Edam Cabrales, 17

District 10 Female

Waking up beneath a soft blanket was a feeling that would never get old. For so long, Myzithra and I would huddle together under a worn, scratchy quilt, hoping the sun would rise soon so we could be warm. Now I could burrow into a fluffy pillow and listen to the birds sing as sunlight filled my room.

I sometimes wondered if I should feel guilty for hoarding luxuries. Myzithra certainly did. But I worked hard to get the money and security I had. I earned every penny I made, at least by association.

But this morning was a little less pleasant. It was Reaping Day. Though I did enjoy taking advantage of our new escort's presence, I still had an anxious knot in my stomach. Before the gang, I took lots of tesserae, and Myzithra did too. It was her last year, and I had one more after this.

Ellie started yapping in the main room so I got up. Rodoric was standing at the door, a brown box in his hands. Ellie was jumping up and down excitedly as I let him in.

"Good morning," I said.

"Morning," Rodoric replied. "Is Byron up?"

"I am now," my roommate grumbled. "Could Ellie be any louder?"

"She was excited to see Rodoric!" I said in her defense. "Weren't you, my precious girl?" I leaned down to rub her ears as her tail thumped against the floor. Byron sighed.

"I brought muffins!" Rodoric suddenly announced, holding up the box. So we gathered at the table to share a breakfast of warm muffins and coffee. Rodoric and Byron were safe from the Reaping, so I was the only one who had to worry. Typical.

I left the boys to do the dishes, using my gang leader privileges to get to the shower first. I washed my hair thoroughly and then plaited it back in a thick braid. For a moment, I examined myself in the mirror. Both my parents were mixed, which meant that Myzithra and I were even more mixed. And mixed kids didn't fit in with anyone.

I grit my teeth and shook the thought away. I had a place now, and it was at the head of my gang, and on top of the streets of District 10. I had money and power. There was nothing to worry about.

Rodoric drove us to the Reaping Center in his truck. I stuck close to him and Byron as we wove through the crowd. I was worried about seeing Myzithra. It had been years since I'd seen Brioche - the name I called her when we had to meet up. I didn't want to face her now.

But I got to the sign-in table without any issues. A Peacekeeper pricked my finger and ushered me into the roped-off area. I breezed by the other girls my age and went to stand at the very front of my section; far away from Myzithra.

I only had to wait a few minutes before Mayor Cao walked stiffly onto the stage. She looked furious. Beside her was our district's escort, Seraphina Redthorne-Simmons. She was a tiny woman covered head to toe in watercolor tattoos of wildflowers. Her lower lip was quivering.

"Hello District 10," Mayor Cao said. "Before we begin today's Reaping Ceremony, I must address a very serious matter. Yesterday, as our lovely Ms. Redthorne-Simmons was being taken to her residence, her vehicle was attacked. No one was injured, but the culprits remain at large. I want to make it very clear that violence against our escort and Peacekeepers will not be tolerated, and any perpetrators will be punished to the full extent of the law."

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. It was such a dramatic reaction to a good, old-fashioned hold-up. If it wasn't our escort, I doubted the mayor would even care.

"Thank you," Seraphina said when she stepped up to the microphone stand. "I won't let this attack prevent me from doing my job. However, this kind of violence is unacceptable. But let's move onto a more cheery subject and watch this little film I've brought!"

If we were brave enough, the entire audience would have groaned collectively. But we stayed silent and dutifully watched the same clips of staged fighting and past Hunger Games we watched every year. Thankfully, it was over quickly.

"How inspiring!" Seraphina gushed. "I get chills just watching it! But enough about me. Let's select our new stars! I think I'll start with the gentlemen, just to mix things up a bit."

Seraphina took her time to choose one of the slips. When she finally did, she read the name aloud in a voice that was somehow even more shrill than usual.

"Robert Trott!"

A gasp rippled through the crowd. The last name Trott was known throughout District 10. Annabelle Trott was an assistant mayor who'd done lots of good for the poorer families in the district. Robert must have been her son.

A large dark-skinned boy with buzzed black hair and a small mustache came out of the crowd, his eyes wide with fear. He stumbled on his way to the stage and Seraphina frowned.

"Are you alright?" she called.

"Yes," Robert squeaked. Then he cleared his throat awkwardly and scrambled to stand next to her.

As Seraphina went to choose another slip, I clenched my fists and hoped as hard as I could that it wasn't me. And it wasn't.

"Myzithra Cabrales!"

Icy shock ran through me. My sister… the person I loved more than anything, and the person who had the power to take everything from me. Secretly, I wanted to repair my relationship with her. But I knew I couldn't, so it remained a fantasy. But if she died… I'd never have the chance.

"I volunteer!" I yelled.

As soon as the words were out I wanted to take them back. What had I done? Could I be any stupider? I had the life I wanted. And I'd just thrown it away.

Myzithra searched the crowd for her savior and her hand flew to her mouth when she saw me. I summoned a smug smile and nodded to her as I walked past. She had tears in her eyes, but she held them back and nodded in return.

Onstage, Seraphina thrust the microphone into my face.

"A volunteer!" she screeched. "What's your name?"

"Edam Cabrales," I said.

"Ooh! Was Myzthira your sister?"

"Yes." I kept my tone as even and professional as possible.

"How exciting!" Seraphina gasped, completely unaware of my discomfort. "Shake hands, you two!" she said, nudging me toward Robert. He held out a massive hand and I took it and shook it firmly.

"I give you the District 10 tributes: Edam Cabrales and Robert Trott!"

Robin Violet Clade, 17

District 12 Female

I woke to the smell of tomato soup and couldn't help the smile that crossed my face. Auntie Em was an excellent cook and her soups beat all others. But tomato soup was my favorite. The only thing that soured the smell was that it was Reaping Day.

