Hi, everyone! I'm finally back also with this story! For those who don't follow both my fanfics: I've decided to give priority to Love Is the Deadliest Weapon, because I'm going to present the arena soon. This doesn't mean, however, that I won't go on also with Divine Punishment, I will just update it less frequently. Thank you for understanding :)

And now, enjoy the Reaping of District 10!

3 years ago

Rowley Star (15)- Citizen of District 10

I've always dreamt of becoming a lawyer. I've got a sort of fascination with law… I mean, how could we all live without rules? A society without rules cannot exist, otherwise it's not a society, but just a bunch of selfish animals. The problem with my dream is that I wasn't born in one of the wealthiest families of District 10. Actually, my family runs a little farm, and our income is not enough to afford paying university fees. But I won't give up on my dream so easily! In addition to working at our farm, I do some odd jobs for our neighbours. I'm trying to save as much money as possible, so that I'll be able to pay my tuition one day. For the rest, I devote my free time to reading books- which I borrow from libraries- on the subject… like I'm doing now.

Unfortunately, my reading is interrupted by the arrival of my sister Edith, who enters my room and unceremoniously takes the book I was reading off my hands. The book in question consists of a series of reports on civil suits between great landowners and small farmers, and I find it really interesting.

"Hey! I was reading!" I protest, indeed.

"You read all the time, you could stop just for once and focus on what is really important," she rebuts.

"And what is more important than my future?"

She sighs. "Rowley, you read so much that you don't even realize you neglect your own sisters… I don't mind that much, but Sadie does."

Sadie is our little sister of five. She's the most playful member of our family.

"What do you want me to do?" I ask Edith.

"Do you know that Sadie has learned to ride horses?" she replies with another question.

I look down. I feel suddenly ashamed. I must admit that I didn't know it before, I didn't even know that Sadie was interested in horses.

"Now, you see what I mean," says Edith, her voice expressing all her disapproval.

I look at her again. "I've been busy recently," I justify myself.

"Recently!? You're always too busy for your sisters, aren't you?"

"What's wrong with you today? You're never so sullen!"

She decides to ignore my comment, though. "Listen, Sadie wants to go for a ride before dark to show us how good she is. You should really come."

I look out of the window. "Have you seen those dark clouds approaching? It's going to rain soon. In these conditions, you'd better stay home. Besides, if it starts thundering as well, the animals will be scared and nervous," I point out.

"Rowley, you already forgot about her birthday…"

"I'll come another day. Tell Sadie she cannot go now," I say, interrupting her.

"Please, Rowley, come with us! You're the elder sister, Sadie would feel safer!" she begs me.

Actually, I'm not the elder sister for real… I mean, Edith and I are twins, so we're both the elder. However, I've always felt older than Edith in that I'm more mature than her. For instance, she never takes the work at our farm seriously, whereas I do, even though I cannot imagine myself being a cattle rancher for the rest of my life.

"I'm not going to come… not today," I insist.

"Okay, do as you wish! I'll go only with Sadie!" she replies, annoyed.

That said, she throws the book she took away from my hands on my bed and then leaves the room. I resume my reading, but I cannot concentrate. Do they really need to go for a ride today? Why do I have to go as well? They could wait a little bit… just a little bit! We'll have plenty of time tomorrow! No, they have to go now, right before dinner and with this uncertain weather! Papa will come back home from work soon, tired and hungry… and who will cook dinner for everybody? I, just for a change! I shake my head. From my window, I hear the noise of two horses galloping. Where do my sisters want to go with this weather?

At some point, a storm rolls in. The weather of District 10 is usually dry, but sudden storms aren't uncommon events, especially during summer. I put away my book and go to the window to see if Edith and Sadie are coming back. But I can see nobody. Ah, I told her not to go! I wait for ten minutes, while pacing back and forth… but they're not coming back! I'm a bit worried now. What if they had an accident? No, it can't be! In any case, I cannot wait here. I go downstairs and get out of the house, heading to the stable. I quickly saddle a horse. I follow the tracks left by my sisters' animals, careless about the pouring rain. Suddenly, I see someone laying on the ground. My blood turns cold in my veins. It's Edith! I immediately dismount and go kneel down beside her. She must have fainted. But where is her horse? Where's Sadie?

