Bliss Dixon’s POV:

‘’ Bliss! Get the hell out here!’’ Screams my father, waking myself and my sister up. ‘’ You too Velvetta!’’

‘’ What time is it?’’ I question groggily.

‘’ I don’t know.’’ Answers my sister honestly. ‘’ Three a.m. maybe.’’

Both my nineteen year old sister and I rush from our bedroom and into the kitchen to where my father is calling us impatiently from. When we enter, I avoid eye contact with my father – as does Velvetta, we have both learned to avoid looking at him and avoid speaking unless spoken to when he is like this.

‘’ Well?’’ Says my father after a few painfully long seconds of silence.

I am too afraid to say anything, so my older sister speaks up instead.

‘’ Well what father?’’ She says, and flinches instinctively.

‘’ What do you mean ‘well what’?’’ Roars my father and hits her across the face with his hand.

She cries out in pain and falls to the floor because of the impact. She remains there for a second, silent and when she finally gets to her feet, she has a bloody lip. She gulps in fear and stays quiet – as do I.

‘’ Don’t act ignorant! You both know what I was referring to.’’ He continues.

I glance at Velvetta in confusion, she stares back at me with a similar look of bewilderment on her face.

‘’ It’s your mother’s anniversary. She has been dead five years today. I’m ashamed that you two don’t know that.’’ He explains furiously, glaring at the two of us hatefully.

‘’ No it isn’t. Her anniversary isn’t for another eight days.’’ Corrects my sister.

I think back to the night all those years ago, the night my mother was killed. She didn’t just die, she was murdered. Murdered by the ‘man’ that calls himself her husband and our father. He had been drunk on the night – much like most other nights. Much like right now. He stumbled in and my mother had scolded him, apparently he had scared her because he was home three hours late.

Somehow he thought that meant she was accusing him of having an affair – which was very likely – and then accused her of seeing another man. Something she would never have done. I remember hearing it all from my bedroom, every word of it. And then the smash of the glass bottle and my mother’s stifled scream that had been cut short by my father’s fatal blow.

‘’ What did you say to me?’’ Asks my father, staring at Velvetta venomously.

‘’ It’s not her anniversary for another eight days.’’ Velvetta repeats fearfully and I can sense she immediately regrets it because I make eye contact with her and she gulps in terror.

Before she has a chance to apologize to my father, her grips her by the throat and begins to squeeze it tightly. She gasps and clutches his gorilla claw-like hand with both of hers. She begins to make choking noises.

‘’ Stop it!’’ I roar, and dive towards him.

He easily swats me aside with his free hand and I fall to the floor. Thankfully, this gives Velvetta the time she needs to get loose. She picks up a plate from the table – which she had set up last night before we went to bed for breakfast the next morning – and smashes it across his head.

It explodes into uncountable pieces and showers all over the floor. My father roars in pain like some wild bear that has just been shot by a hunter. However – exactly like a bear would – he continues to fight. He closes his hand into a fist and punches Velvetta in the side of her head. The blow knocks he across the room and she flies into the wall.

‘’ No!’’ I roar and run at my father with nothing more than my twelve year old fists.

‘’ You stay the hell out of this!’’ He screams venomously and tosses me away from him and Velvetta.

‘’ Run Bliss! Go get help!’’ Screams my sister as my father approaches her again, this time with a kitchen knife in his hand from the table.

‘’ Go then! It’s too early in the morning for the peacekeepers to be out.’’ Laughs my father and continues towards Velvetta.

I stay where I am for a moment, unsure of what to do. If I leave the house, then my father could hurt Velvetta, or worse...

But you’re doing nothing for her here. Go get help! Screams my inner voice.

‘’ I’ll be back for you Velvetta!’’ I promise as she tosses a kitchen chair at my father.

He roars and raises his arms to defend his head. The brittle wooden chair snaps into numerous pieces as it makes contact and he roars angrily.

I leave the house and run out onto the street.

‘’ Help me!’’ I scream. ‘’ Help somebody please!’’

I run up and down the small street frantically searching for help. A few curtains pull back in houses and I see the dark silhouettes of people watching me – none however come out to help.

I remember a tip I was once told by Velvetta when I was younger. She told me if I was ever being attacked out on the street, the best way to get attention was to scream ‘fire’ because it worked better. Until she explained it to me, I didn’t understand why but apparently people are more willing to listen if they believe they are also in danger as opposed to just you.

I silently acknowledge the genius my sister is as I roar louder.

‘’ Fire! Someone help! There’s a fire!’’ I scream.

It takes a few roars to finally make progress, but after a moment someone’s house door opens and they scream with me. ‘’ Fire!’’

My lie literally – and quite ironically – spreads like wildfire and in a few moments the whole street is outside screaming.

‘’ Where’s the fire?’’ Questions a peacekeeper when he finds me.

‘’ Follow me!’’ I instruct.

He does and as we run I confess. ‘’ There’s not really a fire. I just needed to get attention, my father is trying to kill my sister! You’ve got to help me!’’

‘’ What?!’’ Gasps the peacekeeper in shock. ‘’ Do you do realise how much trouble you can get yourself into young lady?’’

‘’ What?’’ I question. ‘’ I needed attention. My father...he...just follow me!’’

I lead the man up my garden and into my house. As we walk in, my jaw drops in complete and utter shock.

‘’ Velvetta.’’ I gasp.