I reluctantly got out of bed and went to check my appearance in the cracked vanity mirror. My bronze hair was a mess, like it usually was when I woke up, and I made a half-hearted effort to fix it. I'd learned a long time ago that my curls did what they wanted.

Instead of continuing to fuss with it, I put on an olive green dress and my jade earrings. Then I climbed down the attic ladder to join Auntie Em in the kitchen.

"Good morning Robin Violet," she said. I relished the use of my full first name. To many people, I was just Robin. It was safer that way, but it was awful that it wasn't safe to be myself. I was proud to be Covey, and I wanted everyone to know it. That was why I was volunteering next year.

"Good morning," I said to my aunt. The wonderful smell coming from the oven got harsher and I lunged to rescue the loaf of bread. Auntie Em laughed.

"Thank you," she said. "I'd have had to choose between the bread and the soup!"

"Not on my watch," I said. I set the bread down and carefully cut two thick slices while Auntie Em ladled soup into our bowls.

We were mostly quiet as we ate. Reaping Day was horrible for District 12. We almost always lost our tributes in the bloodbath, and they were usually small, starving kids from the Seam. It made me furious that the Capitol subjected us to the violence of the Hunger Games. But I was going to play their game anyway in order to be heard.

After I did the dishes I put my shoes on and went to open the door. But Auntie Em put a hand on my shoulder to stop me. When I looked at her, her eyes were shiny.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"I'm alright," she assured me. "I just… I'm so proud of you. You've become just a strong young woman. And I know your father would be proud too."

"Thank you," I said. I let her pull me in for a hug and squeezed her tightly. "I love you. And I owe you so much. I'm a strong woman because you taught me to be."

When we pulled apart, Em was composed again. She locked the door behind us and then we headed toward the town square. Our house was on the outskirts of the district, away from both the town and the Seam. But it wasn't a long walk and we were soon mixed in with all the other frightened families.

Auntie Em wished me luck before I went to sign in. I gave her one more quick hug and then got in line. I got a bit of a funny look from the Peacekeeper when he saw my name flash on his screen, which sent a jolt of worry through me. But I kept my face neutral and he let me through without any issues.

I stood near the edge of the crowd of 17-year-old girls and played with my hair as I waited for Mayor Undersee. Finally, he came out onto the stage, followed by Effie Trinket. This was her second year as District 12's escort and she was still going wild with her clothing.

She was wearing a ruffled velvet jacket and a tight skirt with a scalloped hem, both in red. But the statement piece was the giant red rose she was wearing as a hat. Her skin was ghostly white and her lips matched her rose-red color scheme. It was gaudy and over-the-top, but it could be a lot uglier.

Mayor Undersee welcomed us and then called Echo Lin and Haymitch Abernathy onto the stage. Echo was composed, but had a mischievous smile on her face, like she usually did. Haymitch was a drunk mess. As he sat down, one of his suspenders snapped.

After the applause for our Victors died down, Mayor Undersee read the Treaty of Treason. I thought back to the time it was written, and how the Covey had been forced to assimilate with the districts. We had no part in the rebellion, but we suffered all the same.

Then it was Effie's time to shine, and she was delighted.

"Hello hello hello!" she cooed. "What an exciting day it is! I know we're all excited to meet our tributes, but we've got a movie to watch first. Isn't that fun?"

As expected, no one answered. Effie let out a little huff just as the awful propaganda video flickered to life on the screens above the stage. I continued to tug at my hair and quietly hummed a song about the freedom of birds to myself. A few of the girls around me turned to look at me so I stopped quickly. But at that point the horrible movie was over.

"I'll never get tired of that," Effie gushed when it ended. I almost laughed. Everyone in District 12 felt oppositely.

"Now! We'll start with the ladies, as is proper!" Her voice was high and the ends of her words were clipped, in fashion with the weird accent that was beginning to surface in the Capitol. She selected a slip with dainty fingers and proudly read the name aloud.

"Robin Violet Clade!"

Oh…

My heart sank a bit in my chest. But I took a deep breath and pushed the nerves away. I was already planning to volunteer next year. This was unexpected, but it wasn't a bad thing. I smiled and stepped away from the other girls.

I walked confidently onto the stage to stand beside Effie.

"Robin Violet!" she said. "What a lovely name! Is there anything you would like to say?"

"I'm not giving up," I said. "And as long as someone has a song to sing about you, you'll never truly die. Remember that."

"That's a very nice sentiment," Effie squeaked. She looked a little uncomfortable as she breezed past me to the other glass bowl, but it faded when she chose a slip.

"Dustin Lloyd!"

A girl in the frontmost row screamed. Another one began to sob. The two of them clung to each other as a strong boy with sandy brown curls was ushered out of the crowd. He looked afraid, but he didn't cry. He turned down Effie's offer to speak and just turned to me. His hand was clammy when I shook it.

"I give you the District 12 tributes: Robin Violet Clade and Dustin Lloyd!"

Hi all! We're officially one chapter away from being done with the Reapings! I'm glad you don't seem to think they're too repetitive. I enjoy writing them, but I am excited to be almost done and to be getting on with the story. I love all of these tributes and it's going to be hard to kill them. But alas, this is the Hunger Games.

I don't have much to say here, but please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter! The pairs from 8 and 11 will be up next. And if you feel like reading more of my stuff, check out If Only and/or Tarnished, which are Victor Exchanges, or Never Forget, which is introducing the Victors of my new SYOT universe!

QUESTIONS

1) What will Myzithra think about Edam volunteering?

2) How will Robin Violet's message be recieved in the Capitol?

3) What are your thoughts on my next SYOT - the 73rd Games - being a Voting Games? (they aren't happening soon, obviously, but I'm curious if there's any interest in that)

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

- Fiona