Hi I straight-up have Covid so enjoy the update and don't expect any new ones until I'm de-covided

Robbie Emmers (18) D9M

"Who do you think can finish quota the fastest?" I asked to the groans of my friends. They were hard workers, sure, but they didn't see the fun in work. Neither did I, really, but I sure saw the fun in making work a game. "Betcha I can finish harvesting this whole row before you two are half done with yours."

"What are you betting?" Ever asked without missing a beat. Most days it would be a silly question. I was betting brownie points. I was begging bragging rights. None of us had a lot to bet, but the phrase still worked as a figure of speech. But I was bored, the group didn't seem interested, and I really needed something more entertaining than just swinging a scythe for the next hour of my life. If I had to bribe my friends to play a game, so be it.

"One drink for everyone who beats me." Sure, we weren't really supposed to be drinking, but no one cared. 'Specially when we were drinking the beer we made ourselves, taking the leftover wheat the Peacekeepers sometimes pretended they didn't notice we took. The leftover wheat we were usually only allowed to glean when we were producing far above quota, a task I helped us complete with all of these stupid games.

"You're on," Djinn replied without hesitation, already hurrying to get ahead. It seemed like the bet was pretty good and rigged against me, since we were all the same way into the row, about a fifth of the way in. Sure, they only had another some percent, but I just had to worker harder'n them. How hard could it be? Very, but that was fine. I wasn't no slacker.

"On your marks, get set... GO!" I yelled, already mid-swing. We'd started as soon as we agreed to the bet, but it seemed more fun to announce a beginning anyway. I took off, always faster than those two slackers, but still made sure to do my job well. I wasn't the sort to do nothing halfway, but I always wasn't the sort to get whipped because I left half my work undone. I'd rather give two idiots some of my brew than deal with that whole mess.

"We're already going, idiot!" Ever yelled from a few feet behind me. I chuckled at him but just kept working. We insulted each other a lot, but that's just how it is. I'd still have died for Ever, as the phrase goes. He'd've died for me, which made for a bit of a pickle if the situation ever came up. I just had to hope it didn't.

One hour and about a gallon of sweat later, I stood proudly over a row well-done. I could see the boys maybe halfway caught up to me, and the grin dropped off my face as I realized what that meant. They were halfway caught up to me. They'd won the bet, and I wasn't about to slink my way out of it. I had to give up some of my own brew.

Amberlynn Hyde (15) D9F

District Nine certainly wasn't the richest of the Districts, but that didn't mean everyone lived in squalor. My family could afford a thing or two, but that was nothing compared to my bestie. Her family could afford just about anything they wanted, with her mom being the mayor, and that meant they could afford me. More specifically, they could afford to "hire" me to be their party planner. For most people, hiring me meant actually paying me, but for Lina, hiring me just meant that I was invited to go. I was more than happy to do a little free labor for a friend.

"So who do you think it'll be this year?" Lina asked the totally gauche yet completely obvious question that was sitting on the tip of everyone's tongue. "I mean, it's gotta be an older kid, but which one?"

The party was celebrating the Reaping. It seemed morbid, but I was happy to celebrate just about anything if it meant an excuse to have an elaborate party, especially one I wasn't paying for myself. While lots of Nine didn't really love these yearly parties, Lina's family certainly did. They attracted Capitolites, and befriended them meant more political power. Really, I was doing them a huge favor when I made sure they all wore a mint blue instead of the white they originally planned, even if it meant completely changing the original outfits they wanted. Capitolites just did not like anything plain.

"Maybe Bethany?" I posited, not specifying which of the many Bethanies I meant. I was just continuing conversation, being a good hostess. I didn't really care to linger on who it would be.

"Maybe it'll be you!" a Capitolite innocently offered up. "I know you're always hosting the parties, and if you get to go to the Capitol you could see even better ones! You have to see what a club looks like in the Capitol. Maybe I could sneak you into one if you got Reaped. You're so young and all, but that's fine." It took me a second to recognize a very drunk Flora Amphora talking to me, and once the name clicked in my brain, it took me a second to stop myself from being completely starstruck.

"That sounds delightful!" I politely responded, as though I wanted to be Reaped. I did want to get to see the Capitol one day, but somehow, the Games didn't seem like the best way to do that. "But maybe I'll have to find another way to come to the Capitol. I mean, Nine needs me as their party planner for now!" I wasn't sure whether Flora had the ability to Reap me on purpose, but that wasn't a risk I was going to take. I had to very politely, very delicately tell her that was not a favor I was in need of, or I'd get to see a lot more than a party up-close.