Bullet "Noah" Daniels

"Hey Noah!" A hand slaps me hard on the back and I see one of my 'friends' with a bright smile on his face.

"What's up?" I say slightly wincing from the pain.

"Did you hear? Blaine says he's going to volunteer for those Hunger Games. He thinks he can win it all, he's been bragging all day."

"How interesting," I did not think it was interesting. I hated Blaine, in fact I hoped he was being serious and would run off to the Hunger Games and get killed.

I don't mean to sound so harsh, but Blaine was a bully, and pretty much the only person I've ever considered an enemy.

"Yeah, man! How about you go over to him and knock him down a few notches." He nudged me in the arm.

"As much I love to," and I didn't want to at all, "I need to go pick up my sister."

"Ahh come on, I'd love to see you punch him in the face again. That was priceless!"

"Mmhmm," my voice was flat, "I have to go, see you later."

"Yeah man, sure."

I made my way down the hall to the exit, and ran into an actual friend.

"Hey Trixie!" I waved to her, and she ran over to me, her blond ponytail bouncing.

Trixie has been my best friend since I was two years old. She's been with me through my ups and downs, mostly downs as of late, and she understands me more than anybody else.

"Hey Noah, did you hear Blaine is volunteering today?"

"Yes, you're the second person who's told me."

"I should've figured that, everyone is talking about it."

"I only hope it's true."

She laughed, and agreed with me. "So where are you headed?"

"I'm going home after I pick up my sister. And then…" I paused, "I'm going to pray neither you or her are picked for tribute."

Trixie smiled at me, which in turn made me smile.

She walked with me and when we reached the door she turned to me. "It's a terrible thing," she said her face saddening.

I pull her into a hug, and pat her on the back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

She pulled away from me and shook her head. "No, it's been weighing on my mind all day."

"Yeah, same."

"Well, I'm going to head home, tell Elle I said hello and I'll see you there," she waved and walked out the door and I made my way to Elle's last class, and found her standing outside waiting for me as always.

My sister, Elle, didn't need to be picked up, she was fifteen and perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but I worried about her like a parent would, and I insisted on walking with her from school. You see, my mother was executed during the rebellion and besides my father; my sister was all I had. It was my personal duty to protect her, and keep mongrels like Blaine from trying to date her. Hence, why I punched him in the face, and why we are not on good terms. He's hated me every since, but all of a sudden I got myself a group of friends, if I can even call them that. They were the same boys who had picked on my all through school. They thought I was tough or something. I followed along though; it wasn't worth making a fuss.

When my sister saw me she broke out into a smile, and I asked her why she was so happy.

"Did you hear that Blaine…"

"Is volunteering as a tribute?" I finished for her. "What about it?"

"Well, I was extremely worried about you getting picked, but now I know you'll be safe."

"Yes, but I still have to worry about you."

"No you don't. I can take care of myself Noah. I know you're my older brother, but you aren't that much older than I am."

"I know Elle, but you're my sister. I've already had to deal with enough loss, and I don't want to see anything happen to you."

She sighed, and looked up towards the sky.

"You thinkin' about Mom?"

She nodded her head and placed my arm around her shoulder. "She's in a better place now. Who knows what she would do if she were here for these Hunger Games."

"She would be more worried than you,"

Elle smiled. Her sadness never lasted long.

Aeron Swan

It was a normal day, school had just ended, and I was sitting in a green patch of grass next to my best friend Demi. The sun was bright, but the weather was cool, announcing the beginnings of spring; the beginning of life, or on this day maybe the end.

Demi is silent, her hand continuously runs across the cool grass, and she randomly grabs a fistful before yanking it from the ground and dropping it. She has confided in me how afraid she is of being reaped, how it haunts her in her dreams, and how she thinks one of her five slips are going to be drawn.

I have consoled as much as possible. The chances of her, or even I being reaped in the games is slim, but with the terror she's portrayed the past few days it was as if she had already been picked.

I place my hand on her shoulder and she leans into me.

"Promise you won't volunteer for me if I get picked."

"Demi…" I'm trying to form the correct words, but nothing that I haven't already said a million times comes to me. "Alright, I won't."

I show a calm face towards Demi, but I'm a bit scared about these games. I don't think it's fair because I have never been a part of the rebellion, but yet my name is going to be in that reaping bowl five times with the chance of being pulled. Then I will have to fight out 23 others for my life, and what for? A consequence for these so-called 'dark days'? Whatever, it means nothing to me.

"We should go Demi," I say after a few moments of peace.

"I'll see you there?"

I laugh. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

When I return home my mother scurries me to the tub, and helps me scrub any dirt from my body. The water is cold, and the tub is small, but cleaning always feels nice. My mother is gentle, but thorough as she dries down my hair and begins braiding with expertise. These are only skills that come from years of being a surgeon, where one mishap could be deadly.

My father is also a surgeon, and they've taught me a lot about the human body and physiology. I could perform minor surgeries, but so far I've only practiced small-scale under the close supervision of one of my parents. I would love to follow in their footsteps someday.

