Hi Everyone! This story is about foxface, so I hope you enjoy! I know its not the most original idea, but I think you'll like it! Its my first The Hunger Games fan-fiction, so I would love any and all feedback *hint hint review review* More chapters will come if i get any reviews at all :D Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Much to my dismay, I do not and never will own The Hunger Games. Although I already have casted the movie in my mind.

I woke up a good two hours before I was supposed to. I had left my window open throughout the night and the sun was too bright to let me sleep any longer. I supposed it was all for the best. I always felt the need to help my mother clean the house on reaping days. I made sure everything was spotless. That way, in case the impossible happened and two of her children didn't come back, she would have a little time to grieve before having to deal with regular household chores. I cleaned the oven, mopped the floor, dusted in the corners, and re-organized the shelves. As I went in to the living room to continue my work, I saw my mother. By the looks of the bags under her eyes, she clearly had not been able to sleep. I couldn't blame her. She knows she could lose two thirds of her children today. My sister or me, and my brother could go. I ran up to my mother and threw my arms around her. I'm only fourteen, so the odds really are in my favor. My father has worked hard his entire life to ensure that we would never need tessare. For that, I am grateful. Every year I debate whether I would volunteer for my siblings if one of them were called. Probably. I am smarter than them, more cunning. I have a natural instinct for survival. My nickname has always been fox. My sister has always been the beautiful one, my brother the strong one, but I am the smart one. And smarts can get you far. I've seen people win the hunger games by only killing one or two people. They just sneakily outsmart everyone until the end. Then they either kill the one other person or wait for them to starve. However, waiting for them to starve almost never works. The audiences get bored.

"You are going to be okay Mom. Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen to any of us. Not me, not Katarine, not Flynn."

She hugged me tighter.

"I know. But it's a mothers job to worry."

I smiled, and we continued to clean together until it was time to get ready. She braided my hair, and then piled the braids on top of my head. I stepped into a stunning blue dress.

"This used to be mine you know" my mother said, pointing at the dress. " I wore it for my reaping when I was 14. It should bring you good luck."

It felt so special to be wearing one of my mother's old dresses. I felt so much happier and less nervous than before. It was as if nothing could go wrong in this dress.

I sat on the loveseat as my mother did Katarine's hair, and forced Flynn into a suit. Both of them went upstairs to rest until it was time to go. But I stayed curled up in my mother's lap instead. It was nice to feel like a little girl again. I knew that if anything happened today, this was the one way I would feel like there was less left unsaid. But there would always be something unsaid. I let my mother stroke my forehead gently. I felt safe in her arms.

I heard I thudding from upstairs. I knew it was my dad coming downstairs. He was always loud when he was nervous. We always joked that that would make him a very bad thief. Not that we had ever needed to steal. He came downstairs with a frown on his face, but one that quickly turned to a smile when he saw me. I had always been his favorite child. He always told me "Scarlett, the world has no use for pretty little things, and only slightly more use for strong men without brains. But being smart, that will get you far in life. You will go far, I know it. I see a lot of myself in you." I loved hearing him say that. When I was younger, I was ashamed of being smart. No one wanted to spend time with a girl who always talked with terms they had never learned. Well, no one except Lacey. She has been my best friend since we were little. We would spend hours on the one telephone in each of our houses, annoying our parents quite a bit. Every time there was a project to be done with a partner in school we worked together and were usually the only group to get an A. Well, the only one except this one boy. He was odd, and more of a loner than me. He was the only person possibly smarter than Lacey and I. Lacey and I tutored Katarine together, in hopes of giving her at least enough smarts to get by, but we just couldn't make her understand. We wanted to try and help Flynn, but he refused. His loss. We worked together, played together, and laughed together. We were each other's best friends. There was no other way to look at it.

My father sat down next to my mother and I, and squeezed my hand. We all chatted a little bit, but no one was calm enough to have any logical conversation. I tried to block the reaping out of my mind for a couple minutes, but I couldn't.

We heard a knock on our door, and knew it was time. My father's colleague promised to knock on our door to let us know what time we had to be there, so my parents could spend every second with their kids instead of looking at the clock. The colleague doesn't have kids.

I heard my parents take a sharp breath in, then slowly stand up. They each give me one more hug, and then call for Katarine and Flynn to come down.

We all walk to the main plaza. We are just barely on time so we had to stand in the back. We arrive just as Zoda began her speech.

"Today is a very important day…."

I always zoned out after that part. I didn't need to pay attention. I had listened to this speech 13 times before.

"And may the odds be ever in your favor! Now, lets start with our lucky girl tribute!"

I watch her teeter over to grab a slip of paper. I couldn't even fathom how she could walk in her high heels. They were almost a foot tall!

"Come on up here Scarlett Acton!"

Me? No, that's not possible! I only had my name entered three times! That can't be right.

But it was.

I walked slowly up to the podium. It felt like I was walking to the gallows of olden days. I knew that I most likely was walking to my death. But as I looked around me at the other girls that could have been chosen, I realized that my being chosen was a good thing. I heard the other girls cough, stumble, sneeze, all sorts of things. I new they were weak. I may be thin, I may not be pretty, but I am not weak.

I saw Katarine look at me up then. Not in the normal way, but in a way with a message. She was asking me a question. She was asking if I wanted her to volunteer. I shook my head no. Katarine should not die, not for me. Besides, I might survive? Who knows? But I am no idiot; I know that I will most likely die. And yet I hope for the impossible.

Maybe there is a chance I can outsmart them. There is always that little slicer if hope, as far away as at seems.

I was jolted back to reality as Zoda drew the name for the boy contestant.

"Lysander Foxley"

Oh god. I was facing the one person who was smarter than me.

So, did you like it? I hope so! But whether or not you did, just press that button down there and let me know! Come on, I know you wanna push it ......

-theothercullen427 :D