Rachel Beta

Rachel stared back at her family. She came from an enormous family, twenty-six kids total. Nineteen of them were safe from the Reaping, and they were all huddled together, as close as you could get to the roped off group sections. Rachel and three of her siblings were in the drawing this year in Seven. The other three were visiting eight with Rachel's mother, and she figured they'd be put into the Reaping in Eight. Rachel was begging that everyone made it back home all right.

Her father was up on stage, as a former Seven Victor. He and Johanna Mason were the only ones left after the Victor's purge. Rachel could not even imagine what he would be going through if one of them were Reaped.

"Welcome to the Reaping for the Fourth Quarter Quell, District Seven." The District escort, Barton, strolled onto the stage, microphone in hand. He walked straight over to the girls' reaping ball. "Let's find out who the lucky young ladies are, shall we?" He pulled out the first name. "Miss Rachel Beta!"

Alaine Tulette

Alaine saw Colin rise to his feet. She had to assume that Rachel was his daughter, since they had the same last name. The Capitol would eat this up. They loved it when a victor's child was Reaped into the Games. She watched the girl leave her section and climb the stairs. She hugged her father before taking her place in the first seat reserved for the tributes this year.

"Well well, what an interesting start." Alaine could see the anger in Colin's face. Barton pulled the second name from the ball, and Alaine wondered if another Beta kid would be reaped.

"Alaine Tulette." Well, it's not another Beta kid. Alaine tried to keep her breathing calm. She slung her hair over her shoulder and stepped forward.

Mykal Duncan

Mykal was scared. She was normally nervous on the day of the Reaping, but today something just felt wrong. She was always happy, but when she woke up this morning, it just wasn't there. Even Caden, her brother, one of the most upbeat people she knew, couldn't cheer her up.

"Hey, what's up with you today?" asked Mykal's friend Arrianna. Mykal didn't know how to answer her. She didn't know what was wrong. She just felt like something horrible was going to happen.

"Our third tribute, miss Mykal Duncan." That's why she felt so horrible. This was the awful thing that was going to happen.

Mykal, now shaking, walked up to the stage. Barton had to pull her up the stairs because of how slow she was moving. Mykal couldn't breathe. She hoped that this was just some nightmare that she was about to wake up from.

Mariposa Dulark

Mariposa, or Maria, and her friend Parker called her, was standing calmly in the sixteen-year-old group. She'd had enough of the Community home where orphaned kids were sent. She was tired of the constant reminders of her brother, who had died in the games when she was thirteen. She didn't want to be the pity case in Seven anymore, and she would avenge her brother's death at the hands of the Careers. She didn't care about her age, or about winning. She had no life to come back to in Seven. She had only one friend, and he'd find someone else to be friends with if she lost. Maria was going to make her brother proud.

"Our final female tribute is…" Barton pulled the slip from the reaping ball, but Maria wouldn't wait any longer.

"Mariposa Dulark. I volunteer as tribute." She shouted.

Reyes Keldon

Reyes watched as the orphan girl stepped forward as a volunteer. He'd known her brother, who had died in the bloodbath in the 97th Games, as they'd been in the same year in school. Why was she doing this, when she had known first-hand the pain a family went through when they lost someone to the Games?

"Okay now, on to the boys." Reyes watched Barton make his way to the Reaping ball, and he hoped that it wasn't his name that he called. Reyes was the main source of food for his family, as the only one with a job and the only one able to take out tesserae. If he was Reaped they'd starve.

"Our first male tribute, representing District Seven, is Jansen Redwood."

Jansen Redwood

Jansen looked up suddenly. That…that wasn't his name that had been called, was it? He'd done everything to avoid the Reaping. He'd kept a low profile from the Peacekeepers, and he'd never taken out tesserae. His name was only in there seven times. But it was enough.

Jansen saw two Peacekeepers heading towards his section, and he didn't want to be that person who had to be dragged away. The sight of that would cause his parents more pain than they were already in. No. He walked, stoically, straight past the Peacekeepers and to the stairs of the stage. Jansen took a deep breath to try to calm himself, and as he climbed the steps Barton helped him along, by means of a forceful hand on his back.

"Congratulations, Mister Redwood, our first male tribute." Jansen wanted to hurt him just then.

Carson Saller

"Now, let's see who the next lucky lad is, shall we?" Barton went back to his spot at the ball, and pulled the next name. Microphone in hand, he didn't bother returning to the podium.

"Carson Saller." Carson froze. Out of all the kids in Seven, why did Barton have to call his name? Why this year, when the games were four times harder. He left his group for the Peacekeepers could come for him, and walked, slowly, to the stage. He didn't want to, but he couldn't help but look into the crowd as Barton called the next name.

"Reyes Keldon." Carson didn't recognize the name, but he saw movement in the oldest group of guys and immediately found Reyes, the color gone from his face.

Brantley Nuze

Only one more name. Just one more. There are what, two thousand guys in this crowd? I'm safe. I'm safe. All Brantley could do was to reassure himself that he would be safe, that the odds were in his favor today. He'd been doing it every year since he was twelve and so far, it had worked. He looked up on stage. Only two of them could come home. Who would it be, if any, that got to see their families again? Three of the four girls had tear streaks on there faces. Didn't this sight prove to the Capitol how horrific the games were? How monstrous they as a people had become? But nothing stopped them.

"Brantley Nuze, our final male tribute of Seven." Called Barton. Brantley wished that something had been able to stop them.