When my mother is finished I glance at myself in the mirror. My dark hair is in a long braid that flows like a waterfall from the top of my head, and I'm wearing a nice blue dress with a ribbon. I love this dress, but unfortunately there haven't been many occasions for me to wear it.

I hear a knock on the door and my mother calls for me. I peak out from around the doorframe to see my boyfriend, Lively. I run to him and he pulls me into a tight hug.

"You look beautiful."

"Why, thank you," I curtsy and he laughs, and grabs my hand before twirling me around.

Nobody can bring a smile to my face quite like Lively. We've been together for a few years now, and I'm waiting for the day he proposes to me. Our lives were once perfectly planned out, but these Hunger Games threaten to ruin that.

I cannot imagine what it will be like if I lose Lively, or even Demi to the reapings. The chances of returning seem so slim, and I can't bear the thought of what might happen in the next few hours.

Lively offers me his arm, and we walk together to the square in front of the Justice Building. They are sorting people by gender and age, and I must say good-bye for now.

Lively holds me for a bit, and kisses the top of my head. "I'll see you in a bit," he promises, and then he veers off to his section.

I scan the crowd for Demi, but screaming and hollering from the back of the crowd sidetracks me. I rush over to see a large crowd has formed around something and I stand on my tip-toes to see what's going on. There are two boys fighting in the center; one is beating the other to a bloody pulp and I'm disgusted. This is reaping day and two children are about to be hauled off to fight to the death, yet here are two immature boys starting a fight here, when we should be standing united.

"Aeron!" I turn to find Demi, who looks wide-eyed and fearful, I immediately pull her from the fight and rush her over to our section. Now all that's left is to wait, wait for death to be announced.

Noah Daniels

When I arrived to the reapings, I sent my sister off, but not before I pulled her into a hug. Though she was only a year younger, I was extremely tall, and this made her seem small and child-like in my embrace.

"No worries," she says before pulling away, a bright smile forms on her face, "I'll see you soon Noah."

I nod to her, and she walks away to her section, and I begin scanning for mine, which looks as though it's closer to the front. I don't make it far though when I hear a voice, a voice that's addressing me.

"Hey Daniels! How's that sister of yours doing?"

I turn around to see Blaine. His arms are crossed and he's snickering. I don't want to start anything today, so I ignore him and walk away.

"Why don't you volunteer for the games today, big guy? Don't worry about your sister, I'll take good care of her."

Blaine really wanted to get on my last nerve today. I kept telling myself to walk away, that he was going to the reapings anyways, but his taunting continued.

"You know what Daniels? I don't think you're as tough as you put off. You would definitely be no match for the games."

"I was a match enough for you Blaine."

"I was being easy on you. I figured I'd let you feel like a protective older brother."

"Whatever," is all I can say to him, and I turn to walk away again.

"Come on I'll show you! I'll let you take the first hit."

I keep walking.

"Ha! You're not going to because you're a wuss. You know whom you take after? That mother of yours, she…"

Blaine does not get to finish because my fist meets him square in the jaw and he falls backwards.

"What was that? I barely felt a thing."

His lip is already beginning to swell, so I know he must have felt something.

He then lunges at me and I block his hit, before knocking him in the nose. This makes him angrier and strikes again, but I grab his arms and begin twisting them. I feel as though I'm about to end this, but then he brings his knee into my stomach and I fall back gasping for air.

Blaine shows no mercy and begins pounding his fists as though my face is a piece of bread dough. One hit makes direct contact with my nose and I hear a crack. As the pain increases, so does my rage and when Blaine's about to lay another punch I block it and push him off of me before laying into him.

I land furious punch after furious punch into his face. How dare he insult my sister and my mother? I suddenly realize a large group has formed around us, some of them are whistling and hooting. I start to feel guilty that I'm fighting on such a day, and then I hear my sister calling me over the turmoil; actually it's more like a scream. I push Blaine away and turn to see her running into the circle.

"Elle! Go! Get out of here!"

"No Noah! What do you think you're doing?"

Blaine does not bother to get up, instead he lays where he is and lets the blood run down his face.

"You're no better than he is, Noah!" She continues.

"I'm sorry," I say to Elle, and I see tears form in the corners of her eyes but she immediately wipes them away.

She grabs my wrist. "Come on, let's go."

I miss the beginning of the reaping because I'm trying to stop the flow of blood that is coming from my nose. I can tell it might be broken, but I can fix that later. For now, I just want to get this over with so I can go home.

"Alright it's time to pick the first tribute!" Our escort is running to the giant glass bowl of male names, before plucking one out and walking back to the microphone.

If Blaine wants to get any of his dignity back I know that it does not matter what the name is because he'll be running on stage to volunteer.

"Bullet Daniels!"

My heart stops, and I hear a shriek from the back of the crowd where I know my sister is. I wait to hear somebody volunteer, but then again I should've known better. Instead I'm met with a laugh that belongs to nobody but Blaine, and I wipe the blood from my nose before making my way to the stage.

My sister is running up the aisle and she grabs my arm. She's shaking her head and I try to stay calm as the tears begin to pour down her face. No Elle, don't do this to me I think.

