District 1

Prince Zamble. Age: 15.

"You have to take your sister and get out of here. Stop standing there like a fool and GO!" I just look at him for a moment longer in stunned silence while our house is burning all around us. My sister is crying in the hallway as I pick her up and go looking for a way out of the house. I almost hold my breath and don't bother wasting it quite yet to tell her to stop screaming as I finally find a clear path. It's just in time. A beam falls behind us and flares up all the more. We reach the outside and I just start gasping for breath and trying to fill my lungs with something other than smoke. She's fighting against me to go back in and find Dad but I just keep clinging on to her. When more people come I insist the moisture on my face is just from the smoke burning. Not because deep in my heart I knew when I saw the house collapse that I'd just lost my father. Someone takes me by the shoulder and just slowly tries to pull me away.

"Come on, Prince…"

"Prince… Priiiince… PRINCE!"

I wish I could just ignore her, but there does not seem to be much beyond waking that will get Duchess to shut up. I open up one eye and just looked up at her. She grins back with her black hair tied up in pigtails. One of the older girls in the community home must have done it for her for the Reapings today. Things weren't always the greatest around here, but we still had each other and I had taken more than a few beatings on her behalf. "You have to get up and get ready. I wanna see who ends up volunteering this year."

Sometimes I wonder if she realizes what really goes on when we're all sitting around watching the television every year. That the kids in there aren't just knocked over like chess pieces and then pulled off the board before they get the chance to move on. Then the only reason I know about the game of Chess is from spending afternoons in Career classes trying to become one of the proud victors of District 1. Then I could move out of here and take Duchess with me. Probably even hire someone to give her lessons in all that girl stuff rather than hearing it from the whispers of the other girls. I stretch my arms out before sitting up and giving her a hug. Even though she died when I was young, I can't help but think how much she's starting to look like mother. Our matching hair though hers manages to fall in soft waves and mother's green eyes. She's going to end up being a heartbreaker some day. "You know Mistress Paige will be extremely displeased if she finds out you're in here."

"Well then hurry up!" She gets up and bounces back out of the room so I can get up and find my good clothes and run a comb through my hair. I know I'm not going to be the best looking one out there considering how generally wealthy we are as a District. They'll be in all their finery while I've got a jacket that is two sizes too big for me and passed down from one of the boys that left earlier in the year. I try not to take too long, fearing a reappearance from my sister and the consequences that might follow.

It's just another one of those long days that will soon be behind me so I can focus on becoming the Volunteer next year.

Sparkle Havers. Age: 17.

I close my eyes and just let the fingers go through my hair while it's been styled up by my friend Emmy. In another week I'm going to be standing with 23 others that are going to all be dead within the following weeks. I've been training for this day for as long as I can remember and now it's here. Fighting for the honor and glory of the Havers family and showing my father that even with three girls that we can still win something like the Hunger Games. And this is my year, I just know it.

"You know Sugar's going to want to volunteer too." She twirls a piece of hair around her finger and just slowly unwinds it so the curl falls against my shoulder.

"Sugar is just going to have to get over it then. If that involves a bloody nose then that's just the price she's going to have to pay for not waiting another year." She's only 16 and still has two more Reapings she can volunteer at, and, despite playing nice with each other in public, we're about as bitter of rivals as two people can be. Emmy just smiles knowingly. She's far from professional Tribute material. In truth she'd prefer to be a Stylist and probably going to be jealous that someone else is going to be working on my hair.

Pearl is all excited for it being her first Reaping she actually gets to be involved. She's wearing the same pale yellow dress I wore for mine even though mother pleaded to get her something new. It's her way of showing support for me and looks wonderful against her tanned skin. She looks slightly darker than myself from having more time to just play outside while I've been training.

"Come along girls. We don't want to be late." My mother just claps her hands and has all of us on our feet immediately. My father might think he's the one in charge, but we all know the truth. Ruby Havers is not a woman to be trifled with while we all file out of the room and into the car that takes us to the town square. Emmy occasionally fusses my hair just the slightest while we go along.

"Everything fine?"

"Yeah. Just get out there and get it done." She smiles though there's still the undercurrent of worry there. I get out and go to join the lines of others signing in before taking our positions in the roped off areas. Really, it's more rare that people don't volunteer that I don't understand why they bother with drawing names in the first place. Admittedly I don't know which of the boys might step up this year that I will unfortunately have to kill. All just a part of the games.

