I woke up to hear screaming in the distance - and I knew exactly who it was. Primrose Everdeen. I slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes, running my fingers through my thick, wavy, dark hair. It was halfway down my back now, and mum had taught me how to do so many things with it. I tied it back in a ponytail, then wrapped it in a bun, then made my way into the kitchen for breakfast, taking care not to wake my little sister, Posy, who I shared a room with.

"Argh," I cried, then tried to muffle it before Posy woke up, along with my two little brothers, Vick and Rory. I looked up at the figure who had walked straight into me, to find him grinning.

"Morning," he whispered. Gale, my older brother. I resisted the urge to punch him in the arm, and spoke to him instead.

"You off to the woods?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, gonna see Katniss. We don't have to be in the square until just before two, so I'm guessing she will be making the most of it." He threw a light jacket on and put his boots on, then stepped out of the door, taking care to close it quietly. Our part of District 12, named the Seam, was usually so full of miners at this time of the morning - men and women with hunched shoulders, swollen knuckles, and a layer of grime and coal dust under their fingernails. But today, it was eerily silent out there; as it was every year on reaping day. As Gale said, we didn't have to be in the town square until two o'clock this afternoon, and as it was mandatory attendance, unless you were at death's door, everyone took the chance to lie in. If you could sleep that is.

I pulled out our last loaf of bread from the cupboard and sliced it up. It was a couple of days old now, but it still tasted amazing. Gale would get fresh bread in exchange for squirrels that he and Katniss would hunt down. She was an amazing hunter, she would get them right in the eye, every single time. I had been out with them quite a few times, and Gale had taught me how to set snares. I wasn't great, but I was good enough, bringing down a few wild birds by myself. I didn't like to venture out into the woods too often. It was forbidden, but it had nothing to do with that. I knew how my brother felt about Katniss, even if he wouldn't admit it, and I knew that the woods was their place to go to, their sanctuary. I got some goats cheese out aswell, and spread some of that on the slices of bread, then quietly went to wake up my brothers and sister, taking care not to wake mum up. She had been working till very late last night, so needed her sleep. We sat and ate breakfast at the table, a little quieter than we normally would have done. Even Posy who was five knew that reaping day wasn't a day to be mucking around on.

An hour later, Gale came back home, with some more goats cheese, made from Primrose's goats milk, a large pouch of strawberries, four fish and three squirrels. He put them on the freshly cleaned table, causing me to sigh and glare at him. It was hard to stay mad at that face though - he just grinned. He always looked happy after he had been to see Katniss.

"I'll trade these if you want," I offered. "We need some more bread, and I doubt the Mayor would turn away some of these strawberries." Gale just gave me that look, that look which said he knew what I was thinking. I hated that look. It was the same one I gave him when he said he was off to see Katniss.

"Go on then," he said, sitting down. "I need to get cleaned up anyway. Don't forget we need some more cloth, though." I nodded and ran out. The old rickety houses in the Seam looked like they were being held together by just the coal dust. This was the poorest part of District 12, but we still liked to try and keep it looking as tidy as we could. The game bag at my side banged against my leg, though I took care not to crush the strawberries. I knocked on the back door - in case the peacekeepers saw me - of Mayor Undersee's house, and his daughter Madge answered the door, looking very pretty in her crisp white dress.

"Ooh, father loves these," she smiled, her face lighting up at the sight of the fruit. We might have gotten a better deal at the Hob for them, but the Mayor always paid a good price, and was about to afford it.

I made my way to the bakery, where I knew I would get a good deal for the squirrels. The baker loved them, he was always amazed at how perfectly Katniss was able to shoot them. As he opened the door to the back of the bakery, the smell of freshly baked bread wafted out, and I just stood there for a moment or two, taking in the wonderful aroma.

"I've got some fresh squirrels for you," I smiled, opening my game bag. His face broke into a large grin.

"How many do you have today?" he asked.

"Three."

