HADLEY OLIVIER, 15

I don't know why my family enjoys working all day at the vineyard. It's long hours in the grueling heat, my body always hurts afterwards, and the pay is absolute dog shit.

The only way to get ahead is to work hard, supposedly. Instead of doing that, I figured out another method: taking credit for other people's work. Whenever the Peacekeepers come by, I claim their work as my own. Whenever I feel particularly unmotivated, I claim to be injured at the hands of someone else. It gets me out of work for at least a few days and I sometimes get extra money to compensate for my troubles.

Unfortunately, within the last few years, people have caught on, and no one even so much as smiles when they see me come to work. I have to be sneaker about my strategies and do it less frequently. Which also means I have to put in more actual effort at work. Ugh. It absolutely sucks.

My parents and older sister found out about it, too.

"How the hell did we raise such a spoiled brat?" My mom asked me when she found out. "Your sister doesn't behave in such a shameful and dishonest way. How could you ruin our family's name like that?"

"Working in the vineyards just doesn't speak to me," I explained.

"You think we want to be doing that?" Dad replied. "No! We do what we can for others, ourselves, and our community. We don't try to get others in trouble and steal their work!"

I tried to talk to my sister Gracelyn about it, but she took my parents' side.

"Honesty is important, Hadley. You don't want to go through life without any friends, do you?"

"I have you, Gracie."

"You need other people, too."

When reaping day arrives, I wear a nice but simple light blue dress that I've had for all of my reapings. I wait in anticipation, and nearly faint when Ardor chooses me in the fight to the death.

The people have interesting reactions. Some of them high-five their friends. Others yell "yes!", like they're happy to see me leave and probably never return. Someone even says "karma is a bitch!"

PETE CHILLINGHAM, 17

As I work at the orchard, I see a younger kid trying to reach for an apple, jumping as he tries to grab a high branch.

Seeing someone suffering makes me queasy, so I go over to help him. "Hey there kid. Need any help?" I ask.

He nods and points to the apples he wants. I pick them off one-by-one, dumping them into his bucket. I probably grabbed more than he needed, but why do the bare minimum when I can go the extra mile.

"Thanks Pete," the kid says. "You're the best."

"Eh, don't sweat it. We gotta help each other out."

I head back to my station and gather up some more crops before my bucket fills up entirely. I start carrying it over to the house where the apples are used, grunting as I carry my bucket. When I come back, other people nearly crumble as they try to carry theirs. So, like I did with the kid, I go over and take their buckets from them, making at least five or six trips. None of it feels that heavy to me, so it's the least I could do.

When that part of my work is done, I go inside and help prepare the food. Someone hands me a sharp knife, and I start cutting up the apples into small pieces. I am delicate with the knife, since I've seen people nearly slice their hands off with the blades. I stand at the cutting board for hours. My body definitely feels the exhaustion, but I refuse to let it get to my head.

Finally, when the day is done and I get paid, I walk home to see my parents and younger brother, Chowder. I give him some of the money I earned and tell him to spend it on something he wants. He hugs me in response.

"Oh Pete," mom says to me, ruffling my hair. "You don't need to work this hard. You need a day off sometime soon. We are so grateful for you though."

"I took a day off last week," I say back to her. "Maybe in a few days, but they need me down at the orchard for a little bit longer."

She kisses my forehead and prepares dinner.

The day of the reaping…

I was at work the morning of the reaping and nearly forgot about it. Instead of getting all dressed up, I went to the town center straight from the orchard, still wearing my work boots and covered in dirt. I made it right in the knick of time, as the video started to play. People definitely gave me some stares, and the Peacekeepers didn't appreciate my appearance, but at least I showed up! Not that I had much of a choice.

Finally, Ardor selects the tributes, starting with everyone's least favorite girl in the district: Hadley Olivier. Nice knowing you!

Well, it looks like I will know her for a little bit longer, since Ardor pulled my name, too.

Fuck.