One

It was a beautiful morning.

So beautiful even, it was hard to believe it was Reaping Day. Gorgeous orange flashes of sunlight beamed through my window, the sun was rising. I didn't have to get up yet, but I did anyway. I was way to nervous to still be able to sleep, so I got dressed and went downstairs. When I got there, I was surprised to find my little brother sitting at the table in the middle of te room.

"Hey, what are you doing up this early?", I asked him.

His head shot up at the sound of my voice.

"I couldn't sleep, Evan", he answered with a small voice. "I'm scared."

I sighed and sat down next to him at the table. The chair screeched when I sat down on it. "It's going to be fine, Deyna", I said. "Don't worry about me."

He scowled at me. "Don't talk to me like I don't understand! Of course it's not going to be fine! What if they pick you? I can't lose you, Ev!"

I suddenly felt sad. A seven year old boy shouldn't be worrying over something like this... The world was seriously fucked up.

"What's with all the fuzz this early in the morning?", my mom said with a sleepy voice while she came stumbling down the stairs. "Morning, mom", I greeted her as I stood up and I gave her a kiss on the cheek. She smiled softly, but I could see the worry in her eyes.

She sat down at the table accros from Deyna, who was blankly staring at the table with a look full of fury.

"I'm guessing you already know what day it is, Evan?", she asked tiredly. I nodded at her while blindly taking a mug out of one of the cabinets under the sink. She sighed and said: "You have been so lucky for the past six years, sweetheart. This is your last Reaping. Let's hope God blesses us one more time today."

I nodded again. I made my mom coffee and put it in front of her on the table. Deyna's look had changed from anger to pure despair. I put my hand on his right shoulder.

"Hey... It'll be okay." This time he didn't protest. He just nodded absently, stood up from his chair and went up to his room to get ready for the Reaping.

About one hour later my mom, Deyna and I were walking to the Square. I held Deyna's hand tightly and didn't let go until we where separated to go stand in our own sections. There I was, standing in a group of other eighteen year old boys who where just as lucky as I was. We had all survived the earlier Reapings for six years, today would be our last year. You could almost feel the relief hanging in the air.

Tammy Cleartree walked on stage.

She was the woman who pulled the names out of the Reaping bowl. Her strange looking outfit didn't even confuse people anymore, they saw her wearing those kind of clothes every year.

She strode towards the microphone with elegance, but you could tell she would much rather enjoy hosting the Reaping in any other District then our miserable district 12.

"Welcome to the Reaping, everybody!", she shrieked in a high-pitched voice. I winced, I hated girls with such voices. Listening to someone who sounded like that almost made my ears bleed.

"May the odds be ever in your favor. And now, we will be choosing our female tribute." Tammy reached into the glass bowl and pulled out a stroke of paper.

It was deadly silent on the Square.

Everybody held their breaths. Parents praying for the safety of their daughters, siblings scared to lose their sisters and boys afraid to lose their girlfriends. It all came down to one piece of paper that could destroy several lives in a second.

"Lysette Haleston", echoed Tammy's voice across the Square.

The sea of people created a path for the girl to walk forward. I couldn't see what she looked like, because the people around her were all bigger than her. She came from the section of sixteen year olds. When she stepped onto the stage, I could finally see her.

Her hair was honey blonde and hung down to her elbows, and she was about one head shorter than me. She was wearing a simple, white dress and her expression was blank. I knew that expression. I used it whenever something so emotional happened to me I couldn't take it, and I just had to erase all of the feelings to make sure I didn't break.

I had that expression at my dad's funeral seven years ago.

Lysette stood on stage firmly, right next to Tammy. She looked brave.

"Any volunteers?", Tammy chanted. The Square remained silent. "Alright then, let's move on to our male tribute then!"

Tammy hussled through the bowl for five long seconds before picking one of the little rectangles. I felt everyone around me tense up.

"Evan Casewalker."

My mind went blank.

Did she really just say my name? No no no, this wasn't happening. I'd escaped the Capitol for six years, they wouldn't pick me now. They wouldn't. Right?

