It was Reaping Day in District 4. I just got back from my day at the market and the house smelled of fish and sea water. It is my third reaping and Lukas's sixth and last.

"Emil are you home?" Lukas yells from the kitchen.

"Yes Lukas!" I yell back as I put the groceries on the ground.

"Get dressed we need to get to the Reaping now!"

"Fiiiine!" I groan and stomp down the short hall to my room. I get dressed in a nice white shirt, pants and boots. I slip on a brown jacket since it gets cold in our District.

"You almost ready Em?" Lukas says through the door. I open the door.

"Does this look fine?" I ask him, gesturing to my outfit. He nods and grabs my arm. We run out of the small house, well, Lukas is dragging me along. Before I know it, we are in front of the Justice Building. Me and Lukas seperate into the correct places, which are decided by our age. I stand there for about 20 minutes before a voice echoes through the empty town.

"Happy Hunger Games District 4! Let's get on with the 70th Hunger Games tributes! Ladies first!" It is a past victor of District 4, Arthur Kirkland, who won by sneaking up on his opponents and slitting their throats. He rifles his hand through the glass globe with the female names in them. He grabs a slip and reads it into the microphone.

"Victoria Bonnefoy!"

A young girl about my age scurries forward, covering her face with her tanned hands.

"Now for the boy's!" he says, repeating what he did for the girl's.

"And the boy's tribute is...Emil Seilsson!"

My body freezes and I have to be pushed forward to the stage. I search for Lukas and look into his eyes with pure fear and tears fill my eyes. The girl looks to me as we're both shoved into the Justice Building behind us. We get seperate rooms to say our goodbyes to our loved ones, since it is fairly certain that we'll die. Lukas comes in first, hugging me he kisses my wet cheeks.

"Emil, try to win. Try to win for me. For all of District 4. Please, you need to live," he says as he hugs me tightly.

I nod slightly, speechless. I have no idea what to say because I have never had training or have any skills that would guarentee my living. As I walked into the Capitol train I had enough sense to know I was stepping into my own death.

****************New Chapter*******(Sorry I'm technologically impaired I don't know how to set up chapters)

The train was grand and intricately designed. The walls are deep red and the floor is a beautiful mahogany wood. Me and the girl are ushered into our rooms and are told that we will have to be ready for dinner in about an hour. I look around the astonishing room and wonder at the plush curtains draped around, with intricate designs according to our District. The bed had light blue sheets with a sand colored comforter. I discover the bathroom next. It is composed of a white porcelain toilet. next to a plain sink. The shower had many buttons and a million settings, so I peeled off my clothes and took a shower, letting the water slough away my unwanted thoughts. When I get out I press a button and a dryer sucks the water off of my body and leaves my silver hair soft and shiny. I dress in a simple white muscle shirt and denim shorts. About 10 minutes later I am summoned to dinner. An Avox leads me out to the dining room, which smells of rich sauces and different meats. I grab a plate and pile it a foot high roast chicken, which we never have in District 4. I cover it with a rich gravy and sit down by the other District 4 tribute.

"Hello. What's your name?"

"Victoria Bonnefoy. What's yours?"

"Emil Seilsson. Do you have family members?"

"Um yeah. The victor, Arthur Kirkland, he's my dad."

"Oh. I have a brother, his name is Lukas Bondevik."

"Oh I've heard of him. News sure does get around in a small district like ours."

"What news?" I ask her, curious to waht things have been said about him.

"Simple things. Does he have a boyfriend?"

"Um yes he actually does. Matthias Kohler."

Her face turns solemn,"Did your father die? In a fight by the sea?"

My eyes brim with tears and I shake them away,"Yes. He did. And my mom, she died of hypothermia."

"Oh. I'm sorry for your loss." she says, patting my back.

"It's fine. I've been okay for all these years. Lukas has taken care of me. So has Matthias. They are both quite nice to me."

"That's good to hear! Let's finish up eating then I have to talk to you."

I nod and scarf down the food. She does the same with her food and grabs my hand. She runs to her room with a tiny giggle every now and then. When we are finally in her room she leads me to the balcony and releases my hand.

"So, what were your thoughts when you got chosen for tribute?"

"Death sentence."

"That's what I though too! But when I saw the look in your eyes I didn't think you were going to kill me. I was actually thinking we could ally."

"That is actually a great idea Victoria! But what about the other tributes? We can't ally all of them."

"Yes I know. We ally the strongest ones. There is one tribute, his name is Ludwig, that I want to ally. I also want to ally another one, Natalia, she is the sister of another boy that I know, Ivan. Those ones we need to get. Others are optional," she says with the sternness of a military general. I just nod quickly. She laughs, breaking the stern expression on her face. Her brown eyes shine with relief.

"I'm so glad I don't have to kill you in the arena. I'm not that kind of person Emil but if you tried to kill me I would have to defend myself."

My exterior was joking and unfazed, but my interior was absolutely terrified of this girl.

"That would be pretty bad. I wouldn't want to kill you either. You seem like a sweet girl." I let out a timid laugh.

"Yes it would. Tomorrow is training don't forget. Ludwig, Natalia. Those two are necessary."

I nod and walk off. She grabs my arm.

"Sorry if I scared you a bit. I just need to return to my babies. I have three children and a fiance. I can't leave them like this."

I leave without saying another word to her. I have my brother to return to that's all. She has so much more. I need to protect her.