"Finish up with that wood and then hurry in. You need to start getting ready!" I could hear my father yell from the path leading up to our home as he arrives back from the lumber yard. I wipe the sweat from my brow as I watch my dad walk inside while I put another block of wood on the stump in front of me and try to clear my thoughts. I slam the axe down on the wood and it splits down the middle. I've been doing this to calm my nerves for as long as I can remember. My father used to do the same thing. I would watch him gathering the wood and splitting it for hours. The constant thump, thump, thump of it being hit would sooth me and make me forget my problems.

Eventually I finished up with my pile of wood and stacked them neatly outside when I decide that it's time for me to go in already. I quickly wash myself, getting the mud and sweat off me before changing into my nicest dress. I only ever use it once a year and long for the day when I won't ever wear it again. Luckily, this is my last year that I may be reaped so whatever happens after today, I'm never wearing this dress again. My name is only in that bowl as much as it needs to be, so I don't have as big of a chance as being called as some of the other kids in my district. I'm lucky that my family is doing well enough that we don't have to worry about putting my name in more than necessary.

My little brother Jack is only 10 so he isn't going to worry about any of this for another couple of years and luckily my older brother Ronan is 19 now so he is finished with the stress of getting reaped. So, it's just me, everyone is just worried about me.

I smooth out the cream-colored dress and brush through my curly red hair in hopes to tame it down some. Once I realize there's no way to get it to stay down any more than it already is I just pin back the front to make it look like I at least tried. My mother would put it in braids when I was younger, so it would look more presentable, but since she died I haven't figured out how to get it to look as good as it did when she did it so I just gave up on trying a couple years ago.

I walk out from my little room where I was getting ready and face my family. My two brothers and my Dad look up from whatever they are doing to see me. I can see my father looks pained. He gets that way sometimes because I look so much like my mother, but he gets especially upset on reaping days when I wear this stupid dress.

Silently we exit our house and walk along with the other families in our village to the center of town in front of the Hall of Justice. It is one of the most beautiful places in district seven and yet all I have of it is bad memories of kids getting carted off to their deaths. Well most of them, there is one that survived while I've been in this crowd in years past named Johanna Mason. She survived the hunger games just four years ago. I remember her being reaped even, she was so innocent looking then, but once she was in the arena she became truly terrifying.

Stop thinking about the arena. You won't even be going in. It will be some other poor kid. Not you.

I keep telling myself this as I walk over to the girl's side of the area, leaving my family with the others off to the sides. I walk up to the front where all the rest of the eighteen-year-old girls are at and wait silently, listening and observing everything around me. The girl next to me is clenching her fist and the one behind me is whispering to the girl next to her about how someone had to put their name in fifty times. It shouldn't comfort me, but it does in a way, because it makes my chances of getting drawn go down.

I wait there for about ten minutes and slowly can hear as the sounds dissipate as the escort for our district, Opal Wellway, approaches the microphone. She is tall and thin, her dark skin contrast from the bright orange color of the hair that is cut short and sleeked back neatly. Her lips and dress match the neon orange color of her hair, but her dress is much more elaborate than the somewhat simple look of her hair, for Capitol standards at least. Her dress is tight on her torso but when reaching her waist poofs out and forms little shapes resembling that of balloons continuing until it hits her knees. Her shoes contrasted from the outfit entirely as they were clear and seemed to be filled with some sort of lava looking goo. I missed most of the mandatory video just watching her flounce around. I only realized that I am when she turns to the crowd in front of her and sighs happily at the end of it.

"Now, the time has come for us to select one courageous young man and woman for the honor of representing District Seven in the 74th annual Hunger Games" Opal beams out to the crowd excitedly, "As usual, ladies first."

As soon as she says this she prances over to the large clear bowl filled with white papers. There are hundreds if not a thousand names in there, surely it won't be mine. Opal reaches her arm inside the bowl and grazes the top slips before diving her hand a bit deeper in and springing it back up with a single slip of white paper in it. She begins to walk back to the microphone and as soon as she reaches it she rips open the slip excitedly and glances at the name for a moment.

"Rose Ashthorn"

I hear the deafening silence that follows the name and look around me for someone else to move, anyone else. I must have heard her wrong, it couldn't be me who she called.

But it was. The stares of the girls around me were enough to know that I hadn't heard wrong. My name had been pulled out and I am going to be in the Hunger Games.

