A/N: This is my first chapter! The tribute was created by the wonderful writer, A-Tribute-Called-Sarah, and you should all go and review her stories. If you still want to submit a tribute, here is the list of tributes.

District One-

Girl- Taken

Boy- Taken

District Two-

Girl- Free

Boy- Taken

District Three-

Girl- Free

Boy- Free

District Four-

Girl- Free

Boy- Free

District Five-

Girl- Taken

Boy- Free

District Six-

Girl/Boy: Free

District Seven-

Girl/Boy: Free

District Eight-

Girl- Taken

Boy- Free

District Nine-

Girl- Taken

Boy- Taken

District Ten-

Girl/Boy: Free

District Eleven-

Girl- Free

Boy- Taken

District Twelve-

Girl/Boy- Free

Remember to submit tributes! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter One

-Pulchra Gemstone-

I wake up at dawn, my favorite time of day. Today is especially special for me: This is the dawn of the reaping. I leap out of bed, pull on some black leggings, a tight green shirt the color of my eyes, and lace up my black tennis shoes. Last but not least, I tuck my diamond necklace under my shirt so the trainers won't see it. We are not allowed to have any sort of jewelry on in the Center.

I pull my blond hair into a high ponytail that falls in waves to just above my waist, and jog to the kitchen. I look through the cabinets, but find them empty. Mother forgot to buy groceries again. I need to start checking her actions more and more recently. When I was only a baby, my father left and took Mother's heart with him. She still has moments when she disappears and nothing I do brings me back. We don't have the best relationship, because I think she blames me for him leaving.

In the last cabinet I find three pieces of bread, and a small tin of powdered milk. I turn on the stove, toast the bread, and make the milk. I eat two pieces of the toast, drink half the milk, and leave the rest out for Mother. I don't bother saying goodbye. She hates that I train, and going in now would only initiate an argument.

There is a tap on the window, and I look outside to see Roset Tanen. I don't know if we are friends or if we are just training partners, but I like spending time with her either way. I put my empty glass in the sink, and walk outside to meet her. When she sees me, she playfully slaps my arm.

"Your freckle looks huge!"

I touch the small freckle above my lip. I think Roset is jealous because I'm prettier than her, and she always tries to make me feel self-conscious. Unfortunately for her, I am very comfortable in my body, and nothing she says will make me feel bad.

"Don't even try today, Roset. Are you ready for training?"

She nods. "Do you want to take the long way or the steep way?"

The Center is only about three miles from my house, so Roset and I always jog there to work on our endurance. The long way is about four miles.

"Let's take the long way. I think Ferinus is going try to have me work on sprints." Ferinus is my trainer, and also the mentor for this year's Games. If he deems me good enough to volunteer, he will by my mentor.

Roset and I start jogging towards the Center, both of us focusing on our breathing. I love running—it feels so freeing, being able to leap over the pavement faster than everyone else. I run past the jeweler where I work part-time, and wave to Satin, the owner. She is always there right at opening time, even today, when the shop is closed for the reaping.

I look at the clock in the District Square and see that we are running about six-minute miles. I slow down slightly, not wanting to be too tired at training, especially because we are only halfway there. Roset notices, and slows down, but not before she insults me. "Looks like you're a little out of shape!"

I don't even dignify her with a response. About fourteen minutes later, we run up to the door. I'm not very tired at all, but Roset is breathing hard and trying to hide it. I look over, and see her ponytail has come loose, as usual. "Stand still for a second and let me fix your hair."

One thing Roset cannot deny is my skill with hair. Many of my relatives work in the Capital as stylists, doing hair and makeup. Although I work as a jeweler, I want to be a stylist when I grow up. My nimble fingers twist and turn Roset's light brown hair into an elaborate braid before we walk in the doors.

A cool wave of air rushes through the door and blows my ponytail off my shoulders slightly. The air condition relaxes me. District One is always warm and sunny, and it's sometimes nice to be in the cold air.

As soon as I step in the room Ferinus walks up. "What are you doing standing around like a Twelver? Get over and start working with those swords!"

"Good to see you too, Ferinus." I laugh, and job over to the sword station. Ferinus won the 29th Games, and hasn't quite left the arena. When he isn't flashing back to his district partner dying he can be very intense, sort of in-your-face. He can be scary to people who doesn't really know him, because he gets his point across by yelling, but I've known him long enough to know that he genuinely cares for his mentees.