She just keeps shaking her head at me, while the tears begin to flow more steadily. I'm afraid to speak because I think my voice is about to crack, and suddenly Peacekeepers are coming to rip her away from me, just like they did to my mother.

"No!" I finally yell and as she's ripped away, I snag a button of her jacket. She's kicking and punching but the Peacekeepers are unfazed and I know I must go. I wipe my eyes because water threatens to run from them and I climb up the stage.

"Wow! What a show," the escort is clapping her hands excitedly. She catches sight of my face, "And what happened to you?"

"It's nothing," I say.

"Well they'll definitely fix that up for you at the Capitol!"

"No bother," I say and I grab my nose and snap it to the right in an attempt to try and realign it. It's brutally painful, and I probably didn't even do it correctly but I hope that it looks intimidating because there's no way I'm leaving this district forever. My sister needs somebody, and my father cannot bear to lose somebody else.

"Wow!" The escort says as a fresh trail of blood begins running down the front of my face.

These games are already proving to be a big excitement. I hope the Capitol enjoys.

Aeron Swann

I can't believe the boy I just witnessed fighting is now standing on the stage about to go to the Hunger Games. It has to be some sort of karma. As he wipes the blood from his face I feel even more disgusted at him than earlier.

Hestia, our escort, is about to pick the female name from the other glass bowl and I feel Demi grab my hand and squeeze it tightly. I squeeze back and I can feel her pulse quicken.

I stay calm and try to keep my breathing normal, and next thing I know Hestia is crossing back to the microphone.

"Aeron Swann!"

Demi turns to me. She is surprised, she thought it was going to be her name picked from the bowl, but instead it is mine.

"You can't go," she whispers.

But I know I have to and I give her hand a final squeeze before making my way to the stage. As I climb the stairs I look back to her, and she's mouthing a word to me. I know what she's saying. It's a four-letter word that means nothing and everything all at once.

Baby.

Fear begins rising, and I feel a panic begin to set in. I scan the crowd for Lively, who is my rock, and I cannot find him.

Remain calm. I keep saying over and over.

Hestia looks at us with excited looks and asks us to shake hands. The other kid holds his hand to me but it's covered in blood and I shake my head, my face must look disgusted, and he merely shrugs and turns back to the crowd a smile on his face.

Bullet "Noah" Daniels

I will play along. I will train hard. I will win these games.

I keep repeating these words in my head over and over as I wait for the moment when I get to say my good-byes to my family.

Elle is suddenly bursting through the door and she puts her arms around my neck.

"Noah, Blaine was supposed to volunteer, but he didn't because it was you! I'll tell him I'll go out with him on a date, if he volunteers for you. You can't go, you just can't!"

"No Elle, you can't. Besides it's too late." I pull her from me and tears leave her eyes and streak down her face.

"Listen to me Elle, you have to be strong. Take good care of yourself and Dad too. Don't go around guys like Blaine. Stay away from him at all costs!"

"I know Noah, I won't! I hate him."

"It's okay Elle."

My father comes in next and shakes my hand, followed by Trixie.

"You're strong," he says, "if anybody in this district can do it, I know it's you."

Trixie nods her head in agreement and gives me a hug. "I'll take care of her," she whispers, "I promise."

"Thanks," I say and the next thing I know the Peacekeepers are hurrying them out. My sister is about to put up a fight, but Trixie grabs her hand and sharply pulls her away. I open my palm to see the button from my sister's coat. I hadn't let go of it since it ripped off her jacket.

I know the odds are not in my favor, but I will fight the odds until I am dead. I will not die without a fight.

Aeron Swann

My parents, Lively, and Demi all came to see me, and Lively gave me a necklace he had been keeping as a gift for our anniversary. It was a ballet shoe that hung daintily from a silver chain. I loved dancing, and when he presented it to me I began to cry for the first time since I had been chosen.

I weighed out whether or not to tell him the secret I was keeping. The secret that was only shared between Demi and I, but I felt that it would just make things worse, so I stayed silent.

Bullet "Noah" Daniels

The first thing I did after boarding the train was apologize to the other tribute, Aeron for my behavior on the stage. I can't pinpoint exactly why I felt the need to say sorry because she is my enemy now, but my intuitive told me to trust her.

She took my apology, but we did not talk again until the morning I had awoke early and decided to get myself an early breakfast. Upon passing the bathroom I heard loud sounds of retching and somebody being sick.

Worried, I casually knocked on the door, and heard Aeron's voice telling me she'd be out in a second. When she finally came out, she was pale.

"What happened?" I asked. "Are you sick?"

"Uh, no, I feel better now." She chuckled nervously, "I must have ate too much food for dinner last night. I'm not use to all these luxurious dishes and I must have gone overboard."

"Oh," was all I said because I wasn't sure how to respond.

"I'll see you later," and she was gone.

I was left dumbstruck, because last night we had a lighter dinner of soups and breads, and Aeron had barely eaten any of it. Her excuse had made no sense and there was definitely something peculiar about the situation. I was going to get to the bottom of it though, whatever it was.