With that thought on my mind I put on a brave face and make my feet move toward the stage. From this moment forward everything I do matters, everything I do is part of how I survive. I try to look confident when climbing the steps up to Opal, but I can't tell if its working, because my insides feel like I am falling apart. Eventually I do make it there though with my head held high and stand facing the crowd of people in front of me. Their faces all begin to blur together, but I'm snapped out of it by the movement of Opal next to me.

She glides over to the boy's side and dramatically picks a slip from the very top of the pile of names in the bowl before flouncing back to the microphone and happily announcing the name of the next tribute.

"Griffin Fairfall"

I watch as a boy maybe fifteen years old approaches the stage. His black hair covers up some of the sad look on his face while he's slowly walking up the stairs. He stands next to Opal looking down at his shoes clearly avoiding seeing the mass of people in front of us.

"Here we are, our tributes from District Seven!" Opal looks expectedly out at the crowd before us beckoning them to applaud. A faint applause emerges from the people, mostly in relief that it hadn't been them.

Opal motions to me and Griffin to shake hands so we turn to each other and look at each other's face in silent understanding as we reach out to shake. One of us will be dead soon. It's not going to be me. I won't let it be me. I will win this thing.

We finish and turn back to the crowd for the last time.

"Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Then we are quickly escorted off the stage by Opal and led through the Hall of Justice before we are separated into different rooms to say our goodbyes to our loved ones. I am led to a grey room filled with beautiful things. A velvet couch sits in the center of the room and a mahogany table is placed off to the side with a vase of red flowers tucked neatly inside of it. I pace the wood floors of the room until I hear the door open and I look up to see my father and brothers standing before me.

Jack runs to me first, wrapping his arms around my waist and letting warm tears stain my cream dress. I rub his back and look up into the eyes of Ronan who pries Jack off me.

"Listen," I kneel in front of Jack and grab his hand, "I promise you that I will do anything to come back. I won't be gone long."

He looks at me and nods his head still shedding tears at a rapid pace.

I look up at my older brother now and give him a tight hug. We have always been close. Jack doesn't remember mom because she died when he was so young, but Ronan and I, well we understand each other. We both remember the weeks leading up to her death and know how tough we both are. He more than anyone else knows that I can win this thing.

I softly hear Ronan whisper in my ear before we finish the hug, "Don't you dare break that promise"

I move back and look into his eyes one more time before nodding my head and eventually turning to my father.

My father has shed a few tears, but I can tell he's trying to be strong for everyone just as I am. He reaches out to me and pulls me into a hug. At this point I allow myself to let a single tear fall as I feel his scruffy black beard kiss my forehead and his large hands rubbing my thick strawberry locks.

"Don't lie to me. Do you really think you can do this?" He asks sadly.

I pull back to look at his face and give him a sad smile before nodding and replying, "If grandma could do it then so can I. How hard could it be?" I snicker behind my wet face.

He smirks for a second and nods before letting go of me and begins searching for something in his pants pocket. Once he finds what he's been searching for he sits with me on the small couch and hands the trinket to me.

It turns out to be a silver necklace with a simple chain and a small pendant of a honey locust leaf on it. It shined brightly and beautifully. I remember seeing my mother wear it when I was little. I always thought that it got buried with her.

I look up at my father as he undoes to the lock and begins to fasten it around my neck.

"This was your mother's necklace and before that it was my mothers. Your grandmother wore this when she won her Hunger Games. When she died she gave it to your mother and now I am giving it to you. I hoped to give it to you tonight as a gift and we would celebrate, but since you will win the games, I suppose that it should go with you now. Let it lead you to your victory as it has done before."

I grip the pendant and look with watery eyes to my father just as the peacekeeper opens the door and tells us that time is up. My family exits with one last look at me, a look of belief and longing. Longing for me to come back home to them.

The door closes behind them and it's quiet for a couple of minutes, so I use this time to compose myself. I dry my tears take deep breaths to return my body back to its calm and collected state that I seemingly had just an hour or so ago.

My time is up though as the Peacekeepers and Opal come to collect me and guide me to the train where some reporters stand waiting. Griffin visibly gulps as we approach, and I simply walk past with a smirk on my face giving off an illusion of confidence.

Once we are on the train however, my smirk fades away and Griffin along with myself follow Opal into what I presume is a dining car. Surprisingly it wasn't empty, there were two people sitting at the table waiting for us apparently. I recognized them as Johanna and Blight. Both victors from previous years and clearly now, our mentors.

