POV District 3 Moria Kegariss

"Moria?" I didn't react. I was still face down in my bed, hoping that if I pretended to be asleep my father would leave me alone. "Moria, I know you're not asleep. Come on."

With a heaving sigh, I sat up on the edge of my bed. I stayed silent for a moment, before turning over my shoulder to look at him. "I don't want to go." He gave me a sympathetic smile.

"Moria, no one ever wants to go to the Reapings," He explained, slowly walking over beside me. "But we have to go. The only people that don't go are as good as dead - whether they were already dying or not."

"The careers want to go," I said with a sniff. "And anyways, technically everyone's always dying. Every minute you life is one less minute we have left."

My father plopped down beside me, gently wiping the tears off my cheeks. "Well that's a depressing way to look at life." He then rustled up my hair. "Now how about you fix your hair now? I'll get your breakfast ready for you."

I hesitated a moment, taking a deep breath before responding. "Ok. Thank you." He nodded with a smile to me before getting up and heading out towards the kitchen. I stayed where I was on the bed for a few moments. This would be my third reaping. What were the odds that I'd never get picked? With my luck, I'd be the one picked to be sent to die in a wasteland.

-X-X-X-

"It'll be ok, I promise," My father said, his arm across my shoulders. I was too busy panicking to listen to him. "Alright, I'll be right over by the side. Find me afterwards, ok?" I nodded slowly, walking stiffly up into the line.

I was frozen in fear, just like every reaping I had participated in. The man had to say "Next," three times before I finally reacted and let him prick my finger. "Hey, go," He barked impatiently when I didn't move after he had finished.

"Sorry," I muttered, turning and shuffling away to find the other fifteen-year-old girls. I was shifting back and fourth on my feet, my eyes darting around wildly.

"Calm down," The girl next to whispered to me. "Look at how many others are here, and think of how many times the older girls have their names in. We'll be safe."

I stared at her for a moment. "Then how do twelve-year-olds get picked every year?" I retorted. She stood there, her mouth open, trying to find something to say. But the Anthem started to play, and she seemed grateful to have an excuse to turn away from me without an answer. But I tried to take her seriously. I took several deep breaths, calming myself down as District 3's escort, Coale Bell, started her rambling speech before playing the Dark Days video. Then I took my mind off it by trying to figure what exactly she was wearing.

She had long, lifeless brown hair rolling down her shoulders. She wore a giant fur coat that draped to the ground, and brown gloves that looked like they were made completely out of the spiky side of Velcro. Her fake, white eyelashes were about two inches long, and dark brown streaks were painted onto her face. You could see an inch of her shoes below her coat, which appeared to be insanely tall, dark brown heels. Her eyes were a cream color with dark brown flecks. I think she had different eyes last year, and this was the first year it appeared she wasn't wearing a wig. I had always thought that Capitol women didn't even have hair. But for all I knew, she didn't last year, and found some way to make it grow 5 feet in a year.

"First, we will draw for the girls," She said, pulling my attention back. Her voice was so high in the mic I wanted to cover my ears. When she made it to the bowl, she twirled her fingers around in the bowl through the papers, as if her hand was swimming, before she closed around her victim and brought it back over to the mic. She held it so close that the sound of the slip opening was being projected through the square. "A very pretty name," She began quietly, almost to herself, but it played out over the speakers, "Moria Kegariss."

I was frozen in place. "Moria?" All the girls started looking around, trying to see who was the one that was acting strange. I felt the same girl next to me turn, her gaze falling on me. I slowly turned to meet her, slowly beginning to shake more and more. She looked like she was about to burst into tears out of sympathy. But I could feel my shaking all the way in my bones. "Come on up, Moria."

The peacekeepers had spotted me, and motioned for me to walk over. I took one last look at the girl before I practically limped over to them. "Are you Moria Kegariss?" I nodded, and they instantly led me under the ropes. They were pressed around me as they led me up to the platform, preparing for my escape. But there was no way I would be able to run, even if I wanted to try.

"Come on," Coale said, taking my hand and leading me up. I was right, the pricks on her gloves were digging into my bare palms as she led me over to stand beside her at the mic. "And now for the boys," She said quickly, shuffling over to the bowl of boy names and grabbing the first one off the top. "Eagee Polkimtor."

I watched as a boy in the section of fifteen-year-olds gracefully and willingly went with the peacekeepers and stepped onto the stage. He was a whole lot taller than me for being just a year older. His face looked ice cold. When we shook hands, I was afraid he would break it with the pressure. "Let's go," Coale urged us into the building quickly, the slamming doors of the Justice Building ringing in my ears.

