2

Effie Trinket appears on the screen. "The reaping will be healed this Thursday at noon. May the odds be ever in your favor!" The odds are in everyone's favor except mine. Silence stayed for some time as we all contemplated on what has happened. My parents have to send their children into the Games. Something they both have feared. Something that should never have been allowed to happen. My brother and I have to face death. The rules were bent when both my parents won. There's no way it'll happen again.

Kaien looks at me. He says, "I'm sorry."

I can't kill him. There are going to be twenty five other people in their. Odds are I won't have to. And I can't let anyone else. Kaien is still a child. He's a good spirit to be around. He makes hilarious jokes. Even though most are at my expense. He's a much better person. I know what I have to do.

Another buzzer goes off. It takes a second before we all return to reality. My father gets up and my mother follows. Haymitch comes through our front door. He takes the spot in between Kaien and I. He pats both of us on the heads. "I wish I could say I didn't see that coming. Sorry, kids."

Both of us still overwhelmed with shock stay still like statues. My parents return. They gesture Haymitch to come into the other room with them. "Prue, why don't you start getting ready for your party?"

I spend my day in a room filled with sorrowful faces. A day that was meant to celebrate life became over shadowed by death. These faces will never look at me the same way again. Most of my party guests know I won' return. My father talked with Haymitch while keeping an eye on the kids. Johanna Mason and Annie Odair spent the night consoling my heartbroken mother. If my plan goes accordingly I can have one of her kids come home. Others try to instill what little hope they have in my head. No matter which way I get out I lose.

If I lose the Games I die. That takes me out of pain and a fearful life like my parents have. My parents, I leave them with a hole in their hearts. Their healthy, full of life daughter taken by the system they fought so hard to over-rule. Kaien will lose his big sister. Even thought we disagree on most things, we are still family and we love each other.

If I win the Games I will forever more live with the quilt of being the cause of my brother's death. Even if they don't show it I can never be thought of in the same way again. My parent's would never dare say it to my face, but I will be the person to destroy our family. I guess it could be the same way if Kaien wins. What if both of us die? There's no way my parent's could recover from that. Their relationship could be ruined and turn into Annie or Haymitch. Or worse they could decide to join us. Who could blame them if they want to?

Kaien stayed quiet to the side all night. As I am praised no one blinks an eye towards him. I owe him many words. Tonight I have to give hidden goodbyes to my friends. They all wish me good luck. Some must hold back tears. Most aren't that good.

Everyone gathers around the table to cut the birthday cake my father beautifully decorated. Each year the cakes are more extravagant. A new layer for a new year and my top -insert age here- things. This year has sixteen layers and sixteen tiny designs. My mother returns with puffy red eyes. Annie and Johanna stay by her side. What used to be happy cheerful song became a solemn one as those around me realize this will be the last time I hear those words. You would assume since I am the daughter of two victors this would be easy. I presumed this day would never come and didn't bother training. Regret. I have tons of it.

After the party I sit outside on the swing with Jiarr. He stayed by my side the entire night, but hasn't said a word. I begin, "You've been quiet all night. What are you thinking?" Unlike my parents we are not good at figuring out what each other's thinking. He didn't answer. "You told me you would come here before the party. Why weren't you?"

"I didn't know how to look at you. Not after the... you know," he says.

A good boyfriend would ask me how I feel about it. Not make me feel wore. "Like this is any easier for me. I have to fight my brother. The only way for me to come home is for him to die. Do you even care?"

He became defensive. "I care about you. I don't like the idea of someone wanting to kill you. Worse it's twenty five other people." This wasn't time for an argument.

"There's nothing else I can do," I say.

He takes my chin and turns so I am looking into his eyes. "You can fight." I will never admit it but he did have a point. There's no way I can help Kaien live if I throw in the towel now. In doing so I will give those around me hope. False hope. I doubt it would look too good. Being the child of a victor and not knowing how to fight. The only way for me to die with dignity to spend every moment fighting.

"Do the best you can to come home to me," he comforts. "If you can't promise me one thing. Don't be one of the losers that die at the Cornucopia." Jiarr manages to pull out of me the one thing that's been gone since noon time. My smile.

I wrap my arms around his neck. His lips crash into mine. "I love you," he whispers in my ear. That was the first time he's said that to me. I only had one other guy say that to me. And it was a lie. Above us was a tree house I built with my father and Kaien when I was little. We make our way up there.

First we make out and slowly it becomes more. As his hands caress my body I lose all sense and decide to hit home.