I select my favorite sword, a foil sword with a solid gold handle and shimmering emeralds lining the sides of the handle. I slash the blade quickly along a line of dummies, hitting the vital organs and opening their necks. I warm up for a few more minutes before Ferinus walks over.

He wordlessly grabs his foil sword, completely silver sword with a blue sapphire set in the very tip of the hilt. I've heard rumors that say he had the sword made especially for his district partner, Sapphire, who was killed in the Career Alliance Breakup, or CAB as District One calls it.

He establishes priority by lunging first, but I parry him with a casual flick of my sword. My parry goes too wide, and he is able to jab at my chest quickly. "You need to work harder! If that happened in the bloodbath, you would be the first tribute to die! Step it up!"

The next round I establish priority and he parries me. I try a trick he taught me last week: catching his foil in the handle of mine, and twisting it out of his grip. His foil clatters to the floor, and I can easily press my foil to his jugular. "Was that any better?" I smirk playfully as he bends down to pick up the sword.

His short, flattened down hair is not long enough to hide the small smile of pride, and the glimmer in his emerald-green eyes at my success. "I see you were paying attention last week. Good job, that was acceptable."

I don't push him, although I know he is proud of me. Instead, I cartwheel over to the bow and arrow station, working on my agility and flexibility. By the time I get to the rack of bows, I am dizzy, but I try not to show it. Noticing that my necklace had slipped out, I tuck it back in my shirt before Ferinus notices.

I'm not great at archery, but I've been practicing and getting better. I slip the bracer on my arm, and grab my self-bow, made from only one piece of wood. I keep my own arrows at the station, sleek black shaft with emerald tips. I string the bow and aim for the target. I hit the ring by the bulls-eye: nine points.

I practice for a few more times, hitting the bulls-eye about half the time, and only getting less than eight points once. Ferinus doesn't say anything. This wasn't my best day with archery, but it was not bad either.

For the rest of the day I practice knives, axes, and traps. Traps are the only non-weapon skill I have acquired over the years. I know only the basics traps, jump traps, foothold traps, but Ferinus insists that it is a smart strategy to have multiple skills.

I am not fantastic with strategies, I focus more on just the skill aspect, but Ferinus has come up with the trap. He says I'm going to join the Careers, and then just survive and kill everyone else until I win.
Ferinus points to the swimming pool. "Do you want to swim today, or just go home and get ready for the reaping?"

I'm not great with water. I can't swim, and I don't even like heavy rain. "I think I have to go get ready for the reaping."

"Alright, go on home, but jog so you at least get some more exercise. Dress nice just in case."

Ferinus and I have decided that if I get reaped, I will not let anyone take my place, but I won't volunteer for the Games. I walk to the door, but, noticing Roset working with knives, I snatch a small dagger. Stealing is strictly prohibited in the Center, and Roset, who was supposed to be the girl to volunteer this year, will now be prohibited from participating in the Games. I don't know why I like to cause mischief. I think it has something to do with the fact that there is so much trouble in my life, I sometimes just want to unload it on someone else.

I start to jog home, but I stop at my other friend's house, Amyth Jouna. Amyth is a loud, sporty, and fun person to be around. Whenever I'm sad, he can always find a way to cheer me up when Mother has one of her fits, while remembering dad. Sometimes, when I don't want to leave the house in fear that she will commit suicide, Amyth can always find a way to get me out.

I knock on his door, and he opens it. "Hey Peach!"

Amyth is the only one who calls me Peach, everyone else just calls me Pulchra. Even though I know that Pulchra means beautiful, I still prefer Peach. "'Sup Amyth!"

"I'm getting ready for the reaping. Avery was over a few minutes ago, and he won't shut up about the 'honor of volunteering'. By the time he left, I was about ready to unleash Kay and Kel on him."

Kay and Kel are Amyth's two adorable twin sisters. They act like perfect little angles when I'm there, but Amyth insists they are devilish whirlwinds of pure energy.

Avery Reid is the boy who is going to volunteer this year. He won the bloodbath simulator between the other five boys who wanted to volunteer, and he gets the honor of volunteering. He is a rather cocky boy, and I could see why Amyth would want him to meet Kay and Kel.

