Last but not least, District 7! Thanks to xQueen-Of-Applesx for submitting!

Present day

Woodrow "Woody" Auxley (19)- Citizen of District 7

They say I'm too old for these things. Why do you still play pranks on people, Woodrow? A boy of your age should be more serious… they keep on repeating these things, but I don't want to listen to them. Hell! I'm serious most of the time! I work all week as a lumberjack, so I can have a little fun sometimes! To be sincere, I'm not the brains; my little brother Linden has always good ideas for pranks, Jeremy and I limit ourselves to follow him. Judging from first impression, no one would think that he's a real prankster. In fact, Linden is normally a quiet boy and also book smart. I know that sometimes he gets bullied at school, but he doesn't want me or Jeremy to help him. Honestly, he doesn't seem to care about bullies, but maybe it's just a facade… maybe playing pranks is just a way of blowing off some steam.

Anyway, today is Reaping day… again. I didn't fight during the war, and neither was I a fervent rebel, yet… I really hoped the Capitol would be defeated. The Hunger Games are inhuman, and they'll be even more so this year, since the Capitol certainly bears a grudge against the districts due to the second rebellion. I cannot imagine what tributes will face in the arena, and I wouldn't even care, if Linden wasn't eligible. He's the only member of our family to be still of Reaping age. If he was reaped, what would we do? What would I do? Neither me nor Jeremy would be allowed to volunteer for him. He would be alone and helpless… a lamb ready for slaughter, to be either killed or spared according to the Gamemakers' moods. I wouldn't stand that!

"Woody?"

I look down. Linden's green eyes are trained on me.

"Yes?" I reply.

"Did you listen to me?" he asks.

"Not really… I'm sorry, I was a bit wistful," I admit.

"Linden has a great idea for a prank," says Jeremy, grinning.

"Oh, what's the idea?" I enquire.

"Well… today, there's the Reaping, so everyone's attention will be focused on the stage, right? But what if it was focused on peacekeepers?" says Linden.

"Wait… what's your plan, Linden? You know, we shouldn't get in trouble with peacekeepers. If we got caught…"

"Oh, come on! You want to bother them too! You know how they mistreat everyone!" Jeremy interrupts me.

"Jeremy, you're the eldest, you should…"

"Yeah, I'm the eldest, but this doesn't mean that I'm going to scrap Linden's idea. Let him explain, at least…" he points out.

I sigh. "Okay."

"Thank you, Jeremy. As I was saying, today there's the Reaping, and we all know that peacekeeper officers always wear their high uniforms on these occasions. We could splatter paint on their uniforms while they're heading to the main square, ridiculing them on live TV," explains Linden, enthusiastic.

"How?" I ask.

"That's where I come in," replies Jeremy. "A friend of mine works in a paintball range- you know, sometimes peacekeepers go there to train- and he has secretly lent me a paint gun for this prank. Linden and I found out in which laundry they take their uniforms. What do you think?"

"Wait… how long have you been planning all this?" I ask them, even though I'm afraid of hearing the answer.

"For a while," admits Linden with a guilty smile.

"I didn't know anything about it before," I point out in an accusatory tone.

In response, Jeremy puts his arm around my shoulders. "Well… you know… you're always so hard to convince, brother… you would have stopped us, if you had known it before."

"And for good reason! It's a crazy plan!" I reply.

"Blah, blah, blah… too late to stop us," says Jeremy.

"What if we got caught?"

"We won't."

"Yeah, we know where to hide. The paint gun is already in position, and Jeremy has good aim," adds Linden.

"That's the most stupid…"

"Please, Woody, come with us, it's not the same without you!" Linden begs me.

I sigh. "Okay, let's do it."

…...

5 years ago

Azalea "Lea" Redwood (12)- Citizen of District 7

A light rain is falling over District 7… a rainy day in a cloudless summer. Sitting on the front porch of my house, I'm listening to it. I find it relaxing. In the meantime, I'm humming a tune… I don't remember neither its title nor its lyrics… to be sincere, I'm better at remembering tunes. As for words… well, I'm dyslexic, so they're not my favourite means of communication. Actually, there are many other ways of communicating… a gaze, a gesture… anything could substitute words… to a certain extent, of course.

My thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the arrival of three people- a man and two women. I recognize the man, he's our neighbour Dave… but the women… they must be the people daddy asked Dave to call in order to help mum, while he stayed home to look after her… a nurse and a midwife, that's how he called them. Mum is about to give birth. I'm so excited! A little sibling, I'll have a little sibling… I'll be no longer alone! Yeah, I've got also my parents, but they're always at work… a little sibling will keep company with me. I'm so happy!

Daddy opens the door and lets in the two women. Dave stays on the porch along with me, instead. I try to enter as well, but daddy asks me to stay here.

"But…" I protest.

"This is not a spectacle proper for children, Lea," he replies and closes the door.

I'll peep through the window, then. I see all the three go upstairs. Daddy looks nervous… I can tell it by the way he's gesticulating; he always gesticulates like that, when he's nervous. On the other hand, the two women are acting calm, they're even trying to appease him. It's clear that they know their stuff. Eventually, they all disappear into my parents' room. Oh. I'm so curious! Why have I to stay here? I'll have a little sibling soon, so I should be beside mum, shouldn't I?