"Edith! Edith!" I call her, while I'm shaking her shoulders.

She doesn't react, though.

I try to lift her body, and… and then I see it. Blood on my hand! Where does it come from? Where… no, it can't be! It's my sister's, and it is flowing from the back of her head. I look down with widened eyes, at the spot where her head laid. There's a rock smeared with blood. I feel dizzy and weak, as if I was about to faint… but then I see Sadie coming along the road. Her caramel-coloured hair is messy, her brown eyes widened with terror. She has bruises on her hands and knees.

"What… what has happened?" I ask her, barely able to speak.

"I-I… my horse… my horse was scared… you know, the storm… Edith… s-she tried to soothe it, but it reared… and… and it hit her. It started running faster and faster… I had to jump. How's Edith?" she stammers in response.

What should I tell her?

"Edith… she fell, but she's just unconscious, don't worry. Now, go back home, papa must be there. Tell him to come, please," I reply.

Sadie nods in response. Then, she leaves. Only when I'm alone, I find the courage to look at Edith again. Why am I not crying? My sister has just died… why am I not crying?

…...

The day before the Reaping

Jackal Day (25)- Citizen of District 10

It's almost sunset. Malachi and I are coming back home from the pastures. Normally, my brother watches over sheep himself, and he's very good at that. Actually, he doesn't even need to have a sheepdog with him, since he can use sticks to control sheep quite easily… but today he seems rather upset, that's why I decided to accompany him.

"You okay, Malachi? You haven't said a word since we left home," I say.

"I'm not very talkative, and you know it. I'm better at listening and observing," he replies.

"Yeah, but today you're even less talkative than usual. Is everything okay?" I insist.

"Nothing important… it's just… it's just the Reaping."

"It's not your first Reaping, and you've never worried about Reapings that much. What has changed?"

"Nothing really… maybe it's just the number of my entries."

"Malachi, you've never taken out tesserae, you're as safe as you can be… unless you went to the Justice Building without me and our sister knowing it…"

That said, I stop. Malachi doesn't notice it at first, so he keeps on walking a little bit. When he eventually realizes that I'm no longer beside him, he turns around. We stare at each other for a while, the only audible noise being the bleating of sheep.

"Malachi, what's up?" I eventually ask him.

"I'll tell you while heading home. We cannot lose sight of our herd. Job first," he replies and then resumes walking.

I follow my brother and catch up with him. "You won't get away that easily, and you know it. I'm not the type to give up," I point out.

"Jackal… it's nothing… yesterday, I had a dream… or, rather, a nightmare."

"A nightmare?"

"Yes, a nightmare. I-I was reaped… and then… I don't know… I think I was in the arena. I was running, because someone was chasing me, but I don't know who my chaser was, I didn't see him… or her… who knows? Anyway, running was difficult, because there were rocks and brushwood on the ground… actually, I risked tripping many times. In addition, I was running downhill. I remember that there was a constant background noise- something mighty smashing on the rocks… I think it was the sea," he explains with a quivering voice.

"The sea!? But how…?"

"I know it makes no sense! I've never seen the sea in my life! And yet I believe it was the sea. But the worst part of all is that my hands were bloodstained. In the dream, I killed someone, I'm sure of it," he continues.

"What else did you see in your dream?" I ask him.

"Nothing, I woke up after seeing the blood on my hands," he answers with a shrug.

"It was just a dream, and the probability for it to come true is practically inexistent. You don't need to worry about that," I state, trying to reassure my brother.

"But what if it was a sort of premonition?" he asks.

