Silage "Sila" Kumar, 15
District 11 Female Tribute

When Sila opened the front door she was greeted by the delicious smell of sugar and cinnamon. It brought a smile to her face, but she felt sadness too. Her dad was making snickerdoodles, her grandpa's favorite cookies.

When Sila was little the name of the sweet treat always made her giggle. Her grandpa would laugh along with her and then they would spend the day baking too many cookies. She missed him and her grandma more than she could say.

Her grandparents were the ones who raised her. Once her mom and Silo left, her dad had to work twice as hard. He made time for her, but he was always busy. Even after his big promotion, when he could afford to be home, he kept working. Her grandparents got sick and it fell on him and Sila to care for them.

She'd missed countless days of school and her dad did say that the family could afford a nurse, but Sila insisted on caring for them. They'd done so much for her and it was only right that she returned the love and effort. When they passed, it hurt more than anything she'd ever felt.

After taking off her shoes, Sila went to join her dad in the kitchen. He looked up and grinned when he saw her.

"I got the day off, so I figured we could celebrate," he told her.

She washed her hands and joined him in mixing the dough. They chatted about their days and laughed at old inside jokes, but Sila still felt the heavy weight of the true reason they were doing something special. Tomorrow was the very first Reaping and anything could happen.

Silas "Silo" Kumar, 15
District 11 Male Tribute

When Silo opened the door he was greeted by the smell of brown sugar and slightly scorched oatmeal. It brought a sad smile to his face. It used to be that he would help his mother make dinner and they'd wait until Yolanda was home to all eat together. Mom hadn't been alive for years, though, and Yolanda wasn't so thoughtful. She did always leave some food for him, though, even if it meant that he'd been cooking all his meals at an age when most children were scolded for touching the stove.

As Silo sniffed the milk in the carton before he poured it into a pot, he wondered what Sila had for dinner. She would have already eaten by now - she didn't work at all, much less the twelve-hour shifts that were his norm. They hadn't crossed paths in years, not since Silo dropped out in sixth grade. He'd been a good student back then, at least in things like art where he could use his imagination. He wondered sometimes if Sila had skipped any grades. If so, they wouldn't see each other even in school, even if he still went. Sometimes he wondered if he would still recognize her if he did.

Yolanda was already in bed, so Silo was careful to be quiet as he cooked. It already weighed on him how much she'd sacrificed for a kid that wasn't even hers. How much can you really ask of a friend? However close you are, a child is a heavy burden. So Silo didn't fault her for being a halfway parent. She shouldn't have had to be one at all.

They say the Reaping is tomorrow. Silo still didn't entirely believe it. Sure, the law had passed. Sure, there had been Capitolites around for weeks, doing business work and all those adult things that wasted time and accomplished nothing. But Silo was still sure they would call it off. No country would kill twenty-three kids in the name of peace. What a stupid, moronic idea.

Rita Hollis, 18
District 12 Female Tribute

A lot of people wished they had someone to spend what might be their last normal night with. Rita wasn't sure she wanted anyone. If she did, she certainly didn't want Sage Garnier, but he'd made the highest bid, so there she was. It amazed her how very much people would pay to not even get what most people assumed her line of work was all about. Rita dabbled in that side of night work, sure, but so many of her clients didn't even want her body. They wanted the illusion - so insipid and shallow - that they had a piece of her soul. They seemed to honestly think she liked them. Rita felt almost guilty sometimes, taking their money. But if they were stupid enough to think money bought love, if Rita didn't lighten their wallets, someone else would.

"How you feeling?"

Sage's wrinkled, sun-dried face made Rita want to wrinkle her nose. Men like him thought a kind word meant they were actually kind people. They were in a relationship, right? So they cared about each other, they pretended. Rita would believe that any of them cared about her on the day they paid for her family's plain rice and beans and didn't expect a romantic fantasy in return. Rita's fee was pocket change for Sage. Pocket change for him, and life or death for the people he looked right past on the streets.

"It's fine," Rita shrugged. "If I get picked, I can take care of myself."

"You shouldn't have to," Sage said. Isn't that just true? Rita thought. But I don't see you doing anything about it. I didn't see you protesting. You're not buried with those of us who stood up. You sit here and tell me you wish things were better, because you're not the one they're killing.

Canaan Redfield, 15
District 12 Male Tribute

A lot of people, children and adults, were going to bed very worried tonight. Some of them still thought this was all some sort of prank or conspiracy theory, but Canaan knew better. Dad would have known if this wasn't going to happen. He and all his Peacekeeper buddies knew the truth. They'd been training and practicing for months. No one knew how the very first Reaping would go down, but few thought it would be peaceful.

Those things didn't happen to people like Canaan, though. It was unfortunate anyone had to die, but the Capitol had the right idea in limiting such things to the less promising. Canaan had a good family and was going to make something of his life. He went to an elite school and excelled even there. He was marked for much greater things than the mines or the merchant class. His father thought maybe Canaan would be a Peacekeeper someday. Canaan wasn't sure he was meant for such a controlled life. He could certainly see himself getting a job in the Capitol, though.

Canaan felt a little guilty taking his place in line with the others at the Reaping. The air was thick and moist with the sweat and scent of so many people. Canaan's friend Carmac was next to him. It had crossed Canaan's mind that Carmac might be chosen, but he didn't dwell on it. Odds were it would be some kid they hadn't even heard of - some nameless, faceless cipher from this throng of indistinguishable humanity. After today, they'd go on to their unfortunate death, and Canaan would go back to his charmed life.

A/N: Thank you all for your patience! 66samvr had to drop out of the project, so please welcome LadyCordeliaStuart to the team.

Next up is the Reapings with Atsali Brant.