Halfway through the Reapings, guys! Whoo-hoo!

Sorry for the slight delay. I had trouble getting this chapter out, but I should be back on track in no time. For all you Americans, happy (belated) Independence Day! For the Canadians, happy (very belated) Canada Day! And for the rest of you, I hope you enjoyed July 4th/1st!

In case any of you missed my announcement last chapter (which is suspect most of you did): The Survival forum is now up and running. Since the website doesn't handle links well, just go onto my profile page and scroll down to the bottom, under "Story Extras". The link should be there.

Fun Fact of the Chapter: Eadem's mother's first name is Mary-Sue. Yes, like that kind of Mary-Sue. But I think you'll find her much more... interesting... than that...

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Eadem Ordinaria, District Six

The girl, Neetamarie, gasps a little and lets out a squeak. For a moment she just stands there. A long moment, actually. The Peacekeepers have to help her up onto the stage. Not because she's resisting or trying to run away, she's just so shocked that she can't move.

"Any volunteers?"

No, of course there are none. It just doesn't work that way, not in Six.

"And now for the boys..."

This is it. After this, I can go home and get a job and move out of the house and live my life free of the Hunger Games... this is it, my last year...

"Eadem Ordinaria!"

...No!

"Come on up, Eadem!"

I shuffle my feet forward, looking down at my shoes. It wasn't supposed to be like this. This was my last year. This isn't right, this isn't fair, this isn't...

"This isn't normal." The words of my mother come flooding back to me. "Eadem, you want to be normal, right? Well, this isn't it. Go back inside. Eadem, be normal for me, please? Eadem, I need you to stay NORMAL!"

My mom is ... strange, to say the least. It runs in the family.

I climb up the stairs and stand on the edge of the stage, looking up with what I hope is a determined look on my face. Inside, I just feel defeated. I've been defeated. That wasn't something that was supposed to happen...

"Any volunteers?"

No volunteers. This is Six, remember.

"Okay, then! I introduce to you our amazing tributes of District Six, Neetamarie Telva and Eadem Ordinaria!"

Above the crowd's half-hearted applause, I can almost hear my mother whispering to herself. "Where did I go wrong? Why is he up there? It wasn't supposed to be like this... we were supposed to be just another ordinary family..."

They take us to the Justice Building for our goodbyes. Before I know it, my mom rushes in and screeches something about Normality and Ordinariness and "Why, why, why did that death lottery take that away from us! It was our only hope!"

I squeeze the piece of rubber in my pocket-which I guess has become my district token-and hang on for the ride. My mom is a little insane every day, but this time she's borderline hysterical. It feels like I'm being electrocuted over and over and over again, and I grip the rubber tighter and tighter and tighter...

It's just a piece of random trash that I found on the street one day. But, when my mom descends with her demands to be "ordinary", it is my lifeline.

She pauses, and I know she's waiting for me to agree with her. But I don't. Because I'm tired of her being, well, you know.

"Mom," I say quietly. "We're not normal. Okay? We're strange. It's not something we can help. So just... accept it, and maybe we can move on?"

Mom blinks for a few seconds, uncomprehending. And then she bursts into tears.

"Eadem, what have you done?" calls the flat voice from the doorway. Oh, great. The other half of the insane couple that spawned me. The deserter. My dad.

I shrug. "I figure life'll never be the same after this, so I might as well break the news to her."

"Hm." He frowns, and continues to linger in the doorway until Mom is dragged out by the Peacekeepers, screaming, "I just want to be NORMAL!"

"Well, then," I say, looking him in the eyes. He shifts uncomfortably, as if he doesn't like me (which he doesn't) and just wants to get away from me (which he does).

"Um, yeah, son..." He trails off quietly, hoping I'll fill in the blanks for him. I don't give him that luxury.

"Yes, Dad?"

"Um, well, good luck, I guess," he mumbles, looking away. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry we didn't get to see each other as often as I wanted to... I'm sorry I left... you with your mother... I'm sorry..."

I narrow my eyes. No amount of "I'm sorry"s are going to cut it with me. Why do you only say these when I'm about to go fight for my life? Do you think they'll encourage me or something?

After a while, he runs out of things to say, and I really don't want to talk to anybody right now. So we sit in silence for the rest of the hour (I have no other visitors), and then he leaves.

Neetamarie and I head off to the train, and I scowl at the cameras, still thinking about how messed-up my life is. Why can't I just be—no. No. You're not thinking that. Never think that.

My name is Eadem Ordinaria. I was Eadem Lovett. My mother wants us to be normal, to the point of insanity. My father abandoned us and is lousy in trying to make it up. I have been electrocuted, and it is not fun. I carry around a piece of rubber trash. It is the only part of me that cannot be defeated. But, in the Games, I will not be defeated. I will win this one.

Because I am not normal. I am crazy.