"You cannot believe in all that stuff, that's not you!" I rebut in a joking tone, but, by the way Malachi gazes at me, I can tell that he truly believes that his nightmare may be a premonition.

"Listen, I'm not saying that I'm 100% sure it will happen for real, just… tomorrow is Reaping day, and I… I-I'm scared," he stammers.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "You said it, you are scared. You're just letting your fears overwhelm you, that's all," I reply with a self-confident smile.

In the meantime, we have almost got home. You can already smell the aroma of dinner- our sister Josephine must have cooked cabbage soup… not exactly a delicacy, but that's what Malachi needs in my opinion- a hot meal and a restful night. I truly hope he'll be in a better mood tomorrow, because seeing two poor kids- who will not be him- sent to their deaths at the Reaping won't console him, that's for sure.

…...

Present day

Rowley Star (18)- Citizen of District 10

I wake up. I pull myself out of bed and look around me. I still feel disoriented every time I realize I'm in a different room, in a different house. I know I shouldn't feel like that, since I moved here months ago, but I cannot help it. After the death of Edith- oh, Edith! If only I had come with you that day! You would still be alive, I'm sure of it! – our father abandoned me and Sadie, so we ended up in a community home. He said it was the best thing for us. I had retreated into myself, and Sadie needed someone competent to look after her… that's what he told us before leaving the community home forever. During the war, we had to run away and hide like many other citizens of Ten. When everything was over, my sister wanted to go look for our father, but I insisted on returning to the community home. Clearly, our father didn't want to look after his daughters, and I couldn't let my sister live on the streets like a lawless criminal. Luckily, Tom and Vixen have adopted us. Since they cannot have children, they were glad to welcome us in their house. They even let us keep our family name. "Rowley Evans" would sound strange to me. Who is Rowley Evans? A stranger… but even Rowley Star sometimes feels a stranger to herself.

My thoughts are interrupted by a knock at my door. Since the door is open, I can see that it's Vixen.

"Good morning, Rowley. I've brought you some fresh clothes for the Reaping," she says, putting the clothes on my bed.

"Thank you, Vixen," I reply with a smile.

I don't call Vixen mum. My mother died of brain cancer years ago, and I… I don't know… I'm grateful to Vixen, but calling her mum would mean that she has replaced my mother in my heart, right? But no one can replace her. Luckily, Vixen is understanding.

I look at the clothes she brought me: a pair of jeans, a white tank top, a colourful, flannel jacket, high socks, and boots.

"That top will make you look sexy," she comments.

"What!?" I reply, blushing.

She bursts out laughing in response. I roll my eyes… Vixen and her sense of humour.

I get dressed. Once ready, I look at my reflection in the mirror. I can't help but notice how much I look like my twin sister. The same brown eyes, the same freckles on our faces, the same physique…

Yeah, twins are said to have a special connection to each other, aren't they? A part of Edith is always with you… or, rather, she would be with you, if you didn't destroy the symbol of your connection… says a voice inside my head.

Edith and I used to have a heart pendant necklace each. That was the symbol of our special connection, and I destroyed it in a fit of guilt and anger. We had promised that we would always be there for each other, but I didn't keep my word… yeah, I didn't keep my word that day. I was so focused on myself that I didn't realize I was neglecting my sisters. I used to think that I would have plenty of time to spend with them, but I was wrong. Edith warned me, but I didn't listen to her. I made them wait more and more… until it was too late.

I feel tears running down my cheeks. I look at the mirror again, wiping them away. No, I cannot be weak. I must stay strong, even if it's just a façade, a mask to hide the churning storm of emotions underneath. I must act serious and mature. Yeah, my guilty conscience is slowly driving me crazy, but I can overcome all of this, right?

I go downstairs and join the others in the kitchen. They're already having breakfast- a generous portion of bacon and eggs and orange juice. Sadie is wearing an ankle-long, pink dress.

"You look great, princess," I tell her, but she doesn't reply.

