The harbor horn sounds and I know I've overslept. I'm on my feet dressing and yelling for Nauplius to beat the peacekeepers to the dock before my eyes have even fully opened yet. I'm imagining the last time I failed to wake him before the horn. I can see it clear as if it were happening again right in front of me. He was thirteen then, and the peacekeepers collected him as soon as I turned him out the door to make a run for it.

It took over a week for his back to heal enough from the lashing to stand upright without splitting the wound open again.

"Relax Annie, It's reaping day" Nauplius answers from the kitchen, his voice devoid of its custom verve and lightness. I go in and find him seated at our table, which is little more than driftwood on sticks, busying himself scaling and filleting a small halibut for our breakfast. His face, though hidden behind a thin veil of dirty brown hair, was tired, and I could see the deep circles under his iridescent green eyes when they lifted from the fish in his hands to meet mine "There's No Work on the boats on reaping day"

"Right. I almost forgot" I answer, expecting some form of relief to register- but the sense of panic only becomes deeper and more pronounced. Of course I hadn't forgotten. I'd been up most of the night thinking about it. Worrying about him.

At fifteen Nauplius can stand on his own two feet- he's as proficient a fisherman and as good a man as could be found in District four. When our father died during the storm season seven years ago the dock workers made a sort of project out of Nauplius, keeping him busy enough to stay focused and out of trouble. Though he might be a full head taller than me and wield a spear and net as well as any person I ever saw, he is still, at least to me, a boy, and I want so very much to protect him from the Reaping.

I keep telling myself that the likelihood of him being chosen is remote- we always worked hard and saved enough to keep him from having to sign up for tessera, and District four is so large that the chances of his name being picked out of the thousands is negligent at best- but still, I fear.

"you almost forgot, did you?" he asks in an unusually harsh voice "I guess you were up all night forgetting?"

I wipe the sleep from the corners of my eyes and look around our small shanty home for a flint to get the fire going. When I find the flint, I place a kettle and a frying pan on the double burner and light them both. "I didn't mean to keep you up. It was a brutal night".

" I wasn't about to get sleep, anyway" he answers, he's finished with the first fish and puts the tray on the jerry-rigged countertop for me. "I doubt anyone slept last night"

I empty a cup of crushed grain into a woven bowl from the cupboard suspended on the corner wall and toss the halibut in with it. I can feel Nauplius watching from behind me, his anxiety is so thick it's almost palpable. "You shouldn't worry" I say to him without looking back. I start putting the breaded halibut into another woven bowl for frying. "You've never collected Tessera, so your name is only in the ball a few times. The odds are in your favor"

"And yours Annie?" He asks, slamming a cleaver down on another halibut, cutting off its head. He discards the entrails into a tin at his feet. He misses, and I can hear the wet plop as it slips past the tin and through a large crack in the floorboard into the sea. "How many times is your name in the reaping Ball Annie?"

I freeze, knowing full well he knows I've lied about taking Tesserae. The only thing I'm certain of is that he doesn't know how many times- if he had he'd be having a meltdown. Truth be told, I don't know how many times either. I hadn't done it this year, but in years past I availed myself of it freely, whenever I had to. It wasn't that I was trying to be reckless or anything, but my brother and I need to eat, and more than once our share of grain had toppled out of the cupboard and emptied into the sea. More than once the oil hasn't been enough to warm us and keep us fed. What else was there to be done? Nothing, that's what. I did what had to be done to feed my family and feed myself, and I'm not about to start apologising for it now. "Its my second last year, Nauplius, I'm almost in the clear." I reason, repeating to him what i've told myself a million times "Besides, someone will probably volunteer"

"ha!" Nauplius scoffs "There hasn't been a volunteer in four since the year after Odair won and our tributes were the first on the chopping block. Four doesn't buy into the games the way we used to." He pauses, seeming to re-assess his anger. Real hurt colors his voice when he puts his hands on my shoulders and asks "Annie, Why would you take tessera and not tell me? When was it?"

