This is one of my first stories, and I hope you all like it. Please comment on it, especially about future stories that should be used. Also, I DO NOT claim to own any of the titles or characters that are mentioned throughout this story.

CHAPTER 1 – THE HUNGER GAMES

**Hi, I am Joey and if you are reading this, then that means that you found my first journal for the events that are happening to me. The following event that you are about to read is between myself and my friend Ryan. It all started during third period on Wednesday, January 13th.**

"Morning Mrs. Boger," I said to the librarian as I walked into the library; I am an 18-year-old guy who grew up in California, I am what you would call white (and I mean white!) and a twig, but I am also quite tall, I am roughly six feet four inches tall. As I walked into the backroom to sign into class I asked Mrs. Boger, "Is there any books to catalog?"

"No, just books to re-shelve, get Ryan to help you when she gets here." Mrs. Boger replied.

"Okay." I replied as Ryan walked in, "Ryan, we gotta re-shelve today."

"No!" Ryan said dramatically; Ryan is a 16-year-old girl who also grew up in California. I have only known Ryan since my sophomore year (her freshman) and we have been friends since. Ryan is very much like me in the skin tone and build section but height wise, she is more of a normal 16-year-old girl height, roughly five feet six inches tall. "How do we always get so many books in after only one day?"

"I have no idea," I told her as I signed in and grabbed the sheets of paper that we use to show Mrs. Boger where we put the books so she can make sure that we shelve them correctly. I wandered over to the rack that has all the books that need to be shelved, as I went through them I noticed The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I picked up the book and read the back cover then turned to Ryan, "I've been told that I should read this book, should I?"

"Yes! Wait, how have you not read it?" Ryan asked me as both of us grabbed some books and headed over to the shelves.

"Well I saw the movie, but I was told that I should read it and that it is way better than the movie."

"Yes!" Ryan exclaimed, "At least start the first cha…okay you already have." Ryan said as she took my other books from my hands and began to shelve them as well. Now these next few minutes went by in what seemed like seconds. First I opened the book to the first page of the novel and it seemed like for the first time in my life, I was reading a book in double time and I retained every bit of information. After a few seconds Ryan looked over at me because she had heard the quickness of the pages turning and came to see if I was actually reading when she gasped and brought me back into reality.

"What?" I asked worried that something was on my face.

"How are you reading that that fast? And why are the pages glowing?" Ryan asked and I looked at the pages, sure enough the pages were glowing a bright neon red that seemed to be coming from somewhere behind every single page and I naturally brought my hand to the page and began to feel for heat when Ryan felt the other page and the room began to turn into a trippy LSD fantasy. The next thing I knew fires were engulfing the scenery around us and I was run over by a young girl, "Ouch!" I yelled but the girl kept running, so Ryan helped me up.

"What the hell happened?" Ryan asked in a mix of a shock, awe, and wonder.

"I have no idea, but I think we can figure out what happened after we get away from that fire." I told Ryan as I pointed at the fire and all she did was nod in agreement and run away from the fire. We continued running for what seemed like hours when we finally seemed to get away from the fire. "I think we outran the fire, I mean it's completely stopped and won't cross a specific point…it's actually really weird."

"Yes, yes it is…" Ryan said as if she were thinking as well, "This feels like it is really familiar in some way."

"Well whatever, now we should figure out where we are."

"…Really?" Ryan asked, "We're in a forest…I mean there are trees all around us and no buildings…"

"Well I knew that but I meant a more specific where, if you know what I mean."

"No…no I really don't," Ryan replied, "I mean, we're in a forest, and that is where we are."

"You know what, nevermind." I said as I took off looking for some shelter, Ryan following. The two of us wandered around the forest for what seemed like days…well actually it was days but the other way makes it sound better storywise. Back to the story, after a couple of days of wandering we ran into a pile of dead bees and what looked like the blood of real people, "What the hell!?" I gasped.

"That just adds to my feeling that this is just familiar." Ryan said aloud.

