group of sobbing girls walk in, but I assume they are for the girl tribute, seeing as she's seventeen and female.

Suddenly the door flies open and a Peacekeeper with a very stern look on his face tells me it's time to go. I'm soon escorted out of the building and over to the train station as I wonder where fate will guide me next.

Liz Switzer (18) District 3 POV

I'm in tears on my brother's lap as we wait for someone to come into the room to send us off to our deaths.

So first, I was reaped. My brother was so freaked out that he screamed, "SOMEONE VOLUNTEER YOU PUSSIES!" right as she asked for volunteers. No one did. Then, the male tribute was chosen. It was my brother Ethan's best friend Darren. Ethan freaked out that both of us were chosen, so he volunteered to take his place and then vowed to get me home. That part pushed me over the edge and I burst into tears as the Peacekeepers pushed us offstage into the room that we are currently in.

The first person to come in was Darren, who gave Ethan something, wished us his best, thanked Ethan several times and quietly held the door open for our family who glared at him for not being in Ethan's position right now.

"Guys stop." I hear Ethan say next to me.

Darren quickly leaves after this and my other brother Joe and my mom and dad surround us and sit in the same family circle that we do during dinner time each night.

"Let's say a prayer." My father says quietly. We don't want anyone to overhear us; religion is strictly forbidden throughout Panem in fear of any uprisings that could grow from it.

"Our father, who art in heaven," we begin in a whisper. After several different prayers, some traditional and some made up on the spot, we all stand up and get back into one big family hug.

"Don't worry guys; I'll make sure that one of us makes it back alive." He says in his overly confident voice that he always has.

They all just manage to make a little smile before they turn around and head out the door. Right as they get there they are quickly pushed right back in by an overwhelming mass of people rushing into the room.

Our goodbye session quickly turns into a wake like event, with a line of people wrapping around the room wanting to give my brother and I a hug and a goodbye wish.

After a good forty five minutes of this, the Peacekeepers come in to take us away to the train station. About twenty additional Peacekeepers come in to split up the crowd and bring them back to the streets of the district. They all complain but eventually agree. I overhear from a group of middle aged women that this year's reaping has been the biggest upset in the past ten years.

Ethan and I are eventually ripped away from the crowd and onto the train which immediately rushes away from the scowling crowd in the place that i called home.

Kelly Lannigan (14) District 11 POV

I'm waiting for someone to come in to see me before they send me off to my death. Me and one of the kids from my grade got reaped which is going to be really hard on our grade; this is the first time that anyone from our class was sent into the Hunger Games. The ones chosen are usually some of the older kids with big families that have like a hundred slips of paper in the bowl.

The first person to come in is my family. My brother Sean comes in first, followed by my mom. My father was killed a few years ago when there was a large famine going on throughout the district and he tried to steal a pair of the night vision goggles from the Peacekeepers. He was the mastermind behind trying to break into the orchards then with a few of his buddies to steaal some food for our family. It didn't exactly go as planned and was whipped to death in front of the whole district.

"Hey honey. I know you're going to be fine and I KNOW that you can win if you put your mind to it. You're special and you better not be one of the bloodbath tributes like our district has been for a while." My mom says with a smirk, seconds away from tears.

"I'll try but i can't guarantee anything." I reply quietly. My mom and I spend the next half hour on my strategy in the Games. We talk about if I should make alliances, what I should do during training.

As we begin talking about my district partner Nick, I hear a knock followed by four heads peering around the corner of the cracked door.

"I think they want to see me before I leave.." I trail off to my mom and brother. They nod, stand up and give me one last hug and goodbye wish before leaving and sending in my four best friends. They all have the same depressed look on their face but one of them, Sarah, has a face full of tears as i realize that her twin brother is Nick, my district partner.

"Oh my god guys, you better remember me when I'm gone; I think you'll be the only ones routing for me." I tell them as they all come in for a hug.

"You know the whole district will be backing you up, this year is going to be worse than ever considering its you and Nick." Sarah says between sobs. "We'll be there in your heart every step of the way."

"Thanks." I mumble just as two Peacekeepers come in to tell me that it's time to go. The five of us get back in one big group hug before they yell at us one more time to get going and eventually they have to pull me away. I wave goodbye one last time before the door closes behind them and hopefully its not the last time I will.

A/N: Hey guys! So I saw that quite a few of you saw my last chapter, but no one reviewed :( So I'll make an agreement, if I get 100 reviews on my story by the time I'm finished I'll do a SYOT! HOORAY! Review away.