My name is Arianna Lenton. I am dreading today. Today is the day that I'll get picked to die. I'm sure of it.

Today is, of course, the reaping. I can't stand the thought of it. I am eighteen years old and got five tesserae. I live in District 11 and am very poor. I'm getting picked today.

I get up and make a sandwich. It's not a very good breakfast, but it's all I can have. My mom died giving birth to my thirteen-year-old sister and my dad died when I was fourteen. Now it's just me and me sister, Talia. We have an uncle who visits us a lot so that we wouldn't get adopted.

I have to take care of both of us, but I'm getting picked for the Hunger Games, she'll have to take care of herself soon. The thing that I'm dreading most is that she'll have to get tesserae after I die. I won't be there to get us tesserae, so she'll have to get her own.

"Arianna, I'll miss you," Talia says as she joins me in the kitchen.

"You'll be okay," I say. We're not being like one of those families that pretend that they won't be picked or that they could actually win. We're open about things and admit that I'll be done by the bloodbath for sure.

"Here," I say, handing her half of my sandwich. "I'm going to go get ready." She nods and starts eating.

I walk back to my room and put on a black dress. It has spaghetti straps, so I put a light blue jacket over it. I pick a pair of light blue flats. They were my mom's shoes. I put my long, wavy, dark brown hair in a ponytail and curl it.

I step back so that I can see myself in the mirror. I look like my mom. I am very tan, but my mom and dad moved from the capitol because they hated it, so my skin is still considered white. I have one blue eye and one green eye. One time I asked my mom why they were different colors. She said that I got genes from her and my dad.

"Why did they have to move to District 11?" I ask myself out loud. "Why not a richer District? Where mom wouldn't have died giving birth to Talia, then we would still have the money she made. Why not one where we could have money and I wouldn't have to get as many tesserae?"

"Are you ready?" Talia asks. I look at her in the mirror. She has a pink shirt and blue skirt, pink heals, and her hair is straightened. She has light brown hair and green eyes.

"Almost," I say.

"What do you need?" she asks.

"My token," I say. My token is a string necklace. My boyfriend gave it to me when it became time to worry about the reaping. It has a blue and pink bead. Between the two is a heart bead. It could look normal on a guy or a girl.

We latch arms and walk out the door with our heads held high. When we get to there we hug goodbye and go to the areas for our ages.

"Arianna?" I turn around and see Rollen, my boyfriend.

"Hey, Rollen," I say. I hug him and give him a kiss on the lips.

"Are you worried?" he asks.

"Does it count as being worried if you're positive that something is going to happen?" I ask.

"You won't get picked," he says. I nod.

"Sure," I say, sarcastically. The mayor tells the story that he tells every year, then Melinda Surlin, District 11's escort goes to draw the names.

"And may the odds be ever in your favor," she says. "Ladies first!" She puts her hand into the bowl and grabs a piece of paper. I inhale as she clears her throat and says very loudly, "Ilea Goody." I exhale. I didn't get picked! I can live! I'll never have to go in the Hunger Games! Ieah walks to the stage and stands there. I can see the shock on her face.

"Now for the boys," she says. I look at Rollen. He kisses me on the cheek. "Rollen Lifetree." No. That can't be right. There's been a mistake! I'm sorry! Redo that! Please!

I see the shock on his face as I saw the shock on Ilea's. He kisses me on the lips and walks to the stage. This is definitely not how it was supposed to go. It was supposed to be me. Why does he have to die?

I don't hear a thing because of all my thoughts. They shake hands and are taken into the building. I run to the door to say goodbye to him. I see his family, his friends, and people for Ilea. His family gets to go first. I let his friends go next.

When I go inside the room the first thing I do is kiss him. Then we stop and talk.

"Do you have a token?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"My family thought you would give me something better than what they had," he explains.

"Take this," I say, taking of the necklace.

"The necklace I made you?" he asks. I nod.

"It can help remind you of me. The pink bead is me. The blue bead is you. The heart is the love that we have for each other," I say.

"You have quite some memory," he says. That was what he said when he gave me the necklace. I help him put it on and he looks me in the eyes. "I love you." Wow. He's never said that before.

"I love you too," I say. We kiss again, but this kiss is different. This feels like a goodbye kiss. That made me feel so horrible. "You aren't going to die. You're eighteen years old and you can crush the other people like bugs. I know that sounds mean, but it's true. Go out there and win. Win for yourself. Win for your family and friends. Win for District 11. Win for me." He kisses me again, and this kiss feels like an I love you kiss.

"I'll try," he says. The peacekeepers come and say that our time is up. I kiss him goodbye, danget, and leave.

That night I have a dream about Rollen, me, and the Games. I got drawn and he didn't. When I woke up to use the restroom, I was happy.