Chapter Six.

Reapings Part One.

Leila Rorie; 17 years old.

District Ten Female.

If this could be considered true happiness, then Leila didn't want anything else in her life. It was a beautiful day in Ten, the sun shining brightly, which didn't happen for most of the year.

But most of all, Leila felt free. Here she was, going to a reaping that could possibly mean her death, but who cared? Right now, she was here and she was free from having to listen to her parents complaining about what she had to do, or what she had to use for the reapings to make her look like the perfect Rorie child.

Well, suck it up, mom and dad.

Right now, she was only Leila. And right now, she had her favorite person in the world right here, next to her. Sadie, almost passing out from how much she drank last night, struggled to keep up with Leila on her high heels. "Hey, would you mind going a little bit slower, please? Some of us are still sleeping."

Leila laughed, and hooked her arm under Sadie's. "Well, you weren't so slow last night, were you? In fact, I think you even ran to drag me to your bed." Leila wasn't stupid. She knew about Sadie's feelings for her, and sometimes it was good to stop ignoring it and let it all in. If there was one thing that Leila couldn't honestly live without, it was being around someone else.

When she was around someone else, like Sadie, she could truly be herself. Happy and without a care in the world, that was who she wanted to be.

That's who she had to be. But sometimes, she had to stop fighting all the other emotions, because they were also a part of life. Anger, sadness, they were a part of her. Leila refused to let them show whenever she was around someone else, because that would completly ruin her.

It would ruin her, and it would ruin her friends. The people that she fought so hard to keep, because in the end, she didn't have anyone else. She only had them, and herself, so why should she let something as ordinary as emotions ruin the life that she had build up for herself?

Never.

Leila stopped, right in front of Sadie, not allowing the other girl to move foward. She leaned closer, so she could whisper in Sadie's ear. "But that's okay, babe, you know I love you. The sex is great too, so why should I complain?"

She winked, and brushed her lips softly with Sadie's. Leila wasn't a fool. She knew that to get what she wanted, some tricks were needed. And right now, she wanted Sadie, so a little tricks to keep the girl on her side would never be too much.

Leila would never admit it, not even if she was being tortured by her worst enemy, but she loved this girl too much to ever let her go. Other people might see her as crude and arrogant, but at the end of the day, she was just someone that hated being alone.

She did everything to keep the people she loved by her side. There weren't many already. Her parents didn't gave a fuck about her, but it's not like Leila cared about it anymore. She had gotten over them, because like Sadie said, why should she spent the first of her life being hurt by someone that didn't dedicate a minute of their time to think about her?

To wonder if she's okay?

Well, fuck that. And fuck them.

This was her day, and no one, not even them or the Capitol could ruin what was about to become a perfectly happy day.

When they finally reached the square, and signed in, Leila couldn't help it but to repress an yawn. This whole thing was so boring. The Mayor, with her doll face and fancy dresses, the Treaty of Treason that no on gave a fuck about, and finally the Escort appeared on stage.

She's was always considered a dull woman, that had the habit of dressing in a different color each year. This year, she had chosen yellow.

Great, just something else to add to the list of things that I hate about her.

"Welcome, welcome, District Ten!" Her smile, that never reached her eyes, was starting to make Leila want to vomit. And after such a good night, she thought that there weren't many things that could even begin to do it.

Right next to her, Sadie looked like she was about to do the same. She knew about her friend's hatred for the Games, even if it was something that she wouldn't tell Leila in the middle of the street. It was whispered in the middle of the night, between rushed kisses, when both of them couldn't sleep.

Leila agreed, in some kind of way. But honestly, she had never given a fuck about it. But she liked supporting Sadie in that.

Behind the escort, the dull old video started to play. It wasn't anything that even came close to being interesing. Leila supposed that it was just something they showed to keep all teenagers in the their place, to remind them that if they became rebels, there would be a price to pay.

Leila didn't care. She wasn't planning on becoming a rebel anytime soon. Yes, she supported it in a way, but why would some be willing to give up their life in order to make a better older fo the children of people that they didn't even knew?

