Innermuse A/N: Thanks so much for your support, guys! I'm so happy every time that I see someone review... it always makes me want to post a new chapter (hint, hint!). Anyways, the District 10 selections are brought to us by TheSwordofGodricGryffindor. (You're the best, Bekah!) Please give a warm welcome to your newest contestant: Aela Blackthorne!

I pant and tighten my grip on the tree branch, then look back over my shoulder to the ground. Kliff is grinning up at me. He betted that I couldn't get an egg from the mockingjay nest up on the top branch, and he can see my hesitation.

"You scared, Aela?" he teases me now, cupping his hands around his mouth so I can hear him better.

"You wish!" I yell back, and continue climbing. It's slow going, but at least it's winter, so I don't have a bunch of stupid leaves waving in my face. I can clearly see the nest through the branches ahead.

Now I'm just two branches away from the nest. Suddenly, I hear a flutter of wings, and a black wing with a white stripe flashes past my ear. The mother mockingjay! She perches on the edge of her nest, her beady black eyes surveying me, judging me to be a threat or not. Her long, thin beak glitters in the winter sun, and I can't help but gulp; she could poke my eyes out with that thing in a second.

"Aela!" yells Kliff, although his voice is much fainter now. "Get away from there!" I would ask him what the catch is, but then his voice drifts up: "The bet is off! Get out of there!"

I don't have to be told twice. As much as I love animals, a mother mockingjay can become quite territorial when it comes to their babies. Quickly, I begin shimmying back down the tree, but this obviously startles the mother. With a huge flap of her wings, she follows me, landing on the branch above me, as though ushering me down. I look over my shoulder, and Kliff's mouth is wide open.

"What's it doing?" he asks, bewildered.

"I... I don't know," I answer. I go down a few more branches, and the bird follows me.

"Just keep on doing whatever you're doing!" Kliff coaches.

"I'm not doing anything!" I yell, climbing down faster now.

"Exactly! Keep doing nothing!"

I roll my eyes and am finally close enough to the ground. I let go of the branch and jump, landing firmly on the ground. I am about to turn to Kliff and walk away with him when I hear the mockingjay fluttering its wings again. Suddenly, sharp claws dig into my shoulder, and although my first instinct is to shriek and pull away, I force myself to be silent.

The mockingjay is on my shoulder.

Kliff stares at me with his mouth open. "Well?" I say impatiently, "Are you going to help me get this thing off my shoulder or not?"

"I don't think I need to," Kliff says slowly.

"What?" Now my mouth is open. "You know, you may be my brother, but it's not much use being my relative if you won't even pick up a stick and hit a bird for me."

"No, no," he says. "It's like... the bird is protecting you..."

"You've got to be kidding me." If the motion wouldn't scare the bird, I'd slap my forehead. Instead, I just roll my eyes.

"Sing to it," Kliff says suddenly.

"Uh... there's a slight problem with that idea, Kliff..." I say. "I'm not a good singer!"

"You're fine!" Kliff rolls his eyes. "What do you think it is, a choir director? If anything, it'll scare the thing away."

I stare at my brother for a second. If he's right, our problems are over. If he's wrong... well, I guess I can still rake the garden with only one eye.

With a deep breath, I open my mouth and start singing. a District 12 song that my mother taught me.

Deep in the meadow
Under the willow
A bed of grass
A soft green pillow

I pause for a moment, wondering what the effect will be. The bird has gone completely still. Then, I hear my notes echoed in clear, high form, right beside me. Kliff is grinning like crazy. Once the bird has finished my song, it spreads its wings and, brushing the side of my face with its soft feathers, it returns to its nest.

Kliff and I watch it, and then stare at each other.

"That was spooky," I say.

"Yeah," Kliff says, dazed, "Bloody brilliant, but spooky. Let's get back home before Mom sends out a search party. After all," he continues as we begin to head back through the pastures toward our old farmhouse, "you still have to get ready for the Pageant Selection."

My forehead creases as we go through a wooden fence and run past a grazing cow. "I am ready."

Kliff looks at me, then bursts out laughing. "What?" I say defensively. My plaid shirt and jeans aren't ripped or anything, and my hair is still in its ponytail.

"You're going to go looking like that?" he asks, chuckling.

"Yeah," I say. "I mean, there are tons of girls in District 10. I'm not exactly likely to get chosen."

"Ah, I'm just razzing you," Kliff says. He tousles my hair. "You look great, Sport."

"I'm glad," I say impishly, "cuz if not, I'd have to kill you!" Then I try to jump up and tousle his hair. He nimbly avoids me and I land in the snow with a graceless plop. He starts laughing at me, and begins running back to the house. Smiling and laughing myself, I happily follow.

About fifteen minutes later, Kliff and I have headed to the square for the selection. He punches me in the shoulder good-naturedly and then goes off to join his buddies at the side. I search for my friends, Kurtis and Kristin, and find them.

"Hey," I say, walking up to them as they talk, "I just realized that all my friends' names start with K's."

Kristin laughs. "Nice observation, Aela." She looks down at my clothes and smiles. "I see you're wearing your finest."

Smiling, I turn in a circle. "Only the finest for the Capitol," I chuckle.

Kurtis smiles at Kristin as she laughs, and my heart sinks into my stomach. Kurtis and I had been best friends since before either of us could use a pitchfork. Then, a year or two ago, Kristin moved here from another part of the District. It was love at first sight for the two of them.

So, of course, it should be pretty obvious that I had to like Kurtis too.

It kills me not to be able to talk to either of them about it, but at least I have Kliff. He's my number one confidante. I can tell him anything and I know that he won't breathe a word of it to a single soul. In turn, I listen to his rants against the Capitol and don't shush him, even when he's going way out of line.

It's not like we talk against the Capitol right in front of Peacekeepers or anything; we're always careful to only use that sort of talk out in the pastures where we're sure the Capitol hasn't planted any bugs. But even then, we always survey our surroundings before we open our mouths.

Just then, the Capitol escort, a man with green snakeskin tattoos and poison green eyes comes up on the platform. He smiles with his forked tongue, and I can't help but shiver. Ugh, the things people in the Capitol will do for supposed beauty... like holding a pageant.

I really hope that I don't get chosen.

"The time hasss come to ssselect a sssensssational little girl for the honor of represssenting Dissstrict 10 in the firssst ever Princccesss of Panem Beauty Pageant," he hisses with an eerie voice.

He moves in a slithering way over to the glass ball. As he chooses a paper and returns to the mic, I loathe the idea that my name could be in his slimy hands, gobbled up by his greedy snake-like eyes...

"Aela Blackthorne!"

I can't go to the Pageant! I don't know a thing about makeup or hair. I'm not even pretty!

But, of course, I can't do anything except walk up the steps and face the rest of my District, flushing with a mixture of embarrassment and terror. Now all of Panem will be able to watch my crash and burn.

Just great.