I decide to follow the crowds of people. It seems like the easiest way to get to wherever I'm supposed to be. I see a little girl crying with her mom's arm around her shoulder and decide to follow them. She must be crying because of the reaping. If she isn't, I am glad I'm leaving this district today.

Sure enough, the people lead me, unknowingly, to the place I'm supposed to be. The mayor waves me up onto the stage upon sight of me. I walk up the side stairs and I am thankful they put work into the making of this building.

"Are you ready? These folks are all very excited about a new escort!" He tells me. Those people don't look too excited, but I don't say anything.

"Yes! Where do I sit?" I ask him. He leads me over to a set of three chairs. The first, obviously the mayor's, the second, mine, and the third, the miserable Haymitch. Ugh. I have to sit next to him.

He comes stumbling over, obviously totally drunk. He collapses into his seat and half smiles at me, so I can see all of his crooked, yellow, and sometimes missing, teeth. Hasn't he heard of whitening toothpaste?

"Hey, darling. Ready to send some kids to their death?" He says. I ignore him. I don't really want to work with him at all. At that point, I realize I'm going to be training these kids on my own. I really wish I could be sitting inside of that booth that controls what presents are sent with all the other victors. I would love for that to happen because we would have some chance. I am like all the other people in this district. I blame all the deaths on Haymitch.

Thankfully, the ceremony starts soon. Throughout the entire speech about the history of the Hunger Games, I am too concerned with trying to get fresh air. Haymitch smells like alcohol and it stinks.

I jump out of my seat when I am cued up to pick the names. I realize that I don't have a good tagline. I decide to make up something on the five seconds it takes me to walk up to the microphone.

"May the odds be ever in your favor!" I exclaim. I hope that didn't sound too stupid. I walk over to the ball of girls' names. It has at least a thousand names. I shove my hand in the bowl and swirl it around a couple of times until my hand settles on a piece of paper. I walk back over to the microphone and unfold the piece of paper. With it, I unfold the fate of one of these unlucky young girls.

"Orianna Beverly!" Orianna comes up out of the 14 year old section. She has brown hair, cut unevenly at her shoulders. She looks short and skinny, like most of the other children, but looking at her, you would think she is 12. She is wearing a pretty pink dress with a red bow tied around her waist. Her old leather shoes have a hole in the left side, where only I can see.

I step over to the boys' names and stick my hand in. This time, I am trying to find a piece of paper that holds the name of a large boy that could win. I wish these pieces weren't cut so evenly. I settle on a name, probably making these boys go through a torturous wait.

"Kaleb Hammer!" A boy steps forward and before I even see him, I know he is from the 18 year old section from all the commotion there. Then, I see him, a large boy with jet black hair. He wears a red t-shirt and black dress pants. The best thing about him is his muscles, maybe already working in the mines. I don't really know the rules around here about working in the mines. Actually, I don't know any of the rules.

With that, the Reaping wraps up. Kaleb and Orianna are rushed off to talk to their parents and friends. I walk over to the side stage and grab my suitcase from the Avox. Then, we head off to the train without stopping to talk to anybody.

I get on the train and take the same room I had traveling here. Across the hallway is the board room, where we will talk about what our game plan is, without the tributes knowing. The room next door is Haymitch's room and farther down the hallway are the rooms for the two tributes. At the very end of the hallway is the door to the dining room.

I am happy that this will always be my room as long as I stay the escort for District 12 because it means I won't have to move all my makeup every year. I have 3 makeup boxes with every color of lip gloss, eye shadow, eye pencil, mascara, blush, and tons more. My closet is stuffed full with clothes too. I start picking out my outfit for tomorrow, one of my favorite hobbies back home.

I really don't miss the Capitol too much. This train is pretty much an extension of the Capitol on wheels. We are even going to have the same food I eat back home. I miss my friends and family and the hustle of the city streets.

Just as I finish my totally pink outfit for the next day, the tributes load themselves onto the train. Haymitch comes stumbling in, and I get a whiff of his odor as he walks by my room. Luckily, he locks himself in his room.

I head out for dinner but I stop and gather the tributes before I head in. I just hope they aren't in their looking out the window, crying, and refusing to come out of their room. They aren't so we walk into the dining room together. The Avoxes have made a lovely meal of all of my favorite foods from the Capitol and some from District 12. We each prepare our plates and then sit down at the table.

"Hello, Orianna. Hello, Kaleb. Are you excited?" I ask them, taking a sip of my hot chocolate.

"Excited to be sent off to my death? No." Orianna replies. She stares at her plate not eating anything.

"We might win. Maybe." Kaleb tries to encourage her. He actually eats, like I would expect. These kids should be starving.

"Try the eggs. They are really good." Kaleb says to Orianna. She gives him a glance to see if she is kidding, which he isn't, and then she eats her deviled egg like it is going to kill her.

"Is Haymitch coming?" Orianna asks me. It surprises me that she actually wants him here. It's weird.

"Probably not and I don't see why you would want him here. He is dozing away in his room surrounded by empty beer bottles." I sigh and take another sip of my hot chocolate. Just then, Haymitch stumbles in, pumping into the dessert table, and then collapses into the chair.

"Look what you two did! Haymitch is here!" I exclaim, rushing over to the dessert table, trying to save at least some of the cookies.