CHAPTER 1, IKE

I should have known from that the feeling I got the morning of the Reapings that I was in for it. Instead, I ignored it and got ready to face the dreaded day. After a quick breakfast of a thin slice of bread and hardly a swallow of water I slipped outside my small house—shack was a better word to describe it—and headed towards the weaponry. The Capitol was completely independent now, but they still had us make weapons for an unknown cause. Many have said they have us make the weapons in case we decide to rebel. Then we can be defeated by the instruments we helped create. Pure sick irony.

I pushed that thought aside and entered the small workplace. It was already alive with thunderous bangs, shouts, and hisses as the hot metal was dipped into a vat of cool water. I began fanning the coals to get them to a red-hot glow so I could begin working. Within an hour I had nearly completed a sword of my own design.

"Wow, Ike!" One of my companions said excitedly. "Another job well done." He couldn't have been more than nineteen; blue hair that came down to his neck, green eyes, and an energized look always on his face, Marth wasn't easily mistaken for anyone else. He always complimented me on my work and hardly ever left my side.

"To tell you the truth, I wasn't really even focusing." I admitted, dipping the sword into a bucket of water nearby. With a loud hiss it cooled and the sword was ready for the Capitol.

"So are you ready for the Reapings today?" Marth asked nervously. "I had to enter my name three times this year for my siblings…one of them broke his foot and can't possibly fight."

"I entered eighteen times." I sighed, beginning to smack another shapeless lump of metal into what was going to be a sword. "All for some of the older women here."

"Wow." Marth's eyes shone with awe. "You're great, Ike. I want to be just like you someday."

In today's Hunger Games, anyone is eligible to be picked in the Reapings. Not just twelve to nineteen year olds. Anyone. Anyone including newborns. Whenever one of them is drawn, at least a dozen people fight to take its place. It's heartbreaking.

"You really don't, Marth." I muttered under my breath, returning to my work as a Peacekeeper walked by.

We toiled along until two O'clock, when the Peacekeepers released us to head to The Square where the Reapings would take place. Already a crowd was forming, many of them nervous. Some were crying.

Of course, as soon as I picked a place to stand, Marth was by my side. He glanced around before saying, "There's really a lot of people here."

He said that every year. But it was true, the Capitol was pulling inhabitants from other worlds here and enslaving them to make a mass of weapons. Everyone had their theories on why so many weapons were made, but no one could confirm anything.

Three Capitol people were standing on a raised platform and holding a huge glass Reaping ball. I couldn't help but think that my name was in there, entered eighteen times…

"Let the one hundredth and twenty third Hunger Games begin here!" One of the Capitol workers said excitedly. He had orange hair as bright as a carrot, and an unnaturally large smile. He reached into the Reaping ball and brought out a name…

"Link!"

I let my breath escape in a hiss once I realized it was no one I knew. Only twelve more names to go and then I can return to weapon making. A tall kid clad in green shakily made his way up to the podium, pale as snow. Carrothead handed him his slip of paper and motioned for him to stand behind the podium until the other Tributes were called. The kid was shaking now, his bright blue eyes wide with horror…

"Lucario!"

A perfect example of a world taken over by the Capitol. Jhoto, a region in a world where strange beings called Pokémon lived. Many of them had been transferred here to the District, where they mined steel and coal to fuel the fires to heat the metal. A blue Pokémon with a mask of black fur walked coolly up to the podium, took the paper, and walked over to stand next to Link.

"No one will take their place?" Carrothead asked. "On with the Reapings…"

The suspense mounted as he drew another name out.

"Marth!"

"NO!" I shouted before I knew what I was doing. I leapt forward. "I'll take his place!"

"Very well, and you are…?" Carrothead asked.

"I'm Ike." I said. "And I don't plan to lose."

"Good for you, a bright attitude." Carrothead handed me Marth's slip of paper, but not before he wrote my name on the back of it. "Go stand next to them."

I stood beside Link, who looked like any second he would collapse from fear. I didn't know what to say to him exacally, so I just faced forward and tried to act as calm as Lucario.

More names were called. Starfox…Wolf O'Donnell… Pikachu…Samus Aran…until Carrothead drew the next name.

"Zelda!"

I barely managed to catch Link before he fainted dead away. The girl that nearly ran back to us tributes had to be his girlfriend by the way she practically slapped me away. She gently lowered Link to the ground and sat next to him, tears streaming off her face.

"Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Another example of a world taken over by the Capitol. Sonic I had seen around before, but he was usually always trying to find something to do after he helped assemble guns somewhere. His race, the Mobians, were usually very nice to us, but a huge target for the Peacekeepers. They usually stayed well away from each other, no matter what the occasion. Sonic accepted the piece of paper and stood next to Lucario, staring at the ground.

"Solid Snake!"

A man wearing camouflage stepped from the crowd and nearly ripped the peace of paper out of Carrothead's fist as he strode back to join us. He didn't seem like the type to mess with. He gave me a steely glare once he realized I was staring at him.

