District Ten

Damien Dragomir

*BANG BANG BANG!*

"DRAGOMIR!"

*BANG BANG BANG!*

"DADDY! NO!"

*BANG BANG BANG!*

"DADDY! PLEASE, DON'T DIE! PLEASE!"

I wake up from the nightmare with sweat dripping down my forehead. I have this dream at least once per month. I don't know why. It just happens to me.

The memory of my father's death haunts me. I was only eight years old. I'm eighteen now, and I should be over it by now. Well, I'm not over it. It still haunts me. It haunts me every time I hear a gunshot.

My father was shot by the Peacekeepers because he stole food from the market. I was there to see it happen. The shots were so loud! He screamed my name because he knew I was present. He didn't want me to watch him die.

That wasn't the worst thing that happened though. Shortly after that, my mother abandoned us. I have six brothers and sisters, and our mom decided to abandon us when we were young. My older brother, Sirius, took over as the father in our family. I helped out a lot too. I decided to hunt for animals and sell them at the market to get food for my family, but I have to be careful. I can't get caught by the Peacekeepers.

I am now eighteen years old, and my life is going pretty well. I've survived the reapings for the Hunger Games every year. I really hope that continues this year.

"Damien, it's time to go," my twin sister, Sakura, says as she walks into my bedroom. I sit up in my bed and smile.

"Okay. I have to get dressed," I say. She looks at me and frowns.

"Did you have that dream again?" she asks. I shake my head and frown.

"No, I don't know what you're talking about," I say. She smiles and looks at me.

"I know you're lying. You have to stop having those dreams, Damien. You're never going to get over the past if you keep living in it," she says. I shake my head and stand up from my bed.

"How am I supposed to forget about Dad?" I ask.

"I'm not telling you to forget about Dad. I am not going to forget him. I just want you to forget his death. I want you to forget how he died. I want you to move on and live for the future," she says. She hands me a red shirt, black jacket, black jeans and a mockingjay with a Sakura pin. She gave it to me when we both turned sixteen. It's my favorite thing in the world. I will die for my sister. She means everything to me. She's been there for me as my best friend my entire life.

"Get dressed and meet me downstairs," she says. She smiles and runs her hands through my black hair. It has red highlights, and I always wear it in a ponytail. She smiles and turns to the door.

"I love you, you know. That's why this day is so hard for me," she says. I smile and look at you.

"It's even harder for me," I say. She turns and smiles. She runs out of my bedroom and I smile. We have always said that every year for the reapings. It's the truth though. She loves me, but it will always be harder for me.

I quickly get dressed and run downstairs. Sakura is standing at the front door with our younger siblings. Our brother, Miroku, is fifteen. He loves our family, and he loves to fight. Honestly, I don't think he would win the Hunger Games though. He's too sweet. Our younger sister, Grace, is fourteen. She's just so precious, like her name. She brings pleasure to everyone. Our other young sister, Katie, is thirteen. She's also a twin to our brother, Danny. They fight all the time. They never get along, and it's kind of depressing. I'm sure they love each other. I'm sure this is their special bond, but it's weird. I would never fight with Sakura.

We walk to the district square. We see our district escort, Igor, standing at the stage. I look at my siblings and smile. I glance over at Sakura and smile.

"You're going to be fine," I say. She smiles and nods her head.

"The same with you," she says. I turn and stand in the boys' section of the crowd. Igor stands up and walks over to the microphone.

"Hello! I am very excited to see all of you today! The Hunger Games is an exciting time of the year, I must admit. It's exciting for me, and it's exciting for you. I am excited to see who our tributes are for this year. This is the 100th Hunger Games, so this is going to be a very exciting game! I can't wait for it to get started! Let's pick our girl tribute!"

He turns and walks over to the girls' name bowl. He smiles and slips his hand in it. He turns and walks over to the microphone. I look over at the bowl. Wait a minute….that's not the girls' name bowl. He went to the boys' bowl by mistake. Oh, gosh!

"Oh, I'm sorry. I accidentally went to the boys' name bowl. I'm sorry, folks! My mistake!" he shouts. I close my eyes and pray that I am not picked.

"Boris Regan."

I open my eyes and look for the unfortunate person who was picked. I see a young boy kicking and screaming as he is dragged onto the stage. He looks like he's only twelve years old.

"I DON'T WANT TO GO!" he shouts.

My heart is torn. This young boy should not be forced to go into the Hunger Games. He is going to die. He needs to be safe with his family. I have to do something about this. I just have to stop this from happening!

"Stop! I volunteer!" I shout. I step out of the crowd and look at Igor.

"Excuse me?" he asks. I stare straight ahead and nod my head.

"I volunteer for this young boy. I will take his place. I volunteer," I say.

"NO!" I hear Sakura shout from the girls' section of the crowd. I wince when I hear her shout.

"Are you sure?" Igor asks. I nod my head.

"I'm older than him. I have a better chance. Let him stay here with his family. Please, I am begging you. Let me take his place," I say. Igor smiles and looks at the crowd.

"Well, come on up here, young man!" he shouts into the microphone. I walk up the steps to the stage. I stand next to him and look at the crowd. My eyes find Sakura. My heart begins to shake when I see her crying.

"What is your name?" Igor asks me. I turn to look at you.

"Damien Dragomir," I say. He smiles and holds up my hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen of District Ten, I present to you your boy tribute for the 100th Hunger Games! Damien Dragomir!" he shouts. I look out at them and force a smile on my face.

I can do this. I can win this. No, I have to do this. I have to win this. I have to win this for my family.

Sakura Dragomir

"NO!" I shout when I hear Damien volunteer as the tribute. He can't do this! He can't do this to me!

When I hear Igor announce his name, I can't help but cry. Why is he doing this? Why is he doing this to us?

"Let's choose our girl tribute," Igor says. He walks over to the girls' name bowl and picks out a slip of paper. He walks over to the microphone and smiles.

"Georgia Williams."

I quickly step out of the crowd and raise my hand.

"Stop! I volunteer!" I shout. I hear people in the crowd gasp. They know who I am. They know I'm Damien's twin sister. To most people, this is a shock. It's not shocking to me. I have to do this. I have to be in the Games with my brother.

"Sakura!" Damien shouts. Igor looks at him.

"Do you two know each other?" he asks. I walk up onto the stage and stand next to Damien.

"Yes, we do," I say.

"What is your name?" he asks. I look at him confidently and smile.

"Sakura Dragomir. I'm Damien's twin sister, and I am ready to win this with him," I say. I turn and look at him. Damien shakes his head.

"No, Sakura. You can't do this," he says. I look at him and frown.

"Yes, I can. We can do this together," I say. I turn to the crowd and smile.

We can do this. I know we can. We're twins. Everything always works out for twins.