Hi! This is my very first fanfiction and so I hope that you all enjoy it! Please leave a review and a like. Although it won't make me write it will definitely encourage me.

This fanfiction is mainly just a feel good but it does has some emotional and also highly satirical moments in it. It will not be entirely realistic and there will be a lot of people who sometimes go ooc.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games novels they belong to Suzanne Collins, and I don't make any money off this... Unfortunately. ) :

I wake up with a grin on my face.

Today is reaping day. Feared by most of District 12, but not by me. Why? Because for the last 4 years I have trained as a career for the games.

Of course as there isn't an academy to train us in 12 I've been trained by a mixture of myself, Haymitch, and Effie, when she's in 12 anyway. Not that she knows she's been training me. She simply thinks that I'm overly interested in manners and heels.

I bound out of bed quickly, momentarily pausing as the crisp air engulfs me. I turn around to see that I must have left the window open all night.

"For fucks sake." I grumble to myself. As I sleepily make my way over to the window, I trip on something and fall flat on my face.

" Meeeeooooowwww." Oops. Sorry Ginger.

I finally reach the window, without tripping over anymore cats, and smile when I see the weather. It's a perfect June day. An endless blue sky, dotted with massive white fluffy clouds that are only overshined ( pun intended) by the bright warm light from the sun.

I look over at the clock.

10 am.

I don't usually oversleep, but as reaping days are one of the few that I get off from training I very rarely wake up early on them.

I get into the shower, which has to be one of the most stupid contraptions that the capitol has ever invented.

A couple of years ago I spent an entire day in there, figuring out what all of the buttons did. Then I labelled all of them, so I didn't forget. Half of the buttons are a load of shit anyway, I mean come on "peanut scented glitter conditioner" who in Panem would actually use that.

Actually second thought, Effie would use that.

I don't bother to do my hair and makeup, Haymitch's prep team will do that for me.

In fact since Haymitch doesn't even let them go within 3 miles of him, I'm pretty sure that dressing me up is the highlight of their year.

I cautiously open the dress bag that Haymitch left out for me last night. Please don't be covered in tulle, please don't be covered in tulle, please don't be-.

I take a sharp intake of breath.

For a start it's not tulle. It's also incredibly beautiful. I have no clue who bought this, but it is most definitely not Haymitch.

The dress is very simple, spaghetti straps for sleeves, a sweetheart neckline and a pleated skirt, that by the looks of it, will end just above my knees. The colour is a very pale sage green.

I carefully put it on, being careful not to crease it. The material feels crepey almost, but tougher?

I can't spend all of my time looking in the mirror though, so I reluctantly pull my eyes away from the mirror and make my way downstairs.

The second that my foot hits the hallway floor, I am suddenly attacked by three very colourful and weird looking people.

" Rosieeeee!!!" They all squeal in unison. I smile so sweetly that there's practically sugar falling out of my mouth.

" Oh my gosh! I can't believe how much I've missed you guys! I'm so lucky to have you here to make me look pretty!" My fake Capitol accent makes me internally cringe, but it seems to please them.

" Come right this way! We have everything set out for you!" Silania is practically jumping up and down with excitement.

I like all three members of the prep team equally, but if you pressed me to pick a favourite, it would most likely be Silania. What can I say? She has really good gossip.

The other two members of the prep team are Fargos, and Callipso. They're just as over the top as Silania, but with generally more stupid outfits.

I lay there at their mercy for about an hour, listening to their chatter and conversing about the most random things like how District 8 and District 10's escort are having an affair.

See I told you that the gossip was good.

Once they've finished I look in the hand mirror that Fargos passed me. My hair is in a bun, with tendrils of loosely curled hair framing my face. My makeup is impecibly done, in shades of peach, which gives me a natural blush that I didnt know I had.

Callipso passes me a pair of heels. They're the same colour as my dress and only 3 inches high. They also have an ankle strap.

Haymitch must have had a talk about practicality with them, since last time when I sprained my ankle and fell flat on my face.

After spending a suitable amount of time admiring myself and thanking the prep team, I head towards the door. I want to talk to Katniss before the reaping.

" Hey sweetheart, don't I get a goodbye?" I turn around to see Haymitch.

" I didn't think you were up?" I question.

