Welcome, Welcome! This is my first Hunger games story I have published and I'm excited to get this story going. Disclaimers apply of course. I do not own Hunger games but everything in this story belongs to me. Idea's- characters - etc. May the odds be for EVER in your favor!

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Time hasn't changed a thing. Every year, the same games occur right on cue. No person has ever been able to keep them from happening. Ever since the first hunger games many years ago, it is the one thing that all of Panem can depend on that will never go away. Last year, a girl from district nine won. It is rare for one of the non-career districts to win, but sometimes it does happen. This year, it is the 55th annual hunger games. It is yet another year to select a boy and a girl from each district to compete to the death. This will be my second year to be put into the bowl, but my name has been in twice as many times.

Every time my family needs food, they count on either me or my brother to get it, as we are the only ones of age to compete. Mizell is 18 and this is his last year to have his name in the tesserae before he is freed from this horrible and ridiculous tradition. Sometimes I fear that he'll be chosen and I'll be left behind to fend for my dad and my little sister. My dad is unable to work due to an injury that left him unable to use the left side of his body. He has been depending on Mizell and me to take care of the family. My little sister, who is only 7 with both of her front teeth missing, has not learned fear from the hunger games… yet. She doesn't understand why our dad is always quiet the morning of the reaping. Amorra only understands that sometimes the children her age will cry when their siblings disappear. She does not ask why though. I think she knows that she will not like the answer.

Tomorrow is that awful day. The day that everyone in my district will dress up and miss work. They will all shut down the factories for several hours and take part in the reaping and then give a huge celebration for those not chosen with bonfires and fresh foods that people have saved for this occasion. The family that as a child chosen; however, it is usually very sad to watch. The family is brought to their knees in tears. I do feel sorry for them but also I feel relief. It is more of a comforting relief that my brother and I will be able to survive another reaping. For us in district seven, we seem to have a better chance then most, what with the use of our muscles and intellect. It takes a certain kind of brawn and brains to do what we do in this district. We are the district of lumber. We are born of the trees. We know just how to cut down a tree so it goes in the direction we want it to. We know every kind of tree and just the amount of weight and strength it can hold and endure. District seven isn't shy to use blades of all kinds either. We sell many of our handmade home items for rations. We carve likenesses in the stumps of trees for directions we don't want destroyed. A very resourceful people live here. That much I know of.

"Immaka, did you hear me? IMMAKA! I said move out of the way" Jarren jarred me out of my thoughts long enough for me to come to the attention of the tree that was about to fall. I heard the cracking of the wood only seconds before I saw the long piece of lumber falling in my direction. I sidestepped quickly out of the way just as the trunk fell inches from where I was previously standing. With a few quick strides, Jarren was right beside me, anger displayed on his face with redness, "Immaka, what on earth is wrong with you? You could have been flattened had I not been watching out for you. Get your head into your work, would ya? I will not be held responsible for any injuries today."

"I'm sorry. I had something important on my mind."

"More important that your life? I think not. When you're here in the field, its your responsibility to pay attention. I will not cover for you again. If you fail to think about the job at hand, I will not be the one to tell your father you've had an accident from being negligent." Jarren walked away from me as he shook his head doing so.

I was still new at this. My father advised me that I needed to get to work in the family business early to get a head start on my earnings. I dropped my head momentarily and tried to shake the thoughts out of my head about what tomorrow held, it was only causing me more trouble in my waking life. It will come no matter how much I wished it wouldn't. It always does.

"Immaka, come on. I haven't got all day to wait around on you. Pay attention." Those words play in my head for a few moments. Those words are very common to me because I usually tent to daydream. I need to remember that. I really do. Pay attention. I nod to myself and follow Jarren.

"Immaka, what you need to do, is take that blade on your pocket and being cutting off the bark to this tree. We need to make it smooth. Are you paying attention? You got that?"

I nodded to him, noticing the scratchy beard he was beginning to grow. I hate beards. My dad used to give me kisses on my forehead when I was little and he would always make sure it was scratchy enough to annoy me.

Jerren left me to my work. Surely, I would have hoped, he would have showed me how to cut the bark off the fallen tree before he took off. But he didn't. So, I suppose I'll just wing it. I took one of the smaller blades out of the belted pocket on my hip to start working on taking the bark off the tree. I let the blade make contact with the dark and tough bark as it splintered and broke off. Cutting off the bark, smoothing out the tree and cutting the branches is only the first step to this occupation and now its my job. Not only does it take off the extra weight before the huge tree is to be moved, but it makes it easier to pull it and carry it without the hard bark biting into the hands of the workers. Gloves are a luxury we can't afford so the smoother the tree is, the happier the workers are. The blade in my hand carves nicely into the bark now. I think I am starting to get the hang of this. Evenly but slow, I try to make every swing perfect. I see Jarren look over at me and shakes his head in shame at my speed. I know now, that I'll never get the hang of it.

