Disclaimer: Blah blah blah I am not Suzanne Collins blah blah blah I do not own the hunger games blah blah blah the hunger games is awesome!! (and not blah)

A/N: Here is chapter one as promised. Enjoy and please review.

Chapter 1: Volunteering

Surprises are what I do best. People don't expect me, that's why I have to do it this way. I can't just volunteer else people will expect me to do well. So it must be my name that Jakiry Himblesmith reads out. 4:30am time to go to the mayor's house where Jakiry, district 7's announcer, is staying.

I creep silently through the shadows, nearly there, just two more streets to go. I hear a twig snap behind me and I spin round, only to see a fox dart into a bush. Why am I so paranoid? It's not like anybody is going to see me, even if they did they wouldn't think anything of it. I always walk the streets in the dead of night, everybody knows this. If you asked anyone in my part of town who the most restless sleeper is they would say me. It's because of the nightmares I get. About my sister, the one I lost. Everybody thinks she drowned in the river – lie, but I let them believe it because they can never know the truth, not even my father, no, especially not my father.

I pause across the street from the mayor's house. A window has been left open – perfect, they are making this way too easy.

I am slim so agility has never been a problem for me. I climb the tree by the window in barely any time at all. I bet I would fit right in in the orchards of district 11. Like rue, the girl who competed in the games last year. She was so sweet and small. She was too young to die but then again what is the right age to die?

I crawl along the branch that reaches out towards the open window. The gap between me and the window is not too big; I think I can make it. I step onto the window frame but my foot gets caught on the ledge and I tumble through.

I lie there, frozen on the ground, not daring to even breathe. The person in the bed stirs but doesn't wake. I slowly get up and tip-toe over to the sleeping figure. It's Jakiry, the afro gives it away, though I barely recognise him without all his face paint and make-up.

I touch it shoulder and gently shake him, "Jakiry, Jakiry I need you to wake up," I whisper so as not to wake anybody else in the house up. He grunts and his eyes flicker open, I clasp my hand over his mouth before he can say a word. His eyes widen in shock, or is it fear? I can't tell. I turn his head so he is facing towards me and with my other hand I put a finger to my lips, signalling him to be quiet.

"Don't worry," I say, "I'm not going to hurt you, I just need to tell you something and I need you to listen carefully, ok?" He nods as best he can seeing as his head is still restricted by my hand.

"Good, now I need you to look me in the eyes," He does, "Tomorrow at the reaping I want you to say my name, it doesn't matter what name is on the slip of paper from the girls bowl I want you to say Aiza Monett, got that, good, now go back to sleep."

I drop my hand from his mouth and watch as he falls back to sleep. I look at the clock on his bedside table 5:36, time to go. I slip silently down the stairs and out of the front door, there was no point taking the window root again when it wasn't necessary.

I run quickly through the streets, might as well start training now. I stop to get a quick drink of water from the pump in the town square. Normally people would be out here setting up market stalls by this time. But not today, never on the morning of the reaping. I jog slowly back to the house thinking one thing, it's too late to turn back now. The thought doesn't scare me though because I don't want to turn back, I've thought my plan through.

The house is still dark when I reach it so I enter through my window (we live in a bungalow so it isn't hard to reach). This window entrance thing seems to be becoming a hobby. I can hear my dad's snores through the wall as I slip between my covers. I think of him lying in the room next door with Mum's ring around his neck and tears prick in my eyes. With a sinking heart I whisper into the darkness,

"I'm really sorry dad but I had to do it, I hope you'll forgive me one day."

A/N: Ok so I thought that this chapter was rather short, what do you think too long, too short or just right? Let me know please. Updates won't always be this quick it's only because it's half term. Thanks for reading and please review. Reviews encourage writing.