I hope you liked the first chapter, sorry I'm slow at writing up more, I did warn you! I'd love for you to Review as I haven't had any yet (I think) and it would be nice... anyway! Enjoy.. :D


I hear a scream behind me. I put my hands over my ears to cover up the sound, before realising who it was that had made such a dreadful noise. People stare at me, feeling sorry for me. Well I don't want their pity. I stand up straight, and wipe all emotion from my face. People step aside. Creating a path that leads right to the stage. When I'm a metre away from the steps that lead up to it, I feel arms around my waist, and I turn to find Aimee clinging on to me. 'No! No! You can't take Aeyia! Don't take away my sister!' she screams at the top of her lungs.

'Aimee, stop this. You know that I have to go. Go and find Wolf. Please.' She still won't budge, and eventually Peacekeepers have to come and drag her away. I stiffly make my way up the steps and take my place on stage. By this point, Angelinetta is grinning wildly and shaking her head. There is seriously something wrong with this woman! I cough and she blinks out of her daydream.

'Well!' she exclaims, 'Congratulations, and what a fun day we are having! Now, time to pick the boy's.' she shoves her hand in the boy's ball and reaches right down to the very bottom. When she has finally got hold of the slip of paper she wants, she whips her hand out, as if she has just been stung. 'Danyl Harper!' she shrieks. I wince at the volume, and notice that so do a few in the crowd.

A rather tall, strong-looking boy steps up onto the stage. He is congratulated and then takes his place beside me. The Mayor explains the Treaty of Treason and tells us to shake hands, and the anthem of Panem plays.

We are then escorted into the Justice building and pushed into separate rooms. My room is beautiful. It has a pink sofa in the centre of the room, with a few armchairs and a small coffee table. I sit on the sofa and lean my head back against the soft fabric. Suddenly the door is opened and I jump up. In come Aimee, Dad, and Wolf. Aimee has tears pouring down her face, Dad is absolutely expressionless, and Wolf is frowning with his eyes trained on the floor. I tell myself not to cry. I can't look weak for the cameras. Because there will be cameras; at the train station, in the Capitol, cameras everywhere. I run across the room and throw my arms around my Dad's shoulders, startling him. I don't know why it was him I chose to say goodbye to first. He hasn't really talked to us for years. But now he relaxes. Now he speaks.
'Good luck, Aeyia.' He whispers in a shaky voice.

'Thanks, Dad.' I whisper back. Now I really am at risk of crying. I step back and smile at him, then turn to Wolf. 'You okay?' I ask.
'Me? Don't you think I should be the one asking you that? You are the one that's about to enter an arena and fight to the death against 23 other teenagers. Oh, what a great birthday present that is for you!' He lets out a short laugh, and then breaks down in tears, wrapping his arms around me and squeezing me tightly. 'I know you can do it, if you believe in yourself.' He pulls away and smiles at me.

I was starting to loathe all of these sympathetic smiles. But I didn't even think of it when Wolf smiled. I look him in the eyes and I can see his fear. Then Aimee jumps on me and we topple over, giggling like children. I guess that's because we are children. When we both regain our feet, she grabs my arm, suddenly serious. 'You have to win. You know about plants, and you can climb. You're fast, and you're good with a knife from cutting the tough fruit from the trees. If you really try, you might be able to win. And you have to. You will definitely try, right?'

I'm not going to win. But I don't tell her that. 'I will definitely try. I promise that I will definitely try. I love you.' A Peacekeeper comes in and tells us our time is up. They all make their way to the door. And all of us are screaming 'I love you! Don't forget! I love you forever and always!' It's what my Mother used to say to us every night before we went to sleep. Every night until the day she died. And suddenly I'm afraid to blink. Afraid that if I do, I will never get to see them again. But I don't need to blink for that to happen. I hear them all one last time, 'I love you! Don't forget! I love you forever and always!' and then the door is slammed shut and I will never see them again.

I don't have any more visitors, which isn't particularly surprising, considering the fact that I don't have any friends. I just sit and wait until it is time for me to board the train.

At least I was right about something. When we get to the train station there are cameras everywhere. But I don't cry. I barely even blink. It was as if I were dead already. My face shows nothing at all. I'm glad. No one will be able to call me weak yet. I don't look at anyone. I just slip through the crowd, silently, calmly. I board the train and when the door is closed, I immediately collapse onto a sofa that sits in the corner of the room. I can't feel my legs, I can't feel anything. I just lay there, unmoving, until Angelinetta comes and pulls me up so that I can sit at the table and have some dinner.

The food is beautiful. And there's loads of it. Huge baskets piled high with fresh rolls, plates and bowls containing countless dishes that I have never seen before, salads, cake, sweets, and each of us gets a selection of drinks. I shovel food down my throat, having never had this much to eat in my whole life. A thick vegetable soup, delicious roast lamb covered in a mint sauce and roast potatoes, and for dessert I eat about five of the delicious rose cupcakes. After gorging myself on the richest and most amazing food I have ever tasted, I feel rather sick. I'm not used to having such a vast array of food choices. No one seems to want to talk to me anyway, so I ask to be shown to my room. As soon as I close the door, I fall onto the bed and cry for the first time since my name was read out. And I cry myself to sleep.