And here is the long awaited chapter two written by TRACKERJACKSON! Yay! Celebrate! :3 Sorry it took so long, hopefully I'll get the next chapters up soon.

The soft and salty wood creaks beneath my feet as I breathe in the fresh ocean air. My family's boat, Star, shudders beneath my feet, and I adjust the mahogany wheel. Coral, the deckhand shouts up to me.

"Is everything all right up there, Finn?"

"I'm fine. I just passed to near a sandbar, and the bottom rudder caught. It's fixed now."

Coral walks up the stairs anyway, and adjusts the sails. We have the motor running, but the brisk wind fills the sails easily, causing us to bounce over the ocean even faster.

I reach under Coral's arms, tie the rope to the rail, and pull her into a hug. She turns and pulls me down for a slow kiss. Coral and I began dating a little more than two years ago, back when I was fourteen and she was fifteen.

She has been a deckhand on Star for over five years, since her parents both drowned while gathering clams. They were our neighbors, and, while we didn't have enough money to take in another child, we gave her a job.

One day, we were able to take the boat our without having to present a fishing license, which every fisherman in District Four receives for his or her seventeenth birthday. That night, we sat on the deck, ate smoked salmon, and watched the sun set. We have been inseparable ever since.

I was with her the day her first boyfriend broke up with her, I was there when she got her fishing license, and now I am here for her on Reaping Day. I can't do anything for her except hold her close, and ignore the invisible words: You both are in the bowl. As if we are thinking the same thing, she turns to me.

"You know what Zale would say right now."

Zale has been both of our close friends for a long time. I met Zale in kindergarten, when we had our first test on identifying fish. I was stuck on a particular problem, and he leaned over and whispered Mahi-mahi into my ear. That night, he came over to our house for dinner, and Mother served Mahi-mahi. We took it as a sign and decided to be best friends, like little kids do.

Zale and I have only ever had one fight. When he first met Coral, we were both thirteen and Coral was fourteen. Zale had a huge crush on her, and I did as well. For a while we fought for her attention, and tried to sabotage each other's efforts.

Eventually we both realized how stupid we were being, and Zale admitted he hadn't liked her for a while, and just wanted to win the argument. After the fight, Zale stated saying a certain quote whenever Coral or I was worried.

I turn back to Coral and laugh.

"Don't worry about what tomorrow will bring. Today's trouble is enough." I point out into the distance. "Look. The sun is starting to rise. Do you want to fish today or just sit and talk?"

In answer, Coral stands up and pads across to the anchor, dangling over the edge of the boat. "Can you lower it, or should I?

Coral knows about how I feel about anchors. My family named the boat Star after my older sister.

The day she got her license, three years ago, my parents let her go out alone with the boat. The typical length of a long, open water fishing trip is about a week. So, when she didn't come back for several days, no one was worried. After a week and a half, my parents rented one of the District's boats, and went out looking for her. They found her boat seven miles off shore, and her nowhere to be found.

However, when they pulled the anchor up to bring the boat back, they found her body caught in it. When she lowered the anchor, her wrist was wrapped around it, and she was dragged to the bottom of the ocean where she drowned.

Right after her funeral, Father took me out to the docks and took me on my first open water trip. The whole time we fished, we never once used the anchor.

A few days after I got back, I took a small square of wood from near the anchor. I branded it with a star, and hung it around my neck with a leather cord I found washed up on the beach. I haven't taken it off since, and I know, if I get reaped, it will be my token.

I let Coral lower the anchor, and I get a trident for her, a spear for me, and two nets. District Four kids are raised with these weapons. Most of the boys prefer tridents, but a spear has always felt more balanced in my hands.

We spend the rest of the morning catching fish, talking about small, almost forgettable moment of our childhood, and kissing. When it's time to go back, I tell her what's really on my mind.

"Coral, I don't know if I can handle it if you get picked. I already lost Star. I can't lose you too."

She looks at me with a sad smile. "I wish I could tell you it would all be okay, and that neither of us will be reaped, but I can't. I can tell you this: If we get reaped, there is normally a volunteer willing to take your place."

I know that's true, and I wish it calmed me down at all. I just give her a peck on the cheek. "Thanks Cor. I hate to say it, but I think we need to head back. I promised Sandy I'd hang out with her on the beach before the reaping."

Sandy is my younger sister. She is only eight, but she already shares many of my looks: sea green eyes, tan body from living on the ocean, and golden hair. We come from a fairly attractive family, but we are nowhere near the most attractive in the District.

Coral slowly turns the boat back to District Four, and we complete the rest of the trip in a relaxing silence.

When we get back to shore I kiss Coral goodbye and walk along the beach to my house. My family is not poor, but we aren't very rich either. We can afford a small, one-story house by the gutting area. Both my parents are fisherman, so when they bring their haul in after the day, they can chart their catches, and drop them off on the way home.

We also have enough to eat, but we can't afford the fancier food items such as roe and sushi. We almost never go to bed hungry, but we never turn down seconds.

