My first try at fanfiction, I hope you like it!

Blue skies were up ahead, so blue they were almost painful to look at. The sun was shining bright, the birds were flying as if nothing could happen to them, singing their own individual tunes. Normally, this would calm me. Normally, this would give me joy. But not today, not on the day of the reaping. The weather was much too good, not in tune with how anyone was feeling today.

Usually, we have a day of during the reaping, but this year I did not. Some of us had to check up on the livestock, see to it the traps to keep predators away were still armed, checking the fields for poisonous plants. And so I did, re-arming the trap in the far south corner, counting the herd. Lucky for me, their numbers were still the same as yesterday, or I would have had bigger problems than just the upcoming reaping.

After checking the north west corner, my trip around the field was complete. Everything was in order, it was time for me to get ready. We always tried to look our best during the reaping, although I did not know what for. To fool the Capitol probably, the make them feel better about themselves, not showing the horrendous living conditions in the poorer districts. 10 Was not the poorest district, that honor was either that of 11 or 12, but we were not very rich either.

At 15 years old, my name would be in the glass bowl 16 times, but I was not worried for me this year, but for my younger brother. He turned 12 last summer, and this year would be his first reaping. He was a small boy, not very smart, simple even. And all of us knew he would not last an hour in that arena. But what could we do? He had only me looking out for him.

By the time I came home I hadn't realized I had walked all that far. But there it was, home. A small wooden shack, ever since my father had lost his leg in a cattle accident we have had to downgrade every year. It was me now, who was providing food for our family. And without me they had nothing, no one to look out for them.

"Sinny, Sinny!", a little boy flung himself around my neck, as happy I was home as he was every day. We figured he was just scared I wasn't coming back, like mum didn't come back. "Look Sinny, look", the boy prattled, he did not sound like a twelve year old, and when I looked him over, he wasn't dressed like it either. He looked like a little child, the lisp in his voice only adding to that illusion. Good, I thought, even if he was reaped the Capitol could not possibly be okay with such a child going into the arena.

"You look lovely Kilian", I told him. A smile was plastered to his face. "Come on, we got you a dress, a new one!" He was so excited, I did not have the heart to tell him I told father to get an old one from mother and have it altered, so I just smiled, trying to look as happy as I could.

Looking at my mother's things still held bad memories, but with Kilian watching I could not think about my own problems, I could not make him even more scared than he was now, so I just slipped the dress on, no complaints, nothing, just smiles. My mother had been bigger than I was now, so the dress was a little long on me, but the red fabric, though faded, looked pretty with my brown hair. I looked okay, I had to believe today was going to be fine.

My father coughed, tears in his eyes. I knew I must look like mum. "We're gonna go daddy, we don't want to be late", his dream was broken, fear crept back into his eyes. One nod, that was all he gave me. Then I took Kilian by the hand and left through the door. Kilian held my hand with such force I thought it was going to break, but I let him hold on, I knew the fear that came with your first reaping.

When we arrived at the square before the Justice Building Kilian spotted some boys from school, also standing in the area reserved for twelve year olds. I told him to go to them, trying to keep my voice as level as possible. He was only entered once, but that did not mean he would not be picked.

Smoothing my dress I took my place with the other 15 year old girls. All of us terrified, all of us trying to look older and more sophisticated then we really were. We were farmers, ranchers, not sophisticated at all. All of us had spent at least one night sleeping in the field, most of us had beds made out of hay. We were the opposite of the people in the Capitol, and yet, at this very moment, we were trying to at least imitate them.

Evanna Mulit, the same Capitol woman that reaped our tributes every year entered the stage. Her hair a bubblegum pink, piled on top her head in big curls. He skin a light blue, unnatural, but for some reason it did not look awful on her. In district 10 she seemed of the top, a caricature of a human being. But I've always imagined her to be beautiful by Capitol standards, but maybe that was because I did not know better and she carried herself with such confidence.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, welcome, people of district 10!", her voice was loud, but it sounded sweet. Like every year, I wondered how someone who sounded as sweet as sugar could send helpless children to their deaths. "Welcome!", she said once more, and the square was silent. The tension was palpable, you could cut it with a knife. I tried to look at Kilian, but he was blocked from my view.

"This is the year of the 69th Hunger Games!", she said with such excitement, waiting for an applause that never came. In the Capitol these things might be the highlight of the year, here it meant two more little children were going to die. She cleared her throat, poising herself. "Well, let's start with the girls then, shall we?"

She began to walk towards the glass bowl on the right side, the bowl in which there were 16 slips with my name on it. I found it hard to breath, terror had gripped me. Her hand is now in the bowl, inching closer and closer to the pile of papers, grabbing one, and pulling it out. Most of the girls are holding their breath. Terrified it might be their sister, or even worse, them. Evanne reads the paper, a smile forming on her face, and she walked back to the microphone.

"District 10, I give you your female tribute for the 69th Hunger Games, Sinny Bitterroot!"