" Nah I was, just trying to hide from the weird parrot people."

In all fairness, I should have guessed. He hides from the prep team every year.

" I mean you look decent though, did you get dressed yourself?" I ask, curiously. I didn't think that Haymitch had either the will or the means to dress himself.

" Effie did it. Once she realised that I had no intention of letting the prep team dress me she took it upon herself to do it. " He explains rather sheepishly.

" And you let her do it?"

I'm currently rather sceptical, even for Effie, getting Haymitch to dress up nice is no easy feat.

" Actually she threatened to take my door off the hinges and tie me to a chair. "

This is the final straw for me. I burst out into peals of laughter that make my sides hurt.

When I stop laughing, Haymitch looks at me, his eyes softening slightly.

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" He asks.

This is it. This is my chance to back out. If I'm going to do it I have to do it now.

I think it over for a moment before smiling gently.

" A deal's a deal, right?" I state in a matter of fact way.

" I suppose it is darling. Have fun with your friends."

Haymitch envelopes me in a hug and I exit the house, and start walking out of Victor's village, towards the seam. I can tell that he's slightly upset by my decision, but he isn't letting it show.

Flashback:

It had been 3 months since both of my parents died in the mine accident.

The money that had been provided to us by the district had only lasted me 2 months. Once it had run out I thought about going to the community home, but I decided against it.

I would rather starve than go there.

And now here I was, actually starving. For the last few weeks I had survived on luck and kindness, but now my luck had run out and the kindness had gone with it.

After all there is only so much pity to go around.

And that is how I'd ended up at the very edge of the seam, right at the gateway to the Victor's village.

I'd been waiting here all day, hoping to catch Haymitch on the way back from the hob, hoping that he might give me some pity, give me a few more weeks.

I'd only seen him a few times, but I hoped that it was enough for him to save me.

" Who's this pretty little sweetheart blocking up my gate?"

I didn't need to even look up to know that it was him. I could smell the liquor on him, hear the raspiness of his voice.

I looked up putting on what I hoped was a pathetic hopeless face.

" Can you help me, please... Just stop me from starving."

My voice sounded weaker than I thought it was. He crouched down so he was at the same level as me.

" Sorry sweetheart, but if I helped everyone who came begging, I'd have to have a whole Victor's village worth of houses to house them in. "

He said it in his usual flippant manner, but I could see a hint of sorrow in the corner of his eyes.

" Please, I can get you anything that you want! Just help me. "

My pleading was getting more and more desperate. Heck, now I was even promising things that I knew I couldn't make happen!

" I'm sorry but there's nothing that I want, the Capitol have made sure of that. "

Towards the end of his statement his eyes went dark. He stepped past me and opened his gates, steadily striding towards his house.

" Wait!" I called out. I had an idea. An incredibly stupid idea, but an idea all the same. " I can give you a Victor. "

He turned around and stared at me like I was stupid.

" And how do you suppose your going to do that?" He asked calmly.

I took a nervous gulp of air.

" I'll train and volunteer."

Yes, I thought. An incredibly, momentously, disastrously, very stupid idea.

End of flashback.

I run along the edge of the District fence, trying to find Katniss. At this time I'll probably manage to catch her coming out of the woods, and besides it would be cruel to visit her later, while she was with her family preparing for the reaping.

" Hey Katniss!" I call, seeing her come out from underneath the wire fence.

" Hiya!" She calls back, attempting to wave.

I stand slightly awkwardly, watching her wiggle her way out from under the fence. Gale comes after her, having a harder time getting free than she did.

Me and Katniss met about 3 or 4 months after Haymitch took me in. I saw her dealing with people in the hob a few times, and after asking around I realised that she hunted.

After a few weeks of pestering and charming, Katniss took me out with her, and taught me how to use a bow and arrow. After she realised that I actually could hunt pretty well, we became fast friends. Gale took a little longer to come around but now we're friends too - well sort of.

She walks up to me, about to give me a hug, before she realises that she's covered in dirt.

" Oops, lucky that I noticed." She laughs brushing as much dirt as possible off herself.

" So are you still planning on volunteering?" Gale asks me.

I can sense an ulterior motive to his words, but I can't tell what it is. Perhaps he's scared for Katniss, or perhaps Prim?

