Hey guys! Happy New Years! I'm sorry it took so long to update. This chapter is a longer than the others, about 1,100 words, so enjoy.

"Lilith, breakfast!" Lilith's mom, Mercury Sulfur calls. The girl, Lilith, walks down the stairs. Her blonde hair is pulled into its usual loose braid.

"Mhm," says Lilith, looking at the plate of toast and jam. "My favorite."

Mrs. Sulfur smiles, grimly. Just then, Mr. SulfUr came in.

"I smell marmalade jam!" announces Mr. Sulfur. He kisses his wife, then takes a seat next to Lilith.

"So, squirt, what are we going to do tomorrow to celebrate?" probes Mr. Sulfur.

"Celebrate what?"

"You surviving the Reaping, of course!" exclaims Mr. Sulfur optimistically.

"Oh, I was thinking we could go rollerblading?" Suggested Lilith.

"Sounds like a date." A phone rang.

"Lilith, dear, will you go answer the phone?" asked Mrs. Sulfur. Lilith nodded her head and ran off to fetch the phone.

Mercury sat down next to her husband.

"I'm worried about her," she said, concerned.

"She'll be fine," said Mr Sulfur, placing his hands on his wife's.

"What about the tesserae she took for the homeless shelter? She has more slips than any thirteen year old, let alone a twelve year old."

"I know of 18 year olds with three times as many slips. Lilith' will be fine. Honestly Mercury, you worry too much."

"You're right," said Mrs. Sulfur, massaging her temples. "I guess I'm a little paranoid."

Lilith skipped in. "It's for you, mom."

"Thanks hon," Mrs. Sulfur says, taking the phone from Lilith. "Run upstairs and put on your reaping dress, will you?"

Lilith obediently went upstairs. On her bed was a pale, faded yellow sundress. She put it on, slipped on pink sandals, and turned to look in the mirror. A small girl with curious blue eyes stared back at her.

Satisfied, she returned to the dining room.

"I'm afraid I'm out for rollerblading tomorrow. Lung Transplant," said Mrs. Sulfur, apologetically.

"That's okay, mom." She turned to her father. "Can I go see Carbon?"

"One thing." Her father plucked a daisy from the vase on the table. "A beautiful flower for my beautiful little girl." Lilith giggled. She tucked the daisy into her braid and skipped out of the house.

"Don't be late the Reaping!" Mrs. Sulfur called after her, to the hearty chuckle of Mr. Sulfur.

"No!" Colin's mother shouts, jumping including in front of her eleven year old son.

"Move!" his father growls, shoving her aside. "Let him bear it, let him take it like a MAN!" He pulls out his peacekeeper baton and swings it at Colin's face. One strike. Then two. Three... He stumbles, almost falling to the ground. His father starts in on him again, swinging the baton towards him. He braces himself for another round of abuse, but instead he hears a crack of the baton hitting flesh. He looks up to see his younger sister crumple to the ground...

"Colin. Wake up," Naomi says, waking the seventeen year old Slytherin. The marks from that night still etch the side of her face 6 years later. Colin shudders at the thought.

"Go get dressed," he says, pulling the sheets off himself. He takes a quick shower, letting the warm water wash over himself.

His reaping clothes consist of a blue button down and simple dress pants. There wasn't much money left for anything else, ever since his mother had turned to alcohol to cover her pain.

Tick tock went the clock, taunting him, inching closer and closer to reaping time.

8:10.

8:15.

8:20.

Colin finished getting dressed, buttoning up the shirt. In the living room his mother was passed out on the couch, the common result of her nightly bar outings.

He found his sister in the kitchen.

"Where's Dad?" he asked her.

"Work. He left ten minutes ago." Colin noticed she was nursing her left temple with a bag of ice.

"Darren stopped by, didn't he?" Colin asks, pointing to the bruise on her face. Naomi looked down at her feet, ashamed. Darren was Naomi's latest boyfriend, a thug on the streets of Five. Naomi's looks always pulled in these types of boys, and there was little Colin could do about it.

I hope he gets reaped he thought bitterly. Colin tossed the keys to the house to Naomi and walked to the front door. He turned around for a moment.

"Wake up mom before you leave," Colin tells her, before setting off to the city square.

It was about 8:40 when Colin got there. The square wasn't filled very much at all, for the Reaping started at 9 and no one was in a hurry to learn who would be whisked off to their death.

Colin stepped up to a booth. The Peacekeeper pricked his finger on the needle. Colin winced. Little did he know, that was only the smallest of the pain that was yet to come...

"Welcome, citizens of District 5!" The escort's voice boomed across the square. "It is time to pick the names of the young man and woman that will represent District Five in this year's Hunger Games!" She fished her hand into the girls' bowl, and pulls out a slip. "Lilith Sulfur." The crowd of teens parted for the twelve year old blonde. Lilith froze, like a deer stuck in headlights. She makes her way up to the stage, slowly but surely.

"Let's give a round of applause to this year's District five female!" The escort encourages, but no one claps. The audience just stands there in silence, as it always does when a younger kid is reaped. A woman's cries, most likely Mrs. Sulfur's, ring out across the square.

The escort awkwardly plucks a name from the boys' bowl. She smooths it over with her hand, then reads the name. "Colin Luciave." The boys in the sevieenteen year old section turn to look at him. Colin scowls, but walks up quick enough that the Peacekeepers don't force him.

"Shake hands," the escort instructs. Colin grasped Lilith's small hand in his own. Lilith peered up at him with her big blue eyes, and Colin felt a wave of pity for the girl. Twelve year olds rarely escape the bloodbath. He reminded himself to not get attached, for there was no room for weakness in the arena. But looking in to her eyes, it kept reminding him of Naomi. And he couldn't let Naomi die, could he?

Once again, I am so sorry for the wait! I got busy and forgot to update. I decided to update today, just because. Also, I posted a poll on my profile so please check that out if you haven't already.

Next update will probably be by next Friday latest.

Well, I'm off to celebrate my XII birthday. :^D.

~Lex~

P.S. I deleted the form and sponsor chapters. The sponsorship form will be up on my profile soon.