'Happy Hunger Games!' Poppy heard her soaking and bedraggled sister call sarcastically as she stomped through the front door. A knot appeared in Poppy's stomach, and grew tighter and tighter as the fear that she had shut up in a corner of her mind, engulfed her thoughts. She was only eleven years old, she knew there was no danger of her being sentenced to almost certain death, but she knew there was for so many other young boys and girls. She could almost feel the terror seeping through the streets of District Twelve, from every tiny house, where parents were fearing they may never see their precious children again, where young boys and girls were fearing their days were already numbered, where younger or older siblings were fearing their brothers and sisters may never return home, and where friends were fearing the seat next to them in class may never be filled again. Poppy launched herself at her sister, knocking the bag of buns out of her hands.

'NEVER SAY THOSE WORDS.' She shouted. Then her voice broke, and she fell to her knees.

'Never.' She said slightly hysterically. 'Never say those words again.'

Her sister, never having been the best quick-thinker, replied jokingly 'I might never get the chance to!'

Poppy raised her head; her long eyelashes wet with tears, and gave her older sister a look that made her feel very uncomfortable.

'I'm only joking sweetie, you know I don't think like that!' she said sweetly, but tentatively.

She knelt down beside Poppy and wrapped her arms around her. Poppy laid her head on her sister's shoulder, and held her. At that moment the rest of the family bundled through the front door, Poppy's cousin tripping over her. Her mother saw them all sprawled on the floor and clapped her hands together brusquely.

'Lots to be done, lots to be done! Up you get you three, no point lounging around in front of the door, no one can get in!'

Poppy looked at her mother, an expression of intense concentration on her face as she started organising the ingredients to go into her annual Hunger Games Celebration cupcakes that each family was given when the reaping day was over. Each family except two, who would then be given loaf of honey bread from the bakery, as a sign of respect and acknowledgment of the pain they would be going through from then onwards.

Poppy's family was one of the few rich families in District Twelve. So few were there, they could be counted on one hand, but that didn't make them feel exclusive. Poppy and her siblings were all bright and happy children, and even the sourest in school who considered them spoilt could not help thinking it was better than them being snobby. The family tried to be as generous as possible, without making the other residents of Twelve feel like charity cases. Poppy's mother spent weeks preparing these thousands of cupcakes so that everyone could have one, free of charge. They kept their cake shop prices as low as was necessary, so that they were affordable to anyone who had any money to spare.

Deep in her mother's eyes, Poppy saw the sadness and anxiety showing through. Every year she put on a brave face and managed to busy herself with organising things, but she knew this was just a way to distract her from the horror that one of her 5 children could be chosen to kill, or be killed.