Hello everyone! I do not in anyway, shape or form own any characters or Hunger Games relations created by Susan Collins. This is only a FanFic that I wrote for fun and not personal gain.

The 72nd Annual Hunger Games

District Eight

Today is Reaping day, the worst day of any in every home, if you're not a career district that is. In other words, a district that has a chance of winning. I live in district 8 the textile district. Many people complain about living in other outlying districts, but they live in paradise compared to me. Not a blade of grass can be seen for miles. Puffs and debris from fabrics scatter over the dirt, like a fertilizer that doesn't work. Many people try to grow flowers to bring cheer on reaping day, but most die withering away in the fumes from the mills.

I go to school, sadly. Our main focus in math related skills, because one day most of us will be working full time in a mill and need lots of measurement skills. After school, I work alongside my sister in the Peacekeeper Mill. Cecilia and I have been very close since she was picked to compete in the 72nd Hunger Games at age 17. Now that she is 26 and I am 15 she is worried about me.

However, I am closest to Lyela. She has been so close we know every thought and feeling of one another. She copies me a lot, but that is what younger sisters do. I love her so very much, like Cece worries about me, I worry about her.

I have entered my name 47 times this year, even with the Victor supplies; we have hardly any food to spare. Nor does it help that the capitol is especially mad at the Victor from last year. Oh that was a horrible game, people freezing, being mauled by bears, and killer penguins. You might laugh at the 'killer penguins', but while tributes slept they would bit the nails from your feet and tear off layer of your skin. Rumors have been flying around that they are targeting not just their District, but the siblings of previous winning tributes. That means us.

I can only hope to not have another one of my sibling come so close to death again. I have four other siblings eligible for the games today. I worry so much for Lyela who is 13, Michael who is 18, Jackson who is 18, and of course Cecilia who is I think little of my siblings who are nowhere near the reaping's boney clutches my other siblings Ian, Alyssa, Jake, and Connor. My mother has been shaky my grandmother was found dead the other day. And my grandfather had been abducted by the capitol. Plus, Ian was nearly run over by a spinning wheel at the factory a couple months ago. He only has half of his left arm left, but he is managing pretty well for an 8 year old.

I sit quietly in our den. I can barely see the time on a clock sitting above the mantel, two o'clock in the morning I have been sitting here for nearly an hour. Having a larger house I can sit and hide from my eight siblings, along with Cece's two children and she has another on the way. That is because we live in the Victors Village with Cece. I feel the velvet of the armchair, red smooth it feels like I'm working at the royal area in the factory. The texture comforts me to the extent that I fall asleep.

Dreaming, I am in a room with my mother and father. They are holding hands crying. Both of them have blonde hair that is glowing, standing out against the plain blue walls of the room. Their eyes are red and puffy; looking as if they were crying.

Knock, knock. It is soft but I awake, suddenly, with a jerk. I must have been trashing about because I am lying at an uncomfortable angle. The clock above the mantel reads six. I hear another quiet knock at the door. I wonder for a moment. Is this a dream, what is that? Maybe if I just go back to—knock, knock. Now I am going to have to get up.

Slowly, I raise myself from the chair. My back cracks along the spine; that is going to hurt later. I try getting a look through the stained glass door. No use, if it is a crazy killer I am most definitely screwed. But the shadowy figure seems short, I could probably take it. What am I even thinking? Well living in fear of the capitol, these thoughts flood everyone's mind.

I open the door quickly hiding behind it to ensure they don't jump at me.

"Hello?" a young girl's voice whispered. "Ambs, Is that you? Amber?"

"Katali?" I answered. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep and I think we should make everyone breakfast. I brought some stuff over." She pulled a brown sack in behind her.

We walked into the large kitchen. White wood lined glass door cabnets. White granite shined in the rising sun entering from a window above the sink. I thought compared to Kat's house this must look like the inside of the Justice Building.

Kat, her full name was Katali, she hated it but I thought it was beautiful. I was always jealous of her name. Most of us in District 8 had odd, sometimes made up names. But my name was Amber, Amber Pappas, such a rare name! Not.

Her curly blonde hair flowed down to her mid back. Her eyes were such a green they made new trees, jealous. Her tan skin was rare, but envied. She was thin, but not bony and she ate, a lot. Like a grown man, at a feast held once a year she would have turkey, chicken, deer, fish, and steak. For her meat portion of the meal, don't get me started on bread, she at bread like it would all vanish off of the face of the earth tomorrow.

Standing next to me we were polar opposites. I had curly blonde hair too, but it sat limply, ending above my chest. I had grey-blue eyes which had a dark blue outline encircling them. I was thin and muscular. I was so pale; I could make a ghost laugh. And my skin was always ice cold, but Kat had a warm inviting aura.

Guys liked us both and girls followed us around like dogs. If one of us was to be prettier it would have to be Kat. But we were both equally popular. I was always better at sports, but that is because I have older siblings and several competitive brothers. Kat's family was very athletic for being a family of all girls; their father had died from an illness long before I could remember. Yet, Kat and her 6 sisters and her mother got along fairly well.

We ran upstairs to my room. I opened my closet, since I was fairly tall; I got all of Cece's clothing. I had colorful dresses, skirts, flowy shirts and all the shoes anyone could wish for. Kat stared at everything in awe. She had a much better fashion sense than I did. Even knowing she would borrow some of my clothes, she came dressed in a skirt and a fitted black shirt.

"Well let's get started, I'll help you choose your outfit and you can do our hair. Ok?" said Kat happily. She was like a rich kid on Christmas morning.

"Deal. I wanted to wear this dress." I said, holding out a short white lace dress. The bottom swayed out and the sleeves came down to my elbows.

"That is beautiful, you should wear it, and I'll find you some shoes." And with that she disappeared into my closet.

I took Kat's hair and left it down. I twisted her bangs and bobby-pinned them behind her hair. She looked star studded; she had a dress the same figure as mine except it was pink and had a zigzagged pattern. She wore white flats. I was wearing Cece's white lace dress and I wore midnight black flats. I put my hair in a Dutch braid halfway down the side of my head and tied it off with a bright orange ribbon. With the rest of my hair I put it in a ponytail thrown across my shoulder. Kat insisted the orange ribbon was clashing with the rest of my outfit. But she knew she could not change my mind. Cece had worn it in the Hunger Games, and my mother and grandmother wore it in their hair at their weddings.

Next Chapter is avaliable, comment and tell me what you think! Thanks.