My stomach ached. My face hurt. My hands were shaking. I couldn't say a word.

I sat in a blank white room in the Justice Building, a place I'd been to many times to visit my father. However, I don't recall ever seeing this room. Around me, nothing but the sofa I'm seated at, a few chairs in front of it, and a banner with the District 1 logo fills the room. I wonder if Demetrius is in a similar room. I wonder how he's handling himself.

I bet he's handling it better than me.

After the ceremony officially ended- amid the cheers of joy and Cornelia's goodbyes- we were ushered, Demetrius and I, to different rooms by a group of Peacekeepers. Still in shock, I stumbled into the room, falling onto the couch they provided for me. It was quiet, and I'd already been here for a while. My panting began to slow, and the events collided into my brain once more.

I put my hands on my head, resting my arms on my knees and made a strange sound in my throat as tears began to shed. I was Lillianne Snow, and I had just been reaped into the 76th Annual Hunger Games. I am going to the Capitol, and I will meet 23 other competitors, whom I shall fight to the death. Only one will survive. And I probably won't be that one.

But how? I wondered. I don't have any entries! Was someone setting me up? Had I been disowned? Was there a mix-up?

Or was I just kidding myself? Did I really have entries, unknown to me? The odds could have been in my favor, all these years. I could be wrong. Maybe I was just like everybody else.

A cacophony of words outside my waiting room exploded into my thoughts, and I looked up in anticipation. I wiped away my tears as I began to make out the sound of my father's voice, booming angrily, and things being knocked over. I'm not sure what's going on, but I try to compose myself, gulping back the more tears that want to come out. Sure enough, my father bursts in the room, red in the face. I look up at him, biting my lip and keeping calm. He looks behind his shoulder and shouts, "A minute, alright? I have that right!"

Once the door slams behind him, he stands before me, speechless. We stare at each other for few moments, and I try to remain composed and ladylike- but I can't.

I fling myself into my daddy's arms, and begin to bawl. He hugs me tightly, not saying a word. After a minute of letting it all out, I squeak out words. "How-why?"

He just squeezes me tighter. He puts me down, grabs my shoulders firmly, and wipes stray tears from my cheeks. He meets my leveled gaze and says the words that I did not count on hearing: "I did everything I could."

I feel like collapsing. I guess I did, because my father steadied me with his grip. He got closer, and looked at the door, then back at me.

"Listen to me, Lillianne," He rumbled, lowering his voice. "I don't have much time, but I want you to know that I did the best I could to get you out of this situation. I even spoke to your grand- President Snow. But there is no way around this. You had exactly one entry, according to the tallier Peacekeepers, and it seems the odds were not in your favor."

I hiccuped. He shook me lightly and continued. "Lillianne, you must promise me that you will do your best to come home. You will show everyone what you're made of, and you will show them the great mistake in the odds, and how you beat them. Promise me."

I nodded meekly, gasping a bit as I felt myself tear up again. My father and I both knew I wasn't coming back. At least, I hope he realized.

"And in the case you don't make it home, which will not be," He said, "I want to say that I love you, Lilly-billy. Your father loves you very much. And I am proud of you, whatever the outcome."

I nodded again, hugging him once more. He kissed my forehead, then pulled me tighter. Suddenly, a Peacekeeper was at our door.

"Mr. Mayor, your time is up."

I dug my nails onto his arm, and he pulled away, winking. I kissed him on the cheek, and sat back down, smoothing out my skirt. He stopped at the door frame, saying, "Change the odds, Lillianne."

That was the last time I saw my father.

Juniper exploded into the room with more severity than my father. She immediately crashed upon me, embracing me, sobbing. I tried to steady myself under her, taken aback by the sudden behavior she sported. Mom came behind her, holding back tears with no success.

"This-can't-be-happening!" Juniper cried into my shoulder, feeling the silk moisten onto my shoulder. I patted Juniper on the back, letting her cry. A few stray tears escaped me. I looked up at mom.

"Keep an eye on her," I said, lip quivering. "You're the only rational one in the house now."

She nodded, a tear falling down her cheek. I pulled Juniper away from me and held her like my father held me.

"Listen June," I started, "This isn't a game anymore. You can't tell me what to do from the sidelines like when we watched the games, because I won't hear you."

At this, my sister was about to burst again. However, I stopped her before she could. "Should I not come back, remember that I love you all. That I am proud to say that Juniper Lee is my sister." I looked up at mom. "I am proud to be your daughter as well."

I stood, hugging them both. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I promise that I'll try my best."

After all, I thought, my best is all I have.