It's physically impossible for me to work on one project at a time. So to make sure I'm not going to get violently ill, I have started yet another series—and it won't be the last!

There will be genderbending. There will be selfcest (although they won't be related). There will be creative liberty taken in regard to events and characters. But this is still…

HUNGER GAMES HETALIA! (And may the odds be ever in your pasta.)

Chapter 1-Introduction

District 12

Lovina Vargas POV

Stabbing pain wakes me from my slumber. I shoot up in bed, ready to fight to the death—

Nobody is there, but my right cheek is sore where I had dug my fingernails into it, during a particularly horrible dream. I shudder. And it could still come true…

I glance over at Feliciana, still sound asleep. My little sister has just turned twelve, making this her first year for the reaping. It's terrifying, knowing that from now on, every year until Feliciana turned eighteen, I run the risk of losing her.

Light begins to filter in through the dusty windows of our small wooden house. My mother is still asleep, and won't be up for a while. It's the perfect time to go hunting.

Quietly, I climb out of bed and get dressed, pulling my boots on over my pants. I avoid the creaky board in the middle of our floor in a vain attempt at not waking my sister; as usual, the minute I touch the doorknob, she seems to know I am leaving.

"Lovina?"

I turn back around. "Go back to sleep, Feli. I'll be back soon."

"Lovi, where are you going?" She's still half-asleep, or else she would know where I was going.

"I'm going to get food, idiot. Like always." I call her idiot, but I love my sister.

Feliciana nods sleepily. "Be careful…" And she closes her eyes and goes back to sleep. I open the door and grab the cheese that Feliciana has left out for me. With the cheese hidden under my thin coat, I leave the house, followed closely by my sister's cat, Buttercup. It scratches at my legs, no doubt smelling the cheese.

I glare at it, which for most creatures is enough to cause them to avert their eyes. Buttercup, unfortunately, is not like most creatures.

"I'll still cook you," I threaten, giving the cat a little kick and walking away from the yowl of indignation.

Walking through District 12, you would wonder how a cat was still alive. Many people have long ago eaten their pets to keep from starving. Buttercup had been sick when my sister found her, and although I wanted to kill the thing—the last thing I needed was another mouth to feed—Feliciana had cried and insisted that we keep the ugly thing. In the end, I had no choice but to cave in. Besides, the cat has its uses: we have far fewer rat problems, and occasionally Buttercup brings his kills to Feliciana. Those were the times we had sparrow or mouse for dinner.

I pass many wooden shacks, seeing a few early risers peeking through their windows at me. I walk until I come to the large fence that separates District 12 from the forest beyond. The fence is supposed to be humming with electricity, but electricity is in short supply out here in District 12, and the fence is no exception. I'm easily able to slide under it via a hole I had dug for just this purpose. I continue walking, but I pick up the pace. If I'm seen out here by a Peacekeeper, I am bound to be in trouble.

After a few minutes of walking, I stop to fetch my bow from under a log. It's well-made, a gift from my father, and illegal. Citizens aren't supposed to have weapons. Walking a little farther, I pull a quiver of arrows out of its well-concealed hiding place in the fork of a tree. With my quiver on my back and an arrow in my bow, I stalk forward, ears and eyes alert for any movement.

It's not long before a deer comes into view. It's large enough to feed my family for months. I line up my arrow with its head, aiming for the eyes—and it runs away.

Frowning, I pick up some dead leaves and crinkle them. I'm pretty sure the doe hadn't seen me, so…ah, of course. The wind is blowing towards the deer, giving it my scent. The crumpled leaf bits tell me that much.

I make a wide arc through the forest and come out upwind of the deer, which is grazing peacefully. It is still alert. I raise my bow again, pull the arrow…

Just as I let go, I hear a rustling noise behind me. In my hurry to turn around, I lose control of the arrow and miss the doe by at least five feet. There goes my catch.

I nock another arrow and aim it carefully at the bushes from whence the noise has come. The rustling occurs again. I squint, pulling the arrow back—

"Don't shoot! It's just me!"

I relax, lowering the bow. "Antonio, you stupid bastard! What if I had shot you?"

Antonio only laughs, stepping out of the bushes. He holds a small pebble in one hand.

"Want me to scare some game for you, Lovi?" he asks, a twinkle in his dark eyes. He throws his pebble into another bush. Immediately a flock of birds takes flight. I quickly shoot a couple arrows, taking down two birds.

"As usual, right through the eye." Antonio goes to retrieve my kills. He will take one home for his family; I will most likely sell mine and see if I can get more food for mine. Antonio may have a bigger family, but I know how to make a good bargain.

Antonio is my hunting partner and best friend. He has bright green eyes that are always full of expression, tanned skin, and mussy brown hair. He always seems to have a smile on his face, a rare thing for someone living in District 12. He's two years older than me, making him 18. His last year to participate in the reaping.

We hunt and gather roots and fruit a little longer before reaching a clearing that gives a beautiful view of the forest. Sitting among the dandelions, I toss a blueberry at Antonio. He catches it. "Guess what, Lovi? I killed this before you got here." He pulls a loaf of bread from his pocket.

Feigning fury, I snatch the bread from his hands. "You bastard, you waited until now to tell me this?" I break the bread in two, taking a waft. "And it's still warm…"

Antonio laughs. "Hey, let me have some!"