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know, that's the thing."

"What is it that makes this place so familiar to you?"

"Well for starters, the girl seemed really familiar, like I could describe her super easily." Ryan told me, "Then there was the fact that the fire stopped as if an invisible wall stopped it from spreading, and finally the pile of dead bees next to a pool of blood and no trail leading to bodies."

"None of that seems familiar to me."

"Well you don't know everything I know."

"I know…I mean no I don't…but…oh forget it."

"Yeah, well let's just get some food…but I am seriously confused as to where we are, I mean our parents have to be wondering where we are, we've been gone for days."

"I know, and I just need some sleep already…and why is the sun setting at a relatively quick pace?"

"I know where we are!" Ryan exclaimed, "But it can't be-" Ryan was cut off by the sound of an arrow whizzing past our heads, "Katniss! Run!"

"Katniss? Like I believe that." Another arrow whizzed by my head, "You know, I really don't care right now I'm just gonna run for my life now." Ryan and I began to run away from the arrows, but as we ran the arrows just continued to whiz past us. "What the hell!?"

"We are in the Hunger Games and Katniss is trying to kill us so she can go home!"

"Yeah right, I'll just go tell this nice girl firing arrows at us that we are peaceful and-" I began to say as another arrow flew past my face and I could see the girl firing them, "And we can just run from Katniss who scares me a lot!" I yelled as I accidentally ran toward her (don't ask me why it is that I ran toward her, but for whatever reason I did, it helped Ryan and I survive that moment) and ran into Katniss, knocking us both down to the ground as she was trying to reach for another arrow. When the two of us finally got back up to our feet, I was the first to speak, (though the words I write here are the PG version of what I actually said) "What the heck do you think you are doing firing at us? Do we look like contestants of your Hunger Games!?"

"Yes…but now that I look at you two, no." Katniss replied as Ryan caught up with us.

"Wow, you really are Katniss Everdeen aren't you?" Ryan asked in amazement.

"Yes, but I see no reason why you should be in shock and awe about it, I'm from District 12." Katniss said confused while I just gave her my 'Really?' look.

"I know, but you are her, The Girl on Fire!" Ryan continued on like that for a time that I am too embarrassed for her to say, so I will just continue at the part where I interrupt her.

"Sorry about her," I said with a smile as I went over and covered Ryan's mouth to shut her up (definitely got the evil eyes) and get Katniss' attention, "She's just a fan of the games."

"Why would you be a fan of the games?" Katniss asked in repulsion, "They are barbaric and evil."

"Well to be quite frank she's really sadistic, she can't help it, we got it from our mother." I replied. Now just so you all know, Ryan and I are not siblings nor do we look anything alike, knowing these facts should give you enough information to know why the jaws of Ryan and I dropped when Katniss replied saying that she understood and saw the resemblance, but we just went with it. "We aren't really supposed to be here, do you know a way out?" Ryan facepalmed as soon as these words left my mouth. "What?"

"You can't leave the Hunger Games unless you either win or die." Ryan said in complete embarrassment for my question (hey, to be fair I never read the Hunger Games and I kinda sped read through the beginning so I missed the key facts about the games).

"Your sister is right," Katniss added, "Which is part of the reason why I tried to kill you, I want to go home to my sister, and now that they changed the rules on us that two of us can now leave if we are from the same District, I have more gun ho to win now more than ever."

"I understand, but we are not from here, we aren't even contestants in your games," I said, "So if we were to help you and your partner win, they should escort us out as well, right?" I asked, waiting for the sound of Ryan's palm hitting her forehead again, "Did I say something really stupid this time that you want to slap me?"

"No, actually you said something that might actually work." Ryan said astonished. "Do you think you'd be willing to do that Katniss?"

"If you two really aren't apart of the games, and your theories are true, then I am willing to help the two of you return home…where are you two from anyway?" Katniss asked.

"San Diego." I said.

