I do not own hunger games! Only Robin, Jay, ect. - Chapter One I woke up in my family's small house, or would it be considered a hut? No matter, I look to my left to see my little brother, Lynx, still asleep with a teddy bear that has been passed down for years. I look about the room, seeing that my father and older brother, Robin, had not gone out to the mines. A silent reminder that today was the Reaping. I get out of bed, careful not to wake Lynx, and put on my hunting boots and pants before searching for my forest green sweater. I found it under my pillow, where I normally put it. My father didn't like me going out to the woods by myself, especially since it's illegal; but the Peacekeepers never really turned on the fence that surrounds District 12. And since many didn't care, seeing as many of their meals were because of one of my catches. Putting on my hunting clothes I walk out of our house-hut and towards the fence. Normally, the streets would be full of people heading to the mines, their shops, or to school, but many stay to be with their children, who could be reaped into the 51st Hunger Games, and may never come back. I listen for the buzz of electricity in the fence, but it was absent, so I climb over the fence into an open clearing that went on for ten feet before complete wilderness. I head over to an empty, hollowed out log and grab my bow and quiver. I don't start hunting until I'm enclosed by wilderness, but then, a twig snaps behind me. I almost let lose my arrow at my follower but not before I realized it was my friend, Haymitch. "Wow, watch it with that thing, sweetheart! You might kill someone with that." He said laughing good heartedly; his attitude was finally coming back after his victory in the Hunger Games last year. "Well, now you scared everything within a five mile radius of this place," I laugh good heartedly, "come on, lets go check the snares that Robin and his friends set up." We headed toward the pond that had a little creek that lead up to it, we got a few rabbits and a foolish squirrel. Suddenly a twig snapped behind us and I brought up my bow and arrow hitting a wild dog squarely in the chest. Haymitch toed it before giving me a nod, the beast was dead. We decided to head back into town, pretty sure Mag the Hag would take the carcass off our hands. We headed to the Hob, a basic Black Market, and headed to Mag's stand where she was cooking up stew, we told her about the kill and she was more than happy to trade us. A few coins, a quick meal, and some strawberries from Darnel's stand for a wild dog that will soon be called 'beef' for her more extensive costumers. We took our meals to our favorite place and sat there. "OH, I forgot, Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be in your favor." Haymitch chuckled eating a spoon full of stew. "Just 2 more years after this one then and all I have to worry about is Lynx getting reaped." I say eating some of my own stew. "We could leave; maybe go to the ruins in District 13." Haymitch said "You know we'd get caught before we could blink; besides I couldn't just leave Lynx, Robin, and Dad here, and what about your mom and brother?" "You're right it was a stupid idea." "No idea is stupid, not until it's tried, maybe we'll try it someday." Haymitch only nodded and looked at the sky, "We better get back…can I come by your house?" "Sure, you got your stuff in your pack?" "Of course, I wouldn't have asked if I didn't." "Ok let's get going," I said helping him up before we headed back with our kills. Haymitch's POV I sat in my kitchen that morning as I thought about her again, it has been nearly 25 years, since that day. Since- I sigh and look at the whiskey in front of me, I pick it up and gulp it down, as though it were ambrosia, and grabbing another bottle. Today was another Reaping, meaning another year of failure in District 12. "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever against you," I thought with a mouth salivating with sarcasm. I looked at the time realizing I was late, but I didn't care; and why should I? They wouldn't miss me at the ceremony. They never did and never will. In fact, they probably thought I finally died. "Maybe the odds would finally be in my favor." I grumble into the bottle. I pick up my whiskey and left with a hand to the cool chain around my neck, with a single missing pendant. A pendant that I haven't seen in years.