Hey guys! I haven't been on in like a year! I wrote this story about a year ago and just decided to put it up! Tell me if you like it and I will post more chapters. Remember, in this story Katniss and Peeta were never reaped. Enjoy.

I wake up to the sound of sea gulls singing outiside. Other than that, it's completely silent. I twist my hair through my fingers and stare at the ceiling, bits of light shining in my eyes from the window above my bed. I sit up in my bed and sigh. Eveything seems so calm, so at peace. Any other day, I would get up and go fishing with my dad and then weave nets with mamma. But today is different. Today I will have to watch two kids from my district be sent to their deaths. What scares me most is it could be me.

For some reason, I can't get the sight of the beach out of my head. All I can hear is the crash of the waves on the shore, all I can smell is salt. I can feel the sand between my toes. I cling to the feelings of my imagination, afraid that the thoughts might disapear, and I'll be left empty, with nothing to keep me sane for the time being. I finally decide to get out of bed and I hobble into the kitchen, still half asleep. My eyes still haven't adjusted to the light and my joints ache. I notice that mamma's laid out my best dress. I slip on the pink fabric and tie the lace ribbon around my waist. After I'm done, mamma comes into the kitchen and asks to do my hair. I let her. After she's brushed out my tangles and fishtail braided my hair, she dabs some of her lip gloss on my lips and places a necklace, on which dangles a golden trident, around my neck. Soon after, Papa comes in, instantly giving me a sweet smile. "How do I look, Papa?" I ask, swiftly spinning in a circle. He grabs my hand and spins me a few more times, then pulls me close and kisses my forehead.

"I think you're the most beautiful girl in District four," he says. I blush and hug him tight, trying my hardest not to cry.

"What if it's me?" I ask, my hands suddenly beginning to tremble. Neither one of my parents answer. They both know it could very well be me. The bell rings signalling us to go to the square. Tears begin to stream down my face. Mother wipes them away with her dress and then kisses my forehead. "Everything's gonna be okay, Artemis," she whispers in my ear and she embraces me. The thing is, I don't believe her.

We all pile into the square and I go to a table to sign in. A peacekeeper pricks my finger and scans the blood for my information. The data is entered into the computer and I'm told where to go. The girls stand on the left side of the stage, the boys on the right. The audience is kept back with a rope behind us. It's set up youngest to oldest, so I go to the back of the crowd. I find my friend, Scarlet, standing alone, so I go up to her and hug her.

"Are you okay?" she asks. I can hear the fear in her voice.

"I guess," I croak out. "You?"

She nods her head.

We turn our attention to Camille White, the Capitol citizen that will be doing the reaping for District four. "Welcome, welcome!" she trills into the microphone. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" She goes on to tell us about how the Hunger Games came to be and explains the reaping, but I don't listen. "Ladies first!" she chimes and she makes her way to the girls ball, the click of her high heels sounding like deadly shots fired from a gun. She sticks her hand in the ball, twirling her fingers around for added effect. The crowd is silent. I can hear the sound of seagulls in the distance. It almost soothes me. Almost. She pulls out a slip of paper and tears off the black tape, which conceals the name of the unfortunate tribute. Everyone holds their breath, everyone's heart beats fast. Even the children, who are too young to understand the games are afraid. Fear is a contagious thing. A chilling smile slides across Camille's face as she reads the name too herself. She takes a deep breath, like the name is a song she's prepared to sing. I rub my sweaty palms against my dress. Don't let it be me. Don't let it be Scarlet.

"Artemis Green."

I almost don't recognize my name. It's only when Scarlet touches my shoulder that I realize what's just happened. Somehow, I manage to move one foot in front of the other until I'm on the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen your female tribute!" yells Camille. No one cheers. No one moves. "Now for the boys!" Camille prances her way to the boys ball and pulls out a name quickly. "Jackson Winchester!" Oh no, I think. Not him. He's seventeen and about two hundred pounds. I'm sixteen and barely a hundred. He boldly walks to the stage and Camille makes us shake hands. His eyes are solemn, absent of any fear or disbelief. I only hope I look half as strong as him. "Ladies and gentlemen your tributes from District four!" No one claps. Not one single person. That's unusual. Technically, we're careers. We should be praised.

We are led into the Justice Building and I'm taken to what looks like an office and left alone. A few minutes later, Scarlet comes in. She's already crying. "I should have volunteered!" she says over and over again. "Don't even say that," I snap, going into her arms. "I don't want that. I could never want that." I notice how blue Scarlet's eyes look and how dark her hair really is. She's pretty, no, beautiful. I can imagine her turning eighteen and falling in love with someone everyone else wants and starting a family. I can see her being happy. "There's no way I would ever let you volunteer for this."

