Hey, guys!

So, I've been thinking about writing this story for about...two days, I think, I have a really good idea for it! I hope you like it!

Enjoy!

Chapter 1

"Oh, come on, Dyla, it's not scary or anything!" my brother chided.

I stared down at the ocean below us and backed away slowly. "Just because we're fisherman doesn't mean I'm brave."

"It's your home, Dylila, there's nothing to be scared of," he replied.

"But, Jeremy, I am scared. What kind of fish do you usually catch?" I asked as I looked back down past the cliff's edge at the blue shining water with the glimpse of green in the light.

"I'm not a Ship Captain or a Fisherman yet. I'm not even a Deckhand yet, but I'll get there," he said quietly.

"You're a Canner, right?" I asked. I could feel the soft cliff grass between my bare toes as I turned to look at him.

He nodded.

I looked down at myself. With my shorts stained green from grass stains, the blue barely peaking out, I looked like I train wreck.

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to, but you…can, if you do. Don't let me change your mind," he said softly.

I knew he was talking about more than the cliff jump.

I couldn't meet his gaze, but I had to ask. "Did they ask you, too?"

There was a long silence. A very long silence. Then he finally sighed. "Yeah, they did. Dylila, you didn't say yes, did you?"

I looked up at him. His amber eyes were shining with worry.

"Of course not. I don't want to go into the Hunger Games." I looked back over at the edge of the cliff.

"Okay, Dyla," he whispered. "Do you want-"

"I want to jump," I cut him off. "But can I?"

"If you want to, then of course you can," he smiled at me.

I stepped up to the edge once more, and my toes hung off. I curled my toes to try to cling to the edge, and I knew then I couldn't do it.

I shook my head. "Another day," I told myself and turned away.

"Well, I'll do it," Jeremy walked up to the edge, took a deep breath, and swan dived off the cliff's edge.

I watched him go down until he flew gracefully into the water. It was as if he didn't make a splash.

He appeared above the surface a few feet away from where he entered the water, and was treading to keep himself up. He smiled at me, and I could see a piece of seaweed clinging to his soaked blonde hair.

I pointed to my own blonde hair, and he felt around his hair until he found it.

I made a triangle with my thumbs and index fingers, which was our symbol for "I'm going home" when one of us was too far away for the other to hear.

He gave me a thumbs up to show he understood, then he made a walking motion with his middle and index finger that meant "meet you there."

I turned, grabbed my shoes and ran down the cliff, away from my brother and away from the water that was so blue…so green that you couldn't even tell what was beyond its beauty.

I reached our small house quickly. I walked inside and dropped my shoes on the matt in front of our door. I walked past the dark wooden staircase and down the tiled floor of our thin hallway.

I walked through the open wooden doorway and into our small living room. The teal couch was the first thing I saw, pressed against the light green accent wall, against all the other dark green ones, across from the door. I walked in and sat on couch. Across from the couch, next to the open doorway were two teal chairs that matched the couch, angled slightly inward toward the small coffee table in between them. They were all in front of this big bookcase filled with books.

On the wall to the left of the chairs were tons of pictures in teal and light green frames hanging on the wall, and a dark wood table will flowers and a picture of my mom, Jeremy and me.

On the wall to the right of the chairs was a half wall, with a small opening to get into the kitchen.

"Honey, is that you?" my mom called.

"It's me, Mom," I called back to her.

She came through the gap that she insisted on calling a doorway, and asked, "Where's Jeremy?"

"He…" I tried to make up an excuse for Jeremy. Mom didn't want us jumping off that cliff without anyone else around.

Then he door opened and Jeremy called, "Hey, I'm home."

"Oh, Jeremy," our mother turned around to see him come in the door. He cocked his head to one side, which meant, "What have you told her?"

I shook my head.

"I was picking some seaweed," he held out his hands and I saw two huge bundles of seaweed. "I was thinking about cooking tonight."

"That's so sweet, Jeremy, but you don't have to do that!" she smiled at her son. "If anyone should learn to cook it would be your sister."

"Um, I'm still here, you know!" I said angrily. "And cooking is boring."

"It's okay, Mom, you don't need to pressure her. We should be happy she's still here," Jeremy replied.

Mom looked at the floor. "Why can't you just forget about that, Jeremy? It would make life so much easier if you didn't bring it up…"

"It reminds me that anything can happen to anyone," he said quietly. "I don't want to forget that lesson."

He walked into the kitchen and I could see him through the half wall. "I'm going to start cooking now, okay?"

Mom nodded. "I'll help," and she followed him in.

I sat alone in room again, hearing nothing but the soft gush of water from our sink and some slow knife strikes against our wooden cutting board.

I couldn't stop myself from thinking about it now.

FLASHBACK

"Dylila Gardens."

I was shocked. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. My first year in, and…I'm picked? The crowd started to part for me because I wasn't moving.

"I volunteer," an eighteen year-old girl from behind me says.

A Career¸ I thought, relief flooding through me. I didn't think they'd had any females ready this year…

She walked up to the stage and said her name.

I was safe.

For now.

I shivered.

I got up and walked back over to the stairs. I climbed up and walked down the hallway until I reach the bathroom.

I looked in the mirror at my face. My blonde hair, like my mother's and my brother's, but my eyes.

Not amber, like theirs, but a dark shade of blue with golden flecks decorating the color.

I was picked last year. I was thirteen now. My brother was fifteen. The flecks came the day after the Reaping.

One thought kept running through my mind. What would have happened if I had gone?

I couldn't think like that. I couldn't afford to think like that.

They said I should want to be prepared, since I'd already been so close to death.

When I'd refused, they'd said I would regret my decision, that I would pay.

I hoped they were wrong.

And that's chapter one! I hope you liked it, I'll try to update soon, I'm really loving this story, so I hope you like it as much as I do!

Thanks for Reading!