District 5
The night before the reaping Roberta Tyger and her friends have a party. Her Mom says she should to calm her friends nerves, especially Nora Robbans. She had to take out loads of tesserae that year. But everyone in the District 5 knows there is nothing to party about, especially when Roberta thought she heard a gunshot outside her bedroom window in the middle of the night.

Jason Prometheus was a pretty smart guy. He had almost anything a guy could want. But he didn't have what he wanted most. He wanted to be a rebel like his older brother by 2 years, Kale. He says Jason can join the rebels after he's nineteen and too old to be reaped.

But Jason knows he really wants him to get reaped just to get rid of him, because Kale is 17 and still eligible for reaping.

Jason sat at his desk, doing his homework for school that would be due tomorrow, the day after the reaping. In History class they were studying literature from the time way before Panem ever existed. Turning a page, he saw the next story, called Prometheus and the Fire of the gods.

Hey, it was his last name! He started to read, and when he was through he was disgusted by the thought of birds coming and eating this dude's liver every day.

But he did have a pretty good idea.

The escort, Lavender, is taking forever with the reaping. She probably likes the attention, she knows everyone in the Capitol is watching her at this second.

With a flourish she pulls a name out of the girls reaping ball and reads "ROBERTA TYGER!"

When she didn't step up, someone behind her shoved her forward a bit and she scowled. Then Lavender moved on to the boys.

"Kale Prometheus " she called.

"I volunteer," said Jason. "I'm Jason Prometheus."

Kale shot him a look that said Dude what are you playing at?

But he'll see. He'll see very soon.

District 6
Cobalt Fensworth's family depends on him. They were about as poor as dirt with not enough food to feed all seven kids in the family. Cobalt, being the oldest in his family, and at 13 the only one old enough to be in the reaping had to take out tesserae for everyone.

His name was in the reaping ball 23 times in his second year. Seven from the year before, seven from that year, seven for the next year, and two because he had to.

May the odds be ever in your favor. What a joke.

Lina Mals is the daughter of District 6's mayor. In that case she always had enough to eat, and in most cases...TOO much.

Occasionally she would gather up some extra food and go around to some of the poor families around her neighborhood. She always had to be careful that she didn't come around when the Peacekeepers were patrolling then she wouldn't get caught. And usually, it worked great. The hungry families had something to eat.

Until last week. She had been doing the usual rounds when she noticed a small house that looked more like a shack in a side alley. She saw several very young children outside playing and decided to see if they wanted any food.

But when she got there she saw a boy she knew from school. He was a year younger than her. She came up to him and asked, "Does your family need any food?" She held up the basket filled with bread, cheese, and other food.

Instead of looking thankful the boy had an expression of anger on his face. "We can survive on our own! We don't need...charity!" He said the last word like it was a dirty word. The kids behind him, she guessed his siblings, looked surprised at the outburst.

"Fine," she said, tears beginning to sting her eyes. As she turned to leave, she was facing a Peacekeeper with a large gun.

"You're going to have to come with me," he said gravely.

He took her back to her house and had a talk with her father, the Mayor.

When he left her father took her into a room and said quietly, "That was the Head Peacekeeper, Sullivan. I'm sorry Lina, but I can't let you take around spare food again."

"Lina Mals."

There's a collective groan from everyone in the crowd. Everyone in District 6 loved Lina for her kind heart and willing to give to the poor people of the district. There was also the fact she had never had any training at all and would most likely die in the bloodbath.

Her mind is whirling with thoughts. Her father had told her that in the occasion of gtting reaped she should run away and hide somewhere.

While still thinking about the advice a boy joins her on the stage.

Cobalt knew this day would come but he never suspected it would be so early. He knew one day he would go to the Hunger Games.

But he had never suspected it would be with the mayor's daughter. Just last week she had come to his house and asked if he needed food. It was so unexpected and he hated the pity in her voice, so he'd yelled at her and caught the attention of a Peacekeeper.

The next day, his friend Cement's mom had remarked that the mayor's daughter hadn't come around with food like usual. Cobalt had looked away guiltily and then forgotten about it. But now it looked like no matter how hard he tried, he could never forget again.