All the heads around me turned towards me. I felt a few pats on my back, but I barely felt them. With sweat pearling on my forehead I made my way through the crowd of children. I heard a faint scream of torment from behind me, and without looking back I knew it was Deyna. I had failed my little brother. I told him I'd be fine, that I wouldn't be picked, and I let him down.

I walked on stage with firm steps. If that girl could be brave and strong, I'd look like a pussy next to her if I didn't look just as strong as her. I put on my brave face, walked over to Lysette and stood next to her.

Lysette and I shook hands, and looked each other in the eye without seeing one another.

We both knew there would only be one victor.

One of us was going to die.

Right after the Reaping we where led towards the trains. After the rebels failed at trying to destroy the Capitol a few years before I was born, the meeting tributes used to get with their family right before you where transferred was scratched from our list of good things, like lots of the already very few privileges District 12 used to have.

We were guided towards the train to the Capitol by Tammy. Lysette and I were walking next to each other. We hadn't said a word to each other yet, and I think neither of us really felt like talking now.

Her long hair swayed across her back and often stroked my arm. I looked at her curiously.

Didn't she have to leave behind any family, friends? Is that why she remained so neutral? It almost seemed to me like she didn't even care at all.

She must have noticed my staring, but she didn't react to it. Her eyes stayed focused on a certain spot in the distance in front of us.

We reached the train and climbed inside.

The hallway alone was filled with the most luxury I'd ever seen. The walls were covered in gold wallpaper and chandeliers made out of a see-through material hung from the ceiling. The sunlight that hit the chandelier scattered into little rainbow-colored flecks of light. Tammy told me it was made out of crystal. I just nodded.

Although the hallway's luxury was overwhelming, the Capitol had lost a lot of money when the rebels had attacked. There where only a few rooms in the train: the dining room and three bedrooms.

"This is my room", Tammy explained, "this one is for the Avoxes and this one is yours."

"What?", Lysette asked startled. "We have to share a room?".

Tammy awkwardly looked at the ground. "Well... Yes, we were hoping it wouldn't be a problem."

"What if it is?", Lysette fired back. I hear anger in her voice, and a hint of... Despair?

What she said startled Tammy for a second. "It will have to do, I'm afraid", she said. "It's only for two nights." Then, she turned away from us. When she was almost out sight, she yelled: "And get dressed for dinner, it's in one hour".

Lysette and I exchanged looks and went into the room without a word. The room wasn't very large, with a bed pressed to each side. Lucky for us, there were two bathrooms.

I took a blue T-shirt and a pair of jeans out of the closet that was pressed against the back wall and took my new clothes with me to the bathroom. I was surprised to see the clothes looked pretty normal, compared to the clothes the people from the capitol normally wore.

I locked the door behind me and looked into the mirror above the little ceramic sink. I could hear the water running in the other bathroom, Lysette was taking a shower, and by the look in the mirror I could use one too.

I looked terrible.

My sand-colored hair stood up in every possible direction, and I had dark circles under my eyes. How did this happen, I thought to myself. It has only been two hours!

I sighed and pressed my hands against the cold stone and leaned forward, breathing heavily.

Deyna. My mom.

Would I ever see them again? Would they be able to survive without me? I'd always been the one to get my family food, who would do it now? My brother?

He was only seven! How could he possibly earn money? My mom won't find work, either. She had been acting weird lately. She was always tired and she barely ate. I had thought about getting her a doctor, but that was nearly impossible. I would have had to save all the food money for half a year to get one, so we would have starved to death before I could have payed him.

I had to win. I had to return and save them from starvation.

But how? Who were my fellow tributes?

I had only just met Lysette, but she seemed like a tough one. She hadn't shown the tiniest bit of sadness or fright. I could already feel the respect I had towards her.

It took a lot of work to be so... Unfeeling. Maybe she had nobody left. Maybe her family was dead. Anyway, it wasn't my business.

I took a shower and got dressed.