District 10 Reaping

Addison Matton (18) D10F:

Addison didn't sleep a minute the night before the reaping. She was too nervous. Her name isn't in there a lot, she's never taken tesserae, even with her big family. She has 5 younger siblings. They used to live with their parents but some stuff happened and they all moved in with their aunt Alyssa. Alyssa is only 28 but she's years beyond that in maturity. Not to say she doesn't know how to have fun, she just grew up a lot after adopting 5 kids.

Just as day began to break on the horizon of the district Addison decided to get ready for the reaping. She couldn't sit still any more. After getting ready she immediately left the house. She knew her friends would be up to. Everyone is nervous so even if they aren't up she would be able to wake them without much issue. Besides she's done this every year since they were 12. She sneaks to the back of Saffron and Sunset's one floor house and is about to knock on the window when it suddenly opens from the inside.

"We were wondering when you were gonna show up." Sunset said with a shy smile.

"Happy reaping day Sunset." Addison responded.

"Oh c'mon Addy, we've known each other our whole lives and you still don't know I'm Saffron." Sunset jokingly replied.

"That's not gonna work this time Sunny." Addison retorted.

"Oh whatever fine. Spoil my fun." The girls giggle. "Come on in." Sunset open the window wider to allow enough room for Addison to get in the house. "Be quiet Saff is still sleeping." They creep past the sleeping twin and make their way to the kitchen.

"So how'd ya sleep?" Addy asked Sunset.

"About as good as you I suppose."

"Yeah." A knock on the front door interrupted their conversation.

"Who is that and why are they being so loud this early?" Sunset groaned in annoyance. She walked over to the door and opened it to see a tall attractive boy. "Oh it's you." Sunset said.

"Yeah it's me." It was Tim, Addison's boyfriend of the last few years. "Hey Addy. I went to your house but you were already gone so I decided to check here. Looks like that was a good idea." Tim looked relieved to see Addison, probably because he knew she didn't throw herself off a bridge because of her nerves. Tim and Addison locked eyes are just stared at each other.

"Should I give you too the room?" Sunset asked? Her interruption broke their trance and she quickly looked at the clock. "Dammit we're gonna be late if she doesn't get her ass out of bed. Saff! GET UP!" Sunset shouted as she left the room. You could hear mumbled protests from Saffron in the other room. In the meantime Tim spent his time comforting Addison and trying to get her to calm down. On their way to the reaping Addison was more calm. When they separated into their different age gender areas Addison got anxious again. So she tried to get her mind off of her impending doom.

"Hey Sunny, where was your dad this morning. I just realized he wasn't there."

"Oh you mean the crotchety peacekeeper, he's been here since late last night setting everything up." They continued the small talk until they were hushed by the escort's arrival.

"As always ladies first." The escort announced. "Addison Matton! Where are you my dear?" Addison didn't move. She just stared off into the distance. "Umm sir would you be so kind as to assist her onto the stage?" The escort asked a nearby peacekeeper. A man in white came up to Addison to escort her. It took Addison a few seconds to realize that the man was Sunset and Saffron's father, and that the girls were screaming protests at their father from her side. She knew as well as they did that there was nothing he could do. He brought her to the stage and she waited patiently as the male tribute was reaped. Then she was swept into the Justice Building.

Her aunt came in with her 5 sobbing siblings. She had shut down. She only answered questions and was very short with responses. She acted the same when Sunset and Saffron came in to see her. It was only when Tim arrived that she finally came back to herself.

"Tim!" She threw herself into his arms before he even had a chance to enter the room. "Tim what do I do? What am I supposed to do!?" She began to violently sob. Little did she know that Tim was very much like she was just a few moments earlier.

"I don't know." That was all he could say.

"Tim, you said I wasn't going to be picked. It couldn't have actually happened!" She was in hysterics.

"You just have to do it. You have to win." He looked like he was coming back to himself. "Win and when you get back we will be married."

"What? But we're not even engaged."

"We we're going to be. I got this for you, and I was going to give it to you on your birthday." He pulled out a box with a small ring in it. "I was gonna give it to you when you turned 19 and you were free from the games forever. Now will have to do."

"Tim, I-"

"Don't say anything but yes. If you say yes I know you'll try to come home to me. Me and Sunny and Saff and you aunt. Everyone."

"Tim-"

"Just say yes. Please?" He has tears in his eyes.

"Yes." The peacekeepers came in to take Tim out of the room. It was time for her to go.

"Addy, I love you."

"I love you too." Before she could finish they had already closed the door. With that her nerves were gone. She is going to get married, no matter what.

