District Ten:
Swirl Winters
I wake up to the sound of birds chirping. Opening my eyes, I look around at the beautiful forest, and remember that I decided to sleep in a tree last night. I've been an orphan since age ten, so every night, I find somewhere to sleep; the woods, barns, abandoned houses, and stuff like that. I refuse to go live in the community home. I'm better off living by myself.
The district officials do know my lifestyle, though, and they're okay with it. That's because I work for them. Three years ago, after my parents died, I decided I'd live on my own. I'd rather be free than locked up in some community home. However, that winter, it became harder and harder to find food. So, I began to kill people for their food. I didn't want to, but my hunger took over, and before I knew it, my knife began to fly right into rich people's skulls. After about a year of living like this, the mayor and the Peacekeepers got wind of it. They gave me two options; either they execute me on the spot, or I join a team of assassins, formed to kill off rebels. I made the obvious choice. However, I soon realized that it wasn't a pleasant job. When I killed for food, my hunger was able to block out my conscience. Now, every time I kill someone, I regret it instantly.
Remembering that today is the reapings, I hop out of bed with my duffle bag, which holds everything I own. It has about three pairs of clothes in it, some food and water, and a few keepsakes from my pre-orphan life. I change into a black hoodie and jeans, and leave my duffel bag on the ground next to my tree. I'll come back to get it after the reapings.
Osborn Trevis
As I walk into town with my family, I notice that this is one of the first times my family has been together in the past year. My younger, fifteen-year-old sister is always out somewhere with her boyfriend. I feel like I never see her anymore. My parents, even though they try to be there for me as much as possible, have jobs working in the fields, and so does my older sister. So, reaping day is one of the rare times we're together as a family.
When we reach the square, my parents and older sister say goodbye, and head off into the crowds. I find my way to the seventeen-year-old boy section, immediately finding my friends. There are six of us, and even though we aren't super close, we bond over one common interest; rodeos. We've all heard the stories of rodeos, in pre-Panem times, and think it would be really cool if District Ten started having rodeos. However, the mayor has ignored our thirteen letters, so I don't think we're getting a rodeo anytime soon.
After what seems like forever, our escort arrives. Her name is Hila Klerx, and I could easily describe her with three letters; OCD. Every year, the ceremony has to go exactly as she plans it, or she freaks. I remember that she yelled at a Peacekeeper one year, on live television, because he was 'Two feet to the left!' Another year, she got up to the stage, and her podium was crooked, so she spent her first three minutes on camera trying to straighten it. The Capitol always loves watching Hila.
Swirl Winters
"Ladies first," Hila says when her introduction and the video have finished. She steps over to her first glass globe, and reaches her hand in. Plucking out a single slip, she heads back for her podium, and reads the name aloud.
"Swirl Winters."
How could I be reaped? My name's only in there twice, since I refuse to take the Capitol's tessarae. Whatever the matter, I make sure I keep a calm expression. All of a sudden, I notice I'm halfway up to the stage, not noticing how far I've walked. In another blink of an eye, I'm standing right next to Hila.
As Hila begins to draw the male name, my mind buzzes off in a million directions. I start to think that maybe I shouldn't be super scared of the Hunger Games. I mean, they're super cruel and all, but I've lived on my own for years. I can take care of myself. Also, I've had some weapons training in my rebel assassin group. However, I'm not going to be that keen to kill. As long as hunger doesn't control me like it did three years ago, I plan to let other people do the killing, for once.
Osborn Trevis
Hila reaches her hand into the male bowl.
"Osborn Trevis."
As I walk up to the stage, I can feel everyone's eyes on the back of my neck. My insides ice-cold, I step up to the stage, where the female tribute is already standing. She has a very odd appearance. First of all, she's dressed in a black hoodie and jeans. She's got brown hair with red and gold streaks, pulled back into a ponytail. Her eyes are two different colors; one is green, and the other is blue with white swirls. She has pale skin, and freckles over her nose and cheeks.
Once the ceremony is over, we're sent into the Justice Building. My mom and sisters come in first. "They only allow three visitors at a time, so your dad is coming in by himself. He wanted to give you advice by himself."
For the whole visit, my mom and sisters just tell me they're going to miss me, and wish me good luck. Once they're gone, my dad visits. Just like my mom said he would, he hammers on the advice. Once his fifteen minute advice session is over, two of my rodeo friends come in; Heshel and Zander. They wish me good luck, and in attempts to keep me happy, they talk about rodeos with me. The same thing happens when Tibby, Thorley, and Voitto visit. I'm sad when they leave, because it means I'm all alone.
