Finally, out of the Careers! No more overconfident ax-crazy blood knights! ...at least, not as high a concentration of them...

Fun Fact of the Chapter: This tribute's creator, an anonymous reader, wrote the "Family/Background" section in story format.

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Teagan Stratus, District Five

Over the last two months, my sister has broken down almost completely, acting sometimes as if she were seven, instead of seventeen. I can't blame her, although sometimes I get tired of having to assure her that we're fine every five minutes.

Today, on Reaping Day, she is completely dysfunctional. As I pull her down the stairs to get breakfast, she's screaming hysterically, thrashing about, and eventually falling to the floor and just sobbing. Oh, God...

"Kari." I bend down next to her and whisper into her ear in an attempt to calm her down. "Kari, we're fine, we're safe, nobody can get us here, they don't even know about us..."

"B-b-but-" she sputters, collapsing again to the floor. "Th-th-the-the Hunger Games! Th-th-the C-C-C-Capitol is going to f-find us and th-th-then it'll b-be o-o-o-"

"Shhh, Kari." I wrap my arms around her shoulders. "We're safe."

It's all a lie, of course, but better for Kari to be ignorant of the actual extent of the danger we're in. As soon as we sign in to the Reaping, the Capitol is immediately alerted to our presence here and can track us at all times. And if one of us gets called into the Games... there's no hope.

No, stop thinking about that, Teagan. That kind of thinking won't do you or Kari any good. You have to remain strong, all right? All right. Okay. Now get Kari breakfast.

"Is everything all right down there, girls?" Uncle Denison calls from upstairs.

"It's... good," I reply, hoping that he'll know what to make of Kari's latest breakdown. He just sighs and I hear a thud as his feet hit the floor. "I'm coming, Tea, hold on."

I take Kari's hand and lead her into the kitchen, where she sits down in one of the chairs and puts her head down on the table, sobbing. I rummage through the cabinets for some food and come out with three ration packet meals, one for each member of the family, which should sustain us for the day. I hand one to Kari—more like toss it in her direction, since she doesn't really respond—and then sit down and start on my own.

Uncle Denison enters, yawning, and then takes sight of Kari and me. He strides over to Kari and crouches down, trying that whispering-that-she's-safe thing that I tried earlier. It seems to work better when he does it, because Kari lifts her head up and takes in a few deep breaths. But then again, our "Uncle" Denison is one of Five's few child psychologists, whose job is mostly to calm our children down so that they'll be functional enough to do research work.

Technically, Kari has a job as Denison's personal assistant, but that's mostly for the purposes of appeasing the Capitol overseers who frown upon dysfunctional 17-year-olds who do nothing to help the district all day. Mostly, Kari is allowed to wander around the house doing what she wants, except when Uncle Denison has to report to the district supervisors, during which Kari just stands with him holding a bunch of folders and tries to remain professional-looking. For the most part, it works.

"Teagan, you'd better get dressed for the Reaping," says Uncle Denison. "I'll get Kari ready; you worry about yourself."

I nod, and head up the stairs to my small corner of a room that Kari and I share. We didn't make it out of our old house with much, but Uncle Denison has managed to get us some new clothes, including Reaping dresses. Mine is a soft grayish sort of shade, nothing too fancy, but presentable enough. I slip it over my head and run my fingers through my short hair, thinking.

The Capitol is going to put one of us in the Games, for sure. I've seen it happen before. Disobedient genius-children trying to use their research against the Capitol. The children of adult scientists doing the same. The sons and daughters of those who used their contacts in other districts to instigate a rebellion. They all get reaped, some way or another, to save the glorious Capitol and punish those who do not honor its superiority.

People like my parents, who didn't do a good enough job of concealing their hatred...

I take in a few deep breaths. Kari would never be able to handle the Hunger Games. She'd break down completely and go mad, and that would not help her chances of survival.

But what about me? I'm smart and resourceful, and relatively fast. I know how to think under panic, and I've brushed with life-threatening situations several times. Why couldn't I win the Hunger Games?

Because the Capitol wants you dead, stupid. And what the Capitol wants dead, they kill. Besides, you don't even know how to wield a weapon.

"You ready, Tea?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," I mutter, coming down the stairs and heading off to the lottery of doom with my sister in tow.

We sign in and head off to our respective sections. Uncle Denison tells me he's going to go keep Kari calm, and I'm left alone, staring at the giant glass bowl that held my fate. Would my name be drawn? Would Kari's?

I don't pay much attention to the mayor's speeches or even the presentation of the victors, mostly because a million thoughts are racing around in my head. Strategies for the Games, what to do if Kari were picked, ways to avoid it if anyone asks, "Hey, who are you and where are your parents?"

The escort flounces up, a woman named Thesaura desperately trying to sound intelligent to the population of District Five, which never falls for her act. "Salutations, Region Quintessential!" she squeaks, and I notice my knees start to shake. "It is the hour for us to decide whom is chosen to traverse to the Capitol!"

She sticks her hand in the bowl rather carelessly, stops to straighten her glasses, and draws out the name. I brace myself.

"Our fortunate pistillate tribute this twelvemonth is... Teagan Stratus!"

Well, at least it's not Kari. That would have been...

Oh my God oh my God oh my...

Relax. Calm down. You can't let them know you're afraid...

Hell, I'm never making it out of there alive...

Run, hide, learn to work a knife, run at any sight of danger, learn to hunt, eat off berries... smart and resourceful and relatively fast, able to think in a panic, a survivor in life-threatening situations...

My body has reflexively run up to the stage, skidding to a stop at the top of the stairs. I take in a few quick, short breaths, and then stare at Thesaura, almost uncomprehending. She breaks out into a grin. "Teagan Stratus, everyone!"

Oh... God. I'm going to the Hunger Games.

I hear a strangled cry from the 17-year-old section and close my eyes lightly. Kari. She's not going to be able to stand me dying on national television. She'll break down for sure, just like she is right now. "Kari, calm down," I whisper automatically, even though she can't hear me. "Kari, it's going to be fine. Kari, Uncle Denison will make sure everything's all right." This calms me down somewhat.

Thesaura reaps the boy, Veras Valdez, a thin, small, quiet boy with intelligent green eyes, and then we're shipped off to the Justice Building. My final goodbyes consist mostly of trying to calm down Kari while giving some instructions to Uncle Denison. Kari manages to collect herself enough to give me a kiss and say "goodbye, Teagan" before bursting into tears. Uncle Denison murmurs, "I hope to see you again, Tea," while ushering Kari out the door.

The rest of the hour is spent in silence, with me trying to sort out my thoughts. Once they release me from the room I'm running and running and running towards the train, through the rows of cameras trying to snap a photo. I outrun them all and throw open the doors to the train cabin, bursting through room after room and finally settling in an empty kitchen cabinet and curling up into a little ball.

It's just like being in the tunnels again. I really don't want to go where I'm going, but there's no other choice, and I'd rather be here than there.

The train whistle blows, and we're off.