Chapter 1

Time Period: Seventy-fourth Hunger Games Drawing Ceremony

Axel POV

"Axel…the ceremony is about to start. We need to get moving." A voice called from downstairs.

"I'll be down a minute. Just have to get my shoes on." I called back as I finished putting on my running shoes. I looked over myself in the mirror. My black hair was short enough that I didn't need to comb it in any direction. I was wearing a solid gray color shirt and some white cargo shorts. Mom always told me that the contrast of those colors really made my eyes stand out.

That made sense considering my eyes were a solid gold color.

The doctors in my district told me it was just a genetic defect. Nothing they could do to change it, and not even the doctors from the Capitol could do anything about it either. But I knew that my days of having friends at school ended on the start of my first day. Nobody would go near me, much less talk to me. All they saw was something that had been written in our history books.

A monster.

I was left alone from the first day of school. And I knew that it would be my life from that day forward. My mother was the only one that didn't see me as everyone else did. Then again, she's my mother, so she must. But she told me that my eyes don't define who I am, my actions do.

I smiled to myself as I remembered the time that she was still alive. She was my ray of sunshine. But she didn't last long enough to see me do anything great. She died on my twelfth birthday… almost five years ago. A virus had gone around, and most of the district caught it. But since everyone in District 12 was mostly poor, none of us could afford the vaccine. So, the only ones that survived, were those that outlasted the contagion as their immune system defended their bodies from it.

After mom had died, I was brought into a foster care home. There I had two younger brothers and one younger sister. I could tell that my yellow eyes scared them, but they tried their best not to show it. And I really appreciate that. They were the only ones that would talk to me.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts as I thundered out the door. I smiled widely when I saw that everyone was waiting for me. Usually, I was the one waiting for everyone else. "I'm here, we can go now." I said before anyone could complain as to why I took so long.

"Come on you two." I said as I pulled my younger brothers aside and led them to where they were going to stand. They were young enough that they weren't in any danger to be drawn. I was the only one being in any kind of potential harm.

The ceremony began as it usually does, with a video describing the war that took place. As punishment for a past rebellion, each of the 12 districts of Panem are forced by the Capitol to select two tributes, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18, to fight to the death in the annual Hunger Games.

Then they announced the girl's tribute's name. Primrose Everdeen.

There was instant yelling as I glanced around. Primrose was only a skinny twelve-year-old girl…who had no chance of making it past the first day. I faced the center as I heard her older sister, Katniss, pull her younger sister behind her. "I volunteer as tribute!"

Everyone looked at each other in surprise. No one had volunteered to go to the Hunger Games in over forty years. But I expected her to protect her sister as such.

Katniss was pulled to the stage by an over-energetic announcer with pink hair and a pale face. "I bet that was your sister. Couldn't let her get all the glory and fame huh?" The woman cracked a joke, but no one was laughing.

I could swear that at one point of looking around, her eyes met my gaze. She looked away instantly and I felt a slight bit of anger at that. We weren't friends, but I held an amount of respect towards her.

"Now for the boy's tribute…Peeta Mellark!"

This time there was no shouting or yelling from people around us. But when I looked around again, I met the gaze of his father. He looked back at me with tears running down his face. The man looked after me when he could before I was brought into the foster home.

I knew what I had to do. So I stepped out of my line and into the center of the group's outlines. I raised my hand and called out. "I volunteer as tribute!"

I heard the gasps around me as well as the yelling from my younger foster-brothers as they rushed towards me. I pulled them into my arms and hugged them tightly once before setting them back down on the ground. I was grateful that the boys next to me understood that I needed for my brothers to be restrained. They instantly held my foster siblings back.

"Oh, your eyes are amazing. You look like someone who's ready to fight." She commented.

I smiled back at her and looked straight into the camera. "Damn right I am." Then I faced the crowd as they were silent at my bold statement.

When it was time for Katniss and me to shake hands, Katniss hesitated and then didn't shake my hand all together. She walked right past me and made her way off the stage. I stood there with my hand still out. I clenched my jaw and lowered my hand. I looked at the announcer and shook my head in disgust. "Typical." I commented as I made my way off the stage as well.

Katniss and I were led to separate rooms so family could say their good-byes. First up was my foster family. They were all in tears and crying as they saw me.

"Axel…why did you volunteer?" Our mother asked as I pulled her into a tight hug.

I didn't answer as I made all of them look at me. "Winter is coming…you cannot stay in grief while I am away in the games." I then turned to my brothers and started to whisper softly. "I have bit of money, enough for you all to have food on the table once a day for the next couple of months. Spend it wisely. You two are the men of the house until I get back. Understand?" I asked sternly.

At their nod, I kissed their foreheads and faced my foster mother. "I will be back. I swear upon the stars that I will come back as the victor." I promised before kissing her forehead as well.

Then the doors opened for Peacekeepers to remove them. Then two people came into the room. Peeta Mellark and his father. "Why did you volunteer to take my place? You don't owe me anything?" Peeta asked confused.

"Actually, I owe your father. When my mother died from the virus years ago, your father helped me out when he could before I was placed into foster care. I told him that I would pay him back when I got the chance. And this is it. And when I come back, don't think you owe me anything. My debt to your father has been paid, and you don't need to start one with me." I explained to him without emotion as I looked him square in the eye.

