I know I shouldn't feel this nervous. My heart seems to be pounding on my chest, like it's trying to escape. I wipe my hands on my pants a couple times and follow Everett into the bedroom that the three of us share. I ease myself onto my small mattress and look across to my oldest brother.

"Look Piper, I meant what I said at breakfast this morning. What's up."

I purse my lips and look down

"C'mon spill."

My eyes drift up to his as far as they can without tilting my head up. I take a deep breath and my eyes water ever so slightly.

"I-I just, I don't... We can't do this anymore! We pretend that everything is fine and we're all gonna be okay and live happily ever after, but it's not okay! We're not safe as long as the capitol keeps...keeps... Manipulating the districts and forcing us into the games!" Tears threaten to spill over onto my hot cheeks as I stand and rant out my thoughts to Everett. "And, and the capitol treats it like it's a holiday! Celebrating children dying! They have no idea how terrifying the reapings are! Or, or the games themselves!"

I sit back down and burry my face into my hands, determined not to start crying, to appear weak. Everett comes and sits next to me, wrapping his muscular arms around me, trying to comfort me. My hands rub down the sides of my face. My cheeks feel very hot and I'm sure they're red.

"I know it's hard trying to stay together." Everett starts as he rubs my biceps. "But no matter how much pain the capitol puts the districts through, puts us through, we will stay as a family. Miles apart or as close as I am to you now, we will be with each other. We will all stay strong." He kisses the top of my shiny hair and leans back to look me in the eye. I take a small sniff to stop my nose from running and look back to him. His dark, deep blue eyes seem to purify my soul and it gets easier to breathe.

"Okay" I whisper starting to calm down.

"Let's go eat dinner, alright?" he asks quietly and I just nod in response. We walk into the tiny kitchen and sit. As a family. I look back from Kade to Everett and soak up the image. I'm not a very positive person. Looking at them a thought runs through my mind. I may never have dinner with you two again.

Cracked plates clink and clatter as I slowly wash them by hand saving the left over food from dinner. The tesserae food. I add tesseraes to the long mental list I have of things that I hate, right after the capitol and the Hunger Games.

Kade is helping Everett study in the living room, well trying to help. He keeps mispronouncing words as he tries to sound them out slowly. I laugh a little bit, trying to stay positive and happy as long as I can. Tomorrow is the reaping. I've only done it once and it already makes my hate list. A heavy sigh floats out of my lungs and I stack the dishes on the wooden counter.

The sound of Everett's bulky school book closes and both boys enter the kitchen.

"Hey Pipe," Kade says cheerfully as he snatches a piece of the now small loaf of bread.

"Hey guys," I reply with a smile. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Let me check" Kade walked briskly toward the window at the front of our house and gazed upward. Right in the middle of the square is a giant tower. We call it the Power Tower. It sends all signals and gives the more fortunate of our district phone reception. Right at the top of the tower is an enormous screen that displays the time 24/7. It looks just like a huge digital clock. On the top of the screen it shows the date, and on the bottom, in this case, it says "Reapings Tomorrow!" other days it would say something like "Technology Fair Tonight!" or "Congratulations Graduates of the School of Technology!" It's quite the spectacle at night.

"7:45" Kade says. Everett and I nod in response.

Kade smirks "But it's really 7:47!"

"Ugh! I hate when you do that!" I grin and launch myself toward him. Expecting the worst, Kade hopped to the side like a bunny being pounced on by wolf. A laugh bubbles up inside of me. Everett sneaks up behind me and snatches my middle, picking me up. I laugh harder. He dangles me over one muscular shoulder and starts walking slowly to my bed.

"Okay bedtime. Tomorrow we need to be up early." My oldest brother says loudly trying to keep a straight face as Kade sticks his tongue out at me walking behind Everett and I. I laugh 'till my stomach hurts. Everett's voice is barely audible over my uncontrollable laughing and Kade's teasing. We all reach the bedroom and Everett drops me onto the smallest bed and swiftly turns around to face Kade. The expression on his face is priceless. It's a mixture of humor, guilt, and almost everything in between. My laughs are muffled by my pillow as Everett playfully mauls Kade into his bed.

Once the chaos ends and everyone settles in Everett speaks up again, but this time I don't entirely mind

"We will stay strong guys." He pauses and I can almost see the smirk dance on his face "Happy Hunger Games everyone, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

A/N Hey guys sorry for the late-ness and shortness of this chapter but I'm finally out of school! BOOMTOWN! Anyway,,, if you guys are getting extremely bored with my story; #1 - Dont' Hate #2 - It will get MUCH more interesting in the next couple chapters. Next chapter is the reaping and them things will take off I promise! So peace out! love you all! and of course: REVIEWS ARE LOVE!

-GTHN