I don't know how to answer him so I don't. I want to ask him who it was that ratted me out but that would only give him a real admission so I just pretend as though nothing was said and start tossing fillets into the heated pan with oil and some herbs I'd harvested on the trail into town.

Nauplius waits for me to respond. Eventually his hands fall from my shoulders one by one. I don't have the courage to look back at him and when I don't, he heads for the door.

"I'm going to see if Laz and his father need any help securing the Dinghy before everyone heads to town" He's gone and halfway up the deck before he's even finished his sentence. I can tell from the waver in his voice that the only reason why he isn't cutting into me for taking tesserae is because he knows I did it for us, and any real confirmation from me would do nothing but make the guilt we were both feeling, worse.

Laz is my brothers best friend, and his parents, Nautilum and Nora are sort of surrogate parents to my brother and I. They have Three sons, of which Laz is the youngest. The other two have been transferred to other parts of district four, to maintain district residences similar to our own.

Our section of district four is known disparagingly as the dinghy and it's one of the most dangerous places in this district to live. It's a series of brightly coloured and peeling shanty sheds, each built on its own floating dock and connected to one another. They float along the length of two opposing shorelines about a thousand meters across the mouth of a small bay that is a tributary of the gulf of four.

Each 'house' consists of two rooms; The kitchen is the larger of the two about eight foot by eight foot and also serves as our living space. There's a Capitol-provided projector bolted to the ceiling, so we don't miss any Capitol shipment schedules or mandatory viewings. The second room is the bedroom, which is only big enough to fit two standard-issue cots side by side. In ours, Nauplius drags the second cot into the kitchen at night, so we can each enjoy some privacy.

It isn't uncommon for whole sections of the Dinghy to become unhinged from the coastline and float away in inclement weather. Lazarus and His father Nautilum are tasked with making sure that doesn't happen.

The purpose of our humble homes, is to catch migrating fish at varying times of the year as they go through. It's our job to make sure that the appropriate nets are cast in good condition and according to the specifics of the particular species we are after. Several times every day and night we reel them in and set them out again. The men take care during the evenings and early mornings, the women do it during the day in between shifts harvesting oysters, seaweed and other crustaceans back in the shallow waters off the beach when most men have gone to the docks on the mainland to report for work on the boats.

Nearly every moment on the dinghy is regimented, and the regimen is implemented with precision by the ample and deadly peacekeeping force.

When our father passed away, my brother and I were allowed to stay in our childhood home on the Dinghy with the pledge of the neighbors to take responsibility for us. Nautilums' wife Nora moved in with us for the three years between our father dying and my coming of age so that we wouldn't have to be taken into a government home and separated. The peacekeepers allowed it because as natives of the dinghy, we already knew our way around, were experts at checking and repairing the nets, and skilled labour willing to work and live on the dinghy was hard to find.

On reaping day the entire district goes on lockdown, and people are ordered to stay within a quarter mile of their homes until one-fifteen when the exodus to the square begins. Anyone seen at or near a fence or checkpoint will be shot on sight.

From my little kitchen range I can hear the voices of the families gathering on the beach echo off the water. It's an unusually calm day, and the people of the dinghy are pleased because with last night's high winds and rough waters the fish are plentiful. The smell of food fills the air as people try to comfort themselves with what little they have available, inviting their neighbours in to join them.

Reaping day, as terrible as it always is, has a bit of a morbid holiday feel to it. There's a ritual of food and laughter, contrived though it may be, to enjoy and celebrate while celebration is an option. The sense of community it forges is a one-day-a-year affair; today everyone is family. And we're all trying to manufacture a good memory in a landscape of fear.

I've just gotten the last of the fish out of the pan and some fresh kale greens mixed with seaweed when Nauplius returns with Laz in tow. This year is the Last year Laz will be in the reaping. He's a year older than me but somehow I can't see him as any less a boy then my brother, his best friend and shadow.

