Hi! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and is reading this! Here are the District 2 Reapings!

Special thanks to hollowman96 for Shanice (best, most detailed SYOT form ever) and Mads515 for Aiden.

Shanice Winkerson (16)

I wake up alone for once.

My "boyfriend" Brad isn't here to demand things from me and then leave. I'm grateful for the solitude, because it gives me more time to prepare for the reapings.

I slowly climb out of bed for what could be the last time, although I doubt it. My mouth starts to water as I look at the dark red color that occupies my comforter and sheets.

I see the blood pouring out of the boy's nose. I see the blood covering the boy who I killed four years ago. I can't get it out of my mind.

No, I tell myself. You can't think about that. You can't let be that weak. You can't lose yourself to those thoughts again.

Shaking, I pull on my reaping outfit – a sky-blue dress with cap sleeves and made with beautiful sheer material – the opposite of the dark red that both haunts my nightmares and makes my best dreams. I hastily do my hair into my signature two pigtails and tie a ribbon around each one. The ribbon is the exact same color as my dress. Then I put on my shoes – sky-blue flats with bows on the end.

I take a deep breath and look at myself in the mirror.

I am calm. I am prepared. I am strong, not weak.

I slowly open the door and head downstairs. I'm expecting my sister, Chay (short for Chayonna) to be the only one at the table because my parents are both wealthy Peacekeepers who are stationed at the reaping today. But Chay is not alone.

Brad Hammox is sitting beside her.

I can't help it. I let out a small growl. Chay rolls her eyes so only I can see. This calms me down a bit, and with stiff, jerky movements, I sit down in my chair and start eating my breakfast. I don't talk.

"So, Shanice," Brad says. "I'm looking forward to tonight." I can't help but look up at him, and he winks seductively. I wince. He shouldn't be doing this in front of Chay.

"I won't be here tonight," I manage to say through my teeth. "I'll be at the Capitol."

"Oh yes, the Capitol," he says slowly. "You're volunteering today."

"I have to," I reply. It's part of my famous family's code of law, basically. Everyone volunteers when they're sixteen, and good luck to you. I'm prepared though. My father privately trains me eight hours a day, five days a week, so I know I can win. I just don't want to be forced to volunteer.

I'm finished with my breakfast; I tried to eat quickly so I could get away from Brad. I get out of my chair and say, "I'm going early to the reapings so I can get a good spot. Chay, do you want to come with me?"

Chay nods eagerly and scoots her chair back. She gets up and practically runs to my side.

"Well, I'll come too," adds Brad. "After all, I want to get the full experience of my last reaping." He joins us by the door. I roll my eyes to his back.

"Let's get going, then," I say through gritted teeth.

"Okay," says Brad, who is just standing there.

I cross my arms and start tapping my foot. I give Brad the most evil grin that I can muster. "Um, excuse me?"

"Oh, yes, the door," Brad says quickly, and pulls it open. I walk through.

I expect to have doors opened for me everywhere I go. After all, I am the closest thing to a princess that you'll find in District Two.

Aiden Stonem (18)

I'm going to be late. I can't be late! Not on one of the most important days of my life!

I have to sprint all the way to the town square for the reapings because I overslept. My alarm clock died, of course, and now I'm going to be late. No one was home at my house to wake me up because my mom is a Peacekeeper in District Six and I haven't seen her in three years, my dad went early to the reapings because he wanted to get a good spot to watch me volunteer, and my sister, Eura, slept over at a friend's house last night and decided to go to the reapings straight from there. All of these events left me alone in my house, about to be late for the reapings.

Gosh, it is hard to run in a white button-down and black dress pants. It feels like my red tie is choking me.

After full-on sprinting for ten or so minutes, I arrive, sweating, at the reaping. I quickly get blood taken by my finger and jog to the eighteen-year-old male section.

I was just in time, too. The escort is just starting to walk up to the stage.

The escort is Monarch. She's wearing an outfit to match her name, too – her gold dress literally has wings and she's wearing a headpiece with sparking gold antennas that bob up and down whenever she takes a step. I roll my eyes and stop paying attention.

I look over to the seventeen-year-old female section, where I find my best and only real friend, Cassie, looking at me. Cassie has been my next-door-neighbor for all of my life and she and I are very close. I don't feel anything for her romantically; I don't really believe in love and stuff like that. But Cassie is the one person that I can trust and I tell her everything.

"Late," she mouths to me, and she shakes her head, smiling. I shrug.

Cassie used to train at the academy with me, but she got fatally injured a couple years ago and stopped. That was one of the scariest times in my life. I don't get scared often.

Finally, Monarch is done with her silly little speech and it's time for the actual reapings. I find myself taking a deep breath and getting ready to make my way up to the decorated stage.

I look way behind me, to where my dad is standing. He gives me a thumbs-up and a huge grin. I manage to return a weak smile.

"Ladies first!" exclaims Monarch, and walks over to the girls' bowl. Her antennas are bobbing again. Up and down, up and down.

Monarch picks a slip and carefully unfolds it. She clears her throat, and reads the name into the microphone: "Cassie Schmidt!"

Oh, God! Cassie!

I freeze. Not Cassie. The one person I couldn't bring myself to go into the arena with.

Fortunately for me, my scared-to-death moment doesn't last long. Before I know it, a girl is up on the stage volunteering and I'm looking at Cassie, who's breathing a huge sigh of relief.