Amyth invites me inside, but I have to decline. "Sorry, but I have to go and get ready for the reaping. I already left training early, and if Ferinus sees me here he will get mad. I'll meet you back here in about an hour after I'm ready, if you want?"

He nods. "That sounds good. I'll see you soon. Bye!"

I jog the rest of the way home, and try to sneak through the kitchen. I'm not quite quiet enough, and Mother walks through the door and into the kitchen. She sniffs the air. "I see you were training. I hope you have enough time to get ready for the reaping."

Already in a bad mood from my small breakfast, I say the one thing that could set her off. "Dad would have been fine with it." Immediately I regret saying that to her. She goes into one of her fits, rocking back and forth on the ground, holding her head, and shaking. She mumbles Vine, his name, over and over.

I never know what to do in these situations. I run over to her, and awkwardly pat her shoulder. "It's alright. He wasn't worth it. You're better than this."

Slowly, she begins to come back to reality, stands up, and dusts herself off. I hate it when she has fits. I think it is one of the many reasons Mother and I have a fairly stolid relationship with each other. She uncomfortably thanks me, and she goes to her room to get ready for the reaping.

Doing the same as her, I walk over to the bathroom, and slip off my training clothes. One luxury about being close to the Capital is the hot water privileges. Anytime we want hot water, we have it at the twist of a handle.

The water pounds over my back, relaxing my muscles after the workout. I let myself relax for a few minutes before I lather up with cinnamon soap and apple scented shampoo and conditioner. It smells like a drink Amyth's dad brought back from his job at the Capital: Cinnamon apple cider. I only was able to drink one glass before Roset drank the rest.

Stepping out of the shower, I admire my six-pack. I've been working on it for years, and I remember how proud I was when it finally became defined.

I have fair skin, marred only by the freckle above my lip. I grab some clothes from my room, and go back to the bathroom.

My reaping outfit is fairly simple: A tight, white dress to show off my body with an emerald trim, to accentuate my eyes. I paired it with a pair of emerald heels. Since I won't be volunteering, I don't have to be able to run as fast towards the stage.

It took three years of working at the jeweler to finally be able to afford this outfit. I've decided I will wear this outfit for both of my last reapings, so I don't have to spend any more money than I need to.

Doing my hair and makeup is the fun part. While I normally just pull my long hair into a high ponytail, I braid it for the reaping. I then swipe a little bit of green eye shadow I received as a joint birthday gift from Roset and Amyth. I dab on a little bit of water onto my already pink lips to make them shine, and pinch my cheeks to give them a rosy glow.

I critically study my reflection in the mirror, and, after a little thought, I twist my braid into a bun on top of my head. Satisfied, I stroll out the door without saying goodbye to Mother. She will be with the main crowd in the Square.

I walk to Amyth's house, careful not to smudge my makeup or tangle my hair. I don't plan on being on camera, but I still want to look good just in case. When I apply to be a stylist, they may look back at the tapes of past reapings to see me, and I want to look my best.

The chances of me being reaped are slim to none. I do take a lot of tereasse every year, but many girls take more to increase their chances of being reaped. I've always slightly hoped I would be reaped, so I could have a chance to experience the Games.

Amyth opens the door before I have a chance to knock. "You ready? Nice suit!"

Amyth looks proudly down at his suit, which he bought this year. It is coal black with a light blue shirt, the color of his eyes, barely peeking out from under the sleeves. "Nice dress! It really brings out the color in your eyes!"

I feel myself blushing, mingling with my still-pink cheeks. "Thanks! Are you ready for the reapings?"

Unlike me, Amyth has no interest in the reapings. He has trained, but only to later become a Peacekeeper like everyone else in his family. He shrugs. "I don't really care. I know who will volunteer: Roset and Avery.

I remember the Bloodbath Simulation that took place a few months ago. Neither Amyth nor I took place in it, but Roset came home stained with the blood of five other dead females, and the right to volunteer this year for the Games.

I wonder if anyone noticed the missing knife I took from the Training Center? I purposefully made it look like Roset took it. I hope they did find it—I personally think her ego could stand to be lowered a couple of notches.