"Marth!"

I thought my heart stopped. They did not just call Marth's name again…

Marth shakily walked up to the podium and took the paper. Carrothead turned to the crowd and asked mockingly, "Anyone else want to take his place?"

The crowd was deathly silent. No one moved towards the podium to save the kid's life. All I had done was sentence myself to death…

Carrothead shrugged and reached back into the Reaping ball. He drew a name out, and smiled evilly at it before reading:

"Ness!"

A small kid who could have only been about ten years old tore himself away from a mob of wailing kids and walked up to the podium. But before he could take the paper, a voice called out from the crowd, "Stop! I will take his place!"

From the mob came another Mobian, this one I immeadentally recognized. His name was Shadow, and he was famous here in the District because of how fast he could assemble any weapon in record time. The Peacekeepers were visibly disappointed, because they knew that they would be losing their most valuable worker. Shadow accepted Ness' slip and stood next to Marth.

"Wow, two volunteers!" Carrothead said happily. "Is this exciting, or what?"

No one answered as he put the giant Reaping ball away and turned to us. "Now pick anyone to accompany you to the Capitol to watch the Games in comfort! It's a treat for everyone!"

I wanted so badly to run up to him and punch him. But instead I pointed into the crowd and said, "Roy, do you want to come?"

My childhood friend slowly stepped forward and barely squeaked out, "Sure, Ike. Ok." Both he and I knew that I was going to die. And he would be in the Capitol to watch it.

Marth had already picked out his companion. The winner from a few years back, a young girl named Lyn. She had a cold look in her eyes and wasted no time whispering urgently into Marth's ear. No doubt already beginning to instruct him on what to do in the arena.

The others soon chose their companions, most of them having worried and even terrified looks on their faces, like they didn't want to go to the Capitol but were going to just to be there for their tribute. It was heartbreaking. Carrothead began announcing everyone's names in an energetic voice.

"Accompanying Link is Midna!" He began. "And with Zelda is the King of Evil, Ganondorf!"

I could see the question in Link's eyes. He and Ganondorf had been enemies since…forever. Why was Zelda choosing Ganondorf to come to the Capitol with her? Everyone knew he was violent, uncooperative and bossy. Link's partner was barely as long as my arm and not very human. She looked like something out of a fairy tale.

"With the two Pokémon are two Trainers named Ash and Trevor!" Carrothead continued.

Trevor was wearing the typical Pokémon hat along with a vest over a red shirt, blue jeans, and a small green backpack slung over one shoulder. Ash's black hair stuck up chaotically under his hat, and he shuffled his feet back and fourth in the dust. He was also wearing blue jeans and a green vest over a black shirt.

"Accompanying Wolf is Falco! And with Fox is Krystal!"

Falco calmly walked over to Wolf and nodded curtly. Krystal, on the other hand, threw her arms around Fox's neck and burst out in tears. Fox was slightly taken aback but he didn't push her away. I glanced up at the blue sky and wondered once again how the would had to end up like this.

With Samus was Ness. Apparently she had no one she wanted to bring with her so he volunteered. Another kid lunged at Ness and managed to catch his ankle, screaming, "Don't leave me!" But Ness only shook his head sadly and followed Samus back up to the podium.

With Snake was an associate, Mei Ling. She was pretty, and it was apparent to why he had chosen her. But she didn't make eye contact with him as he called her and never did throughout the rest of the ceremony.

With Sonic was a small yellow fox with two tails who kept glancing around the tributes like they would suddenly attack, even though they weren't in the arena yet. He had a reason to be worried, though. I'd give him that.

Shadow had chosen a young girl dressed in blue. Her eyes were wide with worry and fear, but she never said anything. I recognized her almost immeadentally, she and Shadow had become the most unlikely of friends a while back. If I was right, her name was Maria.

"Right! Now the train will arrive soon!" Carrothead announced cheerfully, But I could detect a hint of evil in it. All twelve of us plus our accompaniments followed him away from the crowd, despite the wails of protest and worry from the other citizens. He directed us behind a small group of houses and said:

"Here's how it's going to work. We'll do some short interviews now, and then maybe some later on the train. Once we're on the train, claim a room and then report to the dining car. We'll discuss things further there. My name's Corewell."

Out of nowhere a huge band of camera-laden people ran at us and jammed a million microphones in my face, each screaming a different question at me.

"What's it like to be a member of the Hunger Games?"

"Any regrets in life?"

"Have you ever thought this would happen?"

"Do you think you have a chance of surviving?"

"Anything you would like to say to the District before leaving?"

I answered everything as best as I could, but I think most of my answers were lost in the second flurry of questions belted at me from the crew. I was actually relieved when the train came, but only for about three seconds before Marth ran up to me and, clinging to my arm, whispered, "We board this train and we're never coming back."

I took a deep breath and entered the train. I would give it my all in the arena, and if I died, may it be for someone else.