" Yep! " My voice comes out extremely chipper. Weird.

" Sorry Rose, I'd love to talk more but I have to get back home to get ready." Katniss explains.

" No problem, see you in the square!" I call out.

" See you there!" Katniss calls back.

Gale just acknowledges this with a nod. He's not usually very talkative, but this is reaping day, so he's even less so. I don't blame him. He must have about 40 slips of paper in that bowl.

Still. There will be some with more.

I glance down at my wrist to check the time before I realise that I forgot my watch.

Oops. Oh well, the peacekeepers will alert all of us when it's time to gather in the square.

Assuming that I've been up about three hours, I have an entire hour left before the reapings.

After wandering around aimlessly for a good few minutes, I decide that I'll go to the bakers and see if I can get a cheese scone.

I don't get much chance to visit the bakers normally, and it's really nice in there as well.

I enter the bakers and the smell of fresh bread wafts enticing me towards the racks of fresh bread.

I pick up a cheese scone, and after a moment of thought, a bag of chocolate chip cookies. It can't hurt to sweeten up a few careers right?

I go to pay, and me and the Baker exchange a few pleasantries, but overall we don't talk much. Like Gale the Baker is also a man of few words.

I pay him a little extra and he pretends not to notice.That seems to happen a lot in District 12.

One of his sons comes out from the back to stock the shelves. I think his name is Peter, no Peta? I'm not entirely sure, but the boy has a watch on so I tilt backwards slightly so that I can see the time.

1.30 pm. That should be enough time for me to finish my scone and get to the square.

I eat slowly, on the corner of a relatively clean street. I finish right on time, and start walking rather leisurely towards the square.

I get checked in, wincing only slightly when they take a bit of blood. Then I go to my section.

They've marked it out with this horrific yellow tape. Theres no doubt in my mind that Effie will be complaining about it on the train.

GIRLS, 17.

I take my place, at the very start of the section, and turn around, my eyes roving through the crowd.

Finally I see her. Katniss gives me a small wave, she looks a lot more relaxed than previous reapings.

Probably because she knows that theres no way that she or Prim are going into the arena.

It takes a while to get everyone sorted and for the mayor to do his boring speech, which is the exact same every year, but finally, when the massive clock strikes 2.35, everyone is ready, and Effie totters on to the stage in her ridiculously high heels to start this thing off.

"Ladies first!"

Honestly Effie, I love you, but please, please, pleaaasseee drop that accent.

" Primrose Everdeen." Effie announces.

I'm in shock, for a moment, but I quickly recover. Primrose Everdeen will not be going into this arena. Not over my dead body. Literally.

" I volunteer as tribute!"

My voice rings out, clear as a bell. People move out of the way for me and when I get to the end of the row, peacekeepers guide me up to the stage.

I hear people's shocked gasps. I may be a young brunette girl, but not the one that they were expecting.

They were expecting Katniss.

Once I'm on the stage, Effie asks for my name. This is purely for ceremonial reasons of course. She knows my name well enough by now.

I announce my name to the crowd.

" Rosemary Sweetheart Ayla-Abernathy."

I get a moment of stunned silence, and then an applause, stronger than it has been most years.

I wonder what the presenters will think of me volunteering. I'll find out later I guess.

Effie has barely read out the first syllable of the poor sods name who's going to be going up against me before someone cries something completely unexpected out.

District 12 has a second volunteer.

I sit reading a book that I found near my seat. I assume that it's Effies since its about interior design.

Every few minutes I lift my head from my book to glare at my fellow tribute.

Personally, I've never heard of him. And I'm sure that a name like Zurutu Higgins would stick around in my mind.

I'm not entirely sure of what to make of him. It doesn't take long for me to deduce that he's trained.

The way that his eyes shift from side to side, subconsciously checking for danger, the big cut in one of his boots, clearly made by some sort of sword, or long dagger perhaps, and the bulge of muscle that he's attempting to cover up with his dress shirt.

I finger the gold pin on my dress. Made gave it to me. When we first made friends, it was mainly because we were both outcasts. One of the only things that both the merchants and the people from the seam agree on, is that people with too much money to spend, are bad news.

