A/N

Hey guys as you can probably guess I'm trying to go for a chapter a day and REVIEWS ARE WELCOME

Rosie Jacobs.

Those two words send gasps and cries through everyone in the square. This has never happened before in the entire history of the games, two siblings in the same games. Everyone thinks it's a tragedy.

Not me though.

Where everyone else is in anguish, all I can feel is hatred. I feel for a moment that it's what my body is running on, not blood. Hatred for Snow, Hatred for the games, even hatred for Nairobi, even though it probably isn't her fault. Snow most likely made sure every slip had my sisters name on it.

Rosie hasn't even had a reaction, I don't think she wants people to know she cares. She simply steps away from me into the spot designated for the female tribute, a mask of indifference plastered on her face.

"Well, isn't this exciting!" Nairobi squeals. I think she might be channeling some of Effie trinkets spirit, who couldn't escort this year as in hospital after a bad head injury she sustained two days ago. Or at least that's what Haymitch says, he talks to her on the phone a lot.

Her statement causes rumbles in the crowd, and she seems to notice because she immediately adopts a more sombre expression and calls the mayor forward to read the Treaty of Treason, an integral and boring part of the ceremony.

Where the tributes would normally shake hands at this point, Rosie decides not to bother with it and just jumps into my arms. I hoist her up to carry her in one arm, waving goodbye to the square as we enter the justice building where we separate for our individual goodbyes. Just as we turn we see the crowd performing the three fingered salute we ourselves performed last year when Katniss volunteered.

I'm corralled into a luscious room where I wait for my first visitor.

I expect an embrace or something when I see my first visitor is Delly. What I do not expect is a forceful slap across the face.

She jabs a finger into my chest accusingly, "Is this why we broke up?"

I might as well admit it so I nod, and when I do Delly's resolve crumbles and she launches herself into my arms, almost knocking me onto the floor had she been slightly heavier.

"J-Just promise me you- you'll try to win okay?" it's so ludicrous that she thinks I wouldn't that I laugh while nodding again.

She lets me go, nods slightly and leaves.

My next visitors are not unexpected but appreciated all the same.

"Rhys!" Primrose also knocks straight into me while Mrs. E pats my shoulders, the tears in her eyes falling almost as forcefully as Prim's, but no sobs escape her, which I'm grateful for.

"Shh, it's okay Prim" I try to soothe her but I might as well try jumping off the roof of the training center, which according to Katniss, has a force-field to stop tributes from doing so. Primrose will not stop sobbing so I just hold her and direct my attention to Mrs. E.

"Make sure to keep Prim out of trouble, and if Rosie and I are in a bad spot, don't let her watch, okay?" it's all I can say to the woman who is basically my mother now. She just nods and me a kiss on the forehead before they're ushered out and Gale barges in.

Gale just stares at me.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Rhys?!" I'm taken aback that he has tears in his eyes just as my other visitors had done. He's usually so devoid of any emotion other than anger or frustration.

I want so badly to tell him why I volunteered but he'd probably go crazy in the loathing I'm only just managing to keep in check. So I shrug.

He laughs an empty laugh and stares directly through the door.

"This is going to kill her you know, if you die " It takes me a second to realize that he's talking about Katniss, and all of a sudden I'm furious with him, but I manage to keep my voice steady as I say, "Yeah, she's obviously suffering the most, having to have to go into the games with her only direct family... oh wait, that's me and Rosie, I feel so bad for Katniss right now. Get out Gale." okay, so I don't know where that last part came from, but he immediately complies.

No one else comes to say goodbye so I let my face fall to look at what is obviously going to be my district token, Peeta's would-be engagement ring. My fingers glide over the engraving as they always do. It helps me keep my resolve, as it at least lets me know that if Rosie or I die, then we'll see our parents again.

As I leave the room and walk over to where Rosie and Haymitch are waiting hand-in-hand for me.

"Nairobi and Katniss went ahead to the train to get everything in order for the camera-people, so lets not keep 'em waiting."

I get my face arranged into a confident smile.

Rosie's emotional mask is back on now, and she's beaming at the cameras while at the same time my playful smirk is flashing in every direction. It's important that we appear at ease, sponsors eat that kind of stuff up. Rosie and I embrace again-half for us, half for the cameras-before stepping lightly onto the train.