-X-X-X-

"Moria?" This was the first time today I responded immediately to my name. I stood up as my dad walking in, and he greeted me with a hug. "You'll be ok, you'll be ok," He said anxiously, and I couldn't tell which one of us he was trying to calm down. I could feel his tears dripping onto my shoulder, and I bent back to see his eyes were red. I wrapped my arms around his neck, tears rolling down my face. I have no idea how long we stayed like that before he spoke up, with a sniff, "You can do this."

"No I can't," I said with a stiff throat.

"Yes you can," He said, pulling away so he could look me in the eye. "When you were little, your mother was always nervous about your first reaping. And what I said to her was this, 'She is the smartest girl I've ever seen. She is strong, smart, beautiful, and she will out live all of us. The Hunger Games would be nothing but a bump in the road for her. She could have her name pulled every game from when she's 12 to 18, and she will win, every time. Because she wins her life every day.' I did not say it because I wanted to cheer her up. I said that because I believed it. And I still believe it - now more than ever."

"Did you see Eagee?" I whimpered. "He wasn't afraid at all - I think he got mixed up and is supposed to be a career!"

"I've met his family," He replied. "He's very bright, very strong, I'll admit. But even his mother agrees - she, in fact, was the one who told me this - that he doesn't have the will to live, the kind of will that can win this disgusting pageant."

"And I do?!"

"You do," He said firmly. "Like I said, you win your life every day. And I have no doubt to believe that you'll be able to here and there, in District 13."

"Its time to go," The familiar voice of the same peacekeeper came as he opened the door.

"I love you dad, I'll miss you," I told him, hugging him one last time.

"I'll miss you too," He replied with a sniff. He turned away and headed towards the door. He stopped himself right before he left and said, "I'll see you later. I promise you, I'll see you later."

I nodded, wiping the tears off my face with the sleeve of my jacket. "Ok. I promise you too."

POV District 3 Eagee Polkimtor

"Hey guys," I greeted my family as the door opened to the waiting room. I had been leaning right next to the door, and my older sister, Jokune, jumped as I spoke.

"Hey," She greeted, moving to let our mother and father in. "How you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I said, dismissing her quickly. "I'm more worried about the girl in the room over there, I can hear her crying in there." My family all exchanged a look. "What?"

"Well," My mother began. "We had been hoping you would try and make an alliance with her."

I stared at her for a moment. "Why?" They shared a look again. I hated it when they did that. It made me feel like they knew some sort of secret that I didn't know about, and it wasn't like they didn't do it often. Almost every sentence I said ended with a shared glance.

"We're friends with her father, for one thing," My father said. He seemed like he wanted to continue, but he was at a loss for words, and looked at Jokune and my mother, trying to find help.

"And frankly, you are going to need an alliance," Jokune said, looking from our father to me.

I gave her a glare. "Why do I need an alliance?" I demanded, crossing my arms angrily and giving them a glare behind my glasses.

"Because," My mother jumped in, cutting off Jokune before she sent something flying back at me. "The Capitol is going to have some sort of surprise waiting for you back at District 13. Whether they were telling the truth or not, back when they said it was too dangerous for Capitol reporters to go there, it is going to dangerous. And if its not, they will make it dangerous."

"And this is a Quarter Quell, this is where the Careers get harsher," My father continued. "They will turn on each other, because everyone wants to hold the title of 'Victor of the Quarter Quell'. Especially for the fourth Quarter Quell, especially for the one hundredth Hunger Games."

"And then," Jokune added on, "There's the fact that no lone tribute has every done well. Especially the geeks that come from District 3."

I glared at her again. "I am not teaming up with Moria. She's weak."

"It's time to go," The voice of the peacekeeper standing in the doorway said.

My mother and father said their goodbyes to me. Right before Jokune left, she paused in the doorway, looking to the side. She turned back to me, and behind her I saw a man walking away. It must've been Moria's father. "Fine then, screw Moria. But I want you to find an alliance - I don't care who, be as picky as you want - but find SOMEONE." I nodded in response, and then her face softened. "Bye Eagee. I'll see you on the TV."

"Bye Jokune. I'll find an alliance!" I called after her. She looked over her shoulder and nodded, giving me a wave before the peacekeepers came to move her along.

"Come with me," The peacekeeper then told me. I complied, following through the door. Waiting for me was Moria and another peacekeeper at her side. She was wiping tears off her cheeks, her eyes bright red. I wonder if Jokune had seen Moria and had agreed with me, or if she had seen her father and had agreed. For all I knew, her father was weak too. Like father like daughter.

"Had fun?" I said with a mocking smile. She looked at me, almost terrified. I snorted and followed after the peacekeepers, to be led to the train that would take us to the Capitol.