Aries Browning (14) D10B:

"Hey dumb-ass wake up." That was the first thing Aries Browning heard on the day of the reaping. Well actually he hears that every morning. He likes to sleep late and Crowe is up as early as possible. Most days she can't get him up, but today is different. He sits up in his bed, since he's only 4'11 he is still short enough to not bang his head on the bunk bed on top of his, where Crowe normally sleeps.

"Good morning my dear." He says sarcastically. "And what brings you to my humble abode?"

"I'm here to do what I do every year. I'm going to make you go and see your siblings before the reaping." Every year was the same story. Aries is very good at avoiding things he doesn't want to deal with, his family is no exception. It's quite impressive considering they all live in children's home for orphans, so they aren't very far apart to begin with. Even so he can go weeks without having to interact with a single member of his family and that is how he liked it. They don't understand him. Ever since their parents died, his mother from a disease and his father in a work accident, no one gets how he feels.

Other than Crowe of course. Crowe kept him from getting his ass handed to him by a bunch of peacekeepers for stealing some meat from the butcher. She was awesome to put it lightly. She didn't care what anyone said or did as long as it all seemed justified in her mind and apparently kicking a kids ass for stealing isn't

So on reaping day every year Crowe makes him go and see his siblings. He's got three. His older brother Stag. He's 17 and prime caretaker of his other two siblings, Peregrine and Lark. Peregrine is wise beyond her years but she's only 12 so it's not saying much. Lark has a disease of some kind no one really knows whats wrong with him.

"Hey have you seen my leather bracelet, I lost it last week and I can't seem to find it." Crowe asked on their way to see his siblings.

"No you probably dropped it behind your bed again."

"No I checked there twice and still couldn't find it. Well whatever." They entered the room that held his siblings in it. He moved out of there as quickly as he could. Stag looks at him and then continues what he was doing without even a hello. They're relationship became estranged after Aries moved out of the room. Stag felt that he was abandoning them, which to be honest he was.

Peregrine on the other hand looked at least somewhat happy to see him.

"Hi Aries. Hi Crowe."She chirped but not as cheerful as normal. Today was her first reaping so she was nervous and rightfully so.

"Hi sweety." Crowed chirped in response. Crowe always had a special place in her heart for Peregrine. They began to chat which was Crowe's sign for Aries to talk to Stag.

"So, how's things?" Aries asked.

"Like you actually care." Stag retorted.

"Are you ever gonna get past this?"

"Are you ever going to move back in."

"No."

"Then no." Aries sighed.

"How's Lark?" Aries asked. A long pause. "How is Lark?" He asked more forcefully.

"Fine. Well not fine obviously, but fine for Lark."

"Where is he? I wanted to see him before the reaping."

"His escort already came to get him." Lark has to go with an escort because of his condition. This year is particularly rough because all of us are in the reaping now. "He didn't want to go because he is used to going with Peregrine but now she needs to go into the pit so he had to go by himself. Needless to say he wasn't very happy."

"Was it the nice lady from the clinic?"

"Yes. She told me she will stay with him until the reaping is over I can take him off her hands."

"That's good."

"Yeah. Now lets go we're gonna be late again if we don't get a move on." The four of them made their way to the Justice Building. They each entered their respective areas and waited for the reaping to begin. The escort called up the female tribute and then continued with the male.

"Aries Browning!" Aries was shocked. He silently looked around the 17-year-old male section and caught Stag's eyes. Aries was hoping for sympathy, perhaps enough to get him to volunteer but instead he just saw relief. Relief that he wasn't picked or that the trouble sibling would be gone? Either way he wouldn't know. When he reached the justice building not one of his siblings came to say goodbye. Not even Lark. He knew this was Stag's doing. He probably fed them some bullshit about how it would be easier if they didn't say goodbye but he knew that Stag just wanted him to feel alone. He knew his brother was angry but he never thought that he hated him. At least until now.

Crowe came into the room. The first thing she said was "Well this sucks."

"Tell me about it." He replied.

"No not you. Now I have to find a new bunk mate, and we both know how hard it is to get a good one of those." Aries chuckled.

"You know you can be a real bitch sometimes."

"I know, but at least I got you to laugh." She smirked. The room suddenly became somber. "Hey. Promise me you'll prove me wrong okay. You're a weakling and you haven't got a shot but I want you to prove me wrong."

"Yeah ok. I'll kick some career ass for you." They sat in silence until the peacekeepers came in to take her away. They had one last hug and she left. Unsure of what to do with himself he put his hands in his pockets. It was then that he remembered something. He pulled his hand out of his pocket and in his palm was Crowe's leather bracelet.