AN; First, I want to thank my friend, Hannah for beta-ing the last chapter. She also encouraged me to post this in the first place. So far I have one subscriber! Yay! It makes my day when I get an email from Fanfiction telling me that someone has either reviewed or subscribed!

This is another late night chapter, so please forgive me if there are mistakes.

Yours truly, RueEvergreen

I wake up with a start. Already the dream that had woken me is fading and all I can remember is watching my parents die in front of me. Prim is still asleep beside me, and I decide to let her sleep in today because its Reaping day, and it's one of the few days in the year that she can. I gently scoot away from her and slip out of bed. I fell asleep fully dressed last night, so all I have to do is write Prim a note telling her where I've gone, put on my boots, and slip out the door.

Gale is there already when I reach our spot, a large rock that overlooks the valley we usually hunt in. "So you volunteer this year," He says looking into my eyes, "You nervous?"

"No." I smirk. "I can't lose, so I figure the odds of me winning are 100%." I fiddle with a few strands of my hair.

"Why are you volunteering?" He asks, truly curious.

"Because I have to, Gale." I pause, not knowing how to tell him without telling him. "I don't have a choice."

"You do, though. You don't have to volunteer. You don't have to put yourself through that. You know that victors are never the same." He pauses to make sure I'm still listening, "Just look at Haymtich Abernathy, always drunk. The morphlings from Six. Why do you think they're like that? Because of the games, Rue. Don't do that to yourself."

"Gale. Stop. I do have to do this. I can't tell you why. I wish I could but I prefer you alive then buried six feet underground just because I told you something I shouldn't have." I look him right in the eyes as I say this because I need him to know that I'm telling the truth.

"Fine. I still wish you wouldn't."

"Gale. I'm coming back. I'll be gone for a few weeks, tops. I'll be fine. I have you and Prim to motivate me to win."

He nods. "We should probably start checking the snare line if we want to be on time later."

I nod, silently agreeing, and we get up.

XXXXXX

After hunting and the Hob, I went home to get ready with Prim. She's wearing the same outfit that I wore for my first reaping, though it's a little large, and I had to use pins to get it to stay. I'm wearing one of my mother's old dresses, that she once said would look great on my, though I don't see what she was talking about.

I leave Prim at the twelve-year-old section and make my way to the fourteen-year-old section, where I get quite a few looks which I ignore. I spot Gale in the seventeen-year-old section and give him a small smile. He nods before turning back to the stage as our district escort, Effie Trinket is announced.

"Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favour." She continues to talk about what an honor it is to be here, when we all know that it's BS. "Ladies first." She says and walks over to the girls' reaping bowl.

She steps back to the microphone. "Primrose Evergreen." She reads.

I see Prim start walking towards the stage, but before she can reach the stage I shout "I volunteer!" Everyone pauses, shocked that someone would actually volunteer. We're district 12, we never have volunteers. I'm actually the first volunteer we've ever had. I make my way towards the stage as Prim starts begging me not to go, to stay but I force myself to ignore her pleads as Gale carries her back to his mother, Hazel, who immediately begins to sooth her.

"A volunteer!" Effie says. She sounds ecstatic that something exciting happened in her district for once. "And what's your name, dearie?" She asks when I'm beside her on the stage.

"Rue Evergreen." I reply, smiling widely.

"I'll bet my buttons that was your sister," she says in her really annoying Capitol accent, "Didn't want her stealing all the glory, did we?"

I simply smile at her and she walks over to the boys' reaping bowl and pulls out a name from the bottom of the bowl, "Arthur Zimmerman." She says. A boy from the sixteen-year-old section walks toward the stage. He has the standard Seam look; Dark hair, grey eyes, olive skin and under fed.

We shake hands, and enter the Justice Building to say our good byes.

Soooo… does anyone reading this want to beta it? I'm currently looking for one if you're interested. PM me if you would like to do it! Good bye my lovelies. Stay awesome!

Yours truly, RueEvergreen