CHAPTER FOUR-The 72nd Hunger Games

A/N So I hope you guys are liking the story so far. Just this one and the 73rd and then it will be the 74th Games! Please review and tell me what you think. Sorry, like I said, I only borrowed the books, so if you could tell me the chronological order of some things that we are supposed to know happened to Foxface during the 74th Games, that would be wonderful! Like which day Katniss sees her stealing from the careers, and which day was the day she hid in the cornucopia to get her special item, which day she died (sad). That would be greatly appreciated. Cyberspace chocolate to any of you who favorited, added to alert, or reviewed the story. A mountain of cyberspace chocolate to those of you who told or will tell me victors or any important events. You guys are great! Also, I wanna know: do you guys want me to add my own twist to it somewhere (not that the whole thing isn't pretty much my own twist). Let me know if you do by voting on my poll.

The 72nd Hunger Games reaping...

"Korena, Korena!" Jared Angello is jumping up and down beside my bed and shaking my shoulder. He is so nice and sweet; I am focusing all my attention on begging God that he won't go to the Hunger Games today.

I open my eyes and see that he looks terrified, like today will be the day he dies...and with my luck, it will be.

"Jared? What is it?" I ask. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes and hoping I'm not late.

His face tells me something terrible has happened.

"Jared, tell me what happened." I command.

Tears start falling from his huge blue eyes and he says, "They're dead."

I almost shake him, but then remember I had promised his brother Derek that I would protect him. "Who?"

"Your mom and Dad." he wails.

My heart stops for a moment and I don't know what to say. I don't even cry, I just stare at Jared like I can't understand what he just told me.

Then I realize why they are dead. They stole something yesterday...I know that they did, though they never told me what it was, or why they had stolen it. The Peacekeepers killed them, of that I have no doubt. They killed Jared's parents a few months ago for protesting against the Capitol in public. I knew that Mr. and Mrs. Angello hated the capitol for killing Derek, but I had never expected them to be that drastic.

Finally, I cry, and Jared and I just embrace each other and sit on the edge of my bed, wondering what will become of us.

After a while, I regain my composure. Then I remember it's the reaping and I start bawling again. "Jared, Jared." I wail, "You can't go into the Hunger Games. You're all I have left."

Jared stops crying suddenly and says, "I won't, Korena. I promise."

I shake my head. He does not understand. Clearly he does not realize that just by knowing me, he has sealed his fate.

He grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me gently, "Korena, I won't go. I know I won't. You've gotta believe me...I know exactly what I'm doing."

I stare at him for a moment. For that moment, I saw a bit of something else in him...something I had never before seen in my adoptive little brother.

Something older, and something...sneaky?

"What did you do?" I ask.

"Wha-Nothing." he says. "But I'm not going."

I sigh. He's never secretive with me, but I guess I'll have to let it go because we have to get ready for the reaping and figure out what we're going to do with ourselves now that neither of our parents are around anymore.

I let him change in the bathroom first while I go downstairs and make scrambled eggs: the only thing I can cook-though, not very well.

When he comes down in the mini tux I bought him for last year's reaping (which was a bit large last year), I realize that it still fits, and he has grown into it well.

I smile and say, "You look great."

"Yep." he says, but that's just to distract me as he runs past and grabs the pan of eggs. "Yum." he says, and eats half of them right there.

I eat the rest and then go upstairs to change into my black tee shirt and skinny jeans. I had to save up for quite a while to buy Jared's tux, and I myself have to settle for something a bit less formal. But what do I care? Some day I'll be going into the Games. I don't know if I'll survive, though. I just hope if I do, I won't go with Jared, or that he will feel too alone when I'm gone.

I put on my usual eyeliner and walk downstairs to join Jared. We walk to the center of the district and I can see that he had been crying while I was getting dressed.

"Jared?" I say softly.

"Hm?" his voice is a bit shaky.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just...you know."

I nod, and we go off to our own sections. I'm still pleading with God that he won't be reaped.

Our district escort, now with a grand total of eleven giant loop earrings in each ear, walks onto the stage with her usual, "Hi, District Five! Let's see who our lucky girl is!"

If she picks Jared, I swear I'll kill her myself.

"Miranda Bakkes!"

The girls goes up on stage, looking like she might have planned on being a career anyways: head high, shoulders straight, eyes forward.

But this isn't over.

Don't you dare pick Jared, you hag of doom." I think.

"And our lucky guy!" her voice is definitely much higher than last time.

"Pick Jared and your doom is sealed." I mutter under my breath.

The girl in front of me gives me one of those looks that says, "What kind of psychopath are you?"

I glare at her with my entire being and then turn back to the horrible doom-prophesier on stage, as she sticks her hand into the boys' name bowl.

Not Jared, God. Please not Jared.

"Thomas Dayswell!"

I almost pass out as I realize she did not say the name of my precious little brother.

The boy, Thomas, is red with anger and I wonder if he will be the one to finally teach that freak of an escort what District Five is made of.

But he doesn't. He just shakes hands with Miranda, and they're taken off to the Justice Building.

For once, I think, There is no one that I have lost to Reaping Day. I almost smile then realize:

Mom and Dad.

The Capitol didn't take my best friend this year. Or a sweet pair of siblings that I found myself liking. Or even the guy I always wanted to be friends with in school. They didn't take my brother...but they took...my parents.

And for that, I know, when my turn in the Games come, I'll show them what it means to mess with Korena Starline. I will become: the fox.

PARAGRAPH

I visit the Justice Building this time just to give the two tributes a "I hope you come back."

This time, not because they're someone I really care about. Just because, like I said before: everyone needs to know that someone-even someone they don't know-cares that they're taking this for the rest of the girls and boys in District Five.

To the boy, Thomas, I say an unexplained, "Thank you."

To me, it's for being in the Games instead of my brother, I don't know what he thought.

PARAGRAPH

Later, at home, I ask Jared what it was that made him so certain he would not be in the Games this year.

Then he tells me: "I sneaked into the paper slips and took out my name 'cause I knew you would be mad if I went."

For a moment, I'm stunned. Then I say, "Jared...thank you!"

And I embrace him. He is really the best brother I could have asked for.

A/N

I hope you're loving it. Tell me if you are, or even if you are not. If not, what would you like changed? It's not that I'm gonna certainly change it, but if you notice a major flaw or something, and know how to fix it, I'm all ears (LOL, just a metaphor).

Thanks so much to anyone who reviewed! You guys are my stars! Cyberspace brownies or cookies or cake or cheesecake, or whatever delicious things you love, to anyone who reviews! Flames, positives, constructive criticism...I love it all and thanks so much for taking time out of your life to read what I write!