At some point, mum begins to scream. I can hear her well even from outside. It's frightening. They say giving birth is painful, and I know it, but hearing her screams is frightening, nonetheless. I cover my ears, while pacing back and forth. Dave is telling me something- he's probably trying to calm me down- but I'm not listening to him. I start humming a tune. Music is always relaxing, it will help me to calm down, I hope. But I can still hear her screams. Why has she to suffer like that? Giving birth should be a joyful event… I mean, you welcome a new life, why is it so painful, then? Why?

Suddenly, I hear no more screams. I stop. Is it already all over? I need to know if mum is okay! I rush inside my house.

"Azalea!" says Dave, but I'm already running up the stairs.

"Congratulations, it's a baby girl!" I hear a female voice say.

A baby girl! A sister… I have a little sister now! Oh, I'm so happy! That's what happiness means! I open the door. Mum, daddy, the two women… they're all staring at me now, a mixture of happiness and astonishment on their faces. Mum is holding my sister in swaddling cloths. The baby is moaning.

"Oh, my little hummingbird… come… greet your little sister Paisley," says my mother with the most wonderful smile I've ever seen on her lips.

I get closer to her with trepidation. I look at my little sister. She's a beautiful baby. At some point, she opens her eyes. They're wide and blue.

"Hello, Paisley," I whisper, as tears start flooding from my eyes.

…...

Present day

Linden Auxley (13)- Citizen of District 7

He saw my face! He saw my face! Let's say that things didn't go as expected. Yeah, Jeremy managed to fire a couple of shots, but then… well, there were also some recruits accompanying the officers, and they immediately ran towards the direction of the shots… in other words, towards us. We had to flee as fast as we could, but the problem is that I wasn't fast enough to lose all of them. I had hidden in an alley to catch my breath, but one of them found me. Jeremy and Woody were nowhere to be seen. The peacekeeper pushed me to the wall and then lowered my hood- my brothers and I had worn hoodies to hide our faces, but now the peacekeeper was able to look at my eyes. Then, something unexpected... he took off his helmet, so I could see that he was a young man, probably in his thirties.

"Listen to me, brat," he said. "Acts of rebellion are not tolerated in District 7."

Rebellion?

"It was just a prank… please, let me go!" I begged him, while trying to hold his gaze… but it was hard, his gaze was so cold that my flesh crawled, and my whole body began to shake like a leaf.

"Just this once."

What? He let me go… he let me go! Why?

Now, I'm running home. At some point, I see my brothers coming towards me.

"Linden! You okay?" Woody asks me.

"I'm fine," I reply.

"Are you sure? When we didn't see you…"

"I'm fine… they… well, I lost them," I insist, interrupting him.

"You made us worry," Jeremy chimes in, but he sounds more amused than worried.

"I'm sorry," I apologize.

"We should really go home now, we cannot arrive late at the Reaping," says Woody, changing the subject.

We go home. As soon as we set foot inside the house, we find our parents waiting for us. They look angry.

"Where have you been?" asks our father, clearly furious.

"We… made a run," answers Jeremy- well, it's technically true.

"And you forgot about the Reaping," he adds.

"Oh, no, we came back on time, right?"

"But too late to wear some decent clothes… well, this problem is mostly Linden's…" our mother chimes in. "I mean… Jeremy, Woodrow..."- oh, when she calls my brother "Woodrow" instead of using his nickname, it means that she's angry- "… you're his elder brothers, you should look after him!" she adds, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Now, there's no time for scolding, we have to go, but we'll talk later," my father warns us.

We leave all together. Actually, we're among the last to arrive at the main square. I part from my family to present myself to the peacekeepers… and I come face to face with the same peacekeeper who found me in the alley! Obviously, he recognizes me. He doesn't say a word at first, he just draws a drop of blood from my finger to verify my identity and then writes something in a register.

"Linden Auxley… I will remember this name," he says at some point.

What does it mean? What does it mean? But I don't ask him anything, I just join my section without looking back. I'm nervous though, and not due to the Reaping. I will remember this name… does it mean that I'll be punished? Does it mean that my family will get in trouble because of a stupid prank? Or did he just want to scare me to death? Acts of rebellion are not tolerated in District 7… to me it was just a stupid prank, but he took it seriously. On second thoughts, targeting peacekeepers was not a great idea. What can I do to make up for that prank?

"Azalea Redwood!"

The high-pitched voice of the escort distracts me from my thoughts. I look at the stage. The reaped girl is mounting it right now.

"A lovely tribute with a lovely name! You live in District 7, and you're named after a flower. I find it appropriate. What do you think?" says the escort, but the girl doesn't reply.

"Ahem… does anyone want to volunteer?" continues the escort.

No one answers.

"Very well, then. We have the female tribute, so let's call her district partner onstage… the lucky one is… Vert Arbre!"

