I stared at the sky, wishing to sleep. Hoping it's not today. My hopes are useless, of course. Today is the Reaping.

I thought about the tesserae. My seventy-two slips and how the odds are not in my favor. Felix has the same as me. Vincent has thirty-eight slips written in careful handwriting. Ala has twenty-four. Lime has sixty-four. Parks has thirty-eight; Breeze has fifty-six; Grant has eighty-four, Frank-forty-two.

So, for the girls in my family there are two hundred sixteen slips. For the boys there are two hundred thirty-six slips. Not a lot compared to all of District 9. There are at least ten thousand slips in each Reaping Ball. District 9 is the second largest District in Panem. I'm sure there are other families with as many slips as us. There are thirteen of us kids in my family, but only nine are eligible for the Reaping. In fact, Sunny and Don turned nineteen in May, only a month ago. The other two are safe enough. My mother and father are dead, so Sunny and her husband and her newly born set of triplets lived with us. Don had left to be a Peacekeeper in District 6. Traitor.

It was still early, but soon enough to be awake. The Reaping would be at one. It was maybe seven.

I was lost in thought, crouched in the grass. Dew glistened on the grain that made 9 famous, making it a sparkling gold stalk.

I'm disturbed by grass rustling beside me, showering me in dew. Lee slid through the brush next to me. Silently, without breathing, our hands lock together, our fingers twining. I sighed. I knew Lee would never leave me to fight by myself. Would he volunteer for my brothers? Somehow I think he would. I know I would do the same for his sisters.

"How many slips do you have?" I whispered.

"Ninety-six. I'm taking tesserae out for sixteen people. I know there's only eight of us, but…Marie's been ill."

"I have seventy-two. Grant's got eighty-four. Felix has seventy-two. Lee, I'm scared."

Lee clasped my hand. "Hemlock, everything will be fine. We made it through last year. I don't care that it's a Quarter Quell. Only six people will be going in from District 9." His gaze softened. "One more year, Hemlock. That's all I'm asking. Then we can run. Leave. I swear. Sunny is taking good care of them. My sister can just go to the Community House."

"I don't know, Lee…I can't just leave Felix. He's my twin. And Grant…Ala and Parks won't be able to cope with it. Lime will hate me. Frank and Breeze will be losing me. I'm their hero. And Sun-" Lee leaned in and kissed me. I'm so surprised I can only blink. "Lee, do you know how much trouble we can get in for that?"

Lee nodded, his hazel eyes showing sadness I can't even imagine. I glanced around, watching for Peacekeepers or any other people. I ducked down in the grass and kissed him back.

"Hemlock," he murmured, "I love you."

I should have felt happy. Ecstatic for the both of us. Instead I feel miserable. It's unlikely we'll live happy lives together. We'll die of hunger. Live in fear.

Lee kissed me once more. "Meet me in the square at one." He stood up and glanced around, just making sure. If anyone had seen him trespass in our yard, he won't have to worry about the Reaping. He'll be as good as dead. "Hemlock, everything will be fine."

Then he was gone. I just wished I could believe that everything would be fine.

It was nearly one. Sunny and her husband stood in the back of the crowd. Felix and I walked to the seventeen-year-old section. Lee was there. He smiled at me but didn't approach.

I wore a black and white dress. Lee's eyes turned dark when Xila Lilo, District 9 escort, walked on stage. She began talking about how honored she was to be there. Then she talked about the first rebellion and the first seventy-five years of Hunger Games. Then the failed attempt to rebel led by Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Then the years of peace that had followed.

"This is a Quarter Quell, so three times as many tributes will go into the arena. The first girl tribute from District 9 will be…" She drew a slip. I held my breath as she walked to the microphone. "The first girl tribute will be Lime Goldthorn."

No. Not her. Not Lime. Not my dear sister. Lee shot me an alarmed glance.

I did the radical thing. "I VOLUNTEER!" Peacekeepers surrounded me and herded me to the stage.

Xila frowned. District 9 hasn't had a volunteer since before the second rebellion. "Very well," she said in a measured tone. "Your name?"

"Hemlock Goldthorn." I swallowed, seeing Lime stare up at me, anguished.

"One of the boy tributes will be…Lee Gardner."

I stared at him, fear in my eyes. Lee seemed confident enough. Of course he was. We would be some of the older tributes in the arena. Lime was still frozen in horror below me.

Xila reaped four more kids. One was a little twelve-year-old girl. A boy, a bit older, with blond hair. One of my friends, Era Wayne. A boy named Ricardo Bloome, who was maybe eighteen.

I was hopelessly going to lose.