As soon as the reaping ceremony ends, Dalin and I are herded by a group of Peacekeepers into the Justice Building. We are each taken to separate rooms for the hour we're given to say goodbye to our family and friends.

First in are my mother, father, and brother. My mother's face is red and puffy from crying, as is my brother's. My father has unshed tears glimmering in his eyes. They all know I probably won't survive.

My brother darts over to me and throws his arms around my neck and snuggles into my lap, sobbing like a little kid in need of his mommy. I rub circles into his back, trying to soothe him.

"Hey, it's alright. I'll be fine," I try to assure him.

"N-no you won't," he hiccups, "You'll go in there and die, just like everyone else does."

"I might not. I might make it back. Katniss and Peeta did, right? If they can, so can I," I say, trying to keep myself from breaking down as well. Tears would make me look weak. I could cry later, when I was alone.

He just sobs harder, clinging onto me for dear life. I look up at my parents, who come and sit down on either side of me. I lean into my father, who put his arm around me. We just sit there like that for a few minutes, my family crying and me trying to hold back my emotions. Eventually, there would be too much and the dam holding them all back would overflow.

I sit up and blink back the tears threatening to overflow. "I will do my very best to stay alive. But if I don't, please don't let that ruin your lives. You have to stay strong. Don't let the Capitol break you." They nod slowly.

Then a Peacekeeper is at the door signaling our time is up, after what feels like only a minute. We stand and they hug me, telling me they love me and not to give up. I tell them I love them, then bend down and pick up my brother, surprised to realize how big he is.

"You've got to be strong, okay? For me?" he nods, wiping tears from his face. "This will all be okay."

"You have to come back. I need you," he says, and it breaks my heart.

I wish I could tell him I will, but in my heart, I know I won't. I can't promise him that, only to tear him apart when I don't. But still, I don't want to be the one who crushes the little hope he has. "I'll try. I love you," I say, putting him down.

The Peacekeeper comes over and unkindly tells them it's time to go, and ushers them out the door.

"We love you!" is the last thing I hear them say, as the door is slammed shut on their voices.

I flop onto the velvet couch and bury my face in the pillow until Millie comes in. I sit up and she rushes to me and I throw my arms around her.

"I can't believe this! This is so unfair!" she says. She would say more, but there are microphones all over this place, and if she's heard saying "treasonous" things against the Capitol, they would come after her. Heck, for all I know, they'll be mad over her complaining about the unfairness of it all.

"I know," I say, "It almost doesn't feel real. It's like I'm going to wake up any second now from a terrible nightmare."

The sympathetic look on her face says otherwise.

We spend the rest of our time reminiscing about everything from the time we met in a fight over something stupid that neither of us could remember, to a few weeks ago when I tripped and did a face plant into my lunch tray. By the end of it we were both sniffling and about to full on cry.

The Peacekeeper comes back in and tells her it's time to leave.

"Remember, you will always be my best friend and I love you. I'll be waiting for you to come home." she says, taking me by the shoulders and pulling me into a huge hug before she leaves the room.

I'm left alone for the next half hour to try to face the fact that I'm going to die, soon. Turns out, I'm not taking it very well. I can't accept the fact that I'm going to die. I won't.

At the train station, there are tons of cameras and reporters, all focused on me and Dalin as we board the train that will take us to the Capitol. I should be sad, shocked, scared, any number of things, but I find that I only feel numb, and I'm glad. What chance would I have of getting sponsors if they saw me weeping and terrified?

The doors finally slide shut and the train starts forward. We are each shown to our own rooms and told to be ready for dinner in about an hour.

I use this time to explore the fancy things in our rooms. I have a private bathroom with hot and cold running water and a shower, and a dressing area with more fine clothing in it than anyone in our district has even seen.

I decide to take a shower, and spend more time reveling in how good it feels than actually getting clean. When I get out I dress in a knee-length skirt and a black T-shirt, then I walk around the room, looking at various things, until Effie comes to get me for supper.

She takes me to a dining room, where Peeta, Katniss, and Dalin are all waiting for me to join them, making polite conversation. I take the empty seat next to Dalin, and looking at the table I see fancy dishes that look like they'll break if you touch them.

Dinner comes in course after course, and I eat so much that I think I'll explode. But the thing is, I've never had enough to eat. Never. Neither have most people in District 12. But when people die of starvation, the Peacekeepers brush it off as something else. Disease, beatings, you name it. If it can kill someone, it's probably been used as an excuse. It would make the Capitol look bad if their citizens found out they were starving people to death.

After we've finished stuffing ourselves to the point of sickness, we get to experience the joys of watching the reapings across Panem. In some of the other districts, winning the Games is such an honor that people actually volunteer as tributes. Idiots. But that's why Districts 1 and 2 both have volunteers for both slots, and 3 has one girl volunteer. District 1 has a manly looking girl tribute and a strong, well muscled boy, who both look equally viscous. District 3 has a girl who is drop-dead gorgeous, with long blond hair and intense green eyes. A monstrous boy from 6, who looks like he could kick down a tree without any effort at all. A tiny little girl from 10, who came from the 17 year-old section. Those are the only ones that really caught my eye. Then our district's reaping pops up.

"Athena Drales!" I see the TV me's face go white as a sheet, and I'm worried that I'm going to faint, which is ridiculous because I already knew I wasn't going to. I watched myself walk up onstage with my mouth set in a grim line, no longer portraying any emotion. I watched the shock register briefly on both of our faces as Dalin walks up to take his place next to me. Then the anthem plays and it's over, and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I hear him do the same next to me.

We all disperse to our rooms for a good night's rest, as if I could sleep, knowing what awaits. About an hour later, I hear a knock. I bolt upright, ready to flee, as the door eases open and Dalin sticks his head in. I let out a sigh of relief. Relief from what, I don't know. My nightmares, maybe?

"Can I come in?" he asks quietly. I nod, welcoming a distraction from reality.

"What's up?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I just don't want to be alone."

"Oh." I completely understand what he means. In a world where kids are sent off to mutilate each other, the company of a friend that you trust can be the most comforting thing in the world, aside from not having to participate in the mutilation.

I stiffen, as I realize that we will soon be in that arena, fighting each other to live, where trust is a risk I can't afford to take. I decide to push that thought from my mind for now and enjoy a break from life with my friend.

He suddenly meets my eyes. "Will you stay with me in the arena? I need someone I can rely on. You're my friend, and I trust you. Also, I don't think I'd be able to kill you, even if I wanted to. And I really don't want to," he added with a grin that made girls melt back home.

I hesitate a second, wondering if he's only saying that so I'll trust him and he can kill me. But I decide that he probably wouldn't, at least not at first. It looks bad to kill someone from your own district. I slowly nod, deciding that I won't place my full trust in him and just keep my guard up.

"Thank-you," he says with a relieved smile that's so open and trusting that I find myself smiling back.

He stays in my room the rest of the night, talking to me and making jokes that have me laughing so hard that I have tears making trails down my face. And I have to admit, it feels great to have a friend that is going to be with me through all of this.

At least, I hope so.