Odysseus Griffin stands up on the stage like he couldn't be more happy to be there in front of all of us with his unnaturally red hair and eyebrows fresh from the Capitol. In a way it makes it look like someone has already tried to bash his skull in and he's now working only on animatronics with that big grin. Though the lime green suit also looks more like something out of the stories dad used to tell to scare us before bed about elves that would come and steal all of our toys and lived under the bed. The last thing I want to think about is waking up and finding Odysseus under my bed…

It doesn't take long for the areas to fill up before the mayor starts going on about the Dark Days and everything else that brought us to the Hunger Games. Blah blah blah… Yeah yeah. Let's get on with this already.

Odysseus doesn't even have the paper unfolded from the girl's side when I hear "I VOLUNTEER!" from the row behind me. Everyone looks back to find the source of the voice except me. Sugar… And her distinct lack of manners.

I just charge out of the group, pretending it must have been me even though most of the group can probably tell the difference between the first and my declaration once I get to the center. "I volunteer as Tribute." They wave me forward as I just look back to see Sugar's stunned face. I give her a small smirk and just go forward. If she wanted to put on a show for the cameras she could, but it would also not look good for her next year. Good. Let her sit back and stew over trying to usurp me.

Prince Zamble

Impressive. That's the only word that comes to mind as the girl walks up to the stage looking confident and holding her head up as she introduces herself. Of course it's a little rude not to give someone the benefit of at least getting to go up and be on camera when their name is called. You can play at relief all you want even though you always knew that you wouldn't actually be going.

"And now for our lucky boy tribute." Odysseus digs his hand around in the bowl like he's almost waiting for a repeat performance from our side. He finally pulls out a piece of paper and gives us another one of those creepy grins. Please let there be someone else working District One next year… I'm not sure I could take putting up with him for the whole time. A little bit longer and I can go back to the home and hopefully get in a nap if Mistress Paige doesn't catch me.

"Prince Zamble!"

Shit… I make a show of smiling a little and just start walking up to the stage and almost waiting for someone to pop up before I get the chance to get up there. Apparently they at least have patience as I get all the way up before Odysseus asks for any volunteers.

Silence is all that greets me in return.

District 2

Copper Bulger. Age: 17.

I've been up since before the sun.

True, it's not all that unusual for me to already be out practicing with a knife on one of the training dummies in the backyard like they have at the school. My mother made it for me when I was 13, deciding it would be best if even some of the others in District 2 didn't know how good I was with the weapon. Over the years it's had to get restuffed and sewn up again which has left long scars of perfectly done stitches. In a way it was also good practice for my sister Silver who would probably be out before too long to yell at me over waking her up. Leave it to her to be working on wedding plans all night rather than getting a good sleep. This is the last chance I'm going to get to be out here practicing though. The beads on the ends of each of my braids clack together as I twirl around and slice in. I could feel the slight resistance of the material though it doesn't look injured in the least bit. A small poke though and the fabric is cut from one end to the other and the dummy is spilling it's sandy entrails on the ground.

"Coppy?" My father looks out from the backdoor with one of his usual unreadable expressions. It would be nice to know if he was proud of how far I've come or if he's thinking this will be one of the last times I ever see him.

No matter what, it will be the last time I'll be sleeping in this house. I come home a Victor, or I won't be coming home at all. "Yeah?"

"Breakfast. Your mother has also laid out clothes for you to wear to the Reaping today." For a moment I just look at him and wonder when it was he got to be so old. There's wrinkles in his forehead that I am sure weren't there yesterday and his whole stature just seems changed somehow. I nod to him and just take my knife and throw it at the dummy. It stick right where the heart should be and I leave it there. All the better for them to remember me by.

Breakfast is a quiet affair, much like it usual is in our house. Even Silver seems a little tense over the whole idea that I'm planning to leave but she also doesn't want to rock the boat. She's everything my parents could have wanted in their daughter: elegant, courteous, and quiet. I, on the other hand, am getting glared at by my mother while rushing through the food. Really I want to be done so I can get dressed and meet up with Flora before we're required to start lining up and putting on a good show for everyone. Instead of replying though I just smile and continue eating as quickly as possible.

District 2, I believe, is one of the better ones when it comes to having tributes who train most of their lives for the honor and glory that comes with the position. I can't recall how many times the cameras have zoomed in on someone in another district getting into heated arguments over who was going to be the Tribute. Here gym class is possible the most competitive of anything we have in school. If you can keep at the top of your class in there then no one is going to question your worthiness to be the one to volunteer. It also means I know exactly who the other person is who is planning to be my partner in the arena. Slightly younger, but some of these boys need a little extra time to come into their muscles and agility. Davasee is ready for this and one of the few I can actually stand. As long as he doesn't go and chicken out on me at the last minute.

