"Marvel!" I screamed letting my voice ring out.

I walked forward, only to be pushed away by Peacekeepers. I felt my world crashing down on my shoulders. He promised me. He promised he wouldn't volunteer. He lied to me. I felt like I had been betrayed. I felt like I was losing my best friend. I couldn't hear anything but blood pounding in my ears until they released us and I took off towards the Justice Building. I waited out in the waiting room impatiently. I ran in when the door was opened and Marvel gathered me in his arms.

"You promised, you jerk," I hissed against his neck.

"I lied." Marvel had his arms locked around my small waist and was stroking my long red hair.

"I noticed. Marv… Take this as your token." I pulled my dog tag out from my shirt and hand it to him. He shook his head but I hung it around his neck, "Take it. You gave it to me for good luck, and it's worked for me. Let the words guide you."

"One minute!" a Peacekeeper shouted making me tear up.

"You have to come back, Marvel. Please come back," I sobbed letting tears run down my face.

"I will, Jeni. I will. I love you!" Marvel told me as a Peacekeeper pulled me away from him.

"I love you too, Marv," I yelled as I was pulled from the room.

I knew that he wasn't going to come back. There is always someone bigger and stronger. I held on to that last bit of hope that he would come back. That I'd see him again. I ran all the way home until I locked myself in the room I shared with my fourteen year old brother. He was sitting on his bed staring at the pictures of Marvel that I had taped on my wall. I sat next to him and slung an arm around his shoulders.

"Why did he do it?" Jak asked softly making me press my lips together to keep from crying.

"I dunno, Jak. I dunno. He promised he wouldn't volunteer…" I whispered to him pulling him against me.

Marvel and I were seventeen. We would have turned eighteen next month. That was our last year in the Reaping. Marvel would have volunteered for Jak. He knew how I felt about that though. I didn't want either of them in that arena. Jak was on his own now. No one to protect him from the horrors of the Capitol. I thought about that morning, when he had promised he would stay here with me. Unless we were reaped. I knew that he would volunteer if I got reaped. He would protect me in that arena. Now we were both put to hell. I would be wreck without him and he would be… dead.

That Morning

I laid my head against Marvel's shoulder and looked at the sky. We sat in the comfortable silence for a few minutes before I had broken it, "You're volunteering, aren't you?"

"You don't want me to," Marvel replied simply.

"No, I don't," I stated pursing my lips and feeling safer in his arms.

"Why not? Do you not have faith in me?" Marvel demanded turning into the person I hate.

"Marvel Jonathon!" I exclaimed, "Stop that! Of course I have faith in you. I just know that there will be someone bigger and stronger there."

"Yeah, yeah. I want to do my District proud!" Marvel beamed throwing his hands the air.

"Marv…." I warned picking my head up off his shoulder.

"Jeni…" Marvel teased smiling.

"Shut up," I retorted angrily.

"Aw, don't be that way," Marvel replied smirking.

I stood up when I saw light shine through trees and pulled him up with me. I grinned and pulled him through the trees to downtown. We didn't have anywhere to be until four o'clock so I pulled him into the music hall. No one was there but the DJ so he saw us and played "our" song. Marvel and I always danced to this song. We have come in every morning for three years and danced to this song. The song was very upbeat and we always slow-danced to it. It was a song from the country previous to Panem. It was by a group called "Allstar Weekend". Music had been recovered from the previous country and it was much more enjoyable than the music that was created now.

"I wanna be a rockstar, a superhero livin' the dream! Doin' the things that I always wanted," I laughed as Mavel sang the words.

I knew that we should be home with our families. It was the day of the Reaping but Marvel and I needed this time. Our families always had lunch together on Reaping day. Marvel spun my around before dipping me in his arms and I smiled at him, "I wanna see my face on the TV with my picture on the cover…."

"But you don't want to see my face on the TV," Marvel scoffed making me frown.

"Moment ruiner. Marv, you know how I feel! You're my best friend! I can't watch you turn into someone you're not!" I exclaimed pushing his arm away from my waist.

"I'll still be me," Marvel replied smiling.

"No. You won't. You'll be a murderer. I don't know if I could live with that," I whispered making him tilt my chin up, "Jeni, I'll still be the guy you love. The guy that will come to your house at the drop of a hat and hold you when you're upset. I'll still be the guy that makes you want to kill him. That won't change."

"The Games change you, Marvel!" I exclaimed kicking at the floor.

"How would you know?" Marvel inquired.

"My mom's best friend won! She was never the same! Never. She locked herself in her house and never spoke a word to anyone except the Tributes. I couldn't watch that happen to you," I explained making him purse his lips and pull me against his torso.

"Just… Remember this moment, okay? I won't volunteer. I promise," Marvel whispered kissing my forehead.

I nodded as a new song began. We swayed to the new words, the new story. I was scared. I was scared for me, Marvel, and Jak. Marvel and I left after the new song and went to his house, where we found his family and my family. Marvel's little sister, Kinni, was sleeping by the fireplace and Jak was talking to Marvel's parents.

"Hey you two! Where have you been?" Marvel's mom asked smiling patting seats on the couch.

We sat down, "We were at the music hall."

Marvel nodded, "Then we walked here."

Our parents all exchanged a look before saying, "Lunch will be ready in an hour. We wanted to talk to you guys."

"Yeah?" I asked scooting closer to Marvel.

Kinni stirred and woke up rubbing her eyes and sat on the floor next to Jak. My mom looked at Marvel and I, "I know you have been trained to go in the Games your whole lives but….. We don't want you in that arena."

"The only way to get me into that arena is if Kinni is reaped," I replied gritting my teeth making Kinni wince and tears shine in her eyes.

Marvel was silent making his mom bite her lip, "Marvel?"

"It's all I know, Mom," Marvel whispered painfully.

"No, it's not. You know love, Marvel. You're an amazing scientist. You know all sorts of things. Please, Marvel," his mom begged and I closed my eyes.

Marvel nodded as Kinni and Jak went out into the backyard. They were both fifteen and scared. I wish I could save them from the horrors of the Capitol. I could tell they were very close. They would never date though. Jak had a girlfriend. He loved her. I believed him. She was sweet but Kinni was probably his best friend. Marvel and I had never dated but we had been best friends since we were five. I had fallen for him when we were fourteen. I wasn't sure if he shared my feelings so I hid them.