Lucien Ritsert – District 4

What's my favorite thing to do…? My favorite thing in the whole wide world would be night swimming. It's illegal, but not if you don't get caught. A few of my friends and I go swimming during full moons, but sometimes I sneak out other times. I like the adrenaline that courses through my veins and the hype of sneaking out and doing something dangerous.

Last night was a full moon, so we went night swimming. We ended up crashing at a friend's house, too tired to actually go back to our own homes. I especially didn't want to go home. As soon as I'm nineteen, I'm going to move out. Live by my own rules. I won't have anyone to say anything to me.

I open the door to the kitchen and close it softly. Luckily, my shorts are dry and so is my hair. If my father catches me sneaking in, he'll never know I went night swimming. Instead, I see my sister, Kaie. She messes with her brown hair, putting it up for the Reaping.

"I didn't hear you come in last night," Kaie says. She acts like my mother even though she's just a year older than me.

"Never did. Went to a friend's house," I tell her. It was half of the truth and to be honest, I don't have to tell her shit. "And last time I checked, you weren't my mother."

"Did you go night swimming, Lucien?"

"No."

"Really? Because I saw a person that look a hell of a lot like you at the beach last night with a bunch of other people."

"Why the hell were you out that late?"

"How do you know it was late?"

"You tell me."

"Okay, you're starting to piss me off," she says, frowning.

"Good then. Means I'm doing my job as your baby brother."

She rolls her eyes, turning around. When her back is turned, I make a face, sticking out my tongue. I open the fridge door, grabbing a carton of milk and start to drink straight out of it. I pull out a box of cereal, pouring it into my mouth.

"Oh, come on, Lucien. Don't drink out of the carton," she says. "Why do you do that?"

I raise my eyebrows at her. I only do it because it annoys her and it's fun to see her face. "Does it bother you?"

"Yes."

"That's why. Cheers!" I laugh, putting up the jug, pretending like I'm offering a toast to her.

"Father is going to be pissed at you. You know he hates it when you do that."

"He's not here, now is he?" I say, smirking. I throw myself into a seat and prop my feet up on the table.

"I'm here and you two need to get ready for the Reaping," my father says.

I spin around to look at him, a smirk breaking out on my face. He's in a suit with a pin, marking him as mayor. As the mayor's son, I get it pretty good and I never really get to see him. Hence, my rebellious life style that will never change. He complains about it, but I love it. " 'Ello, poppy," I say in a mock Capitol accent. "How you been doing?"

"Stop that, Lucien." He tears the carton and box out of my hands, setting them on the counter. "Don't be a pig." He pushes my feet off the table, cleaning it with a cloth.

"Oh, come on, daddy-o. What's your fuss all about?"

"I'm mad because you don't do what I say. Your room is a big mess! You haven't cleaned it for days and you haven't been doing your chores. Plus, you keep drinking out of the damn milk jug."

"Ask one of the servant people here to do it. I don't have time for cleaning. I've got a life, you know," I tell him. I reach for the cereal and lean back in my chair. My feet go back onto the table with a thump. "You going to the Reaping early, pops?" I stick my hand in the cereal and toss a piece up in the air, catching it in my mouth.

"Listen, I know it's been hard since your mom died…" He begins his talk about how I don't have a mother to guide me through life and how I don't have the manners to be a proper gentleman. It's not my fault my mother died while she gave birth to me. Maybe it was but it's not like I know how women give birth. That's just not right. I don't know how she really died. It doesn't matter to me though because I never knew her and she's dead. "And I know that you're probably upset that you never knew her. The last few women that I've seen, you've chased them off…"

I just tune him out as he continues to lecture me. "That's some great fatherly advice there, old man," I say. I pat him on the shoulder. He gives me that talk every year. He never shares his "wonderful" lecture with Kaie since she's the "good" one.

"That's it. I'm done. Just go and get ready for the Reaping. After that we're going to have an attitude check," my father says, giving up. My ignorance annoys him obviously, but in reality, ignorance is bliss. He needs to learn to let go and just have fun. I shrug, heading up to my room. It is a huge mess. But, everything has a place and I always know where those places are.

I toss on a light, sea green button up shirt and dress pants. I find it to be ironic that I'm wearing that color for my shirt since I'm in the district known for fishing. Or maybe that's just me… Anyways, this year's games sound like they could be interesting. Supposedly, the Gamemakers have some sort of surprise for the tributes.

Kaie and I walk to the square. We split away from each other. She goes to the eighteen year old section and I join a bunch of friends in the seventeen year old section. We all laugh and joke around like the Reaping is nothing, and it is because none of us ever get picked. A couple of new girls join us. They spend their time smiling and flirting with me and my guy friends. Of course, we flirt back, but nothing ever happens beyond that. Occasionally, we'll actually go out on a date with a girl, but we never get past a second date. I'm not really in the mood for commitment and relationships. It's not my thing.

I spot out latest victor, Pash Cursor. She won last year after blowing up the tribute from District Two. I liked Caedis, but when Pash blew his arse to infinity and beyond, I have to admit, she looked pretty badass. I think I can do better than her. Pash stares out at the crowd with a stony expression, the only one she keeps on since the 34th Hunger Games.

Emilia Fiore, our escort, skips to the podium. She cheerfully gives us the speech about Panem. We've heard it year after year, so it gets a bit tiring hearing it over and over again. Finally, she gets ready to announce the girl tribute. She pulls out a name, reading it. "Morgan Colliet!" The name doesn't ring a bell, so I figure it's some girl that doesn't stand a chance in the Games.

A girl of average height climbs the stage. She's got a nice frame and her aquamarine dress fits her well. Her long auburn hair is ruffled by the wind as she sits down next to Pash. No one volunteers, so I guess people think that she wants to be in the Games. Next, Emilia starts to call out the boy's name.

"I volunteer," I call out. A couple of my friends cheer, laugh, and clap their hands. They call me brave and courageous. Honestly, I just want to win. And in the arena, there are no rules.

Pash's eyes widen as I saunter to the front. "Lucien Ritsert." My father stands up for a moment, as if he can't believe that it's true. Kaie would never volunteer and this is her last year, so she doesn't need to worry about it. He sits back down and I shake Morgan's hand. She's got a strong grip and I know, I may have to worry about her. She might not be like Pash though, who turned her back on the Careers. This Morgan girl might be pretty good. Perhaps not as good as me though since I've been training my whole life.

Pash examines me curiously, a small smirk crossing her face. Hopefully, she'll be a good mentor. Then again, I may not even need her. She thinks winning the Games is about luck, but it really is about skill and who can survive the longest.