As I get ready for the day, I notice my siblings sitting quietly in the corner of the room: Oliver, Sophia, Divna, Piku and Pue. I know what they are thinking about. I hate that they are even thinking about that. This year, on 15th July, I turned twelve years old and as soon as I turned twelve the Capitol of Panem added my name for the reaping ceremony which is going to be held today on 30th July.

"Wake up early and get ready for the day," Mother told me last night.

I am not sure if I am ready for any of it and I don't know if my family is ready for anything like this. I hope the odds are in my favour because I want to be there for my family.

"Hey" brings me back to reality. I turn around and see Mother.

"Are you ready?" she asks.

"Yes. Let's go." I reply smiling at my siblings.

My seven-year-old sister, Pue, smiles back and runs toward me to hold my hand. All of us walk out of our house clasping each other's hands hoping that at least today, it's not me.

Like every year, bright and bubbly as ever, Effie Trinket is here to pick the tributes from District 11 for the Hunger Games. She walks to the podium and gives her signature, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!" She talks a little about how she is glad to be here and what an honour it is to be here.

As she speaks, I turn around to get a glimpse of my siblings and my mother. They are standing together, away from me but praying for me.

"Ladies first!" Effie Trinket announces as she always does and crosses to the glass ball with the girls' names. She reaches in, digs her hand deep into the ball, and pulls out a slip of paper.

The crowd draws in a collective breath and then there's pin-drop silence. I cross my fingers and hope that it's not me, not me.

Effie Trinket crosses back to the podium, smoothes the slip of paper, and reads out the name in a clear voice.

"Rue Barnette"

I stand there stiff. I don't know what to do next. I look around and I am not able to hear anything. I see my sisters and my brother run towards me and they wrap their

arms around me which wakes me up. "No Rue, don't go! Don't go!" they keep screaming.

A few men from the district lift my siblings and take them away from me. Mother walks towards me with tears in her eyes and hugs me tightly. I don't want this, she doesn't want this but it's happening. So, we have to face it today. I let Mother go. I swallow hard and start to walk towards the stage with my head held up high in the air.

"Lovely!" says Effie Trinket staring me in the eyes.

"Let's give her a round of applause!" she exclaims, turning towards the audience. Everyone, all at once, turns their head downwards and there's no sound for a few seconds.

Not amazed, Effie Trinket continues, "Now it's time to choose our boy tribute!"

She crosses to the ball that contains the boys' names and grabs the

first slip she encounters. She zips back to the podium, and reads the name, "Thresh Brown".

The mayor finishes the dreary Treaty of Treason and motions for Thresh

and me to shake hands. He is around 18 years old, a strong, powerful boy who can kill me in one go, however, there's sadness in his eyes, as he looks at me. But I don't want to get distracted by this! He is my competitor in the arena. We turn back to face the crowd as the anthem of Panem plays.

The moment the anthem ends, we are taken to an enclosed place. Once inside, I'm conducted to a room and left alone. The room has thick, deep carpets, couches and chairs. When I sit on the couch, I can't help running my fingers over the

fabric repeatedly. This helps me calm myself as I try to prepare for the next hour.

The time allotted for the tributes to say goodbye to their loved ones. I don't know how I am going to face them.

The Peacekeeper guides my family to the room. Piku and Mother are holding hands but as they walk inside, I notice something very unusual in Mother's left hand, it's a diary. Why would she bring a dairy here? And why now?

They come towards me and sit around. Mother keeps the diary on the chair near the couch. They wrap their arms around me tightly. For a few minutes, we say nothing. Pue's tiny hands make their space in my skinny hands and so do Divna's cute little fingers. Mother sits beside Pue, but Sophia and Oliver move a little away from me. They stand with their hands around their chest and heads down.

Mother stands up and picks up the diary.

She gives me the diary and discloses, "This is for you! I know going there and fighting will be tough. You will miss us and home. Use this diary to write your feelings and anything and everything you want. And please don't repeat the same mistake that your father made."

I know what she means. "Mom, I have to fight for him. He did the right thing".

"So you will leave us alone like your father!!" she yells and starts to cry.

I saw this coming but I don't know who's right- Mother who wants me to win the Hunger Games so that we can live a better life. Or my father who wanted me to stay away from the Hunger Games so that we could live a better life.

Oliver adds, "Please come back alive, that's the most important thing for now. We need you alive. We can't lose you, sister".

As I step forward to explain further, the Peacekeeper comes to the door, signalling our time is up. I don't know what to do so I hug Oliver tightly. Sophia, Piku, Pue and Divna hug us. Within a few seconds, Mother joins us all. Now it looks like we're all hugging one another tightly, and it hurts. But all I've been saying is "I love you. I love you all," since the peacekeeper's signal And they're saying it back. We cling to each other like magnets before the Peacekeepers order them to leave. As they make their way out, I grasp the diary. It is the first gift that Mother has given me since my father's death. Then, the door shuts.