[[The order for this one is a bit different- girl first then boy, but you'll find out why when you read. Also I decided to post it sooner than a week to make up for the fact that I haven't posted in over a year. I don't know if that really makes up for it but eh]]

District 2

Girl- Cardamon

My favorite time of the year isn't like most people's. Not when the first leaves fall to the ground and the world is a mix of yellows and reds, nope. Not when you breathe in your fresh breath of cold winter air, nope. It's when the Hunger Games are in full force, the whole Capitol is cheering and at home the televisions are on with breathe held while sticky red blood oozing on the screens

The Reaping is the first stage of course, but this year it will be even more special. I'm volunteering. Yes, finally after 8 years of waiting and training. At last I get to get into the thick of things and perform my favorite sport. Killing.

I wake up to a bright sun in my eyes; it's too bright for this nonsense. I close the curtains and get my beautiful yellow sun dress that I laid out the previous day. I made sure to put in a way so that it wouldn't wrinkle. We couldn't have that now.

I slip on my sandals and head downstairs, Mother and my brother Titanines are there sitting on the couch. They are probably here to walk me out; it is quite a big day for me after all. But they are both silent and turned away from me. I ignore it though, "Good morning Mother, Titan" I say sitting down next to them, "No breakfast for me today, I think I'll save myself for the delicious Capitol food on the train now,"

Titanines looks at my mother, "I think I should tell her, now instead of having her be so shocked later on," She nods and he takes a breath and looks at me with this cocky smile which I realize now he was trying to hide before.

"I'm volunteering for the games too Sis, won't it be great?" he says, his cocky smile too cheeky to be charming and his head too fat and muscled to be appealing.

All I can do is glare because quite simply I'm stunned speechless. Is he stupid? Does he know I'll have to kill him to win? He realizes that right?

It doesn't seem to pass through his mind as he places an arm around my shoulders and puts his head next to mine, his blonde and tan skin against my more fair skin and dark hair. "Imagine it Sis. Brother and sister ripping through the arena killing everything they see. No other careers needed, just us. And then if we both make it through, I got your back Sis, we face to together whatever mutts the Gamemakers think they can throw at us. Think about it"

I did think about it and it seemed pretty good. I know Titanines wasn't as clever or quick as I was, so when it was time for just the mutts I would clearly win. I mean I wouldn't kill him myself. The capitol would hate me and going on tour after would be a mess. Plus I liked Titanines a little. He is blood after all.

"Alright then Titan- we can volunteer together"

We just waved goodbye to Mother on the way out since we would properly say goodbye later before we got onto the train and walked over to the center of town where the ceremonies would start. Titanines went on about our strategies for the game- the bloodbath, taking out the careers, staking out the weaker tributes, etc…
After we got our finger pricked Titanines stopped talking though and looked at me, "Hey Sis," he said actually having a straight face for once in his life.

"What Titan?" he seemed pretty serious.

"I just- Thanks for being all on board with this. Winning the Games means a lot to me"

But before I can get another word out he has turned away and went into the 17-year-olds sector. I shrug; maybe he's finally appreciated what a good sister I've been for the last 15 years. I walk into my sector and grab a seat near in the middle; all the front seats have been taken because Titianines and I were fooling around a little bit on the way here, kicking stray dogs and stuff- normal teenager things.

But I hold my breath as the ceremony begins with a word from our fabulous escort Avireliacia Moreileia. It's the same old though, just wishing us a happy Hunger Games and such. And then, oh, the short documentary starts on the history of the Hunger Games. I have the words memorized.

But then the picking of the tributes starts.

First they scare the poor souls who are actually picked form that showy glass ball- just some nobodies that I can't even name. Followed by the volunteers. See I think that every district should just have volunteers- it really shows who's worthy of fighting and who really has the guts to kill.

Everything goes smoothly with my volunteering, as it should - I waltz over there saying, "I volunteer as tribute". It was a cake walk.

But when Avireliacia asks for male volunteers in her sassy sweet Capitol accent no one jumped up. Why hasn't Titianines gotten up yet? But I see there's something happening in the 17-year-old's sector. There's a boy actually smaller than Titianines speaking to him. Then there's a shove, another shove, and the other boy gets a punch in, but just before Titanines can do anything two Peacekeepers come over and grab them both and turn to walk out. But before they start leaving the main isle Titianines and the other boy mange to spit out (maybe with some blood), "I volunteer!".

Avireliacia does a sort of acted gasp thing and says, "Well we're just going to see who'll volunteer the good ole fashioned way aren't we. To prove who really is the stronger of the two let's have an arm wrestle- right up here now boys,"

Titanines shoves off the Peacekeeper and makes his way up to the stage where they have two chairs and a table put down. "Now boys, please be fair, keep your elbows on the table and bottoms in the chairs. Grasp each other's hand now- don't break it we need though fingers in the Games please- and… Go!"

Nevertheless I can see this is a losing battle for Titianines, while he is taller and still more fit than your average teenager, this other boy was compact and I could see his arm muscles popping through his white button down.

There was a clunk and it was all over, the other boy had won.

"What was your name now dear?" asked Avireliacia.

The boy smiled and it wasn't nice or even cocky like Titanines'. It was cruel, seeming to show a long thing scar on his cheek and all of his teeth in it, which I was surprised, weren't sharpened.

"Mal. Mal Falcon. Happy 64th Hunger Games everyone"

He was a dead man.

