Ruby ~15 ~ District 1

I can't keep my eyes closed any longer.

Immediately, I sit up in bed. My alarm clock reads 4:30. I heave a small sigh. I wasn't able to sleep almost all night because I was so thrilled. I smile to myself. The day was finally here! The day I, Ruby Rowan, would volunteer for the Hunger Games!

I leap out of bed and prance over to my closet. I search through all of last season's dresses. LAME! There's no way I can go out in public wearing one of these! I should've bought a new dress. It's too late now because all the shops are closed on Reaping Day. I look over all the dresses again and again. So many dresses, all of them suck. I try on a few. A pink bubble dress, a night-blue gown that's tight in all the wrong places, if you know what I mean, and a lavender strapless. I come across a gross lime green-yellow, plastic-y, frilly, puffy-sleeved that I have no idea why I bought it. I make a mental note to drop it off at the poor people's fund thingy on the way to the Reaping.

Finally, around 5:40, I settle for a silky red dress with spaghetti straps that ended just above my knees. Good enough, I think. I slip it on over my head on and place a pair of black high-heels on my 8 ½ size feet. I pull my blonde hair back into a bun and secure it with an onyx hair clip. On to my finger, I slide a silver ring with three gems on it: one emerald, one sapphire, and one ruby. It symbolizes my sisters and me. It will be my token in the arena.

I look at my alarm clock to confirm the time. It's only 6:23. I sigh.

My name's Ruby Rowan. I live in Victor's Village with my parents and two sisters. My mom, Crystal, and my dad, Jasper, were both Hunger Games Victors. Even my older sister, Emerald, won her Games two years ago. Now, it's my turn.

I'm the best in my training class, except when it comes to a bow and arrow. I have beat almost everyone in hand-to-hand combat, including some of the 18 year-old boys. I can bench 140 lbs. I throw knives so well, it's insane, but, when I'm holding an axe, no one even comes near me. I can shuck an axe 10 yards and almost always hit my mark.

I'm only 15, but I am volunteering. And I know I'm going to win.

I hear a light tapping at my door. "Come in!" I say. Emerald and Sapphire poke their heads inside my room. Sapphire grins, "You look SO pretty!" I flash a smile, "Thanks."

Sapphire's only ten, but she can hit a bull's eye with an arrow from 20 yards off. She's so sweet. She and I both inherited my dad's blonde hair and blue-green eyes, but Sapphire's are greener.

Emerald hugs me, but she doesn't look happy for me, "Listen Ruby, the Arena is living Hell, are you sure you wa-?"

I interrupt, "I'm upholding the family tradition!"

I jump up from the chair I was sitting on and head for the door, but Emerald holds me back.

"Just come home, okay?"

"Definitely!"

Emerald doesn't say anything as I release myself from her grip and race out my room's door and down the stairs. She so doesn't understand how I feel about this, I decide as I sit down at our glass dining table. My mom comes down the stairs. "Hi, Precious!" she exclaims. I wave. She fixes me a plate of scrambled eyes and bacon, her brunette curls pinned up on the top of her head.

She sets the food down in front of me and pulls up a chair for herself. I begin to chuckle. "What?" she asks.

"Oh," I laugh again, "Oh, nothing."

This will be as worthless as tesserae grain when I eat in the Capitol, I giggle.

And then….

"OH, CRAP!"

I jump up, not bothering to finish my breakfast, and dash upstairs. My mom's calling after me, but I don't answer. How could I be so stupid? I tear past Emerald, whose heading down the stairs. "What's wrong?" she calls after me. "Forgot make-up!" I yell back. I sprint to my desk and rip open my drawers. I grab my make-up bag.

Okay, we start with concealer...

The Reaping's beginning late. Its 9:08 and it was supposed to start at 9. There's a Reaping every hour.

My friend, Mady, works her way through the crowd, followed by Auna. "You look so hot", Mady says when she reaches me. I put my hand on her shoulder, "I have to in I'm gonna volunteer." We all jump around and squeal. Auna eyes are shining, "That is, like, so amazingly awesome." My silver hoop earrings sway, "Duh! This is me we're talking about!"

As we wait for the stupid mayor to start his stupid speech about the stupid rebellion, we talk about what we're going to do when I come home from the Games. I feel a sudden tap on my shoulder, so I turn to find myself face-to-face with my red-headed, freckled-nosed, hazel-eyes creep of a fiancé, Trist Quaintler.

I give an inward groan. Well, the problem is that my parents believe in arranged marriages. Trist and I have been set up together since he was 6 and I was 4. Anyway, Trist plants a kiss on my cheek, "I might say, you look quite lovely this morning." I look him up and down, "Too bad I can't say the same thing about you." Trist's tall, lanky, 17 year-old stature was wearing a pair of ripped-up and a black tee. His lengthy ginger hair was in a ponytail.

"I brought you a present", His thin hands hand me a deep-red rose that matches my dress perfectly.

"May the odds be ever in your favor, Sweetheart."

He smirks at me, turns on his heel, and struts off to the roped area for the 17s, where he belongs.

"May the odds be ever in your favor, Sweetheart", I mock. I throw the rose on the ground and smash in under my foot, "Yeah, right." Mady and Auna stare open-mouthed at me.

"Whaddya' do that for?" Mady asks. I quickly shush her, because the mayor is beginning his speech.

Trist hates me and I hate him, but it hasn't always been that way. When I was 7 and Trist was 9, he promised he would always love me. Of course, what does a 9 year-old child know about Love?

I actually liked him back then. He was funny and cute and gave me every flower he picked. I guess I loved him too, but then his hormones started acting up. Trist started to despise being in an arranged marriage. At first, I didn't know it, but he began to cheat on me. He even went out with Auna behind my back!

My eyes tear up and I'm grateful I wore my water-proof mascara. I quickly wipe my eyes and avert my attention to our escort, who's wrapping up her speech. Marsenda Commen (our escort) smiles down at us from the stage, her diamond-incrusted skin glinting in the sun.

"Ladies first!"

Marsenda walks over to the girls' tank. Nerves jump up and down my spine as she reaches into the tank and pulls out the first piece of paper she comes in contact with.

"Nersiss Calamit!"

I see the girl walking up to the stage and recognize her. Nersiss is the girl with bloodshot eyes and yellowing skin that always smokes at school. I grin to myself. Once I make such an impact by volunteering, no one will even remember a 'Narsiss' excists.

"Any volunteers?" Marsenda asks in her cheery Capitol accent. Without a moment's hesitation, I shout, "I volunteer!"

Marsenda grins so wide that it looks like her face is gonna spilt in two, "Come on up and introduce yourself!" As I walk towards the stage, I hear applause and cheering. I also receive a few pats on the back. I was born for this, I smile.

"What's your name?" Marsenda asks once I reach the stage.

"Ruby Rowan."

"I should've known! You look just like your dad!"

She moves away from me and heads for the boys' tank, "And now, for the gentlemen….

"Trist Quaintler!"