A/N: Hey! This is my new (and first!) story, Sibling Rivalry. It was planned and written before Mockingjay, so just take it as slightly AU. Thanks!

Keep dreaming,

-Ally

Sibling Rivalry

Chapter One

Marie slid out of her bed, massaging her temples and thinking of the taunts and insults the night before. No, no... It was the day before Reaping Day in District Four. She would not think of the taunts. She would stay strong.

Of course, now that she was finally twelve, she was eligible for the Reaping, and that was what scared her the most.

"Mom?" she called, padding down the soft carpeted hallway in her bedroom slippers. "Mom, where are you?"

"She's gone out – I think she's signing me up for more tessarae," a friendly voice called from the room next to Marie's. "It's my last year in the reaping, you know. She must be getting desperate. I mean, we do have a family tradition to uphold." Marie turned around and walked into her brother's room. Being the daughter of a former victor sure wasn't easy, especially in District Four, a district where being chosen for the Hunger Games was an honour. Especially if you were from the Slater family, a family with a victor from every generation. Especially if you, like Marie, were weak and helpless. Anyone looking at the small girl who was now sitting at the foot of her brother's bed would think she was no more than ten, really. With her long hair and wide, trusting eyes, she had the appearance of a sweet little angel.

Being an angel in District Four did not gain you popularity. Being tough did.

Marie Slater was the complete opposite of Ace Slater, her brother. Aptly named, the boy was the Slater family's ace in the hole, so to speak. Everyone and anyone knew that Marie could not be counted on to win the Games.

"Hey," Ace said, leaning forward and looking at his little sister. "Why d'you look so worried? Are those jerks still teasing you? You know, I could tell them to push off..."

Helpless. Weak. Marie thought.

Then: No. You won't think about those jerks.

Marie shook her head. "No," she said. "Don't. They'll think that I care about the insults, and then they won't stop calling me names."

"Ah," he said, prodding her with a toe. "Well, we'd better go to the Training Centre now." When Marie shook her head and refused to move, then he looked straight at her. "C'mon, Marie. If you don't show up, they're going to think that you're a coward, too." Grumbling and muttering under her breath, Marie got out of her brother's room and trudged over to hers, trading her pyjamas for simple clothing. Then she walked down the stairs of the enormous house and out of the door. She didn't wait for Ace – he knew that she could take care of herself.

As she rounded the bend to the Training Centre, smelling in the salty tang of the sea, the taunts began.

"District Three," a voice hissed. Marie frowned. 'District Three' was one of the many names boys in the district called her – the Threes were nerds, weak and helpless, just like her. She remembered her brother had told her the day before – act confident, walk like you owned District Four, and glare at anyone who dared tease her. She decided to do just that.

"Alta," she said, glaring in the direction where the voice came from. "Nice to see that you're so scared, you can't even face me."

"Really, Marie? Really?" A young boy, around thirteen years old, spoke right behind her. Marie screamed and whirled around, sending Alta and his friends into fits of laughter.

"Ye... Yes, Alta, really," she said, trying to maintain a cool composure, a lost cause after her screaming episode. Then she turned around and stalked into the Training Centre.

I really have to stop acting like I'm cool, she thought. It's not me. I can't even act well. Ace gets away with it because he was born cool. I wish I was –

"Marie Slater! Do not hurt the equipment!" the head trainer shouted across the large space where the children trained.

Marie was about to protest that she hadn't hurt the equipment; it was more likely that the sharp equipment she had just walked into had hurt her.

"C'mon, Almarine," Ace's strong, clear voice resounded in the Training Centre. It was then Marie noticed that her brother was standing next to the trainer. Of course he was – Ace was probably going to give yet another demonstration on how to use a weapon of some sort. It occurred to Marie that, in the off-chance that she ever had to enter the Hunger Games, her brother was teaching the young boys ways to kill her. "Give her a break. Alta and his crew seem to enjoy teasing her; shouldn't you be yelling at them instead? Besides, she's a Slater. I don't have to tell you what that means."