Leila loved to be alive. She loved the little things about it, like the way this day was so beautiful, or how Sadie always whispered that she loved her right before she fell asleep. She wasn't about to give that up for someone else. Never.

"And now, for the females!" Leila only had to time to hold on tightly to Sadie's hand, before the escort called out a name. "Leila Rorie!"

Well, fuck you.

There must have been some kind of really fucked up God in this world. To take her away from this, from her family.

Not me, no, I can't go.

All she wanted to do was run far away. Kick something. Or someone, for that matter. But she couldn't do anything like that.

Because, if she did, her friends and Sadie would pay the price for it. Even her parents, that they gave a fuck about her, didn't deserve being punished because she couldn't handle something that life throwed at her.

No. Her life was worth too much for her. She would fight for it, no matter what.

She was Leila Rorie, and she was a survivor.

Preston Hewitt; 17 years old.

District Six Male.

It was a tradition. Every reaping day, the Hewitt family walked together to the square. No matter what happened between them during the rest of the year, this tradition couldn't be broken.

They were a family and in District Six, a family stood together in the reaping way. It was their own way of telling the Capitol to fuck off, showing them that not even a reaping could tear a family apart.

Eliza, Preston's mother, stayed behind to take care of the house while Preston and his younger siblings, Delilah and Rex, walked ahead.

Delilah and Rex walked next to Preston, holding hands, neither of them wanting to go either too fast or too slow. Preston, well, he didn't have much to do rather than to watch everyone that passed throught them. Some of them he knew, some of them he didn't. Either way, everyone seemed to be closer on reaping day.

Instead of driving them away from each other, it brought them together. Preston's siblings, for example. They weren't even close, but right now, they stood together. United, as one. Preston wondered if that made him the black sheep of the family.

It probably did. It was a good thing that he couldn't care less about what other people thought of it, then. Like he could read Preston's mind, Rex turned to his older brother, holding out one hand.

"You should be with us, Preston." He said, looking hopeful that for once, Preston would do as he said.

"Yeah, because I'm a fucking five year old." Okay, maybe he shouldn't have been that rude. But it was just who he was, and Preston wasn't about to change who he was because of someone else's opinion. Not even his siblings mattered that much that he would change his personality for them.

But still, the little brats had a big spot on his heart. Whoever tried to mess with them, would have a proper introduction to Preston's fists. No matter who.

Still, he ruffled Rex's hair. Family sucked, but it was still family. "So, when the reaping ends, I'll take you out to a little party that some friends of mine are having." He gestured to Delilah, who was chatting with their mother. "Both of you."

Preston turned back to Rex, and winked. "Maybe I can even introduce you to some hot girls over there."

Delilah gasped, looking quite shocked. "Preston! He's still ten!" His little sister was such an annoying brat.

"Oh, stop being such a drama queen, will you? At ten, I was already drinking and taking girls to my-"

"That's enough, Preston. Your brother doesn't need to hear about all of your adventures." Maybe he didn't really have to, but Preston felt good about telling that kind of stuff to his younger siblings. Well, not only that kind of stuff, but Preston didn't want them to grow up like he did.

Without knowing about anything. Preston had been the type of learn as he grew, But he didn't want the same thing to happen to his siblings. They were little brats, yes, and could sometimes annoy the hell out of him, but they were still his family.

And Preston wanted the best for both of them, and he knew, that if his father was still here, then he would have wanted the same.

"Yes ma'am. I'm sure his toys are much more interesting than my little old adventures." That earned a chuckle from each of siblings. Yes, little ol' Preston might be annoying sometimes, but he still knew how to make his siblings laugh.

It was all he had sometimes, the memory of their laughs. In this fucked up world, something as precious as that should be protected, right? Preston would fight until the end, throw his bombs and blowns, if it meant his siblings were protected.

Happy. Alive. Maybe not so safe as they thought, but at least, they had hopes for the future. Preston, well, he didn't have much hope for his future anymore. Maybe get a nicer job.