"Brutal morning Annie-love" Laz says coming in, giving me a one-armed squeeze and kissing my forehead gingerly. He seats himself directly and rests his bare feet on Nauplius' cot. "Hows about some breakfast, and a drink to calm our nerves?"

"What happened? We lose anyone last night?" I ask handing Laz a plate and holding the pan of halibut out to him. Nauplius fetches the moonshine from under his cot and pours some into two tin cans for each of them.

"Almost lost the last three yards. Just finished fixing it all back together though, Nau and I." Laz answered as he took the bottle of moonshine from Nauplius and adds more to his cup. "The Ablines are lucky your brother thought to go out and check their rigging late last night, or they woulda been swept away in their beds."

Nauplius rolls his eyes at Laz and comes to hug me. He squeezes me tight " Forget I said anything before, okay?" My eyes meet his, and I can see the remorse and muted fear behind them. He doesn't want to go through the rest of the day with tension hanging between us, and neither do I.

"forget what?" I smile, wishing that I could comfort him or tell him earnestly that I'd never taken tesserae. But I can't do that, so I swallow my guilt and force the smile to stay on my face "so you're a hero huh? I hope the Ablines had the decency to say thanks this time, instead of accusing you of trespassing".

"Sandy said thanks, and that's all he needed" Laz declares with a hearty laugh and nudges Nauplis in the ribs. I cannot help but laugh with Laz. Everyone within a mile knows my brother has had it bad for Sandy Abline since he was old enough to notice that girls were for more than chasing and pushing into the sea. "you wanna tell me again how she thanked you Nau?" Laz teases

I try to dispel the thought of my brother sharing his kitchen cot with Sandy Ablines, or any girl for that matter. "You boys figure out what you're going to wear today?"

"Same thing I wear every day, Annie. That's what the cameras want" Nauplius answers in the cockiest tone he could muster, mouth half full "and they'll love it"

Laz laughs "we're just bits of meat to them, you know. Especially after poor Finnick Odair. Don't think the capitol will ever let the poor boy wear a pair of trousers again. He's cursed us all."

"So you're both going in loin cloths then?"

"Get with the times, annie. It's what the people want"

"Whatever it is" I say, handing the boys chopsticks "You should dress like real men, not sideshows."

After breakfast, laz leaves to be with his parents, and Nauplius and I jump into the gulf. Since the boats are all parked in the harbor and the paroles have it on lockdown, Nauplius and I have no trouble finding clear water for swimming. It's probably the only day of the year you can swim out into the gulf without getting caught in a net, and we try our best to take full advantage of it. So do the fish. They swim with us, and around our ankles while we float and dive.

….

Two hours later Nauplius and I are dressed in our finest and headed down the sandy trail on the three mile hike to the Main square. I'm in a sky blue, light cotton dress I'd inherited from my mother's modest closet. Nau is in the only pair of trousers he owns- green ones with matching suspenders over a button down beige cotton shirt. The reaping is held a few villages over on solid ground, and the entire village has begun the exodus to the main square. Strong drink is passed around between adults, and groups of kids drag each other along by the wayside. My brother finds Sandy ahead of us the group, and excuses himself to walk with her a while, giving me an opportunity I've been looking for.

I find Laz walking side by side with his mother Nora. Her face is one of nervous excitement. Laz is the last of her boys, and this is to be his final reaping. I don't mean that she's happy or anything, but theres a hope glowing in her eyes that says she can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I walk toward them hesitantly, not wanting to interrupt them just in case they were sharing a special moment. When I think it is safe, I approach them. Noras face lights up when she sees me and she embrases me immediately.

"I'm glad I got to see you Annie. I wanted to wish you luck"

"Thank you Nora, I'll need it" I answer "But I was wondering if maybe I could steal Laz for a minute, I have something important I wanted to ask. "

"Of course Dear!" Nora exclaims with a strange sort of enthusiasm and winks at Laz. He shoots his mother a sideways glance and hip bumps her.