Being shouted at didn't improve Marie's mood much. Needless to say, she spent most of that day's lesson daydreaming of a District Four that treated her the way they treated Ace; of a District Four that treated her the way they treated the rest of the Slaters.

Reaping Day.

Otherwise known as hell for Marie.

Our little angel woke up to her mother leaning over her, a vague expression of interest on her face.

"Ah!" Marie screamed, pulling her covers over her head. "What are you doing here?"

"Get ready for Reaping Day," her mother ordered. "It's your first. You don't act like one, but you're a Slater. You have to look your best."

Marie rolled her eyes under the covers. Her mother would be the death of her. Of course, it had been stupid of her to think for even a second that her mother cared about her. All Jerrine Slater cared about was her family's reputation. She had won her Games by – Marie winced at the thought – spearing through her opponents. The first time Marie had entered the Training Centre, Almarine had thought that maybe she wasn't as weak as she appeared and had got her to use the spears. Marie had been supposed to spear through a dummy. She had managed to pin Alta to the walls with the spear instead. Almarine never let her near the spears again.

Marie had never told Almarine that she had been aiming for Alta. She was better with knives, though. They were easier to lift.

Deciding it was better not to antagonize her mother, she slid out of bed and began to put on the clothes her mother had laid out for her.

"It's not like you'll actually be reaped, but your brother most certainly will be, and you'll have to go see him in the Justice Building, then later at the station. You'll have to look your best." Her mother said, facing the wall.

Of course, Marie thought. She just wants the Slaters to look perfect.

"How are you so sure Ace is going to be reaped?" she asked.

"Don't be stupid, Marie; surely you know about the tessarae? And it's not like our family's poor, too – I sold the horrible grain and oil to the poor families and bribed everyone else not to allow their children to volunteer this year, or to sign up for tessarae. Ace will most definitely be reaped," her mother scoffed. "Now, hurry up and change, I need to do your hair for you."

"What's wrong with a simple ponytail?" Marie grumbled as her mother fussed with her hair. She knew that her mother would most likely give her an elaborate hairdo that would itch and require her to walk slowly and carefully to prevent it from falling.

"A ponytail!" Jerrine sounded horrified. "A ponytail shows absolutely no class!"

Class. How Marie hated that word. Having class in her mother's vocabulary usually meant having to wear horrible, uncomfortable dresses and having to spend hours styling her hair.

"Jerrine!" Marie's father called a few hours later, just as Jerrine finished with Marie's hair. "Hurry up, the reaping is starting soon!"

Marie's mother rushed out of the room, dragging Marie with her.

"Now, you know what we do every reaping," her mother instructed. "We walk in a straight line with the same pace – that intimidates people – and then we walk you and your brother to your various sections."

Marie nodded slightly, trying to keep her hairdo from falling off her head.

As they walked together towards the town square, Marie grabbed Ace's hand, worrying that her mother's plan would work and her brother would be reaped.

"Marie," her mother hissed. "Let go of your brother's hand. You're not a small child any more. You're going to make the Capitol citizens watching think that Ace is weak and needs help, and then he won't get any sponsors. Is that what you want?"

Marie promptly let go of her brother's hand, but not before he smiled at her. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll be fine."

"Ace, look up. Don't smile. Act tough. You're a Slater."

Marie thought that her mother's warnings seemed a little harsher than usual – during the reapings, Jerrine Slater usually left the children to themselves and concentrated on making herself look good. Maybe Jerrine was worried about Ace, too.

Marie turned in pace with her family, walking towards the 18-year-olds' line. "What are you doing, Marie?" her mother hissed, pushing Marie a little. "Walk to your own line." Marie turned around obediently and walked towards the line for the 12-year-olds. When was she ever going to learn? Her mother didn't care about her any more than she cared for a bug on the ground. When she had said that she would walk with her children to their lines, she had obviously meant Ace. Because, while Marie was genetically part of the Slater family, she was nothing like them. While her mother might treat her like part of the family in front of others, Jerrine Slater would never love her as she loved Ace.