I glance over at a few people watching their technique until I notice a girl, just one year ahead of me, doing the same thing I am. She is nowhere near as slow as I am. Her name, I remember, is Miri and I can tell she's been doing this for a lot longer than me. Miri and I used to be best friends growing up until a few years ago when the reaping started for the both of us. She looks in my direction and I flash her a smile. Surprisingly, she smiles back at me and mouths a hello and continues on with her work.

Across the field of trees, I see another team of workers bringing down another rather large tree. The head of the group yelling orders is a tall man. His hair is long and placed back in a ponytail, but I can tell that his hair barely reaches his shoulders. He motions for all of them to bring it down slowly and the tree moves in just a manner that it seems like it was being laid down with a string attached. The man then turns around and faces me and I see who it is. My brother, Mizell. He waves quickly to me and I wave back before finishing on the tree. I was happy that I was finally learning my trade, but something deep down in me was wanting more than just shaving a tree down to its smooth undercoat.

The shift didn't last long. As I am in training, they don't require I stay long in the field, so I pack up my belongings and go over to see my brother. His group is working diligently on the laid down tree and from experience that I don't have, the tree looks better and smoother than mine did. I wait a few moments until my brother comes over to greet me.

"Immaka. So your finally starting the family business?" Mizell handled his canteen and drank the liquid before continuing. "so, when did you and dad decide this?"

"Last night, Mizell. You were already asleep. I don't think I'm too good at this. My trainer isn't very happy with my work. I just don't understand how you all do it, besides, I've got a callus on my hand now the size of district twelve. Its nothing like what we do in practice." Immaka sat down on a tree stump and watched her brother wipe away sweat with and old piece of fabric.

"Don't worry about it. Jerren is just an old fart. He's always in a cranky mood. Don't pay him no mind. Just do your best. That's all that is required of you. Besides, its your first day. Nobody is good on their first day unless their perfect."

"Nobody's perfect, Miz."

"Exactly, no one. Not me. I know that. Why, on my first day…" Mizell began.

"When was that, fifty years ago?" Immaka made a face at Mizell.

"Just six years ago. When you were Amorra's age, I dropped a tree branch on my instructor. It didn't hurt him much, but now look at me. Strong as an ox and the best looking around here. " Mizell flexed his muscles. Immaka saw a few girls that was behind him giggle but all I could do was laugh at them.

"Mizell… your imaging things again!" I teased. Mizell looked at me with a fake 'that hurt' smile. "Mizell… about tomorrow."

I began with a slow and hesitant voice only to be backed down by my brothers confident tone. "Tomorrow, will be fine. You'll see. It always is. You have nothing to worry about and besides, I'll always be here to protect you, forever!"

Mizell quickly rubs the top of my head, now loosening the hairs so that they stood straight up. I slap at his hands to stop and he quickly backs away and went back to his group to check on their work. I work the hairs back into place before sighing. Could it be that easy? How could he possibility protect me forever? After this year, I'll have the next five years to fear for my life, not to mention my little sister will be up for the reaping the same year it is my last.

A smile crept onto my face, despite my thoughts, as I got up from the stump. I began to walk in the direction of our home. No more worrying about what I can't control, I told myself. I walk briskly and made sure to take the blade in my hand to cut through the wind on my way home. I always toyed with the blade when Mizell tried to teach me tricks. Sometimes, I paid attention to him, but other times I did my own rendition of what I thought he did. However, my specialty for throwing blades? Straight up. I never miss. Anytime my brother got angry with me, he would always throw something of mine up in a tree and it usually landed on a branch to hang there until I gathered enough courage to climb up and get it. Perhaps the blades always stick because it was the thought that if I didn't stick it the first time, then it would come back down to bite me, literally. I learned early on, when I first started messing with the blades, that they can give a nasty cut if handled improperly and the wielder was not careful. I glanced to my arm and raise the green colored sleeve three quarters the way up to reveal a good six inch long scar that had already healed and just starting to disappear. That day just happened to be before my first reaping last year when my brother started teaching me. That day, I was a bit preoccupied and was also lost in thought.

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Do tell. Good - Bad? I've had writers block for so many years, I can only hope that my writing skill do no suck and if they do please let me know. Also, I accept all kinds of reviews. If you want me to mention a character of yours in the story, by all means, Pm me. This isn't a SYOT, but if you want me to mention someone during the training or the arena, let me know. If you like the story - Review. If you think I need to work on something - review it. I like constructive criticism.

Any who, let the games begin.

Marree- A.K.A Amara