Work. Work. Work. Work.

But at least, he could happily work if it meant that his siblings would have their best chance once they were free from the reapings. He saw other people, special and smart ones, leaving and finding a nice job in the Capitol. That was all he wanted for his siblings. Rex was the smartest kid that he knew. Delilah was close.

And if he had to work his way to an early grave, but they would be alive, then so be it. But right now, he might as well enjoy it. Preston pulled both of them close and whispered, so his mother wouldn't hear.

"After the reaping, I'll take you both to the candy shop and you guys can pick whatever you want. If you don't tell mom, that is. Deal?"

"Deal!" They both whispered. The Hewitt family walked to the square in silence, Preston making occasional jokes to Rex and Delilah, hoping to make them laugh. When they reached the square, Preston hughed both of siblings. Rex was still safe, he still had two years until he had to eligible for reapings, but Delilah was fifteen.

She could be reaped.

Once he checked in, Preston found his spot next to his best friend, Dally Oliver. He might be a little bit stupid, but he was loyal, and Preston loved loyal people.

"What's up, dickhead?" He punched him on the arm, but Dally just laughed. He already knew his best friend.

"The sky is up, fuckface. Now pay attention to the reaping, or the Peacekeepers will come and give you a nice beating. Not that you didn't deserve it." Preston smiled. This was his best friend.

The reaping started without any furter comment. It was always the same thing. The mayor, the treaty, the video.

Once the girl was reaped, Preston didn't pay much attention to it, other than she was pretty hot and looked pretty strong. Nice. Ryella, he learned a few seconds later, was her name.

It was when the escort reaped the male that Preston started paying attention. "Preston Hewitt!"

Well, shit. It was only a few seconds later that Preston realized what he had to do. He was Preston Hewitt, and he wasn't about to go gentle on anyone. He turned to Dally, and gave him a firm handshake. Something that could help him know how much he meant to Preston.

He didn't dared to look behind, though. If he looked behind, he would his mother and Rex, and it would all be lost. He had to be strong. For them. Once he reached the stage, the escort gave him a warm hug.

"Tell us a little bit more about yourself, darling. Such a handsome boy! Must have a lot to tell us about yourself!"

Oh, yes, yes he did. "I'm so thrilled that I got reaped. I mean, this is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me - even more than when my house got knocked down by a tornado. I'm just so excited to be doing this!"

A few people on the square chuckled. They knew him. And they knew that Preston Hewitt wasn't about to go soft, either.

Sedna Orwell; 18 years old.

District Seven Female.

"Hey, earth to Sedna, is anyone there?"

A small smile painted itself into Sedna's face before she answered. "Just because I don't answer, dear Calla, it doesn't mean that I am deaf." Sedna burried her axe on the ground, and gestured for Calla to do the same. Today wasn't a day for work, today was a day to have fun.

Around them, people were busy whispering between each other, and some of them were still working. That was the thing about District Seven during reaping day. Yes, it might have been reaping day, but they still had to work. They had to feed on the rest of the year, but some of them still used the the reaping day as an excuse to skip school or work.

Just like Sedna was about to do right now. In fact, she didn't even plan to make it home today, after the reapings. Today was all about being a teenager, and no one could take that away from her.

Not even her beloved big brother.

"Thane. I didn't realize you would be were today. I thought mom and dad had excused you from working today. After all, it's reaping day. And you're their favorite child." Thane cracked one of his cheeky smiles from ear to ear, that could possibly make every girl's heart melt just by looking at him.

Damn, Sedna would want him for herself. If he wasn't her brother, that is. Apparently, incest isn't very liked around District Seven. "Don't you have a reaping to be in, baby sister?"

That was the thing that Sedna loved about Thane, with him, she could be herself. Perhaps, they were so alike that they always understood each other. But still, it didn't stopped them from playing with each other like this, from time to time.