"Watch it, Three," Alta growled as Marie accidentally bumped into him. "Y'know, I'm actually hoping that you'll be reaped this year, and then I'll be rid of you forever. Heck, the district will be rid of you forever. No one will miss you – not even Ace."

"Shut up, Alta," Marie hissed, narrowing her eyes and trying to look as fierce as her mother did.

"Calm down, Three. It's not like anyone likes you anyway."

Without thinking, Marie reached out to push Alta. She knew that it was the truth, but she didn't want to hear it. Laughing, Alta stepped aside and Marie lost her balance, falling to the ground. Her hair tumbled out of its hairdo and her hands were grazed.

"You know it's the truth, Marie. What's the matter, are you in denial?" he asked in a mocking tone, as if he was speaking to a baby.

Marie glared at him and got up, brushing the dirt off her clothes. Why was it that she never could appear cool and calm as Ace always did? They were from the same family, after all; there must be something she had done wrong.

"Stay still, you two," Alice, a mature 12-year-old, glanced at the two of them. "The mayor's about to tell the history of Panem."

Marie spent the time the mayor took to tell Panem's history to ensure that she did not look to messy. There was nothing she could do about her hair, obviously, but she might be able to salvage the dress before her mother saw it.

"Twenty years ago, Katniss Everdeen started a war. She was the people's 'Mockingjay', the symbol of their revolution. The Capitol beat her and the rebels down before any true damage could be caused."

Katniss Everdeen. Marie frowned. Everdeen was the girl who had died trying to save the people from both the Capitol and the Games. Everdeen was the reason why the Games were harsher now than they had ever been before.

Needless to say, Marie hated Katniss Everdeen.

"The Hunger Games are both a time for repentance and a time for thanks," the mayor finished. Then he proceeds to read a list of past victors.

Marcus. Selena. Lydia. Tavin. Liam. Cayden. Oliver. Logan. Lila. Arianna. Tyler. Eli. Gabrielle. Maddox. Avery. Jerrine. Out of twenty-five victors from District Four, sixteen had been Slaters. The ones still living nodded in acknowledgement from their seat on the stage as their names were read.

"Well, now it's time for the reaping!" District Four's representative, Ava, said, walking up to the podium and smiling cheerfully. "Now, I don't like being normal – "

Too right, Marie thought, looking at Ava's bright pink skin.

" – and I don't like having to stick to tradition, either. So this year, we're starting with the boys!"

Of course we are. Just like we have every year since we got you.

Ava trotted over to the glass bowl and dipped her hand in, pulling out the first piece of paper her hand encountered.

"Ace Slater!" she cried, obviously pleased to have drawn a Slater. Even the Capitol citizens knew about the Slater family.

Marie watched, transfixed, as her elder brother mounted the steps of the stage and stood on Ava's right, smiling.

"And now for the girls!" She dipped a hand into the other bowl and let her eyes wander over the paper. "Oh, my," she whispered. Then her grin snapped back onto her face, wider than before.

"Marie Slater!" she called, her grin threatening to break her face. "Oh, it seems we have siblings in the games this year!"

Marie didn't move. What? she thought. Why me? Am I really that unlucky? But why was no one volunteering? Wasn't being in the games supposed to be an honour that everyone in District Four fought for? Then she remembered what her mother had said earlier: I bribed everyone else not to allow their children to volunteer this year, or to sign up for tessarae. But surely no one had thought that she had meant for the females not to volunteer as well? Surely everyone knew that it was only Ace she wanted in the games?

Yes, everyone knew, Marie realised as she looked around frantically. But no one cared. The girls were all afraid of Jerrine, too scared to go against her orders.

As Marie mounted the stairs to the stage with shaking legs, she barely noticed Ava grinning delightedly at having drawn two siblings. She couldn't think of anything at all. But then, she realised that, in a way, she had been right.

Her mother really was the death of her.