Chapter 1

My name is Cole, Cole Barrum. I don't want to talk about me for too long, so I'll just tell you the basics. Well actually there isn't much to tell, even if I did go into detail, you wouldn't be interested. So, you know my name, I am 16 years old, male, medium height, well built, and I have short dark brown hair, which naturally sticks up from my head. I live in The Seam in District 12, Panem. At 2 months old I was abandoned at an orphanage, I guess they must have thought naming me Cole was hilarious seen as District 12 is the home of the coal miners. I don't know my mother or father, I don't know their names, age, or even if they are dead or alive. I don't go looking for them, or asking the orphanage if they knew what they were like, because that would just make me feel more upset than I already am.

You probably think you know why I already feel upset and you're probably wrong. It's not that I'm upset about my parents, I understand that there was probably a reason for my abandonment, and if there wasn't, then I still don't really care as much as people expect me to. The reason why I'm upset this is because the agony of being in love is attacking me from the inside, so, I need to let it out.

I'll start from the beginning. Her name is Katniss Everdeen; she is also 16, lives in The Seam of District 12 and is female (obviously). She has dark brown hair, which is always in a perfect diagonal braid at the back of her head, delicate gray eyes, slim, tall, and well just beautiful, like a lost angel, which has stepped into a cruel world. And well, basically, I'm in love with her.

The problem is she doesn't know my name, or what I look like, or even that I exist. But I have known her for my whole life. 16 years of this pain that love gives and I don't even know if it will ever go away.

Today is the day of the reaping, when one male and one female from 12-18, are chosen at random to fight to the death in a televised competition called The Hunger Games. In the last few days I have seen Katniss put her name in more times, to give her more of a chance to be picked to enter The Hunger Games. Every time she did this, it felt like being punched in the stomach as the thought of her name being called out today killed me. However, I understand that adding your name in more times gives your family food, as I have also added my name in more times to help the orphanage I live in.

Every year I think about how I would feel if she was chosen. I have concluded in thinking that the pain inside me could make me actually break down.

As I woke up this morning, there was silence. No dogs barking, no children shouting, just silence. I could feel the fear of everyone in the orphanage as I walked passed them. Everyone carried on with their usual routine, get up, get breakfast, get washed, and get changed, but everyone knew that today, it was different. After I got washed, I entered my room (shared with four other boys) and found smart looking clothes lay out on everyone's beds. On my bed, there was, a white shirt, dark brown pants, and a pair of lace up brogues placed beside them on the floor.

After I gotten dressed, I looked out of my window to see Katniss go past, running into the woods. I do this every day, waiting for her to go past the orphanage, just to see a glimpse of her when she's happy.

I pick up a comb and attempt to flatten my hair down, but it just sticks back up and I just leave it as I know no matter how hard I try, it won't go down.

I hear a call from my "mother" (the head of the orphanage) and all of the children start to walk down to the hall, where we all eat our meals. She tells us all to sit down on a chair, and starts making this speech about how she loves us like her own children. Most of us don't listen, as she gives the same speech every year, but the 12 year olds start to cry as this is their first reaping.

Everyone starts to walk down to the centre of District 12. We walk past families hugging their children as if they know that their child is going to be reaped. Many people from the orphanage start to cry from the sight of this, crying from jealousy, except me. I was shaking, the thought of my name being read out today was frightening, the thought of Katniss' name being read out was terrifying, and the thought of both of our names being read out made a tear build up in my eye. Imagine having to try and kill the love of your life, and they trying to kill you too, but the thing is they care less as they don't know you.

We approach the peacekeepers one by one. They sit behind a desk with a book in front of them, taking a small drop of blood, putting it on a page, and analysing it to make sure that you are, well, you. I never understood that, someone tried to explain it to me, but I didn't listen, I didn't want to know why they did it, I wasn't curious for an answer from someone, I only said "I don't understand why they do that" not "why do you think they do that?"

Eventually, everyone was crowded together, looking towards a big stage in front of us and a giant screen in the far right corner.

After a few minutes a few people strolled onto the stage and everyone went silent. I wasn't paying attention to who it was, I was too busy searching for Katniss in the big crowd of people. A boy, also from the orphanage, nudged me, indicating that something important was about to happen. I looked up to see a very, should I say, pink woman named Effie Trinket, standing on the stage about to introduce a video from The Capitol. She raised her arm, pointing to the screen, and the video began. Again I did not pay attention as the video is played at every reaping. I carried on with looking for Katniss. I found her silently laughing at her friend Gale, who was mouthing the words to the video. Her smile was beautiful. The boy nudged me again, the reaping had begun. Effie Trinket wandered over to a bowl full of small white pieces of paper, which had names on. "As always, ladies first." She said, as she dived her hand into the bowl of names. Her hand swam around the bowl, the suspense was killing me. She finally pulled out one of the names and read it out. "Primrose Everdeen" she called. I was relieved that it was not Katniss, but felt upset on her behalf as Primrose was her younger sister.

A weight was lifted off my shoulders, until I heard a voice. A familiar voice that sounded upset. It was Katniss. She was fighting off the guards, trying to get to her sister, while calling out her name. She pushed away the guards and shouted,

"I volunteer as Tribute!"...