Griffin and I spare a glance as one another before sitting down, both of us clearly intimidated.

"So let's skip all the unnecessary introductions and get to it," Johanna snaps, "Griffin I will be your mentor and Blight will be yours Rose."

I nod and glance at Blight before turning back to Johanna.

"Now, do you want to discuss your tactics in front of one another or should we separate now?" She says looking between the two of us.

I look to Griffin for a second and then turn back to Johanna, "Separately"

She smirks at me quickly and nods her head, "Okay, good" Blight then gets up from his seat and starts to walk to another car and I follow close behind him until he comes to a stop at a car at the end of the train. The windows are large here and you can see the trees surrounding us, it makes me wish I was back home already, but before I could dwell on that thought too much Blight motions for me to sit in the chair across from him.

"It was smart for you to separate yourself from your district partner." He says, "Sometimes tributes get too attached and it makes it more difficult later when one of you dies."

I look down in my lap for a second taking that in, "So what do I do now?"

"Well I need to know about you. Do you have any skills that would be useful in the arena?"

I pause thinking for a second, "I can use an axe really well, I can climb, I know some basic survival skills. My grandmother taught me how to tell if something is poisonous, so I've got that." I instinctively rub the pendant on my necklace as I say that.

"Good. That will take you far in the arena. Do you know how to use any other weapons?"

I shake my head.

"That's okay. I want you to find a couple and focus on those in training."

I nod trying to think of any weapons I might be good at.

"Now, I noticed that when you were called you seemed poised, so I want you to keep up with that. Being confident and beautiful will help you get sponsors in the Capitol."

I blush and nod my head once again.

We continue talking about strategy for a few more minutes before Opal pops her head in and announces that dinner is being served.

Blight and I walk with Opal to the dining car where Griffin and Johanna are already eating. Griffin seems to eat fast and happily and it's just now I notice how skinny he is. He must have been from the poorer area of the district. I was always lucky that my family had as much as we did. Grandma stayed in the victor's village and sent us food and money often up until she died then when my mother died a couple years later she left us with the rest of her money and we've made it by just fine since. We don't live in the nicest place, but we never starved. My father made sure of that.

I ate the food in front of me as Blight talked with Opal. I listened in to little bits of their conversation before Johanna turns and talks to me.

"What was your last name again?" she asks.

"Ashthorn"

"Why does that sound familiar?"

"My grandmother was a victor many years ago. She won the 15th Hunger Games" I reply looking down at my food.

"Oh my god, Sable Ashthorn was your grandmother?" She says loud enough that Blight turns his head to our conversation.

Blight looks at me with joy in his eyes, "Your grandmother was a wonderful lady, she lived two houses down from mine, I only knew her for a year or two before she passed."

I nod and give him a small smile.

Johanna turns the attention back to herself, "I never got the chance to meet her, but she was amazing. Did you ever watch her games?"

I shake my head, "My parents never allowed us to see it."

"Well she was wonderful. And that's saying something coming from me,"

It really is something, I think as my mind wanders to the gory arena of Johanna Mason. Jumping out from behind other tributes and decapitating them or getting into fights with others who ended up with an axe sticking out of their body before bleeding out. I shudder thinking of what might be coming for me before taking a sip of my water.

Eventually we end the diner and Griffin joins Opal to watch the recap of the reaping's today as I wander off to find my sleeping compartment. I find it soon enough and for the Last time change out of this awful dress determined to burn it the second I get back home, assuming I make it back. I change into silky pajamas provided for me and lay on the little bed determined to get some sleep.

My thoughts are moving a mile a minute and I can't seem to clear my mind. So, I begin to instead think of home. I think of the trees surrounding my house and the little cabin that my family called home. The little closet of a room that I called my own. My father coming back from work smelling of sweat and pine trees. My brothers sitting by the fire outside when the summer nights began. I smile softly thinking back to my mother and grandmother who would sit and read together as they each began to drift away. My grandmother teaching me and Ronan about the outdoors. My mother singing the songs were aren't allowed to sing anymore.

And then I hear it. And I can drift off to sleep.

Thump, Thump, Thump.

Okay cool. So I'm just wanting more decent Cato fics and I figured I might as well just start my own. If you have any good suggestions, then let me know please. Also if you have any thoughts on this so far then review and tell me how bad or good this was. Lastly I'm going to throw in a shameless plug of my Sky High fanfiction. If you like Sky High at all then you should read it. Thanks for reading. Cato will be in the next chapter!