It's dark when I wake up, but I am used to it. I can hear soft snoring in the room next to mine. It's probably my sister Roselyn, or Rose as she likes to be called. I don't understand why though. Her name is so pretty and it's the name of a flower. Unlike mine, Thorn, a dull name that is on a stupid plant.

I get out of bed and walk to the bathroom in our house in the Seam. It is one floor with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, and the living room. So it's not hard for me to get lost like I did in the past. But I was 6 before, now I am 12. Twice the age; intelligence, height, and maturity. I try and do things on my own. Even though I am blind.

When I get to the bathroom I turn on the light, untie my black blind-fold and try to comb my hair as best I can. Just to make myself feel normal, I stand in front of the mirror. I try and imagine what I look like now. Bright green eyes, peach colored skin and bright red, curly, hair. Rose looks like me, just older and prettier. She says I'm pretty too, but I really don't believe it. She usually jokes around like that.

Rose would usually fix my hair for me but she is asleep and you never disturb a sleeping Rose. Especially on this day. The Reaping day. It's when one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 to 18 get to be a part of the hunger games. This year is the 71st and since I am forced to enter, Rose will be on edge more than she usually is.

I don't get why she has to worry about me so much. Is it because I am younger than her? I mean its only a three year difference. I can do things on my own. Like clean, cook, read, write and everything else that doesn't include my sense of sight. It's as if I am made of glass that can break any second with the improper care. She doesn't do it as much as she did before, when I was younger.

Then I hear the floor boards squeak. Rose is awake. Great, now she can start to criticize me. I can tell she walked into the doorway of the bathroom. She yawns, stretches, cracks her back and leans against the frame.

She says in a sleepy voice,"Good morning"

"Good morning," I say back to her.

"How did you sleep?"

"Fine. Why?"

"Just asking"

"What time is it?"

"8:09 am."

"Alright. Thanks. Can you make breakfast?"

"Sure. What do you want? There are three eggs left, milk, and I can go get bread at the bakery while you go get cheese."

"Cool. Are you leaving now?"

"Yeah, just have to get dressed"

"OK. Tell Peeta I said hi"

"Alright. When we get back and we have breakfast take a shower"

"Whatever Rosie" I say playfully.

I follow her out the bathroom and go to my room to change out of my pajamas. Rose does the same. In 5 minutes she is dressed and so am I. By the sound of her footsteps, I follow her out the hallway, through the living room and out the door.

When the sun hits my blind-fold, I can already tell it's going to be a hot summer day. I feel like taking off my blind-fold, but there isn't really a point. I always keep it on considering I don't really see with my eyes, but with my other senses. They feel enhanced when I put on my blind-fold. Also, no one has seen my eyes, only Rose, Peeta, and Cyrus, my best-friend.

Others have seen them, but they are either dead or gone. I am glad I still have my sister left. Even thought she sometimes cares too much or too little, she is still the best. We make it to the square and go our separate ways to get what we need. Then I hear my name called by a familiar voice.

"Hey! Thorn!" Cyrus screams across the square. I can tell he is running toward me.

"Hey! Cyrus!" I respond.

"What's up?"

"Nothing just getting cheese for breakfast"

"OK. I shall join you!"

I can tell he is smiling. I laugh at his up-beat personality. He laughs with me as we walk to the little blond girl I buy our cheese from. I became blind before I could meet Cyrus, but he told me that he has dark brown hair, olive skin, and gray eyes. He is 12, the same age as me. People call it the Seam look. But there is another Seam look: black hair, olive skin, and amber eyes.

Even though Rose and I are from the Seam we don't look like we are. We look different from the rest of district 12. Rose says that people have red hair and green eyes, but not as bright and colorful as ours and not together. We stand out from the rest, we don't really look like Seam kids or Merchants kids or Rich kids. So we are the odd ones out.

I pay for the goat cheese and head to the bakery with Cyrus to meet up with Rose and Peeta. Peeta Mellark is Rose's best friend, he is a blond, 13-year-old boy with bright blue eyes. He is only a year older than me, so we usually see each other in school. Also, he is 2 years younger than my sister.

His family owns the bakery in the square. His whole family has blond hair and blue eyes. He has two older brothers, Rye, a 15-year-old, a sophomore and he same age as my sister and his other brother, Wheat, he is a 17 year- old senior. His parents weren't the most creative people with baby names.

We reached the bakery and enter the air-conditioned filled room. I feels great against my sweat socked body. The bell at the top of the door rang and Cyrus tells me that waved at us. I wave back, I can tell that he is at the counter and we head to the back room.

I can hear Rose and Peeta talking about the reaping. Speaking of that, it starts at 2 pm. I wonder what time it is? As we enter the room I look in the direction I hear their voices. I think they are sitting at the table. The bakery is also their house, it's just above it. I clear my throat, which catches both of their attention, and speak:

"Did u finally get our bread" I said.

"Peeta said it would be ready in 5 minutes" Rose says.

"How long was it when he told you that?" I raise an eye brow at her.

"What time is it Peeta?"

"8:52 am." He replies. It takes them 5 seconds to realize that he left them in there.

