Sugar Maple (7)
"Do you think you'll get picked to go to the games?" I ask my friend, Kyla Tyler, as we wait for the reaping to start.
"Of course not!" then she brings her voice down to a whisper. "My dad fixed the reaping so that I won't get picked. I don't know who is going to the games, but it's not going to be me!"
I'm not surprised that Kyla's dad, the mayor, would go to the trouble to take her name out of the reaping. I wish I was the mayor's daughter!
Our past victors walk onto the stage and sit in 4 of the 5 empty chairs. The last one is for the mayor, who is standing to help our mentor up onto the stage. Our mentor's name is Drizzle. She doesn't have a last name. It's just Drizzle. I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to have a last name, but apparently it is the cool thing to do in the capitol these days.
I shouldn't be talking though. My name is weird also. My mom says that my name is Sugar because it fits with my last name and my dad's favorite tree was a Sugar Maple.
Drizzle reads off the speech like every year until she calls out "LADIES FIRST!" Her voice is still ringing in my ears when she calls out the name, so I don't hear it all that well. I look over to Kyla who is staring at me with sad and scared eyes. Then I hear Drizzle repeat "Sugar Maple!"
I walk up slowly to the steps and stand on the stage. "I-I'm Sugar Maple." I try to say confidently, but it comes out as scared. I try not to cry but a tear runs down my cheek when I look over to my crying mom.
"Wonderful! Any Volunteers? No? Okay then! Sugar Maple is going to the Hunger Games!"
James Tyler (7)
I see Sugar Maple walk up to the stage and I feel bad for her. She is in my grade and she only had one year left after this one to not get picked for the games. It would be horrible to get picked for the games.
I never have a chance of getting in the games because my dad always rigs the reapings so that his kids don't get picked. I don't like the idea of cheating like that, but hey! If it's going to keep me from dying then I don't really care if he's being truthful or not.
Then Drizzle walks up to the boy's bowl. "The boy tribute is… James Tyler!" At first I think she is joking or that I didn't hear her right, but she is dead serious. She called my name. I look over to my dad for support and he starts to get up to protest, but then thinks better of it and sits back down.
I decide that I don't really have a choice, so I walk up to the stage and stand next to Sugar Maple. She looks at me in a confused way. Maybe Kyla told her about my dad cheating. She never could keep a secret.
Nashota Winkle (8)
Waking up the day of the games is always hard. I don't know what it's like for other families, but my family doesn't talk at all. We all wake up on our own: Me, my mom, and my dad. Then we get breakfast separately without talking.
I think we don't talk because we don't want to get my dad worked up. Last year he almost punched a peacekeeper. My parents don't talk about the games much, so I don't really know how they work. I don't hear about the games at school because I'm homeschooled. Of course I see them on TV but they seem so unreal. Kind of like they are staged.
I finish my cereal and yell "I'm leaving!" to my parents. I don't hear a response, so I walk out the door into the square.
Our mentor is actually normal looking except for her bright neon yellow hair. There is a rumor that she isn't actually from the capitol, but I don't believe that they would have to pull someone from district 1 to mentor us. No one cares about district 8. District 12 always feels so sorry for themselves that they actually draw more attention to themselves then they mean to.
Our mentor pulls a name out of one of the bowls and reads it off slowly.
"Nashota Winkle!" I almost say 'present' until I realize why she said my name.
I walk up to the stage and stand in the middle uncertainly. Well I guess I'll learn how the games work now!
Thomas Suncrafter (8)
Who's Nashota Winkle? I think when I see her walk up to the stage. I've never seen her before. District 8 isn't that big, so she must be homeschooled. She walked up from the 15 year olds and she looked kind of confused like she didn't know what was going on.
I'm 18, and that means that this is my last year to have a chance to get picked. I've never liked the idea of the games, but I don't really have a choice, now do I? I think I would do okay in the games. I'm strong and I can work well in hand to hand combat. I've never tried any other weapon, but I could probably do some damage with a knife.
Highlighter head walks over to the guy's bowl now. She digs around for a moment and then picks out one from the bottom.
"Thomas Suncrafter!"
Oh no! Not me! I thought I could do this earlier, but not now that I have to! Well I was pretty confident earlier. Maybe I can do this!
I dash up to the stage with confidence and shake hands with Nashota, but I wonder if this will be the last time that I will see district 8.
Tess Harlow (9)
Whoooshh! The knife hits the target smack dab in the center.
"Yes! Perfect!" I yell excitedly to my dad. He is standing close by looking unimpressed.
"Well you could have had a better throwing stance." He says. "What if that target was moving? Could you have still hit it?"
"Of course! Watch!" I turn around and stalk out of the gym to find a moving target. I see a robin building a nest in the tree two hundred feet away from me. I anticipate its take off and throw a knife right when it lifts off into the sky. I run over and grab the dead bird and bring it to my dad.
"See? Told you I could do it!" He looks at me for a moment and then breaks into a smile.
"I know! I just wanted to test you! You'll do great!" We hug and then jog to the square for the reaping. I have been training practically all of my life and I know I am ready to win this game. It would be nice to have some more money for me and my dad.
My dad told me the story of when he was in the games. He was in the 70th hunger games when he was 15. He fought the other tributes with no training and he still won. That's how I know I'm going to win. It's in my blood.
We get to the square and I stand in the 16 year old area. My dad sits in his chair on stage. When our mentor calls out the girl name I look up at my dad on stage and he smiles and nods. I take a deep breath and yell "I Volunteer!" I sprint up to the stage and smile into the camera. I know my dad will be proud of me when I win.
A few second later the capitol lady is calling out the boy's name.
"The boy tribute is…Sam Crocker!" I'm not really paying attention to the boy tribute but when he gets onto the stage he hugs me.
"What are you doing?" I whisper frantically.
"Thank you." He says with tears in his eyes.
Sam Crocker (9)
"You guys look amazing!" My mom is carrying on about how good Sara and I look in our reaping clothes. She did this last year as well to hide the fact that we could get picked for the games. Sara is my 13 year old twin sister. I don't know why but my parents never told us who is older.
My mom takes a few pictures and then sends us out to the reaping. She says that she has to finish getting ready. Sara and I walk into the 13 year old section and wait for the reaping to end.
Our mom always makes apple pie after the reaping for celebration and we can't wait! The capitol person is pulling out of the girl's bowl now and she calls out the name:
"Sara Crocker!" I freeze and turn around to look at Sara. She is a deer in headlights. I look at my mom and see that she is crying. I wish I could volunteer! Sara starts to walk to the stage until someone calls out "I Volunteer!"
I am so relieved when Tess Harlow is on the stage instead of Sara. Sara runs up to me and hugs me. We are both crying happy tears. Then we let go of each other and Sara goes back to the girl's area.
"The boy tribute is… Sam Crocker!" I look over at my mom who is now on her knees crying. My dad is trying to comfort her but he is crying as well.
I walk up to the stage and stand next to Tess. Suddenly I remember what she did for Sara and I hug her.
"What are you doing?"
"Thank you." I try not to cry.