Swirl Winters
My guy-friends, Nathan and Angus, come in first. Nathan is a short red-head, who I've known since before I became an orphan. Angus is short and speedy, and has long, blonde hair. We enjoy challenging each other to races. We talk about what my strategy should be, and how to play to my strengths. When they leave, I'm visited by my girl-friends, Tazzy and Allison. Tazzy is tall, and has brown hair. Allison doesn't look like anyone I've met before. She has pin-straight, black hair and almond-shaped, squinty eyes. They talk about more girly things with me; how I'll look so pretty in the Capitol outfits, how I should keep my eyes peeled for hot tributes. When the Peacekeepers step in, they wish me good luck, and leave.
My next visitor is a shock; the mayor of District Ten. He tells me to watch myself in the Capitol. If I breathe a word of our rebel-assassination group, he'll come into the arena himself to kill me. Also, if I win, I'll be expected to continue working in the group, unless I'm in the Capitol or cameras are in town. He exits before the Peacekeepers even come in, leaving me to wonder if it will be worth it to win.
District Eleven:
Cherry Fairbanks
"Cherry, time to get ready for the reapings!" I open my eyes and spot my mother standing near my bedroom door. She's holding up a pretty pink dress with white polka dots. "Surprise," she says. "Happy birthday!"
"Thanks so much, Mom," I say. I was going to just wear my dress from last year, but this is even better. Although it's depressing, having a birthday on Reaping Day, it does have its perks. "We'll open the rest of your presents later," my mom says, handing me the dress and kissing me on the forehead. My mom and I have always been very close; mainly because I'm an only child. It's just me, my dad, and my mom. My family has always done okay when it comes to money since there's only three mouths to feed. We're nowhere close to rich, but we've always had enough.
I get dressed, dig out a pair of white heels from my closet, and brush my strawberry-blond hair. Heading downstairs, I notice my mom's piling some pancakes onto a plate. She hands the plate to me. "Thanks," I say, as I set my plate down and grab the syrup. Reaping Day/ my birthday is one of the only times I get to taste syrup, as it's very expensive and hard to get in District Eleven. However, there are a few farmers in the district who collect it from the maple trees. I am extremely thankful for them.
Ryland Yakavitz
I notice how worried my parents look as we head to the reapings. They have four kids entered in the reapings this year; my eighteen-year-old brother Miles, my fourteen-year old sister Mila, my twelve-year-old sister Rhianna, and fifteen-year-old me. We all take tessarae, so it'll be a miracle if none of us are reaped. We reach the square, and exchange hugs with each other, before heading to where we need to go. No sooner have I found my spot when our escort appears.
Our escort's name is June Summers, and she is crazy about bright colors. Her hair is a bubblegum pink color and her dress is a bright chartreuse. Her heels match her dress, and her bracelets match her hair. She gets straight to the introduction, and then the history video. At last, it's time to pick the female name.
Cherry Fairbanks
June steps up to the bowl with the female names in it. She reaches a pale hand in, and draws out a single slip. She walks back over the podium, and clears her throat.
"Cherry Fairbanks."
I freeze in my tracks. This can't be happening; not on my birthday! I was supposed to have a great afternoon of opening presents and celebrating the fact that I wouldn't be on my way to the Capitol for the Hunger Games. That will never happen now. I am going into the Hunger Games.
I make my walk up to the stage, and take my spot next to June. She strides over to the bowl for the male names. I begin to wonder who my district partner will be. Hopefully he's around my age, and will be interested in allying with me.
Ryland Yakavitz
"Ryland Yakavitz."
Cold as ice, I begin to walk up to the stage. As I walk, I find my older brother in the crowd. I look at him, hoping he'll speak up. He just stares at me, with a look that says, 'Sorry, bro.' I continue my walk up to stage, scared out of my mind. At last, I stand next to the girl tribute, Cherry. We shake hands, and are shipped off to the Justice Building.
My mother visits with Mila and Rhianna. My sisters just kind of sob silently as my mom and I talk. Right before leaving, Rhianna hands me her purple hair ribbon. "Will you take it as a district token?" she asks.
"Of course," I reply.
My dad and brother come in next. Immediately, I know something's going on between the two of them. Miles isn't looking at my dad, and there's a bruise starting to form on his cheek. As my dad begins to give me advice, and I pretend to listen, I realize what has happened; my dad punched my older brother because he didn't volunteer for me.
Once my dad and brother leave, I'm visited by my best friend, Clint. He wishes me good luck, and gives me some tips for the Games. Before I'm ready, he has to leave, and I'm left on my own. I sit in silence, waiting to be taken to my next destination.
Cherry Fairbanks
My parents burst through the door. My mom's in tears. "This was supposed to be your fun sixteenth birthday," she says. "We were supposed to open all your presents, and eat cake, and everything!"
"Mom, calm down," I say. "I'm okay. Everything's going to be okay."