Since Edith's death, our relationship has cooled down a lot. She has never said it aloud, but I suspect that she blames me for her death. She's not wrong, in the end. I cannot forgive myself for what happened that day either. If I had gone with them, Sadie probably wouldn't have had the accident that costed Edith her life.

Anyway, Tom and Vixen are making small talk, trying not to think of the Reaping, I suppose. But the Reaping makes me think of Edith, instead. In the past, we used to stand in the square side by side, hand in hand. It was a way of sticking together… but today I'll be alone, alone and surrounded by strangers. It won't last long… your last Reaping, and then you won't need to worry about that again… I keep repeating to myself. Seven slips are not many, right?

After finishing breakfast, we all head to the main square. Once there, I part from my foster parents and Sadie- who's not yet eligible- and join my section. The mayor mounts the stage along with two Capitolites. One must be the escort, but who's the other? After reading the Treaty of Treason, the mayor leaves the word to the escort- a man with short, white hair and eyes who's wearing a frightening, blood red leotard with a V-neck, and white boots. His outfit sparkles in the sun.

"Hello, District 10! My name is Crimson Wilding, and I'll be your escort for this year! Before moving to the Reaping, let me introduce you the man who will mentor your tributes, since Ten has unfortunately no living victors: Charmant Lefauve!" says the escort.

The man in question is in his twenties. I must admit that he's really good-looking- well-proportioned physique, auburn hair, blue eyes, delicate features. He's wearing a dark blue jacket with spiral decorations that seem to be made of gold powder, white trousers, and high boots. But there is something in his eyes… maybe it's the way in which he's scanning the crowd… I don't know… they look like those of a beast ready to capture its prey. They make me feel uncomfortable, that's for sure.

"Now that introductions are made, let's move to the Reaping! Ladies first!" continues the escort, while approaching the girls' ball. "Rowley Star!"

As soon as my name is called, I hear a roll of thunder inside my head. No, it can't be… Edith, help me, give me strength…

Being reaped means basically certain death, but I can't afford to appear weak right now. In fact, I leave my section without saying a word and silently mount the stage, trying to ignore the sharp look the mentor… my mentor throws at me.

"And for the boys… Malachi Day!" continues the escort, without asking for volunteers.

I don't look at my district partner. Actually, I'm trying to find my family in the crowd but fail at that. Don't worry, you'll see them later… they will certainly come to say goodbye!

"Ladies and gentlemen, the tributes of District 10: Rowley Star and Malachi Day! Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!"

We enter the Justice Building immediately after the Reaping. The waiting room where I'll receive visits is covered by wooden tiles. There are a couple of beige couches and a fake mantelpiece with a round, silver mirror hung above it. I look at my refection in the mirror and notice that I'm shaking like a leaf. I haven't realized it before. I bite my lip. If my fellow tributes watch the Reapings, they'll consider me a weakling.

Luckily, my family visits me almost immediately. Tom and Vixen hug me tight, whereas Sadie stands aside.

"Oh, Rowley! It's so unfair… after all you have been through!" says Vixen, while she's trying to hold back her tears.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? And you're strong, Rowley, we know that you can make it!" adds Tom, teary as well.

"We've adopted you only some months ago, but you're our daughter in all respects, and we love you so much! Remember that you've got a family waiting for you back home, will you?"

Courage, Rowley! Stay strong! Don't even dare to cry!

"Thank you. Your support is important to me. I-I… I'll do my best," I say with a sad smile.

"We know you will," replies Vixen, while sobbing.

We break our embrace. I look at Sadie, who seems rather uneasy.

"Would you like some privacy?" offers Vixen.

"Yes, thanks," I reply.

She hugs me one more time then leaves the room.

Tom puts his hands on my shoulders. "Good luck, Rowley. Remember that being strong doesn't mean that you're not afraid of anything, but that you're afraid and you can overcome your fears. The Games are brutal, but see them as another obstacle to overcome, okay?" he says.

I nod in response.