We go into what seems like a living room and Haymitch leads us through it, directing us to our rooms. I immediately start to get changed, thinking hard.

It's a bit strange, I have no idea if I will die in the arena, nut I've been at peace with that since the age of 10. but Snow has gone back on his word, because no matter what happens now, my little sister has less than a month left to live, victor or not, because according to the agreement with Snow, if I lose, my sister goes with me. So here's the question I'm faced with.

Can I live without my little sister?

My immediate answer is no, of course not. But then I think some more about it.

I would be sad, definitely, but Rosie and I are siblings, so that's to be expected. But I've spent the better part of my life providing for the rest of 12 while paying little attention to Rosie, and she doesn't seem to mind, and surely Rosie would want me to win so I can keep doing what I do, because mine and Snows agreement is only that I can provide 12 with game if I volunteer. So if I do, and become the victor, I could still hunt legally, thus providing my people with a means out of starvation.

My sister or my district?

I choose not to think about that for the time being and instead finish getting changed and head out the door. I can hear Haymitch in Rosie's room and it sounds like her mask has finally slipped off, she's sobbing.

"Hey, calm down, shh, sweetie it'll be okay, I promise. Me and Rhys are gonna do everything we can to protect you in there, okay? You'll be fine, I promise." I can't listen to anymore, so I head to the living room, sitting with Katniss on the couch, who looks like she's been crying. Heavily. I scoot over to her and open my arms to her, she takes them silently.

We only break apart when the anthem comes on and Katniss goes to get Haymitch and Rosie, who walk in in remarkably cheerier moods.

The district 1 tributes are both volunteers like me, but neither are bigger. The girl was of pretty average height and flowing golden blonde hair down to her waist with bright green eyes. The sure looked mean, but was also quite normal in height and build. He had chestnut hair with a very very dark brown hue to his eyes, and he said their names for the both of them; she was Glimmer and he was called Marvel, they were both 18. I got the feeling they were at least classmates because they greeted each other quite cheerfully before being ushered into their justice building, which looked distinctly better than ours back home.

The others are chatting quietly about the two of while I'm waiting patiently for district 2, also known as the 'victors district' as they've had more victors than any other district. They would be my main opposition.

I feel a hitch in my throat as I look up at the most breathtakingly yet subtly beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on volunteers as soon as the girls name is called. She's small, very small. Her eyes are the color of warm chocolate and her hair matches it, hair that reaches just past her shoulders and that's pulled a regular yet astonishingly gorgeous pony-tail. She has a confident grin splashed on her face that just enthralls me to no end. She announces that the games are going to have another female victor this year if she has anything to say about it and before I knew what was happening she blew a kiss at the camera and waved right at me, I think. She says her name is Clove Mitchell before turning to wait for the male tribute, grin still in place.

I give a low whistle when I see the male volunteer. He's 21 so is the first tribute who is directly affected by the quell rules, as normally he wouldn't have been able to volunteer. He says his name is Drew and he is as tall as me but has a bigger build. He obviously has some kind of reputation because the escort, mentors and even Clove look uneasy near him. I instantly don't like him, but also instantly know he will be my main competition in these games.

I don't pay attention to district 3, still unnerved about the brutishness of Drew and the beauty of Clove so it's not until the male tribute of 4 that my attention is finally caught by the name being said on the screen.

"Frederick Odair!"

I hear Haymitch and Katniss let out moans and I know why. Frederick-im just gonna call him Freddie- is the younger brother of their fellow victor Finnick who I understand is a close friend of Haymitch's and Katniss must know him as well. Freddie is the second to be to old to normally participate, being 19. I think 19 and 11 are probably the worst ages to be right now considering you either only have one year of peace left or have only just managed to escape the reaping.

I see Freddie embrace his brother and I see a bit of my self there, and decide to see if he feels like teaming up at one point, like I will most definitely be doing with Clove.

District 5's girl is the first one that would normally be too young, as she's 9. my heart goes out to her family. Districts 6 is normal but 7 has a 10 year old boy. District 9 has 22 year old man, the oldest tribute so far, technically ever.