I smile. "Well, my sister gave us something to go with this mysterious catch of yours." And I show him the cheese.

"Ah, man! I was hoping it would be a tomato," Antonio jokes. He slices off a chunk of creamy goat cheese with his hunting knife and spreads it on a chunk of bread. "Your sister makes the best cheese in District 12, you know that?"

I smirk. "Yeah, but who gets the best squirrels?"

Antonio rolls his eyes. Then his mood becomes more serious. "This is Feli's first reaping, isn't it? Is she okay?"

"She's handling it pretty well. The stupid brat probably doesn't even realize it's reaping day," I say. I pick a berry from the pile and flick it up into the air. "Happy Hunger Games!" I say, imitating Effie Trinket, the woman from the Capitol who is District 12's escort. "And may the odds…"

Antonio catches the blueberry in his mouth and finishes, "…be ever in your favor!" He is able to quite accurately imitate the Capitol accent. But Antonio goes quiet again.

"Hey, Lovi? Have you ever thought about running away? We could do it, you know, live off stuff in the wild, set up a new home."

I shoot him a glance. Antonio often complains about life in District 12, but I have never heard this train of thought. "We would have to bring Feli and my mother, and your mother, and your brothers and sisters. I know my family would never be able to make it out here."

"I guess…" Antonio says. "It's just…why should we have to go through this stupid reaping every year?"

Of course, we both know the answer to that. Seventy-four years ago, the Districts revolted against the Capitol, and failed. District 13 has been reduced to rubble and the other twelve have been forced to participate in the Hunger Games ever since.

And the odds are not in our favor. Feliciana has only one entry, but Antonio has forty-eight entries because of the tesserae. I have about twenty or so. More likely than not, Antonio will be chosen. If he isn't, then after today he will be free to plan his future. I still have two more years.

"I'm never having kids," I say.

"I might," Antonio says. "If I didn't live here."

"But you do," I point out.

"Just forget it," he says irritably.

Everything about this conversation is wrong. That bastard Antonio, how could he even think I would leave Feliciana? And why is he talking about kids? If he wants kids, he can pick a bride. Any girl in District 12 would love to have him.

We sit in silence for a while, eating berries, bread, and cheese, before grabbing our kills and heading back to the town, and the Hob.

/

While at a stall, buying some cheese, I see the pin. Bright gold in color, with what looks like a woodpecker in the middle. I pick it up out of curiosity, watching the glint off the metal.

"It's a mockingjay," says the woman behind the stall. I know what a mockingjay is, of course. There are many of the birds still living in the forest surrounding District 12.

A sudden inspiration takes hold of me. "How much?" I ask.

The woman looks at me and says, "You take it. I have no use for it."

"Thank you," I say, smiling. I slip the pin into my bag and set off for home, my trading done.

Upon my arrival home, I see Feliciana getting dressed in her light blue reaping outfit. My mother is putting her hair in two braids, and I can see from where I'm standing that Feliciana's ducktails are hanging out.

I dump my purchases and what is left of my game on the table. "Feli, tuck in your tails. You look stupid."

Feliciana only smiles and does as I've told her to do. My mother finishes with Feliciana's hair and turns to me. "There's an outfit for you in your room, honey. You can get changed before lunch."

I huff. Of course, my mother is worried about my appearance.

My mother has laid out one of her old dresses, a beautiful green one with a white belt around the middle. It looks ridiculously expensive, and I know it must be from before my mother married my father. I look back at my mother, who is standing in the doorway.

"Go on, see if it fits."

I do so, and the dress fits me perfectly. Instead of thanking my mother, I simply give her a nod.

For lunch we have some strawberries, sparrow, and bread. It's pretty good, considering the bread is stale and some of the strawberries are a little on the ripe side. Time seems to fly, and before I know it, the time has come for us to join the rest of the town in the square. Before we leave, I kneel down to pin the mockingjay onto Feliciana's collar.

"This is for you. As long as you wear it, nothing bad will happen to you. Most likely they won't pick you, but it can't hurt to have some extra luck. And tuck your tails in, moron."

Feliciana smiles and tucks her tails in.

/

As usual, when we get to the square, the children are herded into groups by age and gender. Looking up, I can see the stage that has been erected in front of the Justice Building. It holds three chairs, a podium, and the glass balls holding the names of the children. One chair holds the mayor, another Effie Trinket, decked out in magenta from head to toe—literally. Her white hair has pink flowers in it, and her lips are dyed a bright pink.

Just as the cameras that are trained on the Square start rolling, and Effie is about to make her speech, District 12's only living victor, Sadiq Annan, comes stumbling onto the stage and attempts to sit in his chair, but succeeds only in tripping over it and into Effie's now-vacant chair. He's drunk. Very. And, as usual, his face is hidden behind a stupid white mask.

Effie keeps her smile plastered on her face and says, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" But she's obviously hoping this will be her last year in this district. Right now, because of Sadiq, District 12 is the laughingstock of Panem.

It's time for the drawing. Effie trots to the right, saying, "Ladies first!" and stops at the glass ball containing the girls' names. She fishes around inside and pulls out a slip of paper. She crosses back to the podium and reads the name off the paper. And it's not me.

It's Feliciana Vargas.

Lovina=Fem! South Italy

Feliciana=Fem! Italy

Sadiq=Turkey

Antonio=Spain