"Find out what you're afraid of and go live there." - Chuck Palahniuk

District 5 Reapings: Ambrose Maximillion (17) and Skyla Lapointe (15)

Cera Maximillion knocks on her son's door. She opens it just enough to stick her head inside his room.

"Ambrose, I ironed your suit. Where shall I put it?"

Ambrose, from his position in front of the mirror, waves his hand toward his bed.

Cera drapes the boy's suit across his comforter. She straightens up.

"I-" she starts.

"Yes, thank you," Ambrose cuts her off. "You can leave now."

As far as Ambrose is concerned, he is much smarter than his mother. Therefore, he doesn't find it fitting to waste his time listening to her words.

Cera looks at her son for a moment, then bows her head and leaves his room.

Ambrose may be a prodigy, but he is also an incredibly bothersome person to be around. He acts entitled, despite not being from a well-off family. He disrespects anyone who doesn't at least threaten to challenge his wit (and being as smart as he is, he scorns just about everyone). He even sleeps with one of his many skillfully constructed self-portraits above his bed, just because he loves looking at himself when he wakes up.

A woman's sobs echo through the house. Ambrose knows the cries belong to his mother.

She always cries on reaping day. This is because Ambrose's sister was reaped three years ago. She died on the first day of the Games.

Ambrose's sister was quiet and sheepish and (as he likes to describe her) pathetic. Ambrose believes she played the Games so atrociously, she deserved to die. If he were reaped instead of her, he is sure he would have won over the capital with his charm and good looks and then gone on to outsmart all the other tributes.

The seventeen-year-old narcissist slips on his suit and admires himself in the mirror. He adds more gel to his hair, making sure his dark bangs are slicked back to his liking.

Skyla Lapointe lowers her hands. She keeps her foot on Tix's chest, making sure the boy can't get up.

"That the best you got?" Skyla asks.

"No," Tix lies. He knows he can't beat the girl. Though, being a sixteen-year-old boy, he makes sure not to admit this. "I just didn't want to hurt you."

Skyla smiles. A smile is not an expression many are used to seeing on the girl. Her customary expression is rather cold and blank (the girl hardly ever expresses any emotions).

Tix is one of a select few that can make Skyla smile. Although even he has never seen her cry. Tix figures, Skyla is more likely to spontaneously combust than to cry.

Skyla offers Tix a hand, helping him to his feet.

"But you are getting pretty good," Tix admits.

"Thanks to you," Skyla says. It is because of Tix that she even knows what the martial arts are. She would have never gotten as good as she currently is without him.

Tix, being from one of the richest families in District 5, has a wondrous library in his house. Skyla has already read every single book in his library. One of her favorite books was on martial arts. Skyla read it once, then took to practicing kung-fu, karate and tai-quon-do. And in a couple of hours, she was completely proficient in the martial arts.

And she is such a fast learner not because she is incredibly athletic, but because she has an IQ of 152. Anything Skyla wants to be an expert at, she quickly will become an expert at.

Skyla considers her practice of the martial arts a test of strategy, of flexibility, of dexterity. She doesn't much enjoy fighting, but she does enjoy competition.

"I guess I'll see you at the reapings, then," Skyla says, already turning her back on Tix.

"Wait! You don't want to kill some time and then walk over together?"

"I have to get dressed," she says. She can't wear her fraying jeans to the reapings.

"Oh right. I do too."

Skyla squints her eyes. "How do you forget you have to get dressed?"

Skyla sometimes doesn't understand how others' minds aren't always quite as sharp as hers. Although, Tix's mind is usually pretty on point. It is only fairly recently he has started to get a little absent minded around Skyla. This change in mind comes from a change in heart.

Tix has developed a crush on the girl with the IQ of 152.

But this, he keeps a secret. Besides, he has the rest of his life to tell her.

To say that Skyla Lapointe does not feel emotions (just because she doesn't show them) would be erroneous. When Skyla is reaped a multitude of true feelings swim through her. She is angry, frustrated, and most markedly, scared.

But Skyla simply walks to stage, her expression blank.

Almost everything about Skyla's appearance is light. She is tall and slim. Her skin is pale and spotless. Her eyes are a light and delicate grey. Her eyebrows, however, are the exception. They are dark. The tribute's mentor thinks her eyebrows make her look fierce and almost feline.

As soon as Skyla learns there are no volunteers for her (a fact that doesn't surprise her in the slightest) she starts strategizing. There is no easy way out of the Games. She is going to have to deeply utilize her brilliant mind.

"And our male tribute will be…" District 5's escort, Tatiana Gold, grabs the name at the very top of the bowl of boys' names. "Ambrose Maximillion,"

Ambrose emerges from the section for seventeen-year-olds. He walks with his chin up and his arms crossed in front of his chest. Once he reaches the stage, he approaches Tatiana.

"May I say a few words?" Ambrose asks.

Before Tatiana has a chance to respond, he grabs the microphone.

"Don't expect for those Neanderthals to be able to kill me," he announces. "I shall win!"

There are a couple confused claps and one whistle. Ambrose just grins, handing the microphone back to Tatiana.

The mentor and Skyla meet eyes.

"He seems nice," Skyla mumbles softly, her face blank, her words coated with sarcasm.

The mentor tries desperately not to smile. He doesn't like to watch tributes he likes die.

District 6's reapings will be up in the next 3-4 days.