Rain Barton, 13

District 5 Male

The world wasn't as black and white as my vision. Sometimes I wished it was; it would make things a hell of a lot simpler. But I wasn't good. I wasn't bad. I was just doing what I had to do to survive. Or at least that's what I told myself as I shimmied up the drainpipe, lock-picking kit in my back pocket.

I peeked through the window of the mansion I'd scaled. The lights were off and the room was empty. I jiggled the window. It wasn't even locked. This was too easy. Sliding it open, I crept inside, stepping quietly on the carpeted floor. They must be rich if they can afford carpet, I thought, although I already knew my targets were quite wealthy.

A jewelry box sat on the dresser across the room and I tiptoed over to it. This was locked, so I quickly went to work. A few moments later, the lock clicked open. Inside were several necklaces and two rings. I tucked them all into my black pouch.

Keep everything else in its place. It was one of the lessons Adam taught me before I ran away from the orphanage. I only spent a few months there, but it was enough to learn the tools of the trade from Adam and Beverly. The rest I'd figured out through trial and error, and I hadn't gotten caught yet.

Jewelry safely stored away, I scanned the room for something to mess with. Here was where I deviated from Adam's advice. I couldn't help but want to leave proof of my break-ins in the form of a prank. I looked around the room, thinking. My eyes landed on the jewelry box again and an idea sprang into my head.

I slipped into the bathroom of the house and rifled through several drawers before finding a container of lotion. I dumped most of it into the jewelry box before returning the container to its drawer and re-locking the box. Perfect. Then I was back out the window, sliding down the drainpipe and running off into the night.

It was approaching midnight by the time I reached my little hideout. I'd managed to pitch a tent inside a small, abandoned apartment block. I was on the top floor, away from the windows, so no one would see me.

As I slipped into the building, my mind went to my stolen prizes. I could sell them to Maude, the biggest name in 5's black market, or risk bringing them to May, a Peacekeeper's wife who paid good money and didn't ask questions. Though I'd almost been caught by her husband on more than one occasion.

I curled up in my small tent, stifling a yawn and tucking my black sweatshirt under my head like a pillow. What would my parents think, if they saw me like this? It was a question I couldn't answer. We'd never been close, so I managed to cope with their deaths when they were killed in a power plant accident. But I knew they loved me. What would they think of their little boy?

Zeppelina Skansen, 14

District 5 Female

I sat on the porch swing outside the house, swinging back and forth and humming to myself. Dad would be home soon, and he said he was bringing a special present for me. I couldn't wait! His gifts were always so thoughtful and tailored to my interests.

"Zeppelina!" my grandma called from inside. "Come help me with dinner! We have a guest coming over."

"A guest?" I asked, coming inside. "Dad's bringing me a gift though."

"Oh, well, he'll have to give it to you after dinner," she said. "Can you stir the pasta?"

I picked up the wooden spoon and began to stir the pot of boiling pasta, still looking at my grandma.

"Who's coming over?"

"Charlene, one of my co-workers," my grandma said. "She got fired, so I invited her to dinner to cheer her up."

"Are we doing the family special?" I asked. Grandma nodded and I couldn't help the smirk that curled across my face.

We heard the old truck rumble up the driveway and I left the kitchen to greet my dad at the door.

"What did you bring? I asked him when it opened.

"It's in the car," he said. "You can have it after dinner." I frowned, but nodded. We didn't want to scare Charlene off before it was time.

Dad went into the house to set his things down and then sat down on the couch with a groan. He was a neurosurgeon, and was usually on his feet all day.

"How was work?" I heard grandma ask him, but I tuned out his answer because another car was pulling up. It was my grandpa and Charlene.

Both of my grandparents were pharmacists, so our family was big in the medical community. But we stuck to ourselves, given our hobbies and interests. It was too much for my mom; she left when I was little. I hated her for it, but it did bring our family closer together. We moved in with Grandma and Grandpa in their little house at the edge of the district and had been there ever since.

