Chapter 1

"The choosing"

The reaping system is unfair, with the poor getting the worst of it. You become eligible for the reaping the day you turn twelve. That year, your name is entered once. At thirteen, twice. And so on and so on until you reach the age of eighteen, the final year of eligibility, when your name goes into the pool seven times. That's true for every citizen in all twelve districts in the entire country of Panem.

At two o'clock, we head for the square. Attendance is mandatory. This evening, officials will come around and check to see if this is the case. If not, you'll be imprisoned. It's too bad, really, that they hold the reaping in the square– one of the few places in District 8 that can be pleasant. The square's surrounded by shops, and on public market days, especially if there's good weather, it has a holiday feel to it. But today, despite the bright banners hanging on the buildings, there's an air of grimness. The camera crews, perched like buzzards on rooftops, only add to the effect. People file in silently and sign in. The reaping is a good opportunity for the Capitol to keep tabs on the population as well. Twelve- to eighteen-year-olds are herded into roped areas marked off by ages, the young in the front, the old ones in the back. Family members line up around the perimeter, holding tightly to one another's hands but I don't have a family, I live in the District's orphanage and I my only friend Marilyn stands beside me. She is shaking slightly. My parents died in an accident when I was three and I don't remember anything about them. We focus our attention on the temporary stage that is set up before the Justice Building. It holds four chairs, a podium and two large glass balls one for the boys and one for the girls. I stare at the paper slips in the girl's ball. Four people fill the chairs that stand on the podium, Mayor Dove, who's a tall man, and Casandra Lomely, District 8's escort, fresh from the Capitol with her perfect red-lip smile, Orange hair and dark blue suit, Jenny August and Michael Rhine who both were victors in past Hunger games . Just as the town clock strikes two Mayor Dove stands up and starts to give a speech.

"Our Country rose up out of the ashes of a place that was once called North America". He lists the disasters, the droughts, the storms, the fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal war for what little sustenance remained. "The result was Panem, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteen districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens. Then came the Dark Days, the uprising of the districts against the Capitol. Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated. The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games." he paused a moment to look at the crowd.

"The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called tributes, to participate. The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins."

Casandra Lomely trots to the podium and gives her signature, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"

It's time for the drawing. Casandra Lomely says as she walks to one of the crystal balls, "Ladies first!" She reaches in, digs her hand into the ball, and pulls out a slip of paper. The crowd draws in a collective breath , I'm feeling nauseous and so desperately hoping that it's not me, that it's not me, that it's not me.

"Teresa Weather"

I breathe slowly. "Stay calm" I think "Stay calm".

I make my way up to the podium. My black dress swaying slowly in the wind. My black hair is tied into a tight knot. I look back at Marilyn. She looks scared and she's wiping tears from her face. I look back at the podium as Casandra says "hello my dear". I walk up to the podium as she asks me "Do you have anything you want to say my dear" I nod and say into the microphone "I will do my best to win the hunger games and I will make district 8 proud". I handed back the microphone to Casandra and she said "now, the boys" and walked to the boy's crystal ball. She rummaged her hand through the ball and finally picked a slip of paper.

"Harry Grace"

A boy who I'd never seen before about 14 walked out of the boy's crowd and walked to the stage. As a woman tried to run toward him, crying two peacekeepers intercepted her and held her in place as she thrashed around in the peacekeepers arms. Harry stood beside me and smiled weakly to the woman as tears streamed down his face. Casandra leaned towards Harry and asked, "Is there something you would like to say". Harry just looked at the floor. Casandra looked at the cameras and said "Well, Im proud to present the 39th Hunger Games tributes of district 8, Teresa Weather and Harry Grace". Then a pair of peacekeepers escorts us into the Justice building.

Chapter 2

"Short Goodbye"

A peacekeeper escorts me into a big room with cushioned chairs and sofas. Big long drapes hang over two big windows. The room smells like something old. I sit in a chair as the door opens and Marilyn enters the room. A peacekeeper peeks in ans says "you have four minutes". I run at Marilyn and embrace her in my arms as she cries quietly. She whispered in my ear "you have to win". She hands me a little bag. I start to open it but she says "do not open it here". The peacekeeper enters the room and starts to take Marilyn out. She hugs me and leaves the room. A few minutes later a different Peacekeeper enters and escorts me out to the train station. Reporters take pictures of me as Harry catches up and looks at me and for the first time says "hi, Im Harry" he extends his hand and I take it shaking it " Im Teresa" we smile at each other, then we are escorted into the train.

Chapter 3

"The train"

We walk in silently into the train through a big metal door and it closes silently behind us. We stand in a hallway lined with doors. Casandra enters through one and says excitedly "come darlings you have to get ready to meet your mentors. An Avox will escort you to your rooms." I look at Casandra, puzzled and ask "what's an Avox" Casandra laughed and said "they are our servants. When someone does something illegal and a peacekeeper doesn't kill you, they take you to the capitol to serve us. Oh, and they cut your tongue so, you couldn't talk if you were one" A woman in red and silver uniform. She looked about 16. She waved at me to follow her and we did. Harry went with another Avox who had entered through another door. We went through some luxurious living rooms, diners and hallways. The Avox opens a door and ushers me in a room, closing it behind me leaving me alone in a well-lit bedroom with a bathroom and a closet full of colorful dresses coats and slippers. I decided to take a bath. The water was warm and it was really relaxing, not like the orphanage's water that was freezing cold and it tasted like metal. I didn't want to waste more time and I was really hungry so I got out of the shower and made a ponytail with a ribbon that was in the closet and put on a green dress with black slippers. I folded my old dress and something fell to the ground. It was the little bag that Marilyn had given me before I got on the train. I opened it and it had a golden bracelet that had little leaves encrusted on it. I put it on; it shimmered with the light of the room. I didn't want to take it off, never. It was the only thing that I had from my district; it was my token that represented my bracelet.

As I entered the train's dining car, Casandra said "you're late young lady" I just sat down and looked at my plate that contained salad, chicken, fish and mashed potatoes. Casandra rolled her eyes "well… now that were all here let's eat".