Maxius Teardon was my first boyfriend. I was naive, being only fourteen. I loved the idea of love and wanted to find it fast. Many guys admired me from a distance. He was the first one to ask me. After only dating three weeks he told me he loved me. I got lost in his deep blue eyes and did things I never should have done. Once we were done he said, "Thanks for the ride" and didn't talk to me for days.

At school I went up to him to talk about it. He was a jerk and refused to hear me out, so I broke up with him. He was spiteful and told everyone I used him. Girls were disgusted with me; other guys tried hooking with me. The girls pitied Maxius and all the guys thought of him as a king. No matter how hard I tried, no one believed me. Not even my parents.

I was too terrified to tell them. I was afraid they'd be too ashamed of me. One thing I never expected was for Maxius' parents to enter our bakery at the time both my mother and father were there. All of them sat down to discuss what they've heard. My parents knew nothing and still defended me. Home was different. My father was furious while my mother had a disapproving face on the entire time. I put everything out the table and they were indeed very disappointed in me. My father got so heated he had to leave. His heart was in the right place though. I found that out soon after a group of boys went in and talked about me. He's lucky he didn't get arrested for chasing them so far away. My mother stayed to hear me out. She learned the full story and talked to my dad later. Eventually it died down, but no one looks at me the same. Jiarr is different. We've been together for a quite some time now and he knows me.

The day of reaping I was up nice and early. Mostly having to do with the fact I didn't sleep. The rest of my family looked the same. My mother came into my room to help me get ready. She walked in with a long blue dress in her hands. "Here, wear this."

I take it into my own hands, rubbing my fingers along the fabric. "Where did you get this? It's beautiful."

I step into my closet to change. She answers, "My mother. I wore it the day of my first reaping. I won so; hopefully it'll be good luck." I can tell she's putting on a brave face. I reappear and so does her smile. "You look beautiful. Sit down; let me do your hair."

She grabs the brush and smoothes out all of my knots. "I never got to ask," she continues. "Did you have fun at your party?"

"Yes. I'm glad I got the chance to see everyone before." That actually means to say goodbye. "Especially Jiarr."

"How is he? Has he been treating you right?" Ever since Maxius I grew a very open relationship with my parents.

I say, "He's great. He told me he loved me last night."

She asks, "Is that a bad thing?"

"I just want to be sure he said it for the right reason." She split my hair to two sides and began braiding them.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want him to say it because I'm about to stare death in the face," I share.

Before my mother has a chance to answer my dad sticks his head in the door. "Katniss? Are we almost finished here?"

"Yes, Peeta. We'll be right down. Just about there." She tied a royal blue ribbon around the end of my braid.

I stand up and turn around in the mirror looking at myself length. My father chuckles. "I never noticed how much you look like your mother." She glances at me. "Come on."

She says, "We'll talk later." My mother makes a quick stop to grab something and we head out the door. At the reaping Kaien and I are seated in a roped off area with our parents next to us. Their jobs will be to mentor and sponsor us in the Games. The only good thing that can come of this arrangement is that if I need something they'll get it, no hesitations. Haymitch will also be coming as backup in case this gets too hard for my parents. If he's our sponsor we're looking at a completely different story.

Once again Kaien mouths the words 'I'm sorry' to me. I think he's trying to tell me something more. Maybe he's sorry that he has a life to live and wants to win? Or he's sorry this had to happen all together? Maybe he had a plan to get me out alive, but already knows I plan on doing the same for him? My thinking is cut when the national anthem ends and the mayor has to make a speech. He talks about Panem. How we are a country that rose up from the remains of a land own as North America. Then, he moves onto the Dark Days. When the Districts joined to take down the Capitol. He talks about the start of the Games. Slowly he moves onto the revolution. How uprisings started in the districts and soon took down the old Capitol for good. Actually it was until a few days ago. Everyone turns towards my parents. They led the revolution. It was mostly my mother, but my dad helped start it.

The attention is handed over to Effie Trinket. She restates how for this Quarter Quell the tribute will be reaped from the existing pool of victor children. She begins, "May the odds be ever in your favor! Ladies first!" Her hand fiddles inside the bowl, trying to fish out the one piece of paper. "And your female tribute is," she pauses. "Primrose Mellark!" I walk over to the podium. I shake hands with Effie, then the mayor. I must stand up on stag while Effie asks for volunteers, even though there is no one to volunteer.

"Now for the male tribute!" She snatches up that piece with no problems. "Kaien Mellark!" He repeats the same actions I made. After we were quickly rushed to the train station. Know we are headed to the Capitol. Or as I like to call it, hell.