"Sandy Eggo?" Katniss asked, "What District is that in?"

"Oh I just learned this is Government!" I said happily (finally that class was worth something…I thought) "San Diego is in the 53rd District!" This time both Ryan and Katniss facepalmed. "What?" I asked.

"We're not from Panem, well not from the Panem you know." Ryan said, "We're from Panem back when it was the United States of America." Katniss' jaw dropped, "Neither of us know how we got here, we just really want to go home, but we don't know how. This is why we need your help and protection until we go home." Katniss stayed silent for a few minutes before directing us to follow her. For a couple of hours it was complete silence, then we got to her camp in a rock and introduced us to her partner Peeta Mellark, the other District 12 tribute, and explained everything that we told her. Again there was silence for a few hours until Katniss spoke up, "This cannot be true, you two are spies from another District!"

"No they aren't Katniss." Peeta said, "They don't have the uniforms that all the tributes have to wear."

"They're probably from District 8! They know how to make clothes, they are the fabric district."

"Yes, you could be right, if the two tributes from District 8 weren't dead."

"But!"

"No buts Katniss, they are not a tribute. They have to be telling the truth."

"We are." Ryan chimed in. "Who all are left now?"

"There's us, and then there's Cato from District 1, we were thinking of going after him a few days ago, but it all of a sudden began to rain for four days straight, thanks Gaamemakers." Katniss added that last part into her sentence sarcastically, "But after it stopped I went out to find food and dough for brains over here almost got himself killed by eating Nightlock berries." Peeta opened his mouth to object but just kept silent, I nodded at him showing the smartness in keeping his mouth shut. "Only to find a girl we called Foxface, the tribute from District 5, dead from eating the Nightlock berries Peeta found. Then I sent him back to the cave so I could scout, and I found you two and now we are here, so I was thinking of going after Cato tomorrow, so long as it doesn't start to rain, again."

"Sounds like a plan." Peeta said, Ryan and I nodded to show our agreement. "But for now, let's get some sleep." Peeta said, lifting his sleeping back open for Katniss to join, but Ryan swooped in and before either Peeta or Katniss could object she snuggled up to Peeta and fell asleep.

"Sorry about her, she's kinds forward." I told them, they nodded showing the understood what I meant then shared a look of sadness between them then Peeta slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep, I gave Katniss my jacket so she could get some sleep and I pretended to go to sleep, but as soon as Katniss shut her eyes, I got up and went outside to think to myself. "What the hell did I do?" I asked myself, "I brought myself and Ryan into this mass murder site and now can't get us out; the best we got was a plan that might not work…" I looked to the sky and sat on the edge of the cliff when a hand touched my shoulder and draped my jacket back over me.

"Here, you look like you need this more than I did." Katniss said, "May I sit here?"

"Sure," I replied, "And by the way, I am supposed to give you the jacket to stay warm with."

"You did, but you looked like you need it more than I do, the uniform keeps in my body heat," Katniss modeled her outfit, "I just took your jacket to be polite."

"Well thanks," I wanted to change the subject but I didn't know how, thankfully Katniss knew why I was out here, she was actually thinking the same thing and she changed the subject herself.

"I know that the plan might not work."

"You do?" I asked a bit astonished.

"Well yeah, every plan a slight chance of failure, the trick is finding out how to get the best outcome."

"Good point, but I don't know how to," I said to her, "Best case scenario: I figure out how to get Ryan and I back home, worst case scenario: I get the both of us killed."

"I know, but I swear to you that I'll help you to the best of my abilities."

"Thanks…you know, you are actually really beautiful in the moonlight." I told her, my hand crawling over to hers almost robotically, like I had no control. Katniss just blushed and let my hand embrace hers.

"Thanks, you look pretty good for an old man a couple of thousand years old." Katniss said with a giggle closing in on me. Before I could come up with a flirt to give to her, my lips seemed to have a mind of their own and launched themselves at Katniss beginning to make out with her. It took a few minutes before what was happening registered in my mind, but when it did I pulled back and separated myself from her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that…well I mean I did, but I didn't…ah I'm just so confused right now." I told her.