"Will you try to win?" she asks. "Please?"

"I'll try. But there's twenty-four of us, Scarlet. The odds aren't good."

"No! You have to win. You're going to win!"

Then the peacekeepers are back and carrying her away. The door slams shut and I'm left alone again. My mother and father come in next. My mother clings to me. She strokes my hair and holds me tight. I begin to cry and my father pulls me to him and makes me look into his eyes. "Listen to me," he says with such seriousness. "Show them your love and show them your hate. Don't let anything go unseen. I want you to make them know how you feel. I want them to know how much it hurts. Give them a show. And make sure it's a good one."

I don't have time to ask what he means before the peacekeepers are back. "I love you!" I scream. "I love you both!" They yell their love back to me and then the door closes and I'm shut away from my parents for what I know will be forever. Camille comes in with Jackson and takes us both to the train. I get to my room and am immediately shocked at the beauty. I rub my hands across my silky bed sheets, I breathe in the smell of roses. It's so vibrant; so much nicer than my room at home.

I walk to the closet and notice immediatly that the closet is already stocked with my size of clothing. I slip on black leggings and a long gold top and head to dinner. I ask a seemingly underfed woman wearing a very plain red outfit where the dining car is. She nods her head to the car in front of me and puts her head down. That's weird. I walk in and Jackson and Camille are already stuffing their faces. "Oh, Artemis! So nice of you to join us!" Camille exclaims. There are so many dishes. There's an over abundance of everything. I don't know where to start. It's amazing. After all, it wouldn't hurt to put on a few pounds before the games. I put down my plate and close my eyes. Just the thought of the games makes me want to vomit. When I open my eyes I notice Camille giving me an odd look. "What?" I ask. "Don't you pray before every meal?" She gives me a smile that tells me she approves and I continue fixing my plate.

I start with a beef stew and don't object to wine when it is offered. It might be my last chance to taste it. I gulp down my stew and go to the desert table. I get cinnamon rolls smothered in cream cheese icing and hot chocolate and cream filled donuts and bagels that once bitten, a sweet orange sauce fills your mouth. By the time dinner is over, I'm feeling a little sick. I feel a little fuzzy from the wine so I switch to water. It had a bitter taste anyway. I dismiss myself and as I'm standing up to leave, I hit another seemingly underfed woman and she falls, shattering the dishes she was carrying. "I'm so sorry!" I say and I go to help her pick up the mess. I notice a cut from the shattered plates on her hand. "Are you okay?" "Artemis, don''t talk to her!" Camille yells angrilly. "Not unless your giving an order." I look down at the poor woman and notice her roll her eyes as she's getting up. I surpress a laugh.

"Avox girl," Camille says. "When you finish cleaning up quickly bring me some more wine." "What's an avox?" Jackson and I both ask at the same time. "Someone you don't need to associate with, children. An avox is someone that commited a crime. Their tongues are removed so the can't speak." I am so repulsed by this. What kind of crime is so bad that you have to take away their speech? They must have been rebels. "That's terrible," I whisper. "Oh don't say that!" Camille trills. "Whatever they did, they deserve this! Besides, life in the Capitol is no punishment! It is a reward. It is a priviledge to serve us here."

It's horrid. It's sickening. What's rewarding about starving every day? What is rewarding about serving your enemies the finest foods in the world while you get none; while you can taste none? What is rewarding about having so many things to say but never getting to say them? Nothing. Nothing is rewarding about that.

Jackson, obviously disgusted just as I am, dismisses himself to bed and I talk to Camille alone. "So can you tell me anything about the arena?" I ask.

"Oh no!" she says. No one, not even President Snow knows what the arena is until he sees it. The only ones that know what it will look like and act like are the gamemakers."

"Will anyone be able to help me in the arena?"

"If you're likable, very generous Capitol citizens can choose to sponsor you and send you essential and or luxury items while you are in the arena. Your mentor, a previous winner from your district, will help you get sponsors. Your mentor will most likely be Finnick Odair. Now go to bed! You have a big day ahead of you."

I walk to my room quietly as if I'm already in the games and I can't make a sound. When I reach my car, I step in the shower and let the warm water run through my hair and across my face. There are buttons across the wall that once pressed shoot out soaps and oils and there's even a button that plays music. Wow the Capitol is efficient. Suddenly, I feel the weight of everything that has happened today on my shoulders. I sit down on the floor of the shower and let the hot water shoot at my face. I feel the tears mix with the steamy water and i finally feel myself break down. I never thought this would be me. I'm going to die. The games always felt like something distant. In three weeks, I'll be dead dead dead. Now it feels real. It feels very real.