Chapter 1

I press my cold hands against the window and feel the glass as it shakes from the thunder that echoes through the house in the early hours of the morning. The storms have been erupting outside the house now for about three weeks and it never fails to wake me each time. I see my two sisters. Eleanor the oldest and most reliable of our family has her arms wrapped tightly around my older sister Theresa who is what our district like to describe special. She snores peacefully as her bright blonde hair lies firmly on her cheek as the sweat pours down her. Another nightmare awakes her. She is 16 this week and has never looked cuter. As her legs buckle beneath her she walks over to me and gives me a cuddle. She likes to pick flowers up off the damp soil of our allotment and give them to by passers. There is no one in our district who fails to smile after being gifted flowers by Theresa. As Eleanor also awakes from her night slumber as she is the provider of our family. This will be her 37th time putting her name in. Ever since mothers sewing business had to close down because we ran out of wool she has been oddly busy she doesn't tell me were she goes but since this is district 11 it can't be over the electric fences. I have my own business in the market selling old books and second hand clothes. Theresa gives flowers for free and Mother has to work at home doing dishes and washing and tidying up.

Today is the first reaping for me. The first time I have a chance of getting picked for the Hunger Games. I. Eleanor has been telling me all week that it isn't that scary but I know she's lying. She is always in her bed trying to calm herself down. She will be 15 this year, and her name is entered into the hunger games 37 times. She has told me a thousand times not to enter my name more than once. Eleanor slowly walks over to Theresa with a blue and white stripy pinafore. Theresa is oblivious to the dangerous situation. Mother is woken up due to the sound of creaking floorboards and the thump of the thunder echoing through the house. She peers through the gap of the door and smiles at us nervously. I can tell she is uncomfortable and I walk over to her I hold her hand and tell her everything will be ok in the same calm voice my sister used to comfort me.

As the sun rises Eleanor decides to make everyone pancakes which we usually only get at Christmas. I am trying to reassure myself that everything will be ok but I just can't do it and I can tell neither can Mother or Eleanor. Theresa looks down at her pancakes like it is her birthday and I can't help but feel happy at the sight of her enjoying herself. Even though it is district eleven Theresa is never upset at anything and never fails to be cheerful the complete opposite of me. After I finish my pancakes i decide to pick up a book my brother has about survival in the forest. He lives at the other side of district 11 so I decide to take the bike Father made me a year before he died when I was 7. I pick up my jacket and put on the leather hunting boots which were also my fathers. They were the boots he wore to the forest every hunting trip he went on before he was killed by a wild Leapord. I head out the door and put me hood up as the rain batters down on me. I get onto my bike and ride through the market. As I cycle through the tough parts as there is people that are as skinny as a pencil and people with no homes. It makes me think how lucky we are. In district eleven we don't really do much other than farm wheat and my mother goes down to the fountain to collect water. It is very strict here an we don't have freedom. As I meet my brothers sandstone structure, I dismount my bike and knock his door. He answers the door with a smile on his face. Barry is quite an ordinary chap when you first see him but he really is good at hunting and knows everything you need to know about maces, katanas, axes, bows, machetes and even just knives. He has been training me up ever since I turned 9 years old and now 12 years old his work might finally pay off for me. He brings me into his cosy warm house. He goes to make me a cup of tea and I look at his book case. I look through some useful books such as What To Eat And What Not To Eat, How To Use A Bow and I let out a quick chuckle at this so you have been picked for the Hunger Games And You Don't Know A Thing About Survival. He came into the room with some hot tea and we sat and talked about survival tips. As our conversation comes to an end about an hour later I decide to go home. When my mother sees me come home she gives me a hug as we have to go know she kisses me on the forehead and sends me off my sister is right beside me as we head of to go to reaping. She is dressed in her most formal outfit and is holding my hand I am shaking with fear and I am really scared. This is the 125 hunger games I hope we don't get picked.

A stage is there with a lady with jet black hair standing upon it. I see a big screen behind the lady starts to talk with an echoey sound to her voice which really irritates me. She shows us a video about the hunger games. I choke back my vomit as the thought goes through my head I might not be going home. As the lady is about to pick out names I catch my sisters Eye. I can sense my sister's fear as it is girls first I also start to shake. My legs buckle beneath me as I shake uncontrollably now and I see that the lady has a small crumpled piece of paper in her hand. She takes a look at it and says " sorry I cant quite pronounce this name". "Ell.. Ellana." "AH Eleanor Duffy. I fall to my knees and scream. "I am in tears and the lady picks out another name and takes a look at it. "A relatives great". And then as I thought, she shouts in a horrible loud echoing voice. " Brian Duffy"...