Disclaimer: I do not own the hunger games just my ocs.

Chapter 1

I sit on my bed with my legs tucked into my chest, reading a book. "I need to something to get my mind off of today," I told myself after I woke up. I find myself always doing weird this to keep me occupied, dancing, drawing, singing, reading, even acrobatics and fighting. But, that's just how it is when you have no friends, or if you're the runt. I turn my head towards my clock, 'it's past nine, I should get dress,' I thought.

Placing my book aside I slide off my bed and walk down the hall into the bathroom. I strip of my clothes, turn on the shower, then get in. After washing my hair and body, I step out of the shower. As I wrap the towel around me I hear a knock on the door, "Ebanora, could you go and get some bread for me," my mother asked.

"Sure, mom," I called through the door. Heading back to my room I grab my dress. Once I slip it on I look in the mirror, it's a short white lace dress with a black ribbon around the waist. 'It's beautiful, too beautiful for me,' I thought. The white lace is bright on my olive skin, my short muscular legs are shown the same with my arms, and my long locks are drying so they're already curling and frizzing. Sighing to myself I grab a brush. While brushing out the knots, I slid on black flats and gray cardigan. When I'm all done, I run down stairs take the money my mom left me off the counter, then head to the bakery.

As I walk down the road I take I my surroundings, the market, the butchers, all the stores, and between all of that a small bakery. I smile to myself even though no kids want to talk to me, I still love the village. It's beautiful. When I enter the bakery my nose is met with the sweet smell of bread, "Welcome," a voice behind the counter announced. It's a beautiful woman with light brown hair, blue eyes, and womanly curves. "Oh, good morning Ebanora," the woman said noticing me.

"You too Tetra," I responded.

"What can I get you this morning?" Tetra asked smiling.

I smile back, "Two loaves of bread, please."

She nods and goes to get everything. "Here you go," she said handing me the bag of bread. I give her the money and told her to have a good day. However before I'm about to leave she called out, "Nora, wait."

"Yes," I asked.

"Good luck today," she told me with a forced smile, "at the reaping."

"Thank you," I croaked, and then left. My walk home is quite, it's just me and my thoughts. It was stupid I couldn't ignore it especially in my district, today's the reaping of the 78th hunger games. Everything's still quite until I hear, "NORA!" Turning my head I see my brother Jessie running towards me. "Why were you not at training today, young lady?" he asked trying to imamate our mother.

"I didn't feel well," I lied.

He rolls his eyes, but says nothing about it. Instead he asked, "Did mom tell you Athena's going to be on TV tonight?"

"Yeah she's co-hosting the recaps," I responded.

"It's hard to believe she agreed to it," Jessie said astonished. I laugh, he right it is hard to believe. Athena Snow was always so different from the other girls of the capital, you'd think she belong to a district. We only met each other because of our grand parents, mine are two victors of district two and hers is the president of Panem. She's my best friend, yet we're exact opposites. She's tall I'm short, I like things quite she likes things loud, I'll be kind to everyone and she'll observe them until she knows they're worth her kindness. However she understands me and I understand her. I don't care if anything happens to her family but if she gets hurt I'll do anything to help her, so would Jessie.

Before I know it me and Jessie are back home, once we get inside our mother welcomes us home then takes the bag out of my possession. "I'm going to my room," I announced to her.

"That's fine sweetie, why don't you go read," she told me. I nod my head and go up to my room. When I enter my room my eyes stare at the clock, it's almost 11:00. I sigh at least I won't have to wait that long, since the reaping is at 2:00. Until then, I read and practiced some kicks. As I practiced my roundhouse kick I hear someone say, "You're just like mother."

I balanced on one foot while the other one is straight in the air and retort with, "well that's good wouldn't want to be like you daddy." I stare at my father through my raven locks. He's not covered in oil and grim from the forge, so he must have been home for a while. I get back on both feet and give him a hug. "Sorry," I claim. "I've been trying to keep myself occupied, so I don't think about ... certain things."

