The Hunger Games is originally written by Suzanne Collins, under the publisher Scholastic Press.

I do not own the Hunger Games.

Klara stirred, feeling the cool morning breeze that greeted her at the start of every day. With her eyes still closed, she reached down to pull her blankets higher but felt only a rough, unfamiliar fabric covering her thigh.

Her eyes fluttered open quickly taking in the scene around her. She was not in bed, but in the forest. Sitting up quickly she tried to place herself, maybe she had hit her head at work and no one had noticed her small frame lying in the ferns.

Ferns? No, there were no ferns on her logging route.

And what could she make of her outfit? A bright red, long sleeved shirt with a plunging neckline and loose, rough black pants that reached an inch past her toes, she didn't own anything like this.

Glancing down, Klara noticed something else, around her neck was a small silver key, the Capitol's seal etched into it above a small number 7.

That's when the memories started flooding back. It was a month before the Reaping and Klara was at home, cuddled in one of District 7's many log cabins, in front of her television. An ancient President Snow slithered onto the stage, a small box clutched in his hands. Many people rumor that to stay alive so long, he's had the organs transplanted to him from innocent District children. It was the year of the fourth Quarter Quell and it was tradition for the president to read aloud the special rules that this year's Hunger Games would abide by.

"This year, for the fourth Quarter Quell, to show to the districts that they are not prepared for the amazing forces of the capitol, tributes will have no training or interviewing before entering the games," the President's voice boomed out for all of Panem to hear. Klara's family exchanged nervous glances, but none were as nervous as her.

Klara's family was made up of her strongly-built father, brother, and sister, as well as her and her mother. Klara's mother was short and skinny and Klara was the only one of her siblings who inherited her shape.

Both of Klara's siblings were in their 20s, they did not need to worry about the reaping, but 15 year old Klara was shaking. She knew that if she were ever picked, she would need all the training she could get and the reading of this card just destroyed that possibility. Her family seemed aware of this too, not making eye contact with her and trying their hardest to hide their feelings of fear and empathy.

On the day of the reaping, Klara didn't eat anything. She was always extremely nervous at the Reapings, but this year, being a Quarter Quell, promised even worse horrors than in other Hunger Games.

That was why, when District 7's escort Darvin Hallings called her name, Klara Hallen had nearly fainted.

Remembering where she was, Klara glanced around nervously. The forest was quiet, the other tributes were also probably just waking, realizing in horror where they were.

Right behind her head Klara noticed something that was definitely different from in other years. What seemed to be two mini-versions of the Hunger Game's famous cornucopia rested behind her. Both had small doors with locks on them and shone in the sunlight. Upon further inspection, one of the door's had been opened and the contents cleared out from inside.

Instinctively, Klara jammed key around her neck into the other Cornucopia's lock and turned it until she heard a satisfying click. Heart pounding, she opened the door and found a small brown pack, a knife she guessed to be about 8 inches long and a bundle of rope. Inside the pack was a container of dried meat, and a second of dried fruit, a metal bottle for carrying water, matches, and a kit for purifying water.

Klara pulled the pack high up on her back, coiled the rope and slung it over her shoulder. She decided that holding the knife would be the best idea, in case she came across a rival.

A rival. This was real, if it came down to it, she would have to kill someone.

Back home Klara's father ran a small logging operation. His only employees were Klara and her siblings as well as their cousins. Klara was more of a gopher, she communicated messages back and forth for people because she was never very strong. Although, this did give her a good awareness of the forest. Klara could identify different trees and plants, including which ones were edible and could be used as medicine. She knew how to walk quietly in the forest and tell what time it was using the sun.

Fortunately as she explored her surroundings some more, Klara noticed that this forest was almost identical to the one that covered almost all of District 7.

Klara smirked, the Capitol tried to make it so they weren't prepared, but in this location Klara was almost the most prepared as she possibly could be.

The water bottle she found was empty, so Klara decided the first thing she must do is find water. She recalled that water is almost always found downhill and noticed the ground was declining slightly to the west.

Well here we go, she mouthed, took a deep breath and made her way into the woods.

As she kept going, she started to feel more relaxed. Birds and crickets starting making their songs, comforting her momentarily. The plants in the forest were all a bright green and a good mix between coniferous and deciduous, just like the woods her father logged it. The occasional flower poked its way out of the ferns that seemed to cover nearly the entire forest floor. Klara was wary of the flowers, recalling that some years even the smell of the flowers can be deadly.

The only thing that seemed to be missing was the other tributes.

She didn't even know what she was up against. Districts 1, 2, and 4 were predictable. They would be large, mean, and more than capable with weapons. But the other districts were a mystery. What if this year there had been a fluke where all of those chosen were strong, confident, and deadly?

She was so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed the others. First there was a glint of light from a miniature cornucopia at her feet, then a shuffle of leaves to her left, and finally hot breath on the back of her neck.