"Crap!" Peeta yells, and runs to the oven, and takes out the bread.

"Err…they are a little burnt" he says. He is lying I can smell the burnt bread.

"That's an understatement" Cyrus whispers to me but know that Peeta and Rose heard it.

"Shut up!"

"I don't care we have to go. Like now!" Rose says and grabs the bread.

We head out the back room, say good bye to Peeta and , wish each other good luck at the reaping and go out the front door. Rose, Cyrus and I start to walk toward the Seam. Once we reach our streets we go our separate ways and head toward our houses.

"Gosh it's already 9:30 am and we haven't even had breakfast yet" Rose says, as she shuts the door.

"I know right. Time flies when you are having fun" I say, as we prepare breakfast.

30 minutes later after we made breakfast and sat down at the kitchen table, Rose breaks the silence and ask:

"So how do you feel about your first year in the reaping?"

I wanted to avoid this question all morning, hoping that she had forgot, but I had to face the music at some point. I answer:

"Well I have been feeling kind of nervous all day"

"Don't be. Your name has only been entered once. Trust me you won't get picked." Rose reassures me. I can tell she has a smile on her face.

"That makes me feel a little better, I guess. How many times is your name in this year?"

She thinks for a moment and says "Umm…46 no biggie." If I wasn't wearing my blind-fold she would see my eyes go wide.

"What!? How could it be that many already!?" I shriek.

"Calm down. I guess the odds aren't really in my favor." She is still trying to play it off as a joke! What's wrong with her!?

"This isn't a joke Rose! You could get picked this year! You and I both know we don't want that!" I feel like I am about to cry.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore finish eating, then go take a shower. I will lay something out on your bed for you to wear. It's already 10:39 am. We have to leave at 1:00 pm. if we don't want to get there late. I know how long you and I take."

This made me cringe. She said it in a serious and demanding tone, she never talks like that, it is usually me that does. But I don't say anything back, she has only talked like that once before and it wasn't pretty. But I don't object, I sit down and finish eating. She does the same.

When we are done it is already 11:01 am. I head to the bathroom, undress, and get in quickly. Lather, rinse, and repeat, I say in my head. When I am done Rose quickly gets in after me and tells me that there are clothes on my bed. I hope she didn't pick out anything too nice or fancy for me to wear.

I feel around for my clothes and start to get dressed. My hair is sticking to my back because of how wet it is. I squeeze my hair to get rid of the water in it and lightly comb it as well. I put on my undergarments, then my top and skirt. I wonder what Rose is going to wear?

Maybe she will wear a skirt too. Psh. Yeah right. She hates girly clothes. When I am finished I hear someone speak,

"You look nice. A white blouse with a light green skirt look good on you. " Rose says.

"Thanks, I would return the compliment but I can't see what you are wearing." I say with some sarcasm laced in my voice.

"A pale green dress with a brown belt."

"Rose in a dress? Impossible!"

"Whatever I have worn dresses before."

"When?"

"Mom's funeral. It was a black one."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Are you done?"

"Yes."

"Good. I need to comb your hair. You know make it look nice."

I nod and sit on my bed. I untie my blind-fold and she gently brushes my hair with my comb. The warmth in the house makes me want to fall back asleep. So that I can pretend like this day will never happen. That I wont have to stand in the line with all the other 12-year-old girls. Watch the people I love get picked for the hunger games.

I hadn't noticed that she stopped and is calling me to get out the door. I must have been deep in thought. I scramble around my room looking for my flats and find them when I trip over them. I put them on, head out the door to try and catch up with Rose. I can tell she is getting to the end of the block by the sound of her shoes hitting the gravel.

I catch up and we walk towards our doom, I mean, the square. It's my first time checking in, so i don't really know what to expect. Rose says that all they so is prick your finger, take your blood, sign you in and go to the section of girls or boys you age. Seems easy enough. The square is crowed with people. Maybe we should have left earlier.

We wait in line to check in. I am up next, the peacekeeper lady ask me for my finger and pricks it. Ouch. That hurt. She grabs it again and presses my finger to the sheet of paper. THORN SNOW, the device reads. She says I can go now. Rose tells me to wait for her to be done. She grabs my hand and walks me toward the line with 12-year-old girls.

A voice boom across the square, "Welcome people of district twelve to the 71st annual hunger games." It's says. Its sounds like our escort, Effie Trinket. Gosh. I hate her accent, it's so high pitched.

"Happy hunger games! May the odds be ever in your favor. It looks like the time has come to select one brave man and woman for this year's hunger games. Well, now that we are all settled in let's course out tributes. Ladies first."

I hear her high heels tap against the floor boards of the stage. The moment of truth is about to come. I hear the girls around me take in a breath, her hand must be in the bowl of the girl names in the district. It's so quiet you could hear a pin drop, but all I hear is her hand shuffling in the papers. The shuffling stops, she walks toward the microphone, unfolds the paper and says the name on it.

But for some reason I don't hear the name. It's as if someone else was controlling my body so I would become deaf for those 5 little seconds. I don't realize it until I hear the girls all step aside to let the tribute girl go, and then I figure it out. It's me.