Grandpa was chatting with Charlene as they came into the house. I gave her a small smile before Grandma called me away to set the table. It was annoying to have to do all this work for a guest who wouldn't even finish her meal, but we'd have fun afterwards.

We all sat down and Grandma began to serve the spaghetti. We chatted with Charlene, laughed at her awkward jokes, and generally tried to make her feel comfortable… until Grandpa got up to lock the door. He came back into the kitchen with a knife.

"What's going on?" Charlene asked nervously. I twirled my fork in my hand and grinned.

"We're just going to have some fun…" I said ominously. Dad grabbed Charlene in a headlock and she screamed as Grandpa pulled off her shoes and handed me a knife. Still smiling, I began to cut off her toes.

Once we were done with Charlene and her body was disposed of, my dad gave me my present. A brain in a plastic bag.

"It's fresh," he told me. "Came from my last patient of the day."

"Thanks!" I said happily. Then I ran off to the garage to play with it.

Albus Thorne, 52

District 5 Victor of the 24th Hunger Games

Reaping day was always stressful, but today was even worse. It was the first year my twins would be eligible, and I wasn't sure if I could handle it. I'd been up all night, alternating between episodes of sobbing and panic attacks. I never regretted having kids, but I would never stop wishing they could have lived in a better world.

"You look like hell," Ed said, looking me up and down.

"Thanks," I grunted. My wife Emma had done all she could to help me hide the dark circles under my eyes, but the puffiness and redness couldn't be hidden as easily.

"Leave him be," Porter said, her voice soft. She was always a quiet girl, but around reaping day it got worse. I was surprised she was speaking at all.

"I'm just saying," Ed said, putting his hands up in a surrendering position. "He could use some makeup or something." I snorted, thinking of how many layers of makeup I had on already.

"Alright, calm down, all of you," Elinor instructed. "We're on stage in a few minutes and we need to be a united front." She held out a hand to Porter, who took it. I side-eyed my former mentee, who rolled his eyes but followed Elinor and Porter.

Outside the Justice Building, the mayor was introducing Sabrina Jett, our district's escort. She was wearing a white top with black polka dots and a black tulle skirt. It puffed up around her, making her look a bit like a cupcake. Her lipstick was bright red and made her look a bit creepy when she smiled too wide.

"Hello District 5!" she sang. "I am so delighted to be back. Now, let's watch this lovely film, and then we'll get to the good stuff." She pressed a button on the microphone stand and the screens above her began to play the mandatory video we watched every year. While it played, I looked for my girls in the crowd. District 5 wasn't very large, and I was able to spot their two blonde heads near the back of their section. They were holding hands, the way they did when they were babies.

After the film ended, Sabrina stepped forward again.

"Let's select our gentleman first," she said before sashaying over to the boy's bowl. I bit the inside of my cheek. I would be mentoring this boy.

"Rain Barton!"

A small, thin 13-year-old dressed in all black was pushed out from his section of the crowd. His shoulders were slumped and he kept his eyes down as he walked to the stage. He came to stand silently beside Sabrina, eyes still on his feet.

"And now, the ladies," Sabrina said brightly. I closed my eyes. Not Jamie. Not Jess. Not Jamie. Not Jess. Please.

And it wasn't. It was Zeppelina Skansen, a sickly pale girl with straight black hair. She walked up to the stage with a blank face. Skansen was a familiar surname; her father was a prominent neurosurgeon in the district. He was good at his job, but was quite off-putting, according to what I'd heard. And he seemed to have no verbal reaction to his daughter being reaped.

Zeppelina and Rain shook hands as Sabrina turned to the crowd.

"Panem, I give you your District 5 tributes: Zeppelina Skansen and Rain Barton!"

Hey everyone! Here is the next intro chapter! Thank you to Very New To This for Rain and Victoria The Bipolar Tribute for Zeppelina. These two were very different, but both very fun to write for! Thanks for sending them in. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this district pair, and of Albus. And check out my new story! It's a complete compendium of Hunger Games victors, and I've already written 6 chapters, so expect lots of updates. Thanks!

Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!

- Fiona