Katniss and Gale both visited me. Katniss was tearful, saying thanks again and again. Gale seemed awkward, just mumbling his way through a speech about kindness, that was clearly made up on the spot.

I know what they'll both be a little off from this point. I've put them in a debt, even if I don't intend in ever making them pay it.

Besides, they knew that I was going to volunteer anyway.

Suddenly Zurutu snaps his head up, and returns my glare. " Stop it!" He hisses.

Hmmmm. Should I back down, or fight? Backing down would be the sensible decision... But you know what, fuck it. I aren't generally very sensible anyway.

"No."

He begins to lift himself off his chair slightly, preparing to fight.

" Yes." His teeth grind as he speaks.

I glare more intensely. It crosses my mind that Zurutu is completely insane, and I probably should avoid fighting him, but I push that instinct down.

" No." I spit out.

I know that I've got about 5 seconds to prepare before he attacks. If I did something like this in the arena, where we

were both armed, I'd probably be screwed.

But right now, he's completely unarmed, and my arm has just snaked onto the table behind me, slipping a silver steak knife into the soft fabric belt on my dress.

In about a split second, he launches off his chair and attempts to grab me, but I slide off my chair at the last second, and he collides with leather instead of flesh.

I grab his ankle, and pull it hard. This successfully tips him off balance and he crashes to the floor.

His hand moves clumsily across the floor, trying to find a weapon of sorts, but instead he finds my hair, and decides that it's good enough and yanks on it.

I let out a small whimper of pain before refocusing, and I grab the hand that he's pulling on my hair with and twist it.

He lets go of my hair, and I quickly scramble to my feet. He tries to use the same move that I used earlier, and grabs my ankle.

Luckily, I grab onto a table and so all he succeeds in doing is putting me into slight disarray. Still he uses my confusion to pull himself off the floor too.

Suddenly, he charges at me, and I find myself pressed against a wall.

I start to panic. I'm completely screwed.

But then some weird object begins to press hard on my back. A door handle!

Using the limited amount of freedom that my left arm and hand has been allowed, I open the door and it swings into the wall, taking us with it.

I push him off me quickly, into the hallway wall and swiftly remove the knife from my belt.

I drive the knife into one of his hands, and twist it sharply. He howls in pain, blood comes out from his wound in little tracks, dripping onto the rather expensive looking carpet.

We lock eyes. An agreement is silently made. The fight is over.

I carefully pull out the knife, and he hisses. He slowly staggers over to the table that I had been previously sitting at.

I take a jug of water from the drinks cart, and an embroidered handkerchief, which like most random objects lying around here, belongs to Effie.

I dip the handkerchief into the water and try to clean up Zurutu's wound as well as possible. When I've done my best I hand him the now damp and bloody cloth.

" Put pressure on it, it'll stem the bleeding. I'll go see if I can find a first aid kit for you."

I tell him this firmly, and he nods his head, so I think he understands.

I leave the compartment out of the door that I opened during the fight. I make sure to close it properly as for the last ten minutes it's been banging open and close.

I also notice that not only is the expensive carpet ruined with blood, but the expensive wallpaper is too. Oops.

I don't realise how lost in my own thoughts I am until I crash into two people, spilling the bloody water ( why did I not put the jug down!) all over one of them.

The person that I crashed into, a small brunette girl, pushes me over, pours the remnants of the disgusting water on my face, and then hits me round the head with the jug.

Ouch! Who does this bitch think she is! Although I guess I did spill the water over her first.

" Clove!" The second girl chastises through laughter.

The first girl, who I now know to be called Clove, peers over at my face, scrunching up her nose slightly in concentration.

" Oh fuck!" She gasps. She quickly hauls me up to my feet. " You're the other career girl, right? From 4."

I laugh at her comment. She thinks I'm from 4? Damn that training must have paid off.

"What's so funny?"

The second girl is bigger than Clove, her build is more similar to mine. Her honey blonde hair stands out, marking her as a district 1 tribute.

I decide that the best way to respond is just to state who I am.

" Rosemary Ayla-Abernathy. District 12. I've been training for the games for 4 years."

Now its their turn to laugh.

" A career tribute from 12? That's impossible!" The blonde exclaims.

