DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Hunger Games. That honor goes to Suzanne Collins. I also do not own the Bible. All verses used in this piece are God's alone.

Chapter One: Strange Joy

Imagination is a funny thing. You imagine heaps of horrible or wonderful things and then watch as something more horrible or more wonderful happens.

In my case it was more horrible.

The funny thing is, that morning wasn't so bad. I actually had a reason to sleep in and wear something nice. My family isn't terribly rich. In fact, we're rather poor. We live in District 12 in a place called the Seam. I wouldn't call our house a house, it's more like a cabin or a hut. I have to share a room with my brother Vick, so I don't get to decorate it the way I would like. Not that I'd have any money for decorations in the first place...

I woke up after a long drowsy sleep with no interruption. Despite the fact that it was Reaping Day, I felt peaceful and refreshed. It was my last year of experiencing the awful fear for my life; I was 18. The 77th Hunger Games would get me or not and then that would be the end of it.

I headed to the kitchen, only opening the door wide enough for me to squeeze through so as not to wake Vick. My little brother is 12 this year. Yes, we have a big age difference. My parents wanted two children, but they struggled with having children close together. When I was three and a half, my mom had a miscarriage. I didn't understand when Mom was pregnant then never had a baby. It bothered me for years until I finally asked her after Vick was born why the other baby wasn't here.

I opened our cabinet and sighed. We didn't have much. The was a few pieces of stale bread, the scrapes of our rations and a bit of meat from Dad's hunt two nights ago.

I scraped together what we had and put it out on the table. I resisted the urge to eat without my family and walked over to the window, staring out at the bleak world outside. Usually people are hurrying about to work or someplace else. But like my family, they're all asleep out there.

My peace gave way to nervousness as I thought of what the day might bring. I could be reaped. The thought made me shudder. There's no way I would ever win. I'm not brutal. My parent's take good care of me and Vick and our lives have always been happy- mostly. I don't like that we're required to watch kids kill each other every year. I would always be hovering over Vick, ready to cover his eyes if there was something too brutal or horrific, which there often is.

Bad images began to enter my mind. Visions of things that had happened in past years. Tributes getting stabbed to death, or burned to death or worse. I shut my mind off of those thoughts and went to wake up Vick. Usually I would just push him off the bed, but it was his first reaping. I couldn't help remembering my own first reaping.

I'd signed in and slowly headed where the 12 year old girls were. No one was there that I knew. I'd felt smaller than a speck of dirt. They'd pulled the names in the girl bowl and it was some 16 year old that I didn't know. I could remember the immense sense of relief flowing through me just as clearly as though it was happening.

Of course I didn't feel this way today. Not yet. I gently nudged Vick until he made a groaning, "Uuuhhh."

"Time to get out of bed sleepyhead," I told him.

"Why?" he moaned. "There's no school."

"It's reaping day," I tried to say gently.

Well, that woke him up. He bolted upright and looked at me in fear. "R-r-r-reaping day?" he stammered.

"Yes bud." That's short for buddy, don't ya know? "Cool down. In God we trust, right?" I reminded him.

He took a deep breath. "Yeah." He paused, as if hesitating. "Caya, have you ever noticed how few people go to our church?"

"Yeah."

"Well don't you think it's weird?" he asked when I said nothing else.

"Oh, Vick. You know most people think there is no God because they wonder how could He let the Hunger Game happen."

"But He's a source of hope."

"Go wake Mom and Dad up. It's time for breakfast," I said briskly, not wanting to answer his question. I'd wondered the same thing many times. Not many people believed in Jesus around here. In fact, our "church" was an old office building that was so run down the walls disintegrate if you touch them. God's presence always makes it feel brand new though. He's amazing.

I went back to the kitchen and sat in my usual set which faces the bedrooms, ready to welcome my family.

I couldn't believe it was Vick's first reaping. I couldn't convince myself that he wouldn't get picked. And if he did, I didn't know what I would do. As I stood there, I had a sense that there was someone else I would hate to be reaped.

