It was a hot and sticky day at the end of the country known as Panem, where an 18 year old boy named Zack was picking berries for the long days ahead. He picked berries quite often, due to the famine that was sprouting throughout District 12. As he speedly picked the berries, he spotted a tall, brunette female, reading a chart. He curiously walked up to her to examine the chart, but he fell and they bonked heads. 

“Hey watch it!” the girl cried glaring at Zack. 

“Sorry lady.” Zack mumbled while rolling his eyes.

“Seriously, watch where you’re going dude.” 

Zack decided to ignore this comment and instead glanced at the girl’s chart.

“What’s that for?” he asked

“Oh, just my berry chart. It shows which berries are poisonous.” The girl shrugged

He stared at her in amazement

“Anyways.” she said with uneasiness. “What’s your name?”

“Me? Uh my name is Zack.” He stammered

“Skyla.” the girl responded. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Uh you too.”

They looked at each other with embarrassment when Skyla broke the silence.

“So! How many times do you have your name in the reaping bowl?”

“Hm 12 I think.”

“Oh I have my name in the bowl 10 times. I guess the odds might be in our favor this year”

“Yeah hopefully. I really don’t want to get into the games with all those scary people and the big possibility of death.”

“Yeah..”

At the Reaping

As the population of district 12 gathered in the dusty and very old town square for the reaping, Skyla and Zack both stood in their designated clumps of people, wearing the most fancy outfit they could find (which was mostly a dirty t-shirt and jeans). As Effie introduced the games and stuff blah blah they fidgeted with their hands anxiously, waiting for Effie to call the tributes. 

“And now for the tributes.” Effie beamed at the crowd. “As always, ladies first.”

Effie rummaged around the girl's bowl and after a minute or so, picked up a neatly folded piece of paper. She slowly opened it and smiled.

“Skyla Vloo!” Effie announced.

The town became quiet as Skyla froze, rooted into place. 

“Come on dear! Nothing to be afraid of!” Effie called out.

Slowly, Skyla made her way to the stage, and stood beside Effie.

“And now, for the boys.” 

Effie took one look at the bowl and plucked a crumpled piece of paper out of the mass.

“Zack Kanopki!” 

Zack’s body tensed, as everyone around him cleared a pathway for him. Slower than a tortoise with a fat shell, he climbed up the stairs to stand on the stage.

“Our tributes from District 12!” Effie exclaimed.

Everyone clapped without emotion. 

“Well, this is nice.” Skyla and Zack thought.

They were then escorted to the train that would take them to the Capitol for the Hunger Games.