"I am too…um I better get back to the cave and get some sleep…tomorrow's going to be a big day…" Katniss got up and got back to the cave before turning around, "Screw it." Katniss came back over and began to kiss me again, the rest of the night was kinda hazy I don't remember all of it, but the next thing I remember I was waking up in the cave with Katniss in my arms when she began to slowly wake up as well. "Hey." She said to me as she woke up, giving me a quick kiss before Peeta woke up. Yes, by this point Katniss had told me about her and Peeta and I know I shouldn't have been but I was okay with her and I being a secret but it didn't stop me from feeling bad for Peeta (which I shouldn't, he wasn't all that 'faithful' when we weren't in the cave, he and Ryan…well that is explained in another story). After Katniss and I woke up, we went outside and had a little secret rendezvous smooch when I noticed Ryan peeking out of the cave and I looked at her to shut up. After Katniss and I returned to the cave I grabbed Ryan to talk to her.

"What did you see?" I asked.

"You and Katniss."

"You can't tell Peeta."

"I won't."

"Swear."

"Okay, I swear."

"Swear on your love of Paul Wesley and Joseph Morgan."

"Ok jeez, I swear on my love for Paul Wesley and Joseph Morgan that I won't tell Peeta."

"Good, now let's get to work on the plan, and get our butts home."

"Okay…" I walked away to Ryan making sounds of my and Katniss kissing, I brushed them off, but not without silently cursing her in my mind. The rest of the morning went pretty smoothly, Peeta woke up, kissed Katniss good morning, and we all packed up to go out. When we got out of the cave we went to go and get water only to find the river bed dry. Katniss said that it was because the Gamemakers wanted to draw us all to the Cornucopia's lake so we headed there to get water and face Cato. We walked for a few hours before finally reaching the lake and taking a few gulps of water before hearing the sound of a guy screaming, coming closer and closer until Cato ran past us, we all looked confused at each other until we saw the nine dog mutts coming after us, in which case we agreed with Cato's philosophy of running away from the mutts and screaming bloody murder. We all ran to the Cornucopia and scaled the walls so the five of us were face-to-face…to-face-to-face-to-face, Cato looking really confused for a moment but still, poised and ready to fight while fending off the dog mutts.

"Who are these fools?" Cato asked.

"We are not fools." Ryan said.

"Yeah whatever." Cato replied before lunging in to attack Peeta, who was the weakest of us thanks to Cato's sword cutting him and giving his leg a blood infection. All Ryan and I could do was jump out of the way without jumping into the group of mutts. Katniss got out her bow and shot an arrow at Cato who just back down as soon as the arrow barely missed his head. "Fine, want to play that game?" Cato said as he distracted Katniss by luring a mutt close to her so she fired at it, all the meanwhile grabbing Peeta and putting him into a headlock and using him a human shield. "Now what are you going to do Katniss? You'll have to kill your boyfriend to kill me." Cato said with a sinister smile. Now this next part shocked all of us, including the mutts, that it got completely quiet with the silence of shock and awe. Ryan came up behind Cato with the arrow that missed him earlier and jabbed it into his hand, making him let go of Peeta and stagger backwards, in which Ryan Sparta kicked him into the hoard of mutts who took him into the Cornucopia to finish him. All eyes were on Ryan to see what she would say, but instead she stayed silent and just went over and kissed Peeta, which Katniss and I just watched and got really confused but just let happen. The four of us stayed on top of the Cornucopia for hours, night fell and the sun rose, then night fell again and sun rose before we finally heard the cannon fire signaling the death of Cato when the mutts left the Cornucopia and disappeared into the woods.

"Those mutts sure know how to make a death last." I said. "Really glad none of us fell, which by the way, nice job Ryan." I said as I descended from the Cornucopia.

