A/N Welcome to District Ten! My favorite District! Enjoy… or not, considering that this is Panem and Panem is depressing.

Thank you to StellaSlomp for following and favoriting!

District Ten

Roosters welcome the rising sun with calls and cocka-doodle-doos—but there's no one there to hear them, save for a few tired security guards, yearning for the moment when they get to go home. Most of the population lives in the cluttered and cramped central city, crammed together, away from the outlying livestock farms. Men and women alike gather at certain stations, where huge trucks pull in and the people are herded in. They are released at the farms, where they'll be until nightfall.

Meanwhile, kids gather at the schoolhouses. An eight-year old girl skips rope with a group of friends. A group of kids are snickering at another boy hobbling his way to the door. He was born with a bad foot; it isn't his fault, but they don't care. He tries to pretend they don't exist. The girl feels bad for him, but she doesn't do anything.

The bell rings, and the school day has begun. Everything they learn about is related to animals, whether it be basic biology or the art of handling animals. Halfway through, a stern man enters and asks for the girl. Nervously, she follows him to the Principal's office. She's told that her mother has finally succumbed to the disease that's been afflicting her for months. In a few weeks, she's teasing the crippled boy too.

The day begins to wind down, but the market is just getting started. In the cramped streets of District Ten towns, people set up vendors and sell/barter everything from trinkets to snacks. Peacekeepers keep a wary eye on them, but they leave the people alone, just like the people leave them alone. The Capitol is left out of sight, out of mind, and to them, everything seems okay.

But it's not. In the huge dusty slums adjoining the town, disease runs rampantly, most of it transmitted by the animals that give them a living. A little girl stands helpless, watching her family fall apart. Her mother dies from the disease. Her father might as well be dead with grief. A gang of homeless teens raids any house that seems rich. An old man, without any kids or any use to society, lies at a street corner, begging for money and food. They say it's a wonder he's survived this long; without the neighbors' help, he would be dead. People try to ignore these things and move on with life. They live in a state of denial, looking at the vibrant market and the economy, which is growing painfully slow. They say everything will be all right.

However, this denial never lasts. Every year, two kids are taken to slaughter. It hits especially hard, as they know what real slaughter is like. There's no option involved, no complaints or objections allowed. Some way or another, the pig ends up chopped up and packaged. Some way or another, two tributes are taken to the Games every year.

And deep down, as much as they try to forget, they know that they're only animals to the Capitol, killed and served at a moment's notice. And they hate it.

District Ten, where butchers and ranchers are rounded up for slaughter.

A/N I'm sorry that the chapters are so short. This is my problem with one-shots.

Next stop: District Nine. Any thoughts on Ten or predictions for Nine?