Boy- Mal

6 years ago my brother, Marcus, tried out for the Hunger Games and won. After that everything has been so much clearer to me. Since the Capitol didn't want him to be a mentor yet, they said they wanted him to advertise- whatever that means- he stayed home during the day and helped me train. He was also friends with other mentors and victors so he knew all the good strategies and training regimens.

"You'll be prepared for anything" he said, "If there was one thing I regret, it was going in too early. The prime time for volunteering is 17, see I went in at 15 and I just barely scrapped through. But I know you'll make it."

You see you can' just randomly decide to volunteer or just out of the blue tell everyone you're in the Hunger Games. There's more politics than that. There's only three real ways you can volunteer in this district. One is your family has enough power to bully other possible volunteers into not trying (check). Two is you're hooked up with victors who can badmouth other possible volunteers (check) because you're not going to want to live on the same street as multiple famous trained killers if they hate you. And three is you've got to be bigger, stronger, and smarter than everyone else in your class (check).

See I'm not really that tall for my district -only 5'11"-but my brother realized that and concentrated on strength training. I'm thick, I can lift anything or throw anything.

This all prepared me for being able to win my Hunger Games, the 64th Hunger Games.

I put on a slightly tighter button up- so I would look bigger and more intimidating- and some kakis. Nothing too showy, the Stylists would make me look good for the chariot ride and the interview.

I ate breakfast in a quiet house. Everyone slept late and would arrive later. It was the one of the only times that my father would be able to sleep late because he owns most of the factories in the district and they all had to be shut down for Reaping day. Marcus however was still working, overtime actually because many capitol people would be here today. With it being so close to the Capitol and us having so many victors, District 2 was a popular place to watch the reaping.

As I went out the door I bumped into Marcus who was hurriedly buttoning up his shirt with his tie undone around his neck, "Mal, Hey! I rushed over here as soon as I could! Sorry I was late, the meeting with the people from the Capitol went a little longer than expected" He started tying his tie, not looking at me.

"That's fine, I was just heading to the center of town now, it's time for everyone to get into place" I said watching him, he had some red spots on his neck but he quickly flipped his collar up to adjust his tie.

"Yeah, come on, I'll walk you on over, it'll be like old times," he ruffled my hair still not looking me in the eye. Marcus did that a lot lately, talking to you but never even making any sort of eye contact. He didn't used to but I figured we might be drifting more apart. I tried to ask him what kind of advertising he got into with the Capitol but he never really said. It just made me more determined to win the Games so we could connect.

We get to the square and Marcus ruffles my hair again. "Hey bud," he always called me that, "You know you don't have to really volunteer out for these games right?"

I looked at him. He was actually looking me in the eye, "You aren't scared that I might not win are you? Of course I'll win, especially with all that training you gave me,"

But the moment was lost he looked down, "I know bud, I know you'll win. Good luck I'm sure you'll have no trouble volunteering"

I get my finger pricked and go to sit down among the other tributes in my sector. The front row is practically empty except for some blonde guy sitting there. My father must have made such harsh threats to the families of the other kids my age that they were too scared to even sit in the front.

But the ceremony started. With the capitol escort speaking, "Hello there everyone, I know what you expect me to say, 'Happy Hunger Games' or something of that sort. But I won't say it… whoops there you go, totally did that by accident!"

Then the documentary started with the same old movie. Why can't they just pick tributes already, it was so tedious.

But finally the escort picks the tributes names. There's no big show about it- everyone knows that this district always has volunteers.

Then the girl volunteers, Cardamon Adamora or something. No real competition there, just some nobody getting in while all the other girls were training, but still she probably was more lethal than just some other random tribute.

At that moment I hear the words, "Any volunteers for the boys, I'm sure there are none…"

I stand up and open my mouth- sure that I am the only one to volunteer but out the corner of my eye I see the blonde boy stand up too. Is he stupid? Maybe he forgot that I was supposed to be the tribute.

"Hey" I whisper-shout, luckily before he has said anything. I walk over there "Didn't you forget that I'm going to be the tribute for these Games?"

He's got this cocky smile on and says back, "Oh yes, like I haven't got the letters from your rich father saying he'll ruin anyone who'll volunteer. Maybe you should have him send letters to the other tributes and they'll be too scared to attack you!"He stands up right up to me, invading my personal space, "There's one problem though, I've got nothing to lose".

That does it and I shove him. Of course he shoves he back but I braced myself and I punch him, right in the jaw to wipe that smile off his face. When his had comes up to punch me back it's caught by a Peacekeeper and we're both being pulled out of the roped off area and into the main isle.

"I volunteer!" I shout but I realize the blonde boy has spitted it out, spraying blood, I think he might have bit his tongue when I socked him.

The escort allows it despite out little tiff and says, "Well we're just going to see who'll volunteer the good ole fashioned way aren't we. To prove who really is the stronger of the two let's have an arm wrestle- right up here now boys".

I fine with that despite the fact that I deserved to be the volunteer and I am roughly shoved into a seat across from this boy. His lips are a bit red from his split tongue. I grasp his hand and vaguely hear the escort speaking in the background. Blood is pounding in my ears and I start flexing my arm a bit to scare him. It's easy though and I shove his arm down in a matter of seconds.

The seats and table are taken away and I stand up next to the escort, she asks for my name, I feel confident after winning so easily and I say with a smile, "Mal. Mal Falcon. Happy 64th Hunger Games everyone"

I stand next to the other volunteer and I see her eyeing me so I smile. Her eyes are like knives though and she glares are me with a fiery passion. I don't think I've ever met her before, but I can see I'm off to a great start.