Prologue, Part 1: Reaping Day

Aurelia Hunt, District 2, 15

Aurelia blearily rolled out of bed, the clock above her nightstand ticking softly. She climbed up as her vision cleared, the time said 5:45. Great., Aurelia thought. She was supposed to meet Thomas at 6:00. After quickly throwing on a black hoodie and shorts, she would change before the Reaping, Aurelia threw herself down the stairs, almost tripping on the last step.

Her mother stood in the shadows near the doorway, hunched over and coughing bloodily. I'll volunteer, I'll win. For her. Aurelia sighed, walking over to the fridge to grab some coffee and a bagel before practice.

Aurelia's mother had been diagnosed with tuberculosis about 6 months ago, and no matter what the doctors did, she never got any better. District 2 was wealthy, but nowhere near as wealthy as the Capitol. Aurelia knew she had to win the Games, for then she could afford the proper healthcare for her mother. No one could object. Aurelia thought, as she rushed past her mother and out the door in a black rush.

Aurelia's father, James Hunt, was a prominent Peacekeeper, Head Peacekeeper in fact, of their small town near the border. Her pale build shivered in the cold as Aurelia trudged toward the training center.

30 minutes after...

Aurelia walked inside with a huff, cold morning air blistering on her ghastly pale skin. A taller, muscular boy with sandy-blond hair and tan skin that could pass off for African-American was working at the knives station, watching triumphantly as the 15th knife hit its target. Thomas., Aurelia realized as he grinned at her and started over.

"Aww, late? You know, it's Reaping Day. We've been training for this our whole lives, girl. Now's our chance!" Aurelia plastered on a fake smile and nodded. In truth, Thomas Jackson wasn't gonna get picked, Josh was.

Josh Morgan had been training since he was 3, had dedicated his entire life to this, and Thomas was an orphan. Both of his parents had died in a car crash when he was 5. He lived on moldy bread and chicken scraps, as well as the occasional pizza. Thomas was lucky he was still alive, at 15.

Aurelia, bolted out of her reverie by Thomas's incessant chattering, blindly picked up a knife and threw it at the bullseye. It embedded itself in the nearby plaster wall. Aurelia huffed and busied herself with knots, ignoring Thomas's incessant shouts of, "AURELIA!"

3 hours later...

Aurelia didn't notice what time it was until most of the other trainees, including Thomas, had filed out. The clock overhead said 10:15. Ahh...whoops, Aurelia thought, as she sprinted out of the building, the double doors swinging shut behind her.

Back at home, no one seemed to be there. Everything was eerily silent, Dad was out working, Mom was at the hospital. They wouldn't be there to see her sign her death sentence. They wouldn't care, no one would. Not even Thomas. Aurelia decided to just go to the Reaping in her hoodie, it's not like she had enough time to change anyways.

The shocking realization set in as the Peacekeeper took her blood and escorted her into the Girls, 15 section. This was it. The day she proved she wasn't a cynical, frozen-hearted coward.

The preppy district escort, Natalie Chou, Aurelia thought her name was, she didn't keep track, pranced onto the stage. Both silver balls lay there, like the crystal balls psyches used. Except psyches weren't real, and this was.

The mayor did his usual extremely boring speech, no one paid any attention, the same thing every year. The usual, "MAY THE ODDS BE FOREVER IN YOUR FAVOR!", from Natalie, and then her dainty hands reached into the girls' jar. "And...our District 2 girl...is...SUMILY NIGHTINGALE!" A brown girl, about 13, with black pigtails and a neon pink dress walked up carefully, as if careful not to ruin the dress.

Aurelia shoved her way in front of another blond-haired girl and screeched, "I VOLUNTEER!" The girl seemed relieved and trotted back to her seat, like a hunting dog in a tutu. Natalie didn't seem shocked, just simply gestured for Aurelia to join her onstage.

After Aurelia leaped onto the stage, the escort's left hand dug around in the boys' jar, pulling out a while slip. Natalie looked upward after a moment, and in a big booming voice announced, "And...our District 2 boy...is...THOMAS JACKSON!"

The audience was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. No one was going to save her best friend.

Aurelia felt the world spinning as everything went black.