My father has her up against the wall, he has his whole arm pinned across her throat and the kitchen knife he had in his hand earlier is jutting from her stomach. She stares at me in terror as she struggles and very quickly she ceases movement. As she does this, her pupils dilate and she goes limp in my father’s grasp.

‘’ No!’’ I scream and lunge forwards but the peacekeeper holds me back.

At the same time, the man fires a jolt of light at my father from a wand-like object he has in his hand – some form of electrocution weapon – and it hits my father directly in the centre of his back. He spasms for a moment and then he falls flat on his face onto the kitchen floor, lifeless.

I stare at his body and then at Velvetta’s beside him. I gulp in shock and then feel my legs give way.

Ike Nash’s POV:

‘’ Did you hear about poor Bliss and Velvetta Dixon?’’ Asks my father across the table.

‘’ Yes. Velvetta was murdered by her father and then he was killed by a peacekeeper, poor little Bliss had to watch it all.’’ Replies my mother.

‘’ What happened?’’ I gasp, this is the first I’ve heard about it.

‘’ Last night apparently, on the other side of the town. Caine went crazy – a drunken rage – and took it out on the girls. Velvetta’s dead.’’ Explains my mother grimly.

‘’ What?’’ I gasp.

‘’ As is Caine.’’ Adds my father.

‘’ And what will happen to Bliss?’’ I question.

‘’ I don’t to be honest. She’ll either be sent to an orphanage or given to a foster family. But realistically who would foster her? We barely have enough to feed our own as it is. Never mind another mouth to feed!’’ Says my father.

‘’ Poor girl. It was bad enough that they lost their mother, now she’s all alone.’’ Says my mother.

‘’ And on Reaping day too. She must be so frightened.’’ Adds my father.

‘’ Do you think she’ll be excluded from the Reaping?’’ I question.

‘’ It’s very unlikely. You know how harsh the Capitol are with the Games. She’ll still be up for Reaping.’’ Answers my father honestly.

‘’ Speaking of the Reaping, we need to get going.’’ Adds my mother and as if on cue, the claxon signally that all citizens must report to the square Reaping sounds throughout the District.

‘’ Let’s go then.’’ Says my father and we leave the house.

The whole District is flocking towards the square in large groups. As anyone could have guessed, the talk of the town is Bliss Dixon and the events of last night. People are chatting on about how horrible it all is, especially because of how close it is to their mother’s anniversary. I hear a few others suggest that perhaps Caine also murdered his wife, and it wasn’t sickness that took her.

As we enter the square, my parents stand at the back with the other adults and I line up to register. My name is taken as well as my age and a small sample of blood. I then join the other fourteen year old boys in the section made for us. Weirdly enough, everyone seems to be talking about the events of last night as opposed to the Reaping itself, which is quite a strange idea.

‘’ Ladies and gentlemen!’’ Beams the Mayor about twenty minutes later after everyone has registered and is waiting in their assigned sections. ‘’ Welcome to this year’s Reaping! Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favour!’’

The crowd is silent, as always. Now that the Mayor has begun talking, everyone remembers exactly why we are here and we remain quiet to listen to his words.

‘’ Before we begin, I just want to address you all regarding the horrific events that took place last night. There were quite a number of crimes committed last night, however I am only going to address the main two right now. As I’m sure all of you have heard, there was a murder last night. Caine Dixon killed his oldest daughter Velvetta. Why? We may never know.’’ He begins.

As he speaks, the crowd is noiseless, everyone is very eager to hear of what happened last night whilst most of them were asleep.

‘’ However this was not the only crime committed. Bliss Dixon, Caine’s youngest twelve year old daughter also did something quite unforgivable. She went out into the streets at four a.m. this morning screaming that there was a fire. This is disgraceful, terroristic behaviour. She knew very well there was not a fire yet she still forced families out of their homes in complete and utter alarm and panic and this led to a child almost being trampled to death and also quite a lot of natural destruction to the flower beds in our wonderful District.’’ He continues.

I along with everyone else in the crowd stand with my jaw open wide. Is he really blaming Bliss for something? She’s just lost her sister and her father. She has nobody.

‘’ Myself and other council members debated for a long time over Bliss’ faith, and we have finally come up with a solution.’’ Begins the Mayor, the crowd is hushed. ‘’ Bliss will be sent into the Hunger Games arena as punishment for her actions of terrorism and also for disrupting the peace in our District.’’

For a moment there is complete silence, then muttering begins.

‘’ Silence! I am not done. As you may have noticed, our escort is not here. I will be pulling the name of our male tribute and then this year’s Reaping will end.’’ He interrupts.

‘’ This is too far!’’ Roars a person from the crowd.

‘’ The girl is innocent!’’

‘’ She was protecting her sister!’’

‘’ Silence!’’ Screams the Mayor as he approaches the Reaping bowl full of male names.

He sticks his hand into the bowl.

‘’ Down with the Capitol!’’

‘’ Set Bliss free!’’

The Mayor lifts up a slip of paper and clears his throat.

‘’ Let her go!’’

‘’ The male tribute that will Represent District Nine in the Fifth Quarter Quell is Ike Nash!’’ He screams.

The crowd boo loudly as I approach the stage.

‘’ Set them free!’’

‘’ You don’t own us!’’

As I approach the stage, the Mayor comes down the steps to meet me. He then drags me quickly onto the stage and into the Justice Building. As the doors shut behind us I hear gunfire beginning to sound.