Odhan Tyrell’s POV:

‘’ Everyone! Get up! It’s time to get ready for the Reaping!’’ Yells the cruel feminine voice that belongs to the head of the orphanage I live in – Madam Whelan.

I open my eyes and rub the sleep from them with my clenched fists. I then sit up in my tiny, rickety bed and put on my glasses that had been sitting on my small wooden dresser – one of the only pieces of furniture in my bedroom apart from the bed and small wardrobe which houses my very little amount of clothes.

I glance in the cracked mirror hanging on the wall, the first thing that I notice is my bed hair – my jet black locks are all rustled untidily on the top of my head. I lick the palms of my hands and attempt to flatten the hairs sticking up by rubbing my hand over it – to little avail!

I glance around my pitiful bedroom, I have no more than two by four meters of space and the majority of that space is taken up by the bed, the small dresser and the wardrobe. The floor is a state, with a thin layer of dust resting permanently on it despite how much I walk across it daily. There are wooden walls about two meters high on either side of my room, and there are about twenty identical cubicles like mine stretching on each side of the room.

My schoolbag is shoved underneath my bed where it will stay for the entire weekend despite the amount of homework I have. I may get afterschool detention for not doing it, but that would mean I would have a longer amount of time out of this hell hole.

I truly do hate my life here. I hate everything about the orphanage. The other orphans are mostly horrible, the staff are worse, the food is barely edible and there is no heating so during the day it is like the inside of a stove and during the night it is bitterly cold.

It wasn’t always like this, I once had a proper home and a family...but all that changed very suddenly when my parents stole from the bakery. It was only a few loaves of bread, they had no other choice, it was to feed me and my little sister who was only a year and a half old at the time. She was weak and needed the extra food but my parents couldn’t afford it.

Aideen had been desperate but the Capitol didn’t care. They let her die and then they punished my parents. Public execution by hanging in front of the entire District – including me. Then they shipped me off to this miserable place to spend the rest of my childhood. Once I turn eighteen, I will be kicked out and forced to fend for myself, forced to get a job and slave away for eighteen hours a day.

But the Capitol don’t care about that, all they care about is their fantastic show they put on every year, the Hunger Games. They think after seven years of life in the orphanage that I’d have grown used to my crappy life and forget what they did for my parents, as if!

‘’ I said get up!’’ Roars Madam Whelan again, smacking her hand hard on the door of the room for emphasis.

I push open the curtain of my small bedroom and step outside of it, the others sharing the large room step out of their small cubicles as well and stand silently – waiting for Madam Whelan’s orders.

‘’ OK now. We are going to head straight to the town square for the Reapings, one the way out the door you will be handed and apple and a piece of bread. Ration that because your next meal isn’t for a few more hours!’’ Explains Madam Whelan. ‘’ Is that understand?’’

‘’ Yes.’’ We all reply in unison.

‘’ Yes what?’’ She questions impatiently.

‘’ Yes Madam Whelan.’’ We repeat, again in unison.

‘’ OK. Follow me.’’ She orders.

Almost like the Peacekeepers, we turn ninety degrees left and begin to march in twos after Madam Whelan who is already making her way down the dank and dark hallway of the orphanage and heading to the exit.

‘’ This is bullshit. An apple and a piece of bread?’’ Mutters a boy somewhere behind me. ‘’ They treat us like bloody prisoners in here!’’

‘’ We’re all prisoners of the Capitol, the sooner you accept that the sooner we can all move on with our pathetic lives.’’ Retorts another boy somewhere else behind me.

We continue on in silence the rest of the way, filing two by two down the stairs leading down to the bottom floor and we then follow Madam Whelan out of the building. As we exit the doors, there are four members of the lunch staff standing in the doorway handing out the food. I take an apple and a piece of bread and keep moving.

As we leave the grounds of the orphanage, the group disperses a bit as we all continue at our own paces now that Madam Whelan is no longer filing us along. I fall back and walk alongside two of my friends – Paul and Mitch – and begin chatting with them.

‘’ And so Reaping day is upon us again.’’ Mutters Paul.

‘’ The joys of it all!’’ Adds Mitch sarcastically.

‘’ Who do you think will be picked from Six this year?’’ Asks Paul.

‘’ Hopefully nobody we know.’’ I say, thinking aloud.

‘’ Hey! Wait up buddies!’’ Calls the too familiar voice of Butch from somewhere behind us.

‘’ Run!’’ I order in a half shout, half whisper and the three of us split from the trail towards the town square and run down a side road between two houses.

I glance back over my shoulder as we run and see Butch with his usual two goons that are always at his side in the orphanage. All three of them are eighteen – four years older than me and my friends. They laugh as they run after us, making jokes of what they want to do to us.

‘’ Keep on their tail! I have an idea.’’ Calls the voice of Butch however I am too scared to glance back over my shoulder a second time.