There's my best friend Hazel Rivera of course. She and I have known each other since she moved here from the merchant section of District Twelve. Her father's shoe shop failed about two years ago and they couldn't afford to keep their house. The Everdeen family let them stay in their old home, since they live in the Victor's Village now.

"'Morning Caya," said Dad gruffly as he came into the room.

"'Morning Dad," I responded, my thoughts fading as I came back to reality. "Take a seat for the most wonderful feast you could imagine!"

Dad chuckled. "Thanks sweetie." He took his seat just as Mom came into the room.

"Aww," she cooed, "that was so sweet Caya!"

I smiled, a little embarrassed. Vick followed Mom and by his expression, I could tell he was angry at me for not answering him in the bedroom. I sat down with my family and prayed, "Dear God, please be with us at the reaping. Thank you for this food. Amen."

My family nodded in agreement and we all dug in. We were going to need the energy for the trying day ahead of us.

"I call dressing first Vick," I told him as I headed into our small room. Opening the closet, I gazed at the only pretty dress I had, worn only for Reapings, Christmas and Easter. Not that anyone celebrated Christmas and Easter that much. But it was special to our family. I put the cream colored rose splattered dress on over my head and turned around and around in front of an imaginary mirror, since we didn't have a real one.

Dizzy, I stopped spinning and collapsed on the bed, chuckling in spite of myself, in spite of the world. It was as if no one could get hurt today, as if no pain could touch me. Peace filled me as I thought comfortingly, After all, God is with me.

I sat up and grabbed my silver hairpin from my nightstand drawer- if you could call it a nightstand- and brushed it into my hair, the golden locks framing my shoulders. I stood and twirled last time, smiling at my reflection. My gray eyes smile back.

Vick knocked loudly. "I have no idea why you're laughing, but I need to get dressed!" he called.

I grabbed my shoes and socks and rushed out of the room. "Sorry Vick, I was daydreaming," I told him.

"About what? Getting reaped?" My brother's fear gave a harsh edge to his voice as he said the words.

"No! Of course not!" I protested in disgust.

"Whatever," he replied, going into the room.

My mood lasted until we had to go. As we walked, the peace flickered inside me, sometimes there as strong as in the bedroom, and sometimes as quenched as it was as I pictured past games.

The feeling of forgetfulness came back again as well. Who on earth was I forgetting? I wracked my brain, but uneasy and random thoughts distracted my search.

I glanced over at my brother. Vick was dressed in the classic white dress shirt, black dress pants with nice shoes, and a tie that was striped blue and red. His usually messed up blonde hair was combed back water preventing his cow licks to show.

We walked as a family towards the town square. It took a good 20, 30 minutes, but wasn't too bad. Except that everyone was silent, even when we joined our neighbors and friends on the way. It was as if there was an agreement that nobody decided but everyone followed anyway, because it felt right.

When we arrived at the square, it was time to part with Mom and Dad. Mom was tearing up as she gave me a hug and whispered, "May God be with you."

Dad also gave me a hug, saying, "It'll be okay."

Vick grabbed my hand and we went towards the check in. My hand almost turned blue, but it was okay. I understood. It was his first time ever coming to sign in. In years past he'd been worried about me, but had never had to about himself. I squeezed back, and he looked up at me, his green eyes shining with love, fear, and gratitude.

We got through the check in and could tell Vick hated it. I was comforted by the fact that he'd not taken any tessarre. His name would only go in once. I'd taken tessarre once because Dad broke his pinky and it impaired his work for a week. We needed the extra food and rations it provided. But then he got past the pain and we got to go on. Thanks God, I thought. Please be with the people drawn today, and the people in their lives that will be affected by it.

And then it was time to split for good. I dropped Vick off, giving a squeeze and reminding him, "God is with you." I made my way to the front where the 18 year old girls were, and looked around for Hazel.

"You okay?" a gentle voice asked from behind.

I turned and saw there she was, chocolate hair shining. "As good as I can be," I replied.

She nodded, and we grabbed hands like we always did. There was nothing left to say. It was up to God and the odds.

"War. Terrible war," blasted suddenly from the speakers. We looked up and there was the projection of the history of Panem.

The Reaping had begun.