"Why? Did our parents sent you to see if I even bothered to attent the reaping? Oh wait. They couldn't care less." Sedna cracked a laugh, and Calla did the same. Okay, maybe there was a time where this could have bothered her. But Sedna, sadly, just didn't give a fuck about that anymore.

They didn't care about her? Good for them. Yes, she might have been the middle child, but that didn't make any less special than her beloved siblings.

But when they didn't care, it was good for Sedna. This way, she was free. Less expectations meant less disappointments with less responsibilities. Well, maybe she was even the lucky one.

She didn't have to get married to someone that she didn't care about, only to make her family richer. She didn't have to pretend to be a lady, and be stuck at home without having anything interesting to do. Hell, she was eighteen years old. She is supposed to be having fun and eating chocolate and kissing the wrong boy.

Not to be worrying about stuff as boring as this. So Sedna, being Sedna, and kept it all inside. One day, she was going to break. But sure as hell that she wasn't going to let something as this ruin what could been a fun day.

Maybe. If the luck was on her side.

Thane brought her in for a quick hug. "Good luck out there, little sister. Don't let yourself get reaped. You know this District would be twice as boring without you."

Sedna smiled. These were the moments that made ever exciting. Good. "I would tell you the same, big brother, but you already got your ass kicked out of the reapings. Just a shame. Not even the Capitol likes you enough to keep you around for a little longer."

"Look after yourself, big bro." Thane waved his axe, in sign of goodbye. It was a tradition in District Seven. As a sign of goodbye. The thought almost brought tears to Sedna's eyes, but she ignored it. She couldn't play the weak role.

"Same, twerp." Sedna stood there for a while, watching her brother leave. No, she couldn't break. Not right now. There was a long time before, when Sedna just wanted to be loved. Had she tried to change for someone else?

Nah. Honestly, she was just way too lazy to ever do that. She was who she was, and there was no one that would ever have the strenght to change who she was. Yes, a part of Sedna might have wanted acceptance, but she refused to change for anyone else.

I am who I am, and there's no one that will ever have the strenght to change that.

When she just wanted to have someone to care about her, and Thane was the first person to ever give her that love.

She couldn't disappoint him. The walk to the reapings was a quiet one. Calla seemed to be lost in the thought of the party that she was going to attend after the reapings, at the mayor's house. Calla was more than crazy to let the point into her pants, and Sedna knew it.

But that mean that she had to hear every fucking detail about it.

It was stupid. And so was the idea of reaping a little kid first. Fine, like their escort said, it was tradition to always reap the male first. But did he deserve it? Nah, man, he didn't. Sedna could hear little Hex's family crying as the boy marched to the stage, and almost certantly to his death.

It wasn't fair. At least, they could send someone that would have a fair shot at representing District Seven. Someone that would have a fair shot at defending himself, most of all.

Not a fucking little kid. He sure as hell did not deserve that.

"Sedna Orwell!"

Well, fuck the universe and fuck all the odds too. When Sedna made her way to the stage, she realized something. For the first time in her life, she wanted to fight. Whatever happened, happened. She couldn't think of bad stuff right now, she had to think of the future.

For the first time in her, Sedna wanted to live. She realized that she loved her family, her life, too much to ever let it go.

And if she wanted to live, she would have to fight.

She was going to give them an hell of a fight.

Coulter Xenophon; 16 years old.

District Ten Male.

Coulter wished that he could stay like this for the rest of his life. Peaceful. Quiet. Safe. He wished that he didn't have to go out and face the world.

But it was life, and Coulter knew that he couldn't always have everything that he wanted. He looked around the barn, making sure that everything was in order. He wanted to leave all of his affairs in order, in case something happened to him.

No, n-no, I-I can't think like that.

Coulter hated to talk, but strangely, he was someone that didn't want to leave anything unsaid, in case anything happened to him. In case he was reaped. Maybe, just maybe, Tanner was right. Maybe there was still some of his old personality left inside of him. He just needed to have the strenght to find it.

Right when he was about to leave, Jetta squealed. He couldn't leave her like that, could he! His best friend, his horse, that was it him since he was six years old, still a young lad who didn't know anything about life.

