A/N. And I start over, last time I tried to write this I was slightly horrible at writing, let's hope I became a little better someday I will post the other horrible story for fun, check in every Tuesday for a new chapter.

I had only been waiting my whole life for this day, and seeing to the poverty we all came from that was saying much. Fifteen years spent in district two, I was already considered a victor just managing to make it through the years of my life when sickness was the quickest to hit you, and death was so common that funerals had been changed into death ceremonies.

Usually we'd see five of six people in a group for each ceremony, the only time there was usually two bodies were the years we hadn't won the games, but this year wouldn't be the same. Last night's altercations still rung in my head as I pulled on my stupid dress.

It was hard for me to believe my name was drawn from the pre-reaping's, the academy had them every year to see which kids would be reaped if an unwillingly teen happened to be reaped. I still remember last year when they sent that wheezily thirteen year old and had the backup not been pre reaped we would have lost again.

Although I doubt we wouldn't just let our district send just any scrawny kid. Only the best went, and that put me in the nominees. My partner, Marx Summerland had been in the academy since his seventh birthday, he had eleven years to train and still couldn't compare to my skills.

I had a rep for being the most violent person in the academy, I always had the most violent ways to kill the androids district three had supplied to us, whether it was ripping its metal vocal cords out, or if it was stabbing it though the heart, none of those pesky little droids could stand to me.

It had been a wonder I hadn't gotten hurt by any of those things seeing to how it is that they'd killed multiple teens already. Of course our professors always had good excuses, and the mayor, being friends with the president wouldn't dare tell him his people used androids to kill kids inside of one of the Districts Mountains.

The warm dusty air ventilates through the old house, the wind that blows around it pushes against its soft structure gently. A small knock sounds at my door the familiar knock playing a whimsical music to my ears. "Clove!" Gracie exclaims rushing blindly towards me.

We had adopted the little girl from off the streets, her house had been hit by one of the avalanches during the winter, causing her to be partially deaf and her biological family to die. It had been a slightly sad day, I wouldn't have been able to tell for sure, seeing to how I can't remember the emotion.

My mother and I fell in love with the small gold haired seven year old. She flicks her deep gold eyes towards my face smiling brightly the rose in her cheeks showing like the blood I had forced out of so many beings. "You look amazing!" she twirls her gold locks pinned to her head gingerly.

I had been searching for any joy that wasn't violence since my dad had died in the mines but was unable to find any. That was until we had found Grace, it seemed like since she'd come I'd craved to bring her a better life from the one she'd been experiencing for most of her life. "You ready?" I smile softly meeting eyes with my soft eyed shallow mother.

"We sure are." She coos softly. My mother folds her arms as I wrap my long pale arms around my sister, my cool skin shivers on her soft warm body as we exit the small house.

I move towards the front of the crowd pushing past the few nervous girls and giving menacing looks to the other girls on the volunteer list. My father put me in the best training facility possible of course but there always were the other centers, but they had few allies and not much equipment.

Most of the girls picked today were shallow, all of them tall and angelic looking, nothing I could or would care to compare to. I imagine myself snapping each of their pretty, long necks with a strong force. My mother had disapproved of me growing up so stern and violent, but anyone would do the same if they'd lost relatives to the games.

My aunt and uncle had went in when I was only four, I was very close with them for what I could remember, and I loved them probably. They had been back stabbed by a stupid blonde haired girl in the sixty fourth games. One of their own allies, from district one. Ellie Goldstone walks towards the stage as I examine all of the boys on the opposite side of the square.

My mother waves over to me from my peripheral vision. I shoot her one menacing look before I look at the stern buff competitors I could be thrown in with. I take a second to rethink my option as the Ellie starts her annual five minute, snooze-a-thon she likes to call a memoir of Panem's history. I wanted to stomp onto that staged and rip her yellow wigs from her head and spank her until she understood the true meaning of looking normal.

I had never met such a buffoon as she was. I couldn't help but think of her as a tall ostrich in those nine inch heels. She speaks in her annoying bubbly voice as she makes her way over towards the microphone. My heart skips several beats as she slips the pin from the slip of paper she'd pulled.

The metallic needle drops onto the cool stage, the area so quite people miles back can hear the small click of the needle against wood. "Well, well, the luck girl is!" She stops her dark purple lipstick stretching into two thick lines of lipstick. "Clove Gatestep!" She claps the card close her teeth glistening across the area.

I laugh in unbelief before I realize that I should be making my way up towards the stage. Everyone stops to turn towards me. It's a rarity that most of district two know who you are. I had gotten away with so much crimes that most peacekeepers knew not to even try making me listen, the old keeper head chief had threated to kill me next time he saw me breaking the rules. It was a shame they found him hanging by a noose in his house, I wouldn't know anything about it though. Ellie takes a breath as she tells me how lucky I am.

"Do we have any volunteers for Ms. Clove today?" She asks softly. I laugh glancing at the vast crowd of shy girls. "They wouldn't dare try to take my spot." I say, a hint of violence in my voice. "Well now we just have to get you a nice young man to join you." She informs patting my back lightly. I glance down at my weathered floral pattern dress as she fishes through the glass bowl, the sound of her metal bracelets clinking on the glass bowl filling the air.

She struts back towards the metal microphone. "Can I read it?" I interrupt rudely. Ellie shakes her head softly. "I'm not sure if you should-." I snatch the paper from her silky gloves. "Oh shut up!" I command. "It is the games after all." I laugh softly into the microphone. "The person I will be pulling the organs out of will be-." I stop starring at the paper dimly. "Not him!" I shriek softly dropping the small paper. The crowd stares at me in awe shaking their heads and clicking their tongues at their future victor.

A/N. So leave a comment and give me your thoughts. :]