After that, Tom hugs me again and then leaves as well. There's only my little sister with me now.

"Sadie," I say.

She reluctantly approaches me. I kneel down to watch her right in the eye.

"I know that things have been difficult, but…"

"Don't think about the past now, just… try to win, okay?" she says, interrupting me.

"I'll do my best, I promise… and this time for real."

"I don't want to lose another sister," she goes on, as tears start flooding from her eyes.

I hug her. "Oh, Sadie, don't worry, you won't lose me, never."

When she's gone, I look again at the mirror. I must try to win, but I cannot ignore the fact that I might be dead in a few days. What does one feel when dying? What did Edith feel when she died?

…...

Malachi Day (17)- District 10 male tribute

Apparently, that nightmare was a premonition for real. I've been reaped. What if the rest came true as well? The type of arena, the blood on my hands… I'm not afraid of blood, otherwise I couldn't do all that butchery work at our farm, and yet… the idea of killing people- even if it's just for defending myself- scares me. But what choice do I have? Tributes are not free to choose, either they kill or they get killed. Yeah, maybe if I see the Hunger Games just as a mere fight for survival, killing won't be that traumatizing… but, as soon as I form this hypothesis, I start being sceptical about it. If killing is not that traumatizing when your own life is at stake, why do many victors look like zombies?

Luckily, the arrival of my siblings diverts my attention from these negative thoughts. Josephine immediately hugs me.

"Oh, my brother!" she says, teary.

"You don't need to worry about me, sis; I'll be fine. I'll win for our family… we'll have a new house, a better life without money problems…" I reply, my voice calmer than I expected.

She breaks her embrace. "Malachi, the Games are a serious thing. Don't think about money or whatever the Capitol will give you in case of victory, we want you to come back home alive, that's what matters! Your life is far more precious than all the money in the world!" she rebuts.

"She's right. We could be the richest people in Panem, but we wouldn't be happy without our brother," Jackal chimes in.

"I'll do my best to win. I can use knives, and that's something, right?" I say.

"Killing animals is different from killing people," Josephine points out.

"No, it isn't, instead. People may be much worse than animals, especially in the arena of the Hunger Games," I retort.

"In any case, we'll always support you, whatever happens. Do all you need to do in order to survive, okay?" says Jackal.

I nod in response. "I promise."

At this stage, Josephine takes a deep breath. "Malachi… Jackal told me about your nightmare. I know it's just a coincidence, but… well, we thought that in case you… you got reaped, you would like to have something from home… so take this as your district token," she says, giving me a ring.

"But this is…"

"Yes, it's the wedding ring of our father. We'll keep our mother's, so we'll be always united. It's a sort of friendship bracelet… yeah, I know it's stupid, but…" she stammers through tears.

I put my hands on her shoulders. "Thank you."

The ring is simple and made of gold. On the inside, you can read the names of my parents engraved- MAURICE & ALIZA DAY- and the year of marriage. My siblings have never said that much about their deaths, but a part of me hopes that they will be guarding me in the arena. I will win also for them. This wedding ring is the best token Jackal and Josephine could give me, since it will remind me of my roots and of the reason why I'll be fighting.

So, Rowley Star (submitted by Nightshade494) and Malachi Day (submitted by OrdinaryChildOfTheKing) are the tributes of District 10 in the 76th Hunger Games. Do you think that Malachi's dream will come entirely true? Actually, I can anticipate that it is a sort of premonition for real (I wouldn't have added that part otherwise), but we'll see how the story develops. For the moment, if you want to make predictions, I'll be glad to hear from you. Remember that if you guess the arena before I present it, you'll get 50 POINTS to assign to tributes. I'll PM you, in case. For these Games, I've chosen a specific arena i.e. not a type of landscape in general, so a rough description cannot be considered a valid answer in this case.

Please, leave a review, if you liked this chapter. Reviews are appreciated. For any doubts or just to chat a little, you can PM me.

Thank you a lot for reading :)

See you soon!