It's also her fault that my life was destroyed...

No, no. Coulter refused to think like that. If anything, Jetta was the reminder of his old life and of everything he used to have. The reminder of lazy afternoons, with Tanner and Shilah by his side, riding their horses throught all of District Ten.

Whatever happened, it was Coulter's fault. It was his fault that it had happened in the first place, and it was also his fault that he couldn't deal with it right now.

One thing at a time. Right now, he had to get throught the reapings. He could deal with the rest later, with Jetta, right here, without anyone bothering them. Almost tearing up, Coulter kissed the top of her head, and with a deep breath, walked outside where Tanner was waiting for him. They started walking to the square, without talking. Coulter prefered it like this, when he was able to enjoy the company of his brother without words.

When they were almost getting to the square, Tanner turned to him, a hopeful smile on his face.

Coulter smiled at him, hoping that it would be enough. But Tanner, being Tanner, had to do something about it. "Oh, c'mon lad! It's reaping day! You'll be seventeen on a week! Why am I not seeing a smile on that cheeky face of yours?"

Probably because he didn't have any reasons to smile? Coulter wanted to, but in the end, he just couldn't. His brother, strong and brave, just like Coulter used to be, refused to let it go.

He refused to let Coulter be who he truly was. No one. And maybe today, for the first time in his life since it happened, Coulter was happy about that. "I-It's reaping day. Not too many reasons to be happy, bro."

Tanner laughed out loud. "There are plenty of them! You're a young lad, Coulter! And besides, this reaping doesn't mean a single thing. They're picking two people, Coulter. Two! I mean, what are the odds?"

Bad. In Coulter's case, his odds were probably awful. "Bad. I could be reaped and be dead and not even make it to my seventeen birthday. Life sucks, bro."

Moments like this were the only thing that gave Coulter hope. Hope of getting his old self back. Tanner thought that the old Coulter was still somewhere in there, and would one day make his way back home. The old Coulter, the one who wasn't afraid to make a joke at the wrong time or to court a girl to win her love.

Tanner wrapped him in a big hug. "You think I would ever let them take my little brother from me? No way. I'm not out of nicknames for you just yet, dickface."

"Thanks, asshole. I really n-needed to h-hear that." If Tanner was someone else, Coulter would never have the courage to tell that to them. But this was Tanner, and his brother was the only one who understood. The only one who believed that there was hope for the old Coulter to come back.

Once they reached the square, someone bumped into Tanner. Coulter tried to smiled when he saw who it was, but his brother didn't seem so happy.

Coulter had tried to tell Tanner that it could have happened with anyone else, that it wasn't Shilah's fault, but he didn't listen. Of course he didn't. He was too protective of his little brother to listen.

Coulter only talked to Shilah a few times, but it was awkward. What they once had as a friendship was destroyed that night, and like Coulter's old personality, it might never come back.

"Watch it, idiot." And before Shilah could say anything at all, Tanner dragged Coulter to register for the reapings. It was a process that Coulter didn't really like, but still, it was necessary. Even in that, Tanner was lucky. He was nineteen, and didn't have to face any of this.

He was safe for the rest of this live. Coulter? Probably not that much. He just hoped that some God would be on his side today, and nothing bad would happen. Coulter wasn't sure of how he could deal with it, if it happened.

Once the reaping started, it all went by so quickly. They reaped the girl, Leila Rorie, and by then couldn't help but wonder if everything would be alright. If Tanner was right in the end.

It was just another reaping, after all. He would be done soon, and would be home with Jetta by his side before the day ended. He would be seventeen in a week, and everything would be alright.

But he was just a boy. In the fact, they were just children. No one in there deserved that, including Leila who was already on the stage, doing her best to look strong enough.

No deserved to be sent to their death.

"Coulter Xenophon! Come up, dear!"

Tanner would tell him to suck it up and act like a man. And he couldn't let his big brother down, could he?

A/N: And we start the reapings! Let me know what you thought!