The volunteer is dressed like a child but is built like a killer. She has golden brown hair, almost like honey, that is long and tied into two pigtails. Despite her outfit, which makes her look like a kid playing dress-up, she is on the tall side and looks muscular. I have a feeling that I could take her out any day.

That feeling is gone when I see her eyes. It feels like they're boring into my brain, and they seem to be black holes that have no end. I think I lose my breath for a second before she looks away and I can relax again. But her eyes… they looked so… empty.

"Oooh, a volunteer!" says Monarch excitedly, clapping her gold-gloved hands. "What's your name?"

"Shanice Winkerson," says the girl fiercely.

"Well, thank you, Shanice!" Monarch replies. "Now, for the boys."

I feel myself holding my breath and starting to lean forward.

"Collin Vincent!" Monarch reads.

I run. I get onto the stage. And I shout, "I volunteer!"

"Two volunteers!" Monarch squeals as if this doesn't happen every year. "How exciting!"

I grab the microphone from Monarch. She's starting to really annoy me. "My name's Aiden Stonem, and I'm your next Victor," I say cockily.

"Well then!" Monarch says. "The tributes of District Two, Shanice Winkerson and Aiden Stonem!"

I march into the Justice Building without shaking Shanice's hand. Before I walk through the door, I just catch a glimpse of my father smiling proudly, a single tear running down his face.

I made him proud.

Shanice Winkerson (16)

I sit in the Justice Building waiting room, fidgeting with my hair until my first visitor, Chay, comes in to say goodbye to me.

She immediately runs up to me and gives me a bone-crushing hug. If I hadn't known it was because she was so proud of me, I would probably be scared.

"I'm so proud of you, Shanice," she whispers into my ear, almost as if she's reading my mind.

"Thanks, Chay," I say, and let go of her. She stands on the velvet carpet below me. Thank goodness it's a white carpet instead of a red one.

Thinking of this, I am on the verge of getting flashbacks, but with all the strength I can use, I force myself not to because this could be the last time I see Chay, the only person I truly love in this world. Although I don't think that this will be the last time I see her.

Chay has always been a huge fan of the Hunger Games – the walls in her room are completely covered in posters of past Victors and scenes from past Games. She has begged Father nonstop to start training her, which he's going to start doing in a few months, when Chay turns twelve.

"Good luck with training!" I say happily. I know she has been looking forward to this for her entire life.

As expected, she beams. "Thanks! I'm so excited."

Chay starts giving me advice for the Games, all of which I already know, but I listen because I don't want to fight with her. Not here, not now.

She ends with, "Oh, and Mom and Dad aren't allowed to say goodbye to you because they're Peacekeepers, but they wish you good luck too!"

I feel the happiness that was spreading throughout my body start to fade away. "Okay. Thanks for letting me know."

Then the Peacekeepers (not my parents) open the door and start to escort Chay out of the room.

"I love you!" I yell to her. She turns back to face me and blows me a kiss. I smile.

The next (and last) visitor to come in is Brad. No surprise there.

"Hey, baby," he says, walking over to me. "I can't wait until you come back home." Brad starts leaning in to kiss me, and I grin.

I wait, and the second his eyes are closed, I kick him right where it would hurt the most.

Then I yell, "Security!" at the top of my lungs.

I say angrily, "When I'm coming back, I won't be seeing you again!"

I always hated him. That's what happens when your father chooses your future husband for you.

Aiden Stonem (18)

As soon as I sit down in the chair in the waiting room, my father and Eura burst through the door. As I suspected, my father is crying. The sight almost makes me want to cry, as I don't think I've ever seen my father as emotional as this. He was always really strict, and he never let me focus on anything but training. Sometimes I think this was more for his benefit than mine – my father trained at the academy when he was younger but wasn't selected to volunteer. I guess he wants the experience to be different for me.

"I am so proud of you, Aiden," he chokes out. "You have worked so hard, and this is your time. You can do it, I know you have it in you."

I smile and nod. This is a happy time; I should not be feeling emotional like this.

Eura speaks now. "Great job, Aiden. Now I know how to do it when I get older."

I smile. I've always enjoyed being the older sibling and setting an example for someone. Eura's dream is the same as mine – to win the Hunger Games.

They give me advice, and then Cassie comes in.

I know that I said that Cassie and I don't feel anything romantically for each other, and I still stand by that, but the second she walks through that door, I can't help but run over and hug her.

She's still shaking.

"Cassie, calm down," I say, trying to steady her.

She nods frantically. "Okay, I'm fine."

"Okay," I reply. I'm not as nervous about her anymore. "I'm going to miss you, you know that."

She grins through her tears. "I've known you since I was three. It's going to be so boring without you here."

"Well, I'll be back soon," I say.

"I believe that you will," Cassie says, wiping her tears from her face.

We talk about random things, and then the Peacekeepers come to take her away.

I don't know what on earth makes me do this, but before the Peacekeepers grab her, I lean over and give Cassie a little kiss on the cheek. She looks at me, surprised, and then waves as the Peacekeepers escort her out the door.

I thought I didn't believe in love.

You don't, Aiden.

Questions:

1) Who did you like better, Shanice or Aiden?

2) What did you like and dislike about each of the characters?

3) How do you think these two will do in the Games?

Let's see if we can get to 40 reviews! Thanks so much!

Ashley