Chapter 1

I was ten years old when I realized what I feared most, it was not my death, my greatest fear was something worse. In just two years I would be eligible to be a tribute in the Hunger games like my older brother who died curled up in the cold of the arena. Even though I was ready to cry I didn't; I knew I had to be strong for my younger brother who was seven at the time and my sister at the age of five. They didn't understand why my brother wasn't coming home and our dad had only explained the games to me when my older brother was selected.

"Habara has been selected to fight in the Hunger Games and he may not come back." My dad said over a bottle of liquor like he so often did. When my brother died dad was too drunk to tell my other two siblings what happened, so I did. This was when I realized I was afraid that someday one of them would be selected to die in the arena

Seven years later I woke up earlier than usual from dreams of what names would be called today on reaping day. Narci Jolts, Galmis Jolts their names kept ringing in my head, and the fear that one of them would be chosen made me shiver. I decided to go for a run and clear my head, it almost always calmed me just to be moving and let my mind wander but today even that didn't work. No one was awake yet so it was quiet except for the hum of the power plants that inhabited District Five. After the run I returned to my father's house in the victor's village that he won when he was fifteen. Still no one was awake. I sat just thinking until Galmis shot out of bed up panting, he was having nightmare just like me.

"Morning sleepy head" I teased

"What time is it?" he asked running a hand through his short black hair.

I looked over at the clock on the wall "About six thirty Galmis, go back to sleep."

"Well why aren't you in bed then Doc?" I just gave him that look that said don't ask and he seemed to understand. My full name is actually Doctore Jr.; dad told me it was actually my great grandfather's old nickname and that since then it was passed down through the family. I was still anxious at seven -o- clock so I took a walk to the town square where preparation for the reaping had begun. I would have walked right past if I didn't spot the only other teenager who would be out this early on reaping day. First I notice her red hair then her sly looking face in a grin that she tried to maintain. Spera was my best friend since I started school, but I took to calling her Sly because it became very apparent very quickly that she was very cleaver.

"Good morning Doc," she said "how are you this, fine morning?" we both forced ourselves to laugh a little to keep from freaking out.

"Well, all things considered I would say okay; I got a chance to go for a run and it's very nice out today." Good weather was always something that made the day better for us; between training with my family and talking in the meadow with Sly I was practically raised outside.

"You already went running? And I thought I was up early."

"No you see Sly, you do wake up early, I just don't sleep" we smiled a little at that but it was true, with all the bad dreams I had hardly slept at all in the past few nights. I put that aside though, I was not upset yet and I was hoping for it to stay that way for a little while longer.

"So is anything interesting going on in the village Doc or is it the same old story?"

"Things are the same for the most part, Galmis is still, well Galmis" In other words a bit of a hot head who can't keep his mouth shut, "and Narci is still working hard in school, still hoping to be a teacher someday. Gelda still keeps to herself." What else could be said, all I knew was that she won the Hunger Games five years before my dad and rarely left her house. There were some days in fact when I wondered if she was still alive in there. "Oh and dad actually sobered up for the occasion, what a surprise." Sly gave me a look and I agreed that my comment was unfair. My dad did sober up sometimes and when he was sober he would teach us some interesting stuff; the trouble was that seeing him drunk was common, and when he drank he was rude, obnoxious or just plain hurtful. Still I had no right to mock his drinking habits.

We talked a while longer then we said our goodbyes and went home to get ready for the reaping. It was about ten-o-clock When I got home and everyone was already awake and in their reaping day clothes.

"Good morning Doc" Narci said, she wore a light blue dress that belonged to my mother, Narci barley knew her but she felt like she did when I told her stories and she always looked just like our mother, that always made me smile. "Were you running this whole time?"

"Well I talked to Sly a little and she is doing fine this morning"

"That's always good to hear," Galmis said dressed in a nice white shirt and black pants that I wore when I was his age "especially on a day like today with the reaping going on."

Narci swallowed hard and looked down at her shoes, something she did when she was nervous or in this case terrified. I shot Galmis a look as if to say thanks for that. He didn't mean to upset her; he just failed to think before speaking.

"Go get ready Doc, if you get picked you may as well look presentable." My father was in a nice suit since he was the mentor for whoever was picked and would have to be on stage. I changed into a shirt and pants that matched my brother's and headed back out to show my dad. "You look good son, now grab something to eat the reaping is at noon." After we ate we set out for the town square and signed in for what we knew was coming, or for what we thought we knew what was coming.

As we filed into the square with our age groups the formalities began with Valentino Crassus, our capitol representative who gave a speech about the joy it brought him to be here for the Seventy Third Hunger Games. Then the Mayor of our district, a tall man relatively new to the office, gave a speech about the history of Panem and how the Hunger Games came to be according to the capitol.

Silence then gripped the crowd as the reaping began, the girls always went first. I had some confidence, would they really pick Narci? Her name was entered once, not impossible but highly unlikely and yet the name echoed in my ear and I felt like my heart had stopped.

"Narci Jolts" Crassus called out loud. Everything seemed to be spinning as I watched my fears come true, my little sister who looked just like her mother, who always worried when dad trained us hand to hand fighting that she may hurt someone, who was incapable of hate, was going to be thrown into the arena with twenty three children who wanted to kill her and there was nothing that I could do to stop it. The only thing that stopped this horrible sensation was the next name read, "Galmis Jolts." It was difficult to stay standing now.

I looked up and found my father's eyes, he knew what I was thinking and I could almost see him telling me not to. But I just nodded to tell him he would not stop me, I would not lose them both like this and I could do something about Galmis. In the strongest and clearest voice I could manage I shouted out the words "I volunteer!"