Then I'm pretty sure he's probably thinking the same thing about me.

Julius Davasee. Age: 16.

The pride of District 2... I know it's a rather ambitious title but I can't help but smirk as my little brother decrees that's what I'm supposed to be. It could also just be the blood going to my head from hanging upside down on the obstacle course bar. Usually there would be enough kids trying to run it just to make the best time that I wouldn't be able to just relax like this and think. "I do believe you're right, Lucius."

"Of course I am. How dare you ever doubt me." He just mirrors my smirk before going back to practice his balance on one of the fulcrum boards. It sways back and forth as he tries to adjust his weight in the middle even though it's meant to be run across with out falling off. A few of the kids have also found you can sit on the ends and go up and down if the weights are close to equal. Lucius is still a little too young for the games but in a few years they better be watching out. Then some people say I'm just acting out and doing this from being the middle child. Apparently it's the only reason I would actually be considering this. A small flip and my feet are back on the ground while the dust raises around my landing spot.

"Clearly I am a fool… But I'll miss you." While most people would probably say that you shouldn't have a favorite among your siblings, Lucius has always been mine. Brutus, named after my likely Mentor, has always treated me like the kid that was just going to go off and play at fighting until I got bored of it and decided to perhaps become a Peacekeeper like him. The only time I want to be in the other Districts is for my Victory Tour and here he is planning to just go out there and slum it like some peasant. Lucius looks up to me though and doesn't think I'm just being foolish.

"And you'll bring me back something, right? Like an eyeball or something?"

Clearly what is gross to a fourteen year old is a lot different from what I consider gross. Besides, I'm fairly sure that eyeballs don't travel particularly well and would be more likely to chase off the rest of the members of my alliance. "I'll figure out something." I grab my bag and toss him an apple while he's still trying to balance, causing him to fall back against the bar trying to catch it. It takes restraint not to just flat out laugh at him on the ground. Somehow I manage it and just pull out another for myself. "Meanwhile, you need more practice. But home we should go to get dressed before your brother graces the people of the Capitol with his charming face."

He just sticks his tongue out at me, getting up and grabbing his apple. "Brutus isn't eligible any more, Jules."

"Oh ha ha ha."

I'd have to say we probably have the nicest District though the only one you ever really see on the television is thirteen. The constant reminder of what happens when people don't listen to the Capitol and just do what they're told to keep all of us safe. There aren't that many people that are truly hungry around here and we all live pretty normal lives that revolve around the Peacekeepers and our District specialty: Masonry. If I hadn't been working on becoming a Tribute all these years I probably would have become better and becoming a bricklayer or some other occupation to teach me "the meaning of hard work" as father would say. We're not exactly rich.

We're definitely not poor either.

Lucius and I don't bother waiting for the others in the house to get ready and just head down to the square. Copper just looks over at me from the girl's section and we have a small silent conversation. She's probably the only girl I know who might be able to beat me at arm wrestling and I can only imagine what Tippi is going to say being stuck with the two of us for the next week. People from the Capitol seem to expect you to have manners and not do things like leave your elbows on the table or pick your teeth. We're more likely to do it on purpose just to see how long it takes to actually throw her over the edge. At least she doesn't look horrible this year. Compared to last year's orange disaster, this year Tippi has decided to go with silver with glitter all over her that would probably be better appreciated over in District 1. I guess she's trying to blend in with the stone work around here, but shining off glittery rainbows isn't the way to do it. Brutus and Lyme are up on the stage already and seem to be comparing notes. I guess Enobaria decided to take the year off. If the stories of her biting the female Tribute last year who dared to talk back are true, then it's is probably all for the best.

We go through the motions of allowing Tippi to draw out names and bring the kids forward to be introduced that I don't even bother to listen for names. They're not going anywhere except back home. The 12 and 13 year olds are usually the ones that will break down in tears at the thought that someone "saved" them. After a few years your realize that it's never the kid who is drawn. When they tell us to shake hands, it's almost as though Copper and I are just standing there trying to see who can make the other yelp out in pain as we squeeze.

It's a shame she has to die.

A/N: And there you have our first four tributes. If you're enjoying it, leave a comment. If you're not, leave a comment. And if you just want to... Leave a comment. :)