[8th] The Reaping - District 10

You were nervous beyond wit's end. Standing in front of the Justice Building, while you were grateful that Rein was still too young to have to be standing there with you, you were terrified: a feeling that had plagued you the last few years in this same scenario. This was the reaping for the Eighth Annual Hunger Games.

The District's Head Peacekeeper was to conduct the reaping, starting by reading aloud the Treaty of Treason, which you mostly tuned out, mostly by accident. Glass bowls are sitting at the front of the crowd, and the Head Peacekeeper steps over to one of them. Specifically, the one containing the names of the girls in the District between the ages of twelve and eighteen. One of those girls was about to pretty much get a death sentence.

You just hoped to the high heavens that it wasn't you.

Your hopes were ignored.

"Primsa Undine," the Head Peacekeeper said in a flat tone, looking out to the crowd. Eyes were turned to you by the people who knew you, and everyone else followed suit. You'd been pinpointed, and there was certainly no way out now. You took a deep breath.

Smoothing out your dress, making sure that the inevitable wrinkles didn't show as you walked up to the front of the crowd, you were shaking like a leaf all the while. You could hardly walk due to how badly you were shaking, and you could feel tears forming in your eyes. A peacekeeper came over to escort you up front, placing one of his hands on your back and the other on your right shoulder to guide you to where they demanded you be.

You take another deep breath as you stand in front of everyone and the boy's name is called.

"Marcus Emberstatt," is the name, and it's thankfully one you don't know.

You're hoping you'll never have to know anything more about him than what you see at the reaping: his name and his face. You couldn't imagine if you were the one to kill someone from your own District. You'd avoid that if you could.

You don't want to see his blood spill.

You don't want to see your blood spill, either.

You just want to stay home, but that isn't an option now.

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