"I will look after your family in your absence." Peeta's father said firmly as the guards came in to take them out.

I didn't anticipate anyone else to be brought in. But sure enough, someone was. It was Gale, Katniss's friend. Everyone assumed that they were dating, even though they brushed it off always.

"What brings you here Gale?" I asked with a questioning smirk.

"Look out for Katniss for me." He replied sternly.

"I hope you got to say good-bye to her when you did, because she isn't coming back. And if she does, it will be in a body bag." I remarked snidely.

Gale threw a punch at me that I caught in a hand and twisted his to the point where I was almost breaking his bones. "You really think you are in a position to make a demand of me after what your girl just did out there?" I snarled out as I released his hand when the guards came into the room and escorted us through different doors.

I was instantly guided to the train beside Haymitch, our past-victor, now-mentor. Even though he was drunk, he seemed quite unsettled by my eyes. "So what skills do you two hold? Or do you hold any at all?" Haymitch asked at dinnertime. We were eating a chicken roast that smelled divine. With cream corn and green beans.

"She can shoot a bow really good." I pointed out as I gestured to Katniss.

"What are you doing?" She hissed at me angrily.

"Our mentor asked what we are good at. He's been through the games, Katniss. And he won't know how to help us unless we give him the download on what we're good at." I explained, narrowing my eyes at her. I am seriously getting tired of her constant animosity towards me.

I faced Haymitch. "I'm good with knives, whether that be throwing them, or striking them like a blade. I'm also good at sneaking around."

"Yeah right." Katniss commented.

"Oh yeah…you remember when I was gone for a week at school two years ago when everyone was sick, and then showed up perfectly fine, right?" I asked confidently.

"Yeah…so?"

"I sneaked aboard a train heading for District 2 and had stolen a bunch of vaccines that they had made for the virus going around at the time. But after overhearing some scientists, I destroyed the lab they were working in." I informed her.

"That was you?!" Our chaperone Effie gasped.

"Yes. Those scientists were man-making viruses to send out to the districts in order to level out our population to prevent the chance of another rebellion." I informed them a little quieter now.

"That isn't what I expected, but it seems to have served you well. We will be getting to the Capitol, tomorrow morning. The rest of the day will be spent informing you of rules and regulations as a tribute. Tomorrow, you will meet your stylist team and get prepared for the tribute parade." Haymitch informed us.

"Sounds good. Our district's product is coal. So, we might just get burned." I laughed at my joke, earning a chuckle from Haymitch. Effie giggled at little before stopping with a blush.

Katniss however stayed stony silent, ruining the good mood. I turned to her with a look of annoyance. "Settle down will you. Have some fun before you die in the games." I advised.

"What do you mean when you say that I will die?" Katniss challenged, getting into my face.

I looked back at her and smiled widely as I placed a knife right under her chin against her throat. Katniss stopped moving all together as I leaned closer to her. "Because you don't have what it takes to survive the Games. You don't have the guts to kill someone and walk away without feeling any emotion whatsoever. You should enjoy your life while you still hold it freely." I advised as I whispered in her ear.

Haymitch pulled me back from her and I dropped my knife to the floor. "I'll be in my room if you need me." I called over my shoulder as I walked back to my room.

Riiippp

I held in a groan of pain as the stylist team was removing my entire body of hair.

"You haven't made one sound yet. Thank god. Last year we had a real screamer to deal with, he screamed so much we had to duct tape his mouth shut, just so we could work in peace. What was your name again?" One of them asked.

"Axel Night." I replied as they continued to look over my nude body to check for any body hair they might've missed the first time.

"Well we appreciate your silence while we work to make you look presentable Axel."

"Alright that's enough, I need the room, so I can get a look at him." A new voice spoke, making me turn my head to the newcomer. The others quickly left the room.

"You must be my tribute." She stated, and I nodded in return. "My name is Portia."

"Are you a new stylist, because I haven't seen you before this year?" I asked curiously.

"Yes I am. At first, I was a little annoyed, but when I saw you both volunteer as tribute, I knew that I was with the right tributes. You both look like warriors. Or at least, your eyes give you away as a competitor." Portia answered me as she looked around my nude body.

"What is my outfit going to be?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Are you afraid of fire?" She asked me.

I looked her dead in the eye and leaned in close. "What do you think?" I challenged before I captured her lips harshly in a kiss. I placed a hand behind her head and pulled her closer as I bit at her lips. But I stepped away right as the door behind me opened, revealing Katniss and her stylist. Katniss covered in a robe, and her stylist in his normal clothes.

Portia was blushing madly and not facing them, trying to recover from my bold action. I looked over to them and tilted my head in question. "You must be Katniss's stylist."

He nodded his head. "Yes I am. Is Portia okay?" He asked a little worried.

"She's fine." I said before glancing at Katniss who seemed bothered at my naked self. She was blushing madly, so I guess she saw my dick. I smiled and spoke "so I'm guessing that you've never seen a dick before, huh Katniss?" I teased her as I smirked at her blush.

"Never one that big." Cinna muttered.

I reached behind me and pulled a robe across my body, just like how Katniss had done. When I fastened it around my body, Portia had recovered and faced us with a warm smile. "Why don't we all sit down and have something to eat and go over the outfits?" Portia suggested as she walked ahead of us towards the kitchen.