Chapter One

I was dreaming in 3rd person. No matter how much I screamed at myself and the others in my dream, nothing happened. Nothing mattered. I was useless, all I could do was sit by and watch. I knew what was going to happen. It was a memory I knew all too well. It was the kind of dream that is so gruesomely, brutally real, you can hardly even realize it's a dream.

"The peacekeepers are there to protect us!" I said. "They have to reason to kill us."

"You know I don't trust them, Shy," Dakota yelled over the gunfire, wails, and screams.

"Just do as I say! I promised I'd always protect you and I meant it! Go hide in the ally, You can see me, and I can see you. I promise to get you through this."

The crowd was pushing us closer into The City Circle."But-""Go!" He yelled, and I knew it was final. I looked Dakota in the eyes and knew this was it. I gave him a silent goodbye, and he grabbed me by the waist and kissed me in the forehead. Tears flooded my eyes, both me and the me in my memory-dream. With one last look in my direction, Dakota allowed himself to be pushed into a giant pen in front of President Snow's mansion. I followed his orders and hid in an ally way close to The Circle. As far as I can tell, it was a pen full of only children surrounded by peacekeepers. Toddlers to teenagers, all shivering in the snow.

Suddenly a capitol hovercraft appeared out of no where. It hovered over the pen and dropped roughly 50 silver parachutes. We all knew what those meant. Food, medicine, good things. Gifts. We'd all been watching the Hunger Games our entire lives. Few children unearthed food and blankets from the packages. However most weren't as lucky. Because just then about 20 packages exploded. My heart stopped. All I could hear was screaming, crying, and wailing. It took a very long time for it to register that it was me. I screamed out Dakota's name only once more before I blacked out.

I awoke screaming and crying once more. It was early dawn, and my room was filled with pale dusty light. My family's apartment was one of the few salvaged on the outside of the city. I held my arms around myself, trying to told together the pieces breaking apart inside me. My breathing was shaky and wheezing. It had been three weeks since the rebels had broken through and Panem had fallen. Besides losing Dakota I also lost my mother in the struggle.

I, like so many other of my fellows, didn't exactly know how to move my life along after the war was over. Some did better than others. Everything was short. All food and money was tight, and many high class citizens couldn't handle it. Still, I did the best I could, and I've been dragging along. The nightmares were nightly at first. Now they've died down to once every few nights, allowing me to get better sleep, and get back to what I want to do. Helping rebuild the city. It required me to focus, and it took my mind off of Dakota. I could finally live again.

"At least for now," I thought solemnly. Because it was no ordinary day today. It was reaping day. The first capitol reaping day in the history of Panem. After the war ended, several previous victors including the Mockingjay herself, Katniss Everdeen decided what we needed was a taste of our own medicine. We needed to feel the pain they felt. It was time. I pulled on one of my mother's old nice dresses, and brushed the knots out of my curly black hair. I looked at myself in the mirror. My green eyes looked back at me, bored.

"This is it," I thought, and shuddered at the thought of my dream. I headed out of my apartment once again to The City Circle, which seemed a cruel imitation of my memory. On the lawn of the mansion there were two great balls filled with paper slips, just as there were in the District games. I picked my way through the crowd until I found the fifteen year old section. I stood in the roped off pen, and waited for the Reapings to begin. Effie Trinket, the over enthusiastic high-lighter headed coordinator for the old District 12.

"Ahem!" She said in her high pitched voice. The Circle grew silent.

"We are here today for the last Hunger Games. It will consist of six capitol girls, and six capitol boys. If you are lucky enough for your name to be called, please come forward to the podium. We will begin with the boys." She reached into the ball and pulled out a paper slip.

"The first lucky contestant is…Abner Hannes!" Abner walked up to the podium looking ill. Effie continues through the rest of the boys: Charan Kuro, Julian Fisher, Blaine Kurtus, Xavier Willis, and Dastan Aden. And then the girls: Magenta Crawford, Chanel Chame, Butterfly Chandra, Midnight Crosswait, and Niccolette Posh. Then it came. I knew it would. I've had bad luck for a very long time.

"Our last lucky young lady will be…" My heart was pounding. "Shyne Mydan!"My knees were shaking. It took my about 30 seconds before I remembered I was supposed to walk to the podium. Most of the other "Lucky ladies and gentleman looked as scared as I did.

"Congratulations, all of you. You will all be competing in the 76th Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor!"

"Let the games begin." I thought.

A/N: Hey guuuys! Congratulations! If you're reading this, it means you clicked on my story, and more importantly, read all the way to the end! This is my first fanfict. Usually, I write originals ( Which you can check out on , SirenxSingerx13, I'm working on my story I'm No Angel. READ IT! ) But I think I am going to work on this one. I hope to have the next chapter up soon! Keep checking back. Reviews appreciated. Until next time my little narwhals. (;

~SirenxSingerx13

P.S. I own nothing!