"Is it Athena or Tom?" my dad asked

"Both," I tell him. "But I haven't thought about Tom really." I smile sadly at him. It's my first reaping without my oldest brother Tom, since a few months ago he joined the peacekeepers. He did it for his friend Cato and our cousin Clove, they both died in the 74th games. Joining the peacekeepers was what he and Cato promised to do together, just like how Cato and Clove promised they'd go into the games. "Together or not at all," was what they used to tell each other.

"Come on," my dad tells me, "we're about to leave."

"Ok," I replied. Before I'm about to leave my room I remember something, I go over to my little desk in the corner and grab a silver locket. It was my mother's now it's mine, I wear it every reaping. I clasp it around my neck, and then run downstairs. "Let go Nora," my mother called.

"Coming," I responded back running out the door. My family's standing out front waiting to go. "Sorry!" I apologize.

We get to the square by 1:30, as I'm about to sign in a chubby girl with angelic blonde curls comes up to me and tugs at my own curls, "Ouch! Roxy could you not pull at my hair," I moaned to my cousin.

"Sorry, has it always been this black it's almost blue?" she asked giggling. I nod. "Oh, ok, I just came over here because Mason wanted me to say hi. Hi!"

"Tell him I said hello back and that I love him," I said shyly. I've never been good at talking to Roxy, due to the fact that she's loud and bubbly and I'm quite and shy. At least with Athena she knows I like thing to be not so loud, besides Roxy much rather talk to her own friends. I only get along well with one cousin since Clove died and that's Mason. Their other sister Alexis, who's now the eldest, always shuts everyone out. Little Mason however, is somewhat like me. We even share similar features, heart shaped face, olive rather than fair skin, and green eyes even though his are round and mine are slanted almost like a cat's.

My thoughts are interrupted by Roxy bubbly voice, "ok, good luck Nora," then she run off towards her friends. I get sign in and wait for my brother, a few minutes later Jessie walk up to me with two of his friends. One is a tall boy with an athletic build, his name's Ryker, the other one's named Jason he's stocky with brown hair. They both practically torture me well Ryker just teases me with names, Jason's the one that puts me through hell. He's punched, kicked, and hit me multiple times, not to mention one summer he tried to drown me in the river that passes by our school. But he is my brother's friend and I wouldn't want Jessie to be mad at me.

"Hey Ebbie," Jessie cooed pulling into a hug.

I push him off, "Baka!" I yelled then blushed, I didn't mean to yell.

"You shouldn't yell, runt," Jason sneered.

"Jason!" Jessie warned

The boy just scoffs and stares at Ryker, "What, trying to figure out what you're looking at Rye?"

The taller boy blushed and said, "You look pretty, runt … uh, I mean, Ebanora."

"Thank you," I whispered. I see Jason scowl at Ryker, 'that was weird,' I thought to myself. We walk towards the middle of the crowd where the fourteen and fifteen year olds are standing. I stare up at the crowd to see the escort for district two Novalee Hale, she sits next to the mayor sporting her midnight blue hair and neon green dress. Next to her are the victors, I'm related to three but now only my aunt Enobaria sits in a chair up on the stage, since my grandparents are deceased.

The clock in town chimes as it strikes 2 o'clock, the mayor the steps up to the podium and starts his speech. It's the same speech every year about how Panem was built from the ashes of North America, in which came the dark days that gave us the treaty of treason, thus the hunger games was born. He then reads off the names of the past victors of district two, finally it's over and Novalee struts up to the microphone and sang, "Happy hunger games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"

"Ladies first!" she squealed as she walked over to the girls bowl. I grip Jessie's hand. 'I'll be ok,' I thought to my self. When I heard the name I stared at my brother for help, because I was wrong. The name was mine, "Ebanora Violet." I'm defiantly not going to be ok.