Adera "Addie" Laurier, 16

District 6 Female

Sleeping in was always so strange. I was used to being awake at the crack of dawn to bake the fresh goods for the day. But on Reaping Day nothing was open, especially not a bakery run by two teenagers.

I stretched luxuriously and smiled at the feeling of the sun on my face. This peaceful feeling wouldn't last, which just meant that I had to make the most of it. Tomorrow we'd be back to selling brownies and cookies and other addictive substances.

The faint smell of burning bread reached my nose and I threw off my blanket. My peaceful morning was definitely going to be ruined if Jackie sent the building on fire. I got to the kitchen just in time to pull the loaf of scorched bread out of the oven.

"Jackie!" I yelled, dropping the tray on the table with a thud.

"Sorry!" he yelped. An egg yolk plopped into the pan and broke, splattering him with yellow. "I was trying to make you breakfast."

I smiled a little. Leave it to Jackie to turn a surprise breakfast into a life-threatening disaster. There was a reason I was the one who did the dirty work and he was the one who called the shots.

I nudged him aside with my hip and prepared for battle. Once I'd salvaged most of the fried eggs, I grinned at him.

"Thanks. That was sweet of you."

"You're only thanking me now that you've done the work and you know it will make me feel bad."

"Yup!"

I plated the eggs while Jackie tracked down an overly-ripe apple. It wasn't inedible yet though, so he cut it up and we shared a lovely breakfast of messy eggs and a sickeningly sweet fruit. And I didn't mind it one bit.

Things were a lot harder with Jackie than they were with the Harloy's. They were some of the richest people in District 6 and Carlyn was running for mayor when I left. She was elected a few months later. But with Jackie I felt loved. We only had each other and we both knew we'd never find a better partner.

But then the morning had to get ruined because it was time for the Reaping. Carlyn would be there, as she'd maintained her position as mayor ever since she was elected. And this would be Ember Harloy, my so-called sister's, second reaping. I avoided her last year and I was determined to do the same again.

But seeing Carlyn onstage was hard. I was hurt by her, but I'd hurt her too. And Dacie and Ember. I wished I could take back some of the things I said, but that wasn't how life worked. You did dumb stuff and you lived with it.

I shook myself from my memories and dug through my dresser for an outfit. I pulled out a nice white blouse with puffy sleeves and grit my teeth. It was Eliza's favorite blouse. I forgot I even had it.

Without thinking, I put it on. The fabric was worn, but very soft. I decided to wear it and paired it with skinny black jeans and my favorite boots. I left my dark hair down, hoping it would cover my face.

Moving across the district actually meant moving closer to the Justice Building, so Jackie and I walked to the Reaping Center. He was nineteen and finally free of the Capitol's threat, so we parted ways.

"See you later!" he said. I winked.

The line was long so I idly braided strands of my hair as I waited. When it was finally my turn to check in I had two intricate braids framing my face. But I kept my eyes down when the Peacekeeper took my blood. But 'Adera Laurier' popped up on her screen and she ushered me through the gates.

I took my place with the other sixteen-year-old girls only a few minutes before our escort came onstage. Fogey Fisher, who'd been escorting District 6's tributes since the 1st Games, died two days after Annie Cresta was crowned Victor. Now we had Dionysus Heart.

He was a splash of color next to Mayor Harloy, who was wearing a black pantsuit. True to his name, Dionysus's suit was a dark wine color and made entirely of velvet. He had a thin, curled mustache, like a supervillain, and his curly black hair looked like a beehive on top of his head.

Mayor Harloy cleared her throat before addressing us through the microphone. She thanked us for attending and then introduced our past Victors. I clapped half-heartedly when they came onstage.

Our first Victor, Autus, was barely clinging to life. He was in a wheelchair pushed by Axel Early and he had several tubes and wires connected to him, including one for oxygen. I grimaced. It was cruel of the Capitol to force a public appearance on him. And Aran Beauregard wasn't much better. But he was a high-paying customer when we could get our hands on morphine, so I didn't mind him.

They all made it to their seats and then Mayor Harloy read the Treaty of Treason. She looked tired and sad and I felt a flicker of pity. She was good to me…

But the thoughts were pushed from my mind when Dionysus took over. He grinned brightly and waved to us all.

"Hi everyone! I am so excited to be back! It's such a momentous day and I can't wait to see who our lovely tributes are! We do have a short video to watch, but I promise we'll get to the good stuff soon!"

I sighed. In any other world, I'd see Dionysus as a nice guy. But his cheeriness came from choosing children to die. We hadn't had a Victor since the 57th Games more than a decade ago.

Dionysus started the film we had to watch every year. I stood with my head down, watching the Peacekeepers. I was fairly certain they didn't know what I looked like, but I didn't want to risk being seen.

But when Dionysus stepped back up to the microphone stand, my attention snapped to him. I crossed my fingers and silently hoped it wasn't Ember. Or me.

Dionysus selected a slip from the girl's bowl first, like he always did. Just once, it would be nice to see the boys suffer first. But I pushed the thought aside and waited for him to announce the name.

"Adera Laurier!"

My eyes widened and I felt dizzy for a moment. But I had to pull it together. I squared my shoulders and went to stand next to Dionysus. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mayor Harloy cover her mouth with one hand. There were tears in her eyes. She recognized me.