I slow my pace and Laz matches me. Now that I'm here I don't quite know how to ask what I want to ask, so I just get straight to it "I want you to do something for me"

"Anythin'" is his earnest answer "'specially in that dress. Blue really does suit you girlie.'"

"haha Laz, I'm being serious. " I pause again, not quite sure how to phrase it. Not sure if it's too much to ask.

"okay" Laz scrunches his face and furrows his brow "lets be serious then"

I chuckle and punch him in the arm "Listen if I end up being you know, reaped-"

"No, that's what you want to talk to me about? No way."

"Laz!-"

"Annie, it isn't happening. It can't. You might've collected Tessera a dozen times but there are hundreds out there who have done it more. There's no way your name is coming out of that ball. Not if there's any justice in the world"

I roll my eyes. I don't know how he can be so thick-headed "You know justice has nothing to do with the name that gets pulled out of that ball."

"Still annie, the odds-"

"I get it. But im not talking about the odds. This is a worst case scenario conversation I want to have, ok?"

"So what is it you want?" He asks. His face is a mask now. He's upset

"If my name comes out of the reaping ball I need you to restrain Nauplius. Distract him, Knock him out, I don't know, but do whatever you have to if it looks like he'll volunteer"

"What?" Laz looked dumbstruck.

"If I'm tribute, I need you to stop my brother if he tries to volunteer"

"it's never gonna happen Annie." Laz assures me, but he won't meet me eye to eye.

"then you can safely promise me without worrying about it. I need to know I can depend on you."

Laz walks thoughtfully beside me but doesn't say another word until my brother comes into view in front of us looking for me. Quickly he turns towards me and plants a kiss on my cheek "It's a deal Miss Annie, but If I get beaten to death for it, it's on your head"

"Remember you promised" I whisper at him

…..

The reaping is held in central four where the square has been decorated with bright blue and green banners for the Capitol cameras. There are armed peacekeepers on every building observing the population to ensure all goes smoothly. Nauplius gives me a quick hug and whispers an 'I love you' in my ear before leaving me to get in line with the other boys. "I love you too miss Annie." Laz throws in teasingly behind him as we go our separate ways.

Almost immediately after our identities are authenticated and everyone has been herded out into the square in lines, Pandora McCafferty the Capitol escort is at the podium with Mayor Epsom, Finnick Odair and Mags seated behind her. The square is so quiet you could hear only the heavy winds coming from off the water intermingled with the speculative whispers from the crowd gathered at the sidelines. The occasional cry of a child can be heard breaking through before being stifled. The capitol doesn't want to see crying children on their screens.

Pandora McCafferty is dressed in a bright blue, shiny and angular dress that juts up and out around her. I think it's supposed to be inspired by a starfish, but when she walks her rear end sways from side to side and she looks more like a disproportioned capitol mutation. Her bright blue lips and sparkling eyelashes only add to the eerie effect. This year she's dyed her hair a soft baby blue to offset the color of her dress. For once I like the color, if not the outrageous manner in which it's been styled.

"Greetings Everyone, and welcome to the opening of the 70th Annual Hunger Games!" Pandora welcomes, adding "isn't it exciting?"

The usual pomp commences with the anthem and the melodramatic vintage video explaining the suffering of the capitol during the rebellion and the history and significance of the Games. The video plays every year, and every year it confuses me. I never could find the logical meaning in punishing the son for the fathers' fathers' rebellion, but then the Capitol never did seem to be a place governed by anything as thoughtful as logic, so much as vanity and bloodlust.

By the time Pandora reaches into the bowl to collect the first tributes name I've nearly zoned out completely. I'm trying to find Nauplius and Laz in the crowd on the adjacent side of the square, wanting to see the relief on his face when someone else's name gets called.

I don't hear it until she repeats the name a second time, and the girls behind me start pushing me forward.

The name is "Anastasia Cresta ".