It was Reaping Day in District 4. I just got back from my day at the market and the house smelled of fish and sea water. It is my third reaping and Lukas's sixth and last.

"Emil are you home?" Lukas yells from the kitchen.

"Yes Lukas!" I yell back as I put the groceries on the ground.

"Get dressed we need to get to the Reaping now!"

"Fiiiine!" I groan and stomp down the short hall to my room. I get dressed in a nice white shirt, pants and boots. I slip on a brown jacket since it gets cold in our District.

"You almost ready Em?" Lukas says through the door. I open the door.

"Does this look fine?" I ask him, gesturing to my outfit. He nods and grabs my arm. We run out of the small house, well, Lukas is dragging me along. Before I know it, we are in front of the Justice Building. Me and Lukas seperate into the correct places, which are decided by our age. I stand there for about 20 minutes before a voice echoes through the empty town.

"Happy Hunger Games District 4! Let's get on with the 70th Hunger Games tributes! Ladies first!" It is a past victor of District 4, Arthur Kirkland, who won by sneaking up on his opponents and slitting their throats. He rifles his hand through the glass globe with the female names in them. He grabs a slip and reads it into the microphone.

"Victoria Bonnefoy!"

A young girl about my age scurries forward, covering her face with her tanned hands.

"Now for the boy's!" he says, repeating what he did for the girl's.

"And the boy's tribute is...Emil Seilsson!"

My body freezes and I have to be pushed forward to the stage. I search for Lukas and look into his eyes with pure fear and tears fill my eyes. The girl looks to me as we're both shoved into the Justice Building behind us. We get seperate rooms to say our goodbyes to our loved ones, since it is fairly certain that we'll die. Lukas comes in first, hugging me he kisses my wet cheeks.

"Emil, try to win. Try to win for me. For all of District 4. Please, you need to live," he says as he hugs me tightly.

I nod slightly, speechless. I have no idea what to say because I have never had training or have any skills that would guarentee my living. As I walked into the Capitol train I had enough sense to know I was stepping into my own death.