My mom wipes her tears away. "Sorry," she says. "I was being stupid. Being stupid."
A few minutes later, my mom pulls a wrapped box out of her pocket. "For you," she says, handing it to me. "It was supposed to be for your birthday, but you know..." she trails off.
I take the package, and rip off the wrappings. I pull out a beautiful charm bracelet. "Thanks so much," I say, planting a kiss on both of my parents' cheeks.
When they leave, my best friend, Lillie Riley, enters. She's heartbroken too. We kind of just comfort each other before she's forced out. Lillie has three younger siblings to take care of, since her mother and father work all day, so I've often helped her with them. I tell her my mom and dad will be more than happy to help, since they no longer have a daughter in the house. She leaves, and I know that I'll have to wait by myself for a long time, considering that I only had three visitors.
District Twelve:
Cobalt Cave
I wake up to see that Misty is already making us breakfast. Since it's Reaping Day, we can't cook anything. With all the hovercrafts flying in, they'd easily see a column of smoke rising out of the woods. Misty and I have been living here two years now, ever since we ran away from the community home. We live in a particularly big cave, but we've also build a tiny structure off of the cave, made from some fallen branches. We get our food from various plants and animals. We don't have any weapons to hunt with, but Misty is pretty good with traps. We only travel into the district about once a month. Overall, we have an okay life out here.
As Misty hands me a berry concoction, I begin to think about our plans for today. They still worry me. Today, we do not plan to go to the reapings. Instead, we're going to go to a bakery to steal some bread and other goodies while the reapings are going on. We've been short on food lately, so while no one's around to watch, we plan to do our stealing. We've made sure to pick an extra wealthy baker to steal from. He won't notice if a few loaves of bread are missing. It won't affect him at all.
Misty and I finish up our berry breakfast. "Ready to go?" I ask. She nods. Neither of us are very excited about stealing, but we have to do it to survive. We don't have many friends, or know many people, so no one will realize we aren't at the reapings. As long as we aren't reaped, we'll go unnoticed. And, there's very little chance of us being reaped because we're pretty young. We refuse to take the Capitol's tessarae, so Misty is entered twice, and I am entered three times.
Misty Danielson
Cobalt and I set off to town. As we walk by a clock, I notice that there's fifteen minutes until the reapings start. That means we'll have to lie low for that time, in case there's any stragglers in town. We reach the bakery we plan to steal in, and climb through a window. We're both very skinny from hunger, so it's very easy to squeeze through. When we get in, I spot a clock. It's two o'clock; the reapings have begun.
I pull a crumpled drawstring bag out of my pocket. We walk to the back of the store, where the baker has dozens of loaves piled all around. I make sure to not to take too much of any single type of bread, so that the baker won't notice any are missing. I take two regular loaves, one with raisins, a banana nut loaf, and a few others. When I'm done, I turn to Cobalt, who's been following me. "You ready?" he asks.
I nod. "Let's get out of here."
We find the window we used to get in, and climb out of it. We land on the moist soil. No sooner have we stepped out from the side of the building, when we hear a man's voice. "Hey! You two! Stop right there!"
We turn to see two Peacekeeper running towards us. Why aren't they at the reapings? One Peacekeeper is tall and thin, with the black mustache. The other is short and portly. "Should we run?" I whisper to Cobalt, as the Peacekeepers pull out their weapons.
"No," he says. "We'll get shot."
When they reach us, the short Peacekeeper grabs me, and the one with the mustache grabs Cobalt. "Come with us," mustache says they begin to pull us somewhere.
Cobalt Cave
The Peacekeepers pull us all the way to the town square. "What are your names?" mustache asks.
"Cobalt Cave and Misty Danielson," I say. A second later, it dawns on me that maybe I shouldn't have given them our real names.
"Wait with them," mustache says to his partner as he walks up to the stage. The escort has just picked a name, and is about to read it. However, our Peacekeeper gets there before she can. He whispers something in her ear; she nods, and he walks offstage.
"Misty Danielson," the escort says.
I realize what's going on. As punishment for not attending the reapings, and for stealing from the bakery, Misty and I are both being sent into the Hunger Games. Well, I guess this is better than being executed on the spot. We get to spend a week in the Capitol. Even though I hate them, I've heard that they're nice. Plus, one of us could make it back alive, with an even better life than before. Sure enough, my name is called next. I take my spot, on stage, next to Misty. She looks very scared. We're told to shake hands, and are sent into the Justice Building.
My only visitor is a boy who I used to be friends with, at the Community Home. He tells me everyone thought Misty and I had been killed, since we just disappeared from the home, one day. He wishes me good luck, and leaves when the Peacekeepers come to take him away.
Misty Danielson
My only two visitors are two of my old friends from the Community Home. They say they've missed me, and wish me luck in the Games. I tell them not to get their hopes up, though. The chances of a thirteen-year-old girl with no training winning are very slim.