We continue moving through alleyways, not daring to look anywhere but forwards.

‘’ Faster. They’re catching up.’’ Warns Paul.

‘’ Not so fast.’’ Mutters Butch from in front of us, stepping out from behind a wall.

I am moving too fast to stop myself and I run full force into him. His chest is like a brick wall and as I hit it, I fall backwards and land on my back on the ground. Paul and Mitch manage to avoid mimicking me; they stop themselves in front of Butch.

‘’ Hey there guys.’’ He laughs. ‘’ What have you got for us today?’’

‘’ Nothing. It’s our food.’’ I snap in response.

‘’ Shh.’’ Whispers Mitch, clearly scared out of his wits.

‘’ Don’t. Talk. To. Me. Like. That.’’ Says Butch, kicking me hard in the leg between every word – pausing momentarily to do so.

I whimper uncontrollably as each blow impacts and I notice Mitch and Paul hand over their food immediately – afraid of meeting a similar fate to me.

‘’ Get up!’’ Roars Butch, grabbing my shoulder and hauling me to my feet. ‘’ And give me your food.’’

I – with shaking hands – give him my apple and piece of bread. He then releases me and I fall back to the ground. As I hit the hard floor, I let out a little moan of pain.

‘’ Let’s get out of here boys.’’ Laughs Butch, kicking me one last time. Then he and his goons leaves the alleyway and leave me alone with my two friends.

‘’ He shouldn’t be allowed do that!’’ I yell angrily when he’s out of earshot and my friends help me up.

‘’ There’s nothing we can do. Next time we’ll just have to make sure to stick with the group.’’ Says Paul.

‘’ C’mon. We’ll be late for the Reaping.’’

Acacia Frost’s POV:

I stand beside the other twelve year old girls of my age in our designated section; all look as frightened as me to be eligible for the Reaping for the first time. I watch as the Mayor leaves the podium, I can barely remember what he just said because of my nerves. Something about the rebellion and the first Hunger Games.

I glance over at my older brother, he is standing in the eighteen year old section. When he meets my eyes, he smiles. He has convinced me I won’t get picked. He has already survived six Reapings. He is confident neither of us will be picked.

I watch as our blue haired escort – Sylvia Silkitty – walks across the stage and takes her place at the podium. She grins widely and then clears her throat.

‘’ Hello District Six and welcome to the Reaping for the Fifth Quarter Quell!’’ She roars excitedly, as usual, the only cheering are the town staff and the peacekeepers.

She smiles broadly again, I know notice that on each of her teeth, there is a tiny gem and when the light reflects off her mouth, it sparkles – giving the illusion she has actual sparkly white teeth.

‘’ I am very pleased to announce that it’s that time of the year again and the time has come to select our two courageous tributes to represent District Six in the Hunger Games, a pageant of bravery, skill and courage.’’ Continues Sylvia.

I glance at the large Reaping bowl full to the brim with slips of paper – each containing the names of girls eligible for Reaping. Luckily for me, my name is only in there once, some girls have their names in the bowl over twenty times, because they claimed tesserae from the Capitol. The odds certainly aren’t in their favour.

I curse myself silently for using one of the Capitol phrases. They make me sick.

‘’ So then, I will first draw out the name of the boy who will be representing our District.’’ She begins and my thoughts drift to my brother.

Not Jasper. Not Jasper. Please, anyone but Jasper. I pray silently to a God I don’t believe in. No God would allow something like the Hunger Games to exist.

‘’ Odhan Tyrell!’’ Screams Sylvia excitedly.

For a moment, nothing happens. Then I notice everyone’s head turn towards the fourteen year old section a bit behind me and a young boy with messy black hair steps out onto the path and begins making his way to the stage.

As he walks, he limps slightly on his left leg, as if he has just fallen and injured it. Sylvia notices this and seconds a peacekeeper to carry him towards the stage. For a moment I silently admire her, then she says something and my opinion of her goes back to what I normally think of her.

‘’ We can’t afford to wait for Skippy here forever!’’ She laughs as he is brought to the steps.

He doesn’t look impressed, he stares hatefully at her.

‘’ Hello there Odhan! What age are you?’’ She questions.

‘’ Fourteen.’’ He replies and tries to get past her to the seat.

‘’ Hold on there!’’ She laughs. ‘’ Please tell me, if you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be?’’

‘’ Misfortunate. Very, very misfortunate.’’ He mutters and takes his seat behind her.

‘’ Now then, that was Odhan! Now for the girls!’’ She cheers.

She plunges her hand into the bowl and ruffles the small pieces of paper around with her long hands. She then plucks a piece of paper from the bowl using her thumb and index finger – the nails on both painted aqua blue to match her hair.

‘’ Acacia Frost!’’ She screams.

It takes me a moment to realise it is me. I sigh and walk towards the stage.