I snapped my attention back to the crowd and spotted Jackie. His face was stony but he nodded once. I quirked the side of my mouth up in a subtle half-smile. Jackie believed in me, and I believed in myself. I could win the Hunger Games.

Diesel Calator, 14

District 6 Male

I groaned as a pillow thumped onto my head.

"Stop it," I grumbled, blindly tossing the offending cushion back at Dynamo.

"No," he said. The pillow hit me again. "We have to get up."

I groaned as loudly and dramatically as I could.

"I'm tired…" I whined.

"If you didn't stay up until two in the morning, you wouldn't be tired," Dynamo pointed out. I flipped him off without opening my eyes and he laughed.

"But seriously, it's time to get up. We already slept in late and it's Reaping Day."

The mention of Reaping Day made me open my eyes. I sat up and blinked my bleary eyes. Dynamo's blue eyes peeked at me from the edge of his bed as I shoved the thin quilt aside.

I often slept over at Dynamo's house. His mom didn't have the money to support another child but she let me stay whenever she could. Aria's parents did the same. I wasn't the best at showing my appreciation, but I always tried to remember to thank them.

I'd lived in the district's community home for as long as I could remember. If I had parents, I had no idea who or where they were. When I was younger, it bothered me. Now I knew that I didn't want a family who didn't want me back. That's what my friends were for.

I pulled on my baggy canvas pants and then yanked my too-big hoodie over my head. Dynamo had offered me one of his nice shirts last night, but I turned him down. I didn't need to look fancy for the Reaping.

We joined Dynamo's mom in the main room for breakfast. Three bowls of hot porridge were already on the table.

"How did you boys sleep?" she asked as we sat down with her.

"Fine," Dynamo said. I nodded in agreement.

"That's good," she said. "Diesel, were you warm enough?"

"Yeah," I said. Then I quickly added my appreciation. "Thanks for asking."

A brief, awkward silence came over us, but then Dynamo blurted out the new skateboarding trick he was learning. I jumped in as well, adding tips and stories while his mom nodded along and pretended to understand.

When we finished, she collected our bowls.

"I'll finish off the dishes," she said. "You boys should head to the Reaping Center." So we grabbed our skateboards and headed out.

Dynamo's apartment block was in the main area of District 6 so we didn't have to go far. I sped ahead of my friend, the wind rushing through my shaggy hair. I smiled as I rushed down the street, embracing the death-defying speed I was moving at.

When we arrived at the Justice Building, we stashed our skateboards behind a dumpster and got in line. A few minutes later, Aria joined us.

"Hey guys!" she said, offering us both high fives. "How was your guy time?"

"Well, Diesel stayed up until two again," Dynamo said. Aria frowned at me.

"Dude, you need sleep," she said. I shrugged.

"I can't help it. I don't get tired."

"He's superhuman," Dynamo added.

We bantered back and forth until we had our fingers pricked to check in. Dynamo and I split from Aria after a quick goodbye and then we went to stand with the other 14-year-old boys.

I spotted a few boys from my class and chatted with them and Dynamo until Mayor Harloy and Dionysus Heart came onstage. Then we all clapped politely and kept our attention on them.

The Reaping was both boring and exciting for me. I didn't like standing around and listening to boring speeches. But the thought of the Hunger Games sent a wave of excitement through me. They were unspeakably dangerous, but danger was what I loved more than anything. I would never volunteer, but the thrill I felt when Dionysus drew a slip was incredible.

When the past District 6 Victors came onstage, I tried to remember how they won. I hadn't been alive to see any of their victories, but I knew Axel used a metal pipe as his weapon and Journey poisoned her opponents. They were the ones who were the usual mentors because Autus was sick as well as ancient and Aran was a drug addict.

I bounced on my toes as Mayor Harloy read the Treaty of Treason and Dionysus Heart made his opening speech. Then came the video. It was interesting at first and I liked seeing the fight scenes, but after all these years it was getting dull.

And finally we got to the good part. Dionysus reaped a girl named Adera Laurier, who I'd never seen before. She had dark hair and a serious expression on her face. She was only 16, but she looked like she could be a contender.

And then it was time for the boys. I held my breath as Dionysus chose a slip and announced the tribute's name.

"Diesel Calator!"

Oh. My. Gosh.

Dynamo gasped loudly and turned to stare at me. I stepped forward on shaky legs with a million thoughts running through my head. There was a high chance I could end up dead. But this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There would be fights and danger. It was the ultimate battle for survival.

I wasn't entirely sure what expression I had when I joined Dionysus and Adera, but I knew I didn't look scared. I shook Adera's and smiled at her. She smiled back as Dionysus announced our names.

"I give you the District 6 tributes: Adera Laurier and Diesel Calator!"

Hi everybody! Here is the next set of Reapings! District 6, as promised. To be completely honest, I regret doing the Reapings this way. I wanted to give the tributes as much "screen time" as possible but I think these Reaping chapters are too repetitive. I will finish them though! I'm just sorry I did them this way, and hopefully they're not too dull.

Like I said last time, Tea and Annoa are next, and I've already written most of Tea's POV so that chapter should be out pretty soon. Thanks again to all of you who are reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

QUESTIONS

1) Is Addie's confidence a good thing or a bad thing?

2) Will Addie reconnect with Mayor Harloy? Should she reconnect with her?

3) Is Diesel's mindset good or bad? Or both?

4) Can you see Diesel and Addie allying? If not, who do you think they would ally with?

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

- Fiona