"Thanks; that guy just really pissed me off and he needed to die." She replied nonchalantly as if this sort of thing happens on a regular basis.

"So what now?" I asked.

"Well we wait for them to say we won." Katniss said.

"But they haven't said anything yet, which is weird because we are the only two tributes left." Peeta added.

"Maybe you two have to kill us?" I suggested.

"No, they would have said something like that by now." Katniss said when a loud voice came booming all around us.

"We are sad to announce that after carefully going over our rule books, it seems that our previous rule change that allows two winners is not allowed, we are sorry for the inconvenience." The voice said before adding, "The two strangers that somehow got into the game do not count as winners for surviving the 74th Annual Hunger Games, so neither Katniss Everdeen or Peeta Mellark must kill them, if you wish to, we have no objections and there will be no consequences. May the odds be ever in your favor." The voice faded.

"So one of you has to kill the other?" I asked.

"Yeah…I guess so…Katniss, kill me." Peeta said.

"No!" Ryan and Katniss said in unison, both looking at each other confused.

"Is there another way?" I asked.

"I don't know." Peeta said.

"I have no ideas." Katniss added.

"There is one idea." Ryan said, "The two of you threaten to eat Nightlock…the Capitol must have a winner, so if both tributes die, they can't have a winner, which breaks an even higher law then the one saying only one winner can be crowned." Ryan said, then turning to me and whispering, "Katniss thinks of this plan eventually, but I don't want to go through the drama that is before that."

"Good idea." I said. Katniss nodded in agreement to the idea and looked to Peeta to see if he agreed with her also, he did. Katniss grabbed handful of Nightlock and poured half into his palm and kept half with her, as this happened the world around Ryan and I began to go all LSDish again.

"Wait not now!" I yelled.

"What's happening?" Ryan asked.

"We're going home I think." I answered. At this point Katniss and Peeta were looking at us, confused until they heard what I said, and then they ran over.

"No, you can't leave us." Peeta said, mainly to Ryan, grabbing her hand.

"What will we do?" Katniss asked, grabbing mine.

"Just live your lives." Ryan said holding back a tear, when Katniss and I looked at her.

"Could you be anymore cliché Ryan?" I asked.

"The tear just adds to me wanting to gag to it." Katniss added.

"Jeez, you two are made for each other." Ryan said a little angrily, "But no, you two just need to live your lives as if we weren't here to begin with."

"Will we see you two again?" Peeta asked.

"Maybe," I replied, "If I can figure out how we got here, and are leaving and then replicate it."

"Then please try." Katniss said as she kissed me, all the while Ryan's and my vision slowly fading of the forest and slowly becoming the library again.

"I love you Katniss." I told her.

"I love you Peeta." Ryan said, kissing Peeta as our vision finally blurred. With that the two of us were separated from Katniss and Peeta and reappeared in the library when the bell rang. "Was that the bell?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah I think so."

"Hurry up you two, you'll be late for your next class." Mrs. Boger yelled from the front of the library.

"What?" I asked, "Have we only been gone for 30 minutes?"

"I guess so…lemme check." Ryan said going to our bags in the back room and checking her phone, "Yeah, we've only been gone for 30 minutes." Ryan said completely astonished.

"Wow…" I said, then staying silent as I grabbed my stuff and walked out with Ryan to go to out fourth period classes, "See ya B-Dawg." Ryan and I said in unison.

"Don't call me that!" Mrs. Boger said as we walked out of the library.

"So just to be sure…you remember in the Hunger Games for about a week right?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, and you remember we had relationships with Katniss and Peeta right?" I asked.

"Yeah…" Ryan answered then staying quiet for a couple of seconds. "I wonder what'll happen tomorrow."

"Me too." I replied, "Well, see ya tomorrow."

"See ya." And with that Ryan and I left for our fourth period classes, but we didn't soon forget what happened that day (or week, it's still all confusing to me) and what was going to happen the next day.