Olivia Desmarais, 17
District 1 Female Tribute

"Olivia, honey, are you sure you want to volunteer?"

That question again. Olivia looked up from the amethyst she was working on and smiled at her mother, who was at the sewing machine in the corner of the shop.

"Of course," Olivia said. "Brant promised fame and fortune to the Victor of the Games, and I think I have what it takes to make you proud. You, Dad, and the entire District."

"We still don't know many of the specifics of these Games," Olivia's father cautioned from behind the register. "All we know is that it is a fight to the death. Olivia, are you sure this is what you want?"

"Dad, we've been over this before," Olivia sighed, turning back to her handiwork. "How hard can these Games be? You know that I'm strong and smart."

"We're just worried that you'll die," Olivia's mother said.

"Well, then, don't," Olivia snapped. "You can say whatever you want but you're not going to change my mind about volunteering." She sighed as she stood up, abandoning her project. "I'm sorry. I'm going into the woods."

Olivia's father said something, but Olivia paid him no attention as she stormed out of her parents' shop and to the place that she knew would always be there for her. She took a deep breath as she walked. There she went again, losing her cool, which had happened more times than usual this week. When she got back to her beloved family, she knew that she would apologize.

But for now, she was going to enjoy the woods. Not many people in District 1 even knew that they existed, but Olivia loved how lush and peaceful they were. Olivia arrived in the woods and sat down on the grass, sighing as she admired her surroundings. She was feeling better already.

Cassandra "Cassie" Flint, 16
District 2 Female Tribute

Cassie walked home from her work in the quarry, sighing as she stared down at the pebbles at her feet. Her family, miners like her, walked next to her, her mother and father holding hands. It had been a long day already and there was still the Reaping to attend later that day.

The Reaping filled Cassie with uncertainty and fear. Nobody knew anything about the Hunger Games. All Cassie knew was that it was a fight to the death to punish rebels like herself and her family. She still vividly remembered the rebellion. She remembered watching her brother courageously take part in a riot. She remembered learning revolutionary ideals like how to fight. Those days were long gone, and now she was nothing more than a poor quarry worker. At least Cassie and her family were alive. Not everyone was so lucky.

Cassie noticed someone staring and looked up to see a Peacekeeper glaring at her and her family from behind their visor. Cassie bristled.

"What are you looking at?" she growled at the Peacekeeper.

"Rebel scum," the Peacekeeper growled back. Without flinching, Cassie rushed up to the Peacekeeper, throwing her mother, father, and brother behind her. Cassie wasn't dumb enough to pick a fight, but she wasn't going to let herself and her family get pushed around.

"You seem to be taking a lot of interest in supposed scum," Cassie said, fixing the Peacekeeper with a steady stare. "Care to explain why?"

"Listen kid, I have no interest in explaining myself to people like you," the Peacekeeper said, standing up straight. "If you don't get a move on I'll be forced to take action."

"Don't touch my family," Cassie snarled, though she took a step back. "Mess with them and you mess with me too."

The Peacekeeper nodded curtly, and Cassie gave a nod back as she rejoined her family on their walk home.

Copper Clearwood, 15
District 3 Female Tribute

Copper stared angrily out the window at her neighbors' apartment. They were so lucky to have a perfect family. Copper wanted a perfect family but no, she had to have a bedridden father and a narcissistic mother. Copper barely knew what the word "narcissism" meant - thanks to her parents' situation, she never really went to school - but she was confident that her mother was a narcissist.

"Copper?"

That was Twine, Copper's younger sister. Twine was thirteen years old and Copper envied her innocence. Still, Twine was one of the few people who Copper could trust.

Copper turned to her sister. "Yeah?"

"Do we have to go to the Reaping?" Twine asked, her voice soft. "Father can't walk, so…"

"They said that everyone has to go, but I don't think they can account for everyone," Copper said with a bitter laugh. "If you want, we can stay home and explain that we can't go because of Father."

"Don't be ridiculous, Copper," a new voice piped up. That was Laurel, Copper's older sister, who was entering the room from their father's bedroom. "Everyone who doesn't go to the Reaping will be imprisoned."

"And you believe them?" Copper asked.

"I'm not risking it," Laurel said darkly, looking far older than her actual age of twenty-three.

"So Father will go to prison today," Copper grumbled. "Great. Just great."

"Where's Mother?" Twine asked. "Maybe she knows something."

"If she knows something, she won't tell us, you know how she is," Copper muttered.

The front door to the small apartment opened, and the girls' mother strutted in. Twine smiled at her mother.

"Hi Mom, where were you?" Twine said.

"Just picking up a little something for Father," Copper's mother said. "Now go clean yourself up. I can't go to the Reaping looking like a fool."

Copper scoffed to herself. Mother didn't have any extra packages with her, so she was, as always, lying.

Mireyah "Mira" Odenarah, 18
District 4 Female Tribute

The doorbell rang, and Mira groaned from under her covers and turned around in bed. The last thing she wanted was a visitor. She could hear her parents talking to the girl at the door and tried her best to ignore them.

Unfortunately, footsteps were soon approaching Mira's room. Mira lay still, hoping that if she appeared to be asleep her parents would leave her alone.

"Mira?" her mother called from the other side of the door as she knocked.

Mira didn't answer.

"Mira, I'm coming in," Mom said as she barged annoyingly into Mira's room. Mira continued to lay motionless, but her mother plopped herself down next to her and ruffled her hair.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Mom chirped shrilly. Mira sighed and got out of bed, changing into her normal clothes as Mom babbled about a friend being here.

Well, Mira thought, Mom and the so-called friend can both suck it.

Mira was soon out the door without addressing her parents or her visitor. She soon sat at the edge of a pier, staring out at the ocean and watching the waves roll by. This was the life: her relaxing all by herself with no one - not her parents, not her so-called friends - to bother her. She really wondered why people still made fun of her. Maybe they didn't know that she never forgave a slight. Well, it sucked to be them.

I wish I could stay like this forever, Mira thought as she continued sitting by herself. But she had to get to the Reaping. Today she was going to volunteer for the Hunger Games and finally get away from it all - away from her overbearing parents, away from her friends who were blissfully unaware that she didn't like them. Mira wondered what the Capitol was like. She was ready for the adventure.