Marquette Tetra-District 4

When I woke it was still early in the morning, the sun just peaking over the ocean. But I couldn't sleep, because I was too anxious. Tomorrow is the Hunger Games, as well as a chance to prove myself. My parents were still asleep, so I quietly slipped into the bathroom to dress into my wetsuit.

I stuck my head out of the window, and let the cool ocean breeze flow through my long red hair. Mist from the water surrounded my house, with tiny rainbows floating in the air. I love the ocean. I suppose being raised by fisherman would do that to a person. It's the only place I can get away from my troubles, and by troubles, I mean my father.

Before leaving, I filled a backpack with some tuna sandwiches from the pantry. Then, I carefully slipped out of the door, making sure not to wake my parents, and made my way to the docks, where Cory would be waiting. Cory was my brother, not like you couldn't tell. We shared the same red hair, the same brown freckles on our cheeks, the pointed nose, and, of course, our love for the ocean. He stood there, already wet, with javelins in both hands.

"You ready to train Mark?" he asked, a smile creeping across his face. He knew I hated it when he called be that, as if I was a boy. "I'm ready to kick your butt," I replied, snatching a javelin from his hand. Then we faced the water, and he smirked back and said, "In your dreams, sis," We dove in.

I loved swimming, feeling the cool water swirl around my face, seeing the bubbles gleam in the light. Small fish darted around like little jets. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, giving the water a deep orange glow. It was an experience unlike any other, and one you could only get in District 4. But I was only able to enjoy this sight for a moment, before I spied Cody was making his way towards me, his javelin raised.

He shot towards me like a torpedo, but I easily twirled around him, kicking my feet backwards. I began to rise to the surface, with Cody following closely behind. My head poked out of the water, and I raised my javelin to fight. But suddenly, my brother splashed out, leaping at least eight feet out into the air. All I could do was raise my javelin and stare out in awe. At least, before he plunged down, swinging his javelin in a large arc. I heard a snap, and the next thing I know, I'm holding two pieces of broken wood.

He floated next to me, a huge grin plastered on his face. "I win again, sis," he says. I splash him and replied, "You must be part dolphin." He splashed me back, and we laughed before heading back to the docks.

On our way there, I told him, "You need to show me how to do that." He rubbed my hair and said, "Maybe later Mark. But for now, I'm hungry." Typical Cory, always wanting food. I showed him the pack of sandwiches, and he grabbed three before sitting down next to me. We sat there, watching the horizon and the sun as it crept its way across the sky.

Cory said to me, "So, the big day's tomorrow; are you nervous?" I gave him a confident look and said, "Of course not." I guess it didn't sound as confident as I hoped, because Cory responded, "Well, you don't sound very confident."

We just sat there in silence before he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "It's about dad isn't it?" I nodded. There was so much to say about my father, and most of them weren't good. He was stern, controlling, and he always smelled like rotten fish. But the real reason for my anxiety, but they he treated Cory.

He had always treated Cory as his trophy son, like he was perfect. As for me, he typically wrote me off as the weaker one, the one who would always be second, even though I was just as good at everything as Cory was. He was nineteen, three years older than me, and was too old to compete in the Hunger Games. But never had to, because dad already thought he was already the better child. As for me, the Hunger Games were my chance to show my dad that I'm not the weakling he thinks I am. And that's why Cory has been training me to fight.

He looked at me solemnly and said, "Look, you don't need to prove anything to him. He loves you as much as he loves me." I shoved him back, saying, "That's easy for you to say. You're his favorite. You're his perfect son. He never gave a damn about what I did, but when you did something, it was always 'Congratulations Cory!'"

I really didn't mean to shout at him like that, but thinking about my dad just made me so angry. He reached out, and I was about to slap his arm away before he wiped something off my cheek. That's when I realized I was crying. And Cory was crying too.

He said solemnly, "I know you have to do this Marquette, but I just…I just don't want you to get hurt." I could see the worry in his eyes, and I was immediately sorry I had snapped at him. I tried to apologize, but I could only stammer, "I'm…I'm…"

Cory wiped his eyes and pulled me up. He brushed my hair back and I wiped the tears off my cheek. Then his grin crept across his face again, albeit somewhat half-heartedly, and he said, "Well then we'd better get back to training if you're going to win," He poked me in my stomach and I couldn't help but smile. He said, "Now that's the smile I'm looking for. Now how 'bout a race to that buoy? First one gets the rest of those sandwiches." I poked him back and said, "I'm not letting you win twice in a row. Besides, if you ate anymore, you'd be as fat as a walrus."

We lined up at the edge and Cory said, "A walrus could probably swim faster than you!" With that, I gave him a quick sneer, and we dove in.

That's my second tribute. Hope you like her! And PLEASE REVIEW! And since i forgot in the last chapter...
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, just Kodi and Marquette, unless i somehow became Suzanne Collins over night.