A skinny boy leaves the twelve-year-old section. He's shaking like a leaf. He's clearly scared, he doesn't even try to hide his fear. The boy has no muscles, he has barely the courage to raise his eyes from the ground. He will certainly die in the arena, unless… well, I'll kill two birds with one stone, if…

"I volunteer!" I shout and then leave my section.

The reaped boy looks at me, a mixture of astonishment and gratitude in his eyes.

"Oh, a volunteer from an outer district, that's an event!" comments the escort, who's astonished as well… maybe also a bit disappointed, probably because she doesn't think I'm a better tribute than the reaped boy… I'm so young and weak, after all.

I mount the stage.

"So, my little lionheart… what's your name?" she asks me.

"Linden Auxley," I answer.

The escort turns to the square. "The tributes of District 7, Azalea Redwood and Linden Auxley! As always, happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!"

We enter the Justice Building. They take me to a room to wait for visitors. Once alone, I start pacing back and forth. A part of me is happy, because I saved the life of that boy, but… what about my life? What about my family? Yeah, if I won, the peacekeeper couldn't do anything to us… but I have to win first, and I won't take part in a normal competition… these are the Hunger Games! I will need to fight… to kill… oh, what have I done? I'll stand no chances in the arena! I will… I will probably die in the bloodbath! No, this is just a nightmare… now, I will wake up in my bed… I will… but this is not a nightmare… I'm a tribute for real… I…

I hear the door open. My family enters the room.

"Why have you volunteered, Linden?" asks my father.

I don't know what to answer. I start crying. "I-I… d-don't know… when I-I s-saw that boy, I-I…" I stammer, while shaking my head.

"You have a good heart, Linden," says my mother, and then she starts crying as well.

My parents hug me.

"I-I'm scared, I don't want to go!" I say.

"If we could come with you, we would. But you'll never be alone, okay? We'll think of you every day… until you come back, okay?" replies my father.

"We love you," adds my mother.

"I love you too."

Then, it's the turn of my brothers.

"Well, volunteering... was the craziest idea you had, you… you surprised us," says Woody with a sad smile.

"Please, don't get in trouble while I'm away," I beg them.

"Oh, no, we are going to play pranks in your honour!" replies Jeremy.

"No, don't do it, please!" I insist.

"Why not?"

I look down in response. When I raise my eyes again, I need all my self-control to flaunt a smile. "Your ideas for pranks are boring."

"Oh, did you hear him, Woody? Our brother thinks we cannot play pranks without him…"

"He underestimates us."

I would like to joke with them forever, but a peacekeeper- a woman this time- enters the room to remind me that I have a train to take. My family has to leave me, and I have to leave them… leave them due to a stupid prank. But the idea was mine, so it's me who has to pay.

…...

Azalea "Lea" Redwood (17) - District 7 female tribute

I'm not able to hold back my tears. The Hunger Games… I'm a tribute in the Hunger Games! I take a deep breath, trying to calm down, but I'm too scared to do it. I try to hum a tune then, but what I produce sounds more like a wheeze than proper music. I feel smothered… I feel like I was going to die right now.

Luckily, my family arrives. My parents hug me immediately. They're both teary.

"Oh, Lea! Its so unfair! You cannot go!" says mum.

"I... have to," I reply.

"Promise us that you'll be careful! We want you to come back!"

"I… wwwill do… my bets… my best to sur… sssurvive."

"You're a brave girl, Lea. Remember… you can do anything, if you really want it," says daddy.

Even win the Hunger Games? I doubt it… I don't think that a strong will is enough. But I need to think positive. I can make it. I don't need to be a tribute who shows off their skills, I could just try to go unnoticed… well, it gonna be tough, my dyslexia won't enable me to go unnoticed. They will probably laugh at my problem. I've watched other editions of the Games, and every time there's a tribute who has a disability, he or she is immediately targeted as a weakling. But someone could decide to sponsor me out of pity. It might work as a strategy.

My parents break our embrace. Now, I should say something also to Paisley. She's too little to understand what's happening, but I cannot leave my district without telling her goodbye.

"Hey, Paisley," I say, approaching her.

"Daddy said you'll go to another place. Where?" she replies.

"It's… a cccity… a big city… fra… far far away."

"But you'll come back soon, right?"

"Sure."

"Can I come with you?"

I shake my head in response.

"Why not?" she insists.

"Because you're too little to travel, Paisley. Now, say goodbye to your sister, she needs to get ready to leave," daddy chimes in, trying to hold back his tears.

"Okay… Lea?"

"Yes?"

"Good trip."

I smile. "Thanks, Paisley."

After that, they leave the room. I feel so alone now, but I cannot give up. I will see them again… I have to.

So, also the last two tributes have been introduced. What do you think of them?

If you want, you can write a review with the chart below:

- your tributes (if any)

- rooting for (plus 10 points)

- simply like (plus 5 points)

- neutral

- dislike (minus 5 points)

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The Reaping part of this SYOT is finally over, and this means that now SUBMITTERS can assign 20 extra points to tributes per chapter, starting from that about the train rides. I will send you a message to remind you of these extra points, anyway. PM me, if you need more info.

Thank you for reading :)