After my old friends leave, I have tons of time for thinking. I begin to wonder if it would of been better if the Peacekeepers just executed us. It would have been quick, easy, and painless. Now I have to go into the Games, where I will most likely be tortured, and given a painful death. Yes, an execution would have been better.
Piper Hagen (Victor of the 125th Hunger Games)
I sit in the train car, waiting for the two tributes to arrive. While I have time, I decide to watch the reapings, to see who my tribute's up against. I had one of the avoxes record the reapings for me, so I rewind the tape, and hit play. Time to see if my tribute has any chance whatsoever.
District One's square pops into view. To no surprise, there are two volunteers; a blond, seventeen-year-old girl and a muscular, blond, eighteen-year-old boy. District Two is a little different from usual. No one volunteers for the fourteen-year-old girl who is reaped. She walks onstage to loathing expressions. There's got to be something between her and the district, because there's always two volunteers in District Two. Even though she's only fourteen, the girl does look tough. She might stand a chance. The boy tribute also turns plenty of heads, including mine. He's extremely tall; over seven feet! The escort looks stunned when he volunteers.
In District Three, a small twelve-year-old girl is reaped. She won't last long. A eighteen-year-old boy is also reaped. Now he might stand a chance. District Four is a bit odd too. An eighteen-year-old girl is reaped, and no one volunteers for her. Maybe that girl was the one planning to volunteer. She looks tough enough. Another eighteen-year-old boy, a volunteer, joins her onstage. I can't help but notice that every boy, so far, is eighteen.
District Five brings a blonde, eighteen-year-old girl, and a sixteen-year-old boy. Finally- he broke the eighteen-year-old streak. In District Six, a very short seventeen-year-old girl, and a small, twelve-year-old boy are reaped. The boy's last name echoes around my head. Stanley. Stanley. He's Kat's little brother. I remember seeing him during the Victory Tour. It will not be pleasant when he dies. I want to believe he has a chance, but he's only twelve. Those eighteen-year-olds will grind him to a pulp.
A pretty fourteen-year-old is reaped in District Seven. I can't help but notice that she kind of looks like me. A sixteen-year-old boy is also reaped. When the two stand next to each other on stage, it's easy to tell who comes from the wealthier family. The girl looks thin enough to be snapped in half. In District Eight, the girl is a volunteer. Why did she do that? She's seventeen, but doesn't look as strong as most of the careers. Weird. The boy is sixteen, and looks fairly average.
In District Nine, there's another girl volunteer. However, this time, it looks like she volunteered to save the twelve-year-old that was reaped. The boy is only thirteen. I doubt he'll last too long. In District Ten, a small, pretty,thirteen-year-old is reaped. However, a serious look in her eyes says she shouldn't be overlooked. A tall, seventeen-year-old is reaped next to her. He shouldn't be overlooked either.
Then I see my home district, where my family and friends all live. The place where I've tried to live a normal life, but it hasn't worked. I watch myself sit onstage, next to the mayor. I'm surprised at how different I look compared to last year. Then, I was dressed in a old, threadbare dress. Now I'm dressed in a beautiful, frilly thing from the Capitol. My makeup has been done by my prep team, and I am also wearing contacts. I watch as my tribute is reaped first. Her name is Cherry, and by first impression, I think she may have a chance in the Games. She's sixteen, a year older than I am. She kind of reminds me of a pixie, with a small, skinny frame, short, strawberry-blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a serious, quizzical expression. The male tribute, Ryland, is my age, fifteen. I honestly can't tell how he'll do, at this point. He's very skinny, but may have some brain power.
District Twelve is a bit odd. Right before the escort reads the female name, a Peacekeeper runs onstage, and whispers something in her ear. She calls the female name, and when she gets to the male name, I don't even think she looks at the slip she picked. Judging by the way the two tributes look at each other, they seem to be friends. I wonder what truly happened at this district.
The Panem Seal appears on the screen, and the program ends. I close my eyes, faces of the new tributes flooding my thoughts. There certainly are a lot of older tributes this year; seven eighteen-year-olds, four seventeen-year-olds, and four sixteen-year-olds. There always are lots of older tributes, considering that their names are entered more, but it seems like there's more than usual, this year. However, my tribute is one of the four sixteen-year-olds. If the dice roll her way, and she has some brainpower, she'll have a chance at victory.
Sorry if this chapter took a little bit longer to write. I had a busy weekend, and I also needed some extra time to write Piper's section. Next, I plan to write the train rides. It won't be super long; only a chapter or two. All I want to do is introduce the tributes to their partner and their mentor, and let them watch the recap of the reapings to establish first impressions on the other tributes. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks! :-)