" Well I'm here aren't I?" I grin while I say it, to make sure that they don't feel threatened. One fight is enough for today.

Clove narrows her eyes slightly, and seems to inspect me.

" I have 3 questions. " She announces. "What are you trained with, who trained you, and what is your opinion of the career pack."

For a second I'm confused. Why does she want to know this stuff? Then my eyes widen slightly.

She could want me to join them.

It could be a trick. But I decide that it's probably in my best interests to answer the questions. After all, if it gets me a spot in the career pack, it's worth it.

" Swords and archery, other things as well,but I'm not as good with them, Haymitch Abermathy, and they seem pretty cool. I mean they win this thing nearly every year right?"

The last sentence reminds me of something that Katniss said to me last games.

"They win every year, everyone knows that. Just being in the career pack boosts your chances massively. After all, like as not, the winner will be one of them."

Ironically enough, last years victor came district 10. But still she was right.

My answer seems to immensely please Clove for some reason.

" Great! It's decided, you'll join us! " She declares.

The blonde looks me up and down for a second, before breaking into a (genuine?) smile.

She sticks her hand out for me to shake.

" Glimmer! District 1."

I shake her hand. Are district 1 tributes usually this chirpy? Or is it just my luck that I've got the weirdly chipper one.

" So where's your compartment?" Clove asks me.

"Down at the very end of the train." I keep my grin fixed to my face.

Glimmer puts on a sweet and innocent look. Great. What do they want from me?

" Can we stay with you please, the boys have taken over district 1 and 2's compartments."

Maybe it wouldn't be too bad if they stayed in my compartment? I mean they seem pretty nice, even if it is just an act.

"Sure!"

Glimmer squeals in what I think is meant to be excitement.

This is going to be a long night...

OK so it turns out that letting Clove and Glimmer invade the District 12 compartment was a pretty good idea.

Glimmer took it upon herself to play nurse and fix Zurutu up, which has sweetened up Zurutu to no end.

Haymitch still hasn't turned up yet, but Effie has, and she's actually pretty happy to be playing mentor for once.

Apparently even so much as speaking to a District 1 or 2 tribute skyrockets your social status. According to Effie anyway.

We all indulge in the massive meal thats served, I may be the daughter of a Victor (an adopted one albeit) but even I've never seen so much food in one place.

Effie makes comments on how wonderful all our manners are especially mine ( although I think that's because she's the one who trained me) Glimmer and Clove completely soak all the attention up, so much that they're practically preening.

After the meal it's time for the reapings. Or at least for us to see them anyway.

Glimmer and Clove are practically like commentators they're that observant. They make comments and predictions on every single tribute.

It turns out that there's actually more to this career thing than I thought.

I make notes of a few myself, the crippled boy from 10, with a steely look of determination in his eyes, the ox like boy and his comparatively tiny district partner from 11, and the girl with the fiery red hair and fox like appearance from 5.

When it comes to 12's reaping everyone's eyes are glued to the TV.

Glimmer and Clove praise me on volunteering, and weirdly "wearing an appropriate outfit, that respects the reaping and all it stands for" I find this comment extremely strange, but I keep it to myself.

The reapings are over and I'm about 1 second away from powering off the TV, when the screen flickers and President Snows face pops up.

We all jump a little in shock.

"Why is he on the TV?" Glimmer whispers.

"I don't know." I whisper back.

He starts to talk, and the room is so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

" Good afternoon Panem, greetings and salutations to you all. Now recently the people of the capitol have been finding the games a little.. Boring so to speak. So me and the game makers have decided to add a little twist. As we are one year away from the third quarter quell, the twist is, that this year there may be three winners to the hunger games, as long as they are in an alliance by the end of the games. "

The TV flickers again and then turns back to the Caesar Flickerman show. The only sound in the room is the silent hum of the train as it glides along the tracks.

Clove turns to face both me and Glimmer.

" Alliance? " She offers hesitantly.

" Alliance!" Me and Glimmer agree in unison.

" Good." Clove smiles. " I like you two."

Hi guys! I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter of The Best Careers Come From 12, there will be more to come soon. Please leave a review and a favourite!Also if you spot a spelling mistake, or think that there's a problem with anything ( or if you find anything that I could improve on) please tell me! It will be greatly appreciated.