When we get to the Square, Amyth and I check in, and are then separated into our separate gender and age groups. We share one last look, and I know what it says. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

As soon as I step in the seventeen-year-old section, Roset scuttles up to me, her fancy mascara running down her face and dripping on her gold-threaded dress. "They think I stole a knife from the Center, and they said I couldn't volunteer this year! What am I going to do? It's not they'd let someone like you volunteer—you're not good enough!"

Nice job Roset. Even when you are distressed, you still find a way to slip in an insult.

"It's okay. I'm sure they'd let you volunteer next year. This way, you have another year to train and get stronger."

She sniffs, momentarily tranquillized. "You're probably right. I just hope that the bitch who volunteers dies in the bloodbath."

Satin Chrome, our mayor and sister of one of our victors, Cashmere Chrome, takes the stage. Our district immediately quiets and listens intently. Even though we've heard the same speech every year, the Games are so special in District One everyone holds on to every word.

Satin steps up to the microphone and clears her throat. "Attention District One! It's our favorite time of year again… the Hunger Games!"

The crowd goes crazy, cheering and clapping until Satin starts talking again. "While the Hunger Games are a time of festivity and celebration, we also must remember why we have them in the first place. The great country of Panem was made of a shining Capital surrounded by thirteen loyal districts. The Capital was kind to us, and gave us anything we wanted. However, some of the other district thought it would be wise to rise up against the hand that fed us."

Boos and hisses erupt, and angry cries of "Stupid Twelvers!" could be heard across the Square.

Satin continues. "In spite of the uprising, the Capital was merciful. They annihilated District Thirteen to send a message, but then they created the Games to give us a chance to earn money and fame for our district!"

More cheers from the crowd.

"We are here today, not only to bring honor to District One, but to bring entertainment and glory to the wonderful Capital!"

Satin ends her speech in a shout, and the crowd erupts in uncontrollable cheers. The volume rises as our escort, Felix, steps out onto the stage.

Felix is a rather average man, as escorts go. His hear is jet black and he has dyed the tips a golden color, the same color as his shirt. He has golden eyes that I think have been surgically altered and a small golden stencil tattoo of butterfly on his wrist; which it odd for a man.

I'm assuming he is not from the Capital, and he is from District Two. I've heard that people who don't want to volunteer for the games, work in the mines, or become a Peacekeeper have the chance to become an escort for the Games.

I would be terrible at that job. I am what some people refer to as scatterbrained. I have trouble coming up with strategies, and I am very disorganized.

Felix waves to the crowd, initiating another wave of cheers and applause and revealing his tattoo. He saunters over to the girl's bowl, and plucks a slip of paper from the bowl. "The girl tribute will be mentored by Ferinus Goant, and escorted by me. Her name is…"

The audience howls with indignation at the suspense he is putting us through.

"Pulchra Gemstone!"

Before I even have a chance to process the fact that I'm going into the Hunger Games! I hear a cry of anger from the left of me. Not surprisingly, it's Roset. "You can't be reaped! This was my year! You'd better let someone volunteer for you!"

I don't even look at Roset, I just put on my steely face and walk up to the stage with practiced, measured steps. Felix places his hand with the tattoo on the small of my back, and guides me to the center of the stage. This is the time where he will ask for volunteers, and I know I can't accept any.

"Is there any girl in District One who is interested in—?"

I cut him off before he can finish. "I accept my position as the tribute of District One!" I look out at the District: The shining homes, the golden outfits, and the piles of jewels. Then, I look at the part of the District, where I live. I see the small, one-story houses, the dirt roads, and the small wooden restaurant the richer people in this side of the District eats at.

I suddenly realize what kind of life I will life if I stay in District One: a life full of being trodden down upon by the richer class. A life where, no matter what I do, I will never be the perfect daughter Mother wants to be. I know I have made the right choice in not allowing volunteers.

I zone out as Avery volunteers for a little boy—Stone, I think, and I only allow myself to focus during the handshake. I know what will happen in the hour allowed for goodbyes: Roset will be too mad to say goodbye and Mother won't care, or she will be in one of her fits.

I know Amyth will come, and we will spend the entire hour together. I may be poor, but I have one true friend—and that's good enough for me.

Please don't forget to review! Each review makes me want to update faster! If I get no reviews, I will update this in a week. If I get one, I'll upload in six days, if I get two= five days… you get the point :D The least number of days I can upload is three. I hope to see you all in three days :D

~TrackerJackson