"Hang on then," he said, going back into the kitchen of the bakery. As I waited for him to come back, I heard a smack coming from somewhere in the building. Like someone getting hit. The baker's wife, Mrs Mellark was an evil old cow, always hitting her three sons. I wondered who was at the end of her wrath this time. Mr Mellark came back looking dejected and fed up - I assume he was also hit by her, so was unable to stand up to her for his sons - with five loaves of steaming hot bread in his hands, wrapped in a cloth.

"I wouldn't normally give you this much, but as it's reaping day, we have to look out for each other, don't we?" he said, trying to smile. He looked as though he was going to say something, but changed his mind. As I turned to go, he called out to me.

"Good luck, Cora." I thanked him and made my way to the Hob, District 12's black market, to trade the fish for some cloth, then I went home.

My real name is Cordelia Hawthorne, but everyone calls me Cora. I'm fifteen - sixteen next week - and I'm in the same year at school as Katniss Everdeen. My favourite subject at school is math, although the main subject at school is learning about how our country, Panem, was built out of the ashes from a country once known as North America. About how the dark days came about when some of the people rebelled. That was when the Hunger Games came about, it was the Capitol's way of keeping the Districts in check. They would send two children, aged between 12 and 18, one boy and one girl, from each District, to the Capitol, to fight in an arena to the death. Twenty four go in, but only one comes out. Today was the day we would be chosen, the seventy fourth year of the Hunger Games. It was awful, but the Capitol didn't care. To most of the residents there, it was just a tv show.

By quarter to two, I had scrubbed, washed, and dressed in my Sunday best, and was walking into the town square with Gale, Katniss and Prim. It was Prim's first year, and she looked absolutely terrified. Her name was only in once though. Gale's was in forty two times this year. I lined up so I could register, and they could take a drop of my blood to sign me in, then I stood with Katniss on the right hand side, where the rest of the girls were. The cameras were up already, filming us live direct to the Capitol. I looked to the other side, where the boys were and saw Gale. I mouthed 'good luck' to him, but neither of us were smiling. I was really worried about him being chosen, he was the one who held our family together.

At two o'clock exactly, the doors to the Hall of Justice opened in front of us, and out came Mayor Undersee, Haymitch Abernathy (District 12's only living victor, making him the mentor), and Effie trinket, the Capitol escort for our District. She looked completely out of place, with her neon pink hair, her dark pink dress, her white painted face, and her lips, with the lipstick making her lips look pursed. She played a video first, on the big screen they had set up, where President Snow was droning on about Panem, and all the things we learn at school every day. Once that was over, Effie, who seemed to be mouthing the words to herself, looked up and smiled at us all.

"Happy Hunger Games," she said, "and may the odds be ever in your favor. Now, as ever, ladies first." She tottered over to the large glass ball in front of the girls. She seemed to savor the moment, picking out a piece of paper. When she had finally chosen one, she tottered back to the middle of the stage, opened it and held it aloft, reading the name.

"Cordelia Hawthorne."

No that can't be right, I thought. I looked around me, as people were moving out of my way. Katniss looked slightly relieved, but I figured it was because Prim hadn't been chosen and I completely understood. As I made my way towards the peacekeepers and up to the front, I caught Gale's eye and he was in shock.

"Lovely," said Effie, as I stepped up on to the stage, and to the centre, with her. "And now, for the boys," she said, I assume at an attempt to be dramatic, but I wasn't really taking much in. I was still in shock. I barely registered that she had come back to the centre with a second piece of paper, which she once again, unfolded and held aloft.

"Peeta Mellark."

The baker's son. I knew him. We had classes together at school. I watched as he stepped up, almost in tears, to the centre of the stage. Effie told us to shake hands, which we did, then she turned to the crowd, asking them to give us a round of applause. To their credit, not one of them did. They did, however, kiss three fingers on their left hand and raised them into the air. It was a sign of respect in District 12. Unsure of what to do next, as she clearly wasn't expecting this, she quickly ushered us in the Justice Building, where we were put into separate rooms, ready for our families to come and say goodbye.