District 11 has another pair of tributes who are apparently close, as they hug each other instead of shaking hands just as Rosie and I did. 15 year old Skylar and 20 year old Luke look remarkably similar, but it is clear they are not related, at least closely anyway.

Our own reaping comes on and I have to laugh at the expressions on mine and Nairobi's faces. It's classic, me with a playful smirk and being polite and everything, and Nairobi squealing like a kid who got the candy she wanted. Then Rosie comes on the screen, running towards me, and one of the commentators starts sniffing and talking about family and love other sappy stuff. When Rosie's name is called and no one volunteers for her, I get a strange feeling of anger course through me, they just let a brother and sister go off to kill each other! The commentators of course are now full out bawling when we embrace instead of shaking hands and replacements come on as mandatory viewing ends.

The next morning I'm woken up by Nairobi pounding at the door. I quickly make way to the closet, pulling on some trouser but leaving my t-shirt where it is; ill be cleaned later by those 'prep teams' anyhow, so do I really care? No.

"Well, Well, look whose finally awake!" Haymitch motions to the seat next to him and I gratefully sit there, instantly beginning to gorge myself to the point of queasiness but not full on wanting to throw up. I decided this last night before I fell asleep; the longer I gorge myself here, the longer I'll be able to go without food those first couple of days in the arena, and that could be crucial.

When I still haven't said anything for a few moments, Rosie and Katniss start talking quietly about Rosie's skills, so I can only assume Haymitch will be my main mentor, which I was not really bothered by anyway as I know both of them know all my abilities as it is.

"Rhys, this afternoon when you get to the prep teams, it's imperative you let them do what they want, got it?" I'm surprised that he's being so direst but I guess this is just 'mentor Haymitch' so I don;t bother wondering about it, I just nod.

Rosie and I obviously make the crowd outside the train go nuts when we exit it, but aside from making sure they get pictures of my cheesy grin, I don't focus too much, if I must admit it, I'm a little nervous about the parade where the tributes, well, parade around the capitol so people can get a mildly good look at us, because as everyone knows, good looking tributes get more sponsors.

I know I'm probably the second best looking guy here, or possibly the best, next to Freddie Odair but what I'm really nervous about happening Is meeting Portia, my stylist for the games.

Not only was she Peeta's stylist-and that will probably be awkward enough as it is-but she also set him on fire.

Not real fire of course but it sure looked real enough, and that was enough to make my skin crawl. Our parents died in a fire and all they can think about is how awesome fire looks on a person.

Oh well. It's not like I have a choice if I want sponsors, which obviously I do.

We see the prep team first, and I'm glad that unlike Rosie's prep team of Venia, Octavia and Flavius, who are so busy fawning over 'their darling!' Katniss, my prep team of Flora, Dora and Lora-triplet girls originally from district 8-are a little more down to earth and get to work right away, talking about what I personally would class as normal subjects and I find myself laughing when Dora almost faints as I take off my robe.

Soon, everything about my body is flawless, the skin even more golden and my eyes-my best feature apparently-have been emphasized so they're more noticeable but not obviously. My hair has been neatly combed over and slicked back with some weird goo I thought looked like blood but was actually called highlighter and now my hair has strands of red interlaced through the light blonde.

After the girls are finally gone I sit, waiting impatiently for Portia.

She finally arrives, a warm smile on her face as she sets straight to work, talking to me about my life.

We both avoid mentioning Peeta.

When I'm dressed, I notice my outfit looks similar to Peeta's and Katniss's from last year, except mine is bright orange in the middle and turns blood red as it gets closer the sleeves and collar.

Like my eyes.

I have a hunch as to what Portia and Rosie's stylist Cinna are going to do but I keep my mouth shut, because if it is what I think it is, it's going to make an even bigger splash than Katniss did last year as the 'girl on fire'.

A/N

So how do you think I'm doing?

Preview for chapter 4:

When I look over there, I see a vast array of weapons never seen before in the games, one immediately catches my attention and I speed off towards it, knocking into a small girl in my hurry, and quickly look down to see who it is.

Crap, this is embarrassing."

Heh, heh who do you think it is

please R+R!