I open the wooden door and make my way to the bedroom Sandy and I share. She is already sitting in her swimsuit on her bed, her feet not quite touching the floor. When she hears the door open she sits up and smiles. "Finn! You remembered!"

I walk over, pick her up, and twirl her around in the air. "Of course I remembered Dee! You know I've been looking forward to this trip for weeks!"

I grab her hand and we walk down to the boardwalk. As we are crossing the sand, she turns to me and asks in her little girl voice, "Are you scared?"

I don't quite know how to answer that. Of course I'm scared. I could die in two weeks! I can't Sandy worry about that now. She's only eight, and doesn't quite understand the way Panem works.

"Course not. How could I be scared with you holding my hand?"

She laughs, the sun glinting off each individual strand of her hair. I pick her up, and throw her in the water.

"Finn! It's cold!"

I laugh, and jump in next to her. "I'm going to teach you how to hold your breath. Now, when I go underwater, I want you to as well. Count to ten in your head, and then come back up! Ready? One, Two Three!"

We both go underwater but I come back up right away to keep an eye on Sandy. Her finger taps her leg ten times, and then she comes back to the top of the water, already out of breath. She looks at me with her bright eyes. "How'd I do?"

I smile warmly. "You did great! We will do this every day, and we will stay underwater five more seconds every week. Soon you will be better than me!"

Sandy smiles, but then looks at the sun and frowns. "Don't we have to get back soon?"

I look at the sun and realize how late it is. "You're right. Take your time getting out and drying off, but I got to go get ready."

I run back to the house, and into the bathroom. I pull off my salty, wet clothes and step into the shower. On Reaping Day, the Capital provides us with as much hot water as we want. It feels great against my body, and I allow myself a full ten minutes for the shower.

After I get out, I run to my room and pull on my reaping clothes: Black pants that show off my muscular legs, a blue green shirt that shows off my eyes, and my nicest pair of brown sandals. When I'm back in the bathroom, I brush my bronze hair and look out the window to make sure Sandy is back from the beach.

I see her walking up towards the house so I lay out her reaping outfit: A sky blue dress that has a bow that cinches around the waist, and some white sandals.

As soon as she's ready to go, we walk to Zale's house. His older brother, Kai, answers the door. Kai used to take Zale, Coral, and I out on the boat back before either of us had the license. He's like an older brother to me ever since I've known Zale.

"Hey Finn. You here for Zale?"

I nod. "Yeah, is he here?"

Kai calls his name, and Zale walks up to us, already in his reaping clothes.

"Hey. Are you ready to go?"

I respond, "Yeah. Are you?"

Zale nods and we start to walk towards the Square. Kai can be a little late, because he is nineteen, and doesn't have to worry about being reaped anymore.

Zale and I meet up with Coral about halfway to the Square. None of us say anything; we are too nervous to speak. When we reach the Square, each of us check in, exchange terse nods, and go into our separate pens.

From where I am in the sixteen year-old male section I can almost see Coral, her long blond hair tied up in an elaborate bun for the reaping. I turn to Zale, and we exchange the unspoken words: Don't worry about what tomorrow will bring. Today's trouble is enough.

It takes a few minutes for everyone to show up, but the Square is eventually full. All of the past victors are sitting at their place of honor on the stage, and the mayor is sitting beside them.

The District escort, Auriel, walks onto the stage. As escorts go, she is fairly normal. She had golden hair, and she has dyed one streak a light blue. She is wearing eye shadow of the same color, and it accents her ice blue eyes.

Her outfit probably costs more than a week of food for my family. She is wearing a tight blue dress that reflects the light, giving the impression of the sun shining off the waves. However, when she opens her mouth, it is clear it has been altered.

"Good morning District Four!" She sounds like a dolphin. I kid you not. Her high pitched, squeaky voice makes a few people in the crowd cover their ears in pain. "I hope you are all ready for the wonderful day ahead of us. Two lucky tributes will be chosen to participate in the brilliant Hunger Games!"

Half of the District cheers, while the other half politely claps. Yes, we are a Career District, but not all of us are as excited about the Games as District One and Two are. We have half as may victors as them, half as many volunteers, and half as many kills. Some years, we don't have volunteers at all, but normally there is at least one.

Auriel gives a grand welcome to the "wonderful mayor, Mr. Marcean!" He walks to the front of the stage, and gives the history of the Games. I've heard this sixteen times, so I can basically mouth the words along with him.

He talks about the rebellion, and how District Four sided with the all-powerful Capital. The merciful Capital did not punish us as much as the other Districts because of our alliance. In order to keep the other Districts in check, they created the Hunger Games, a game where twenty-four tributes are sent in, and only one comes out.

Mr. Marcean finishes his speech, and welcomes Auriel back to the stage. She prances across the whitewashed, wooden stage to the first glass bowl. "Ladies First!" She fishes around inside the bowl until she finds the slip she is looking for. She pulls it out, and the District stands still.

"Dory Kay!"

There is a small disturbance in the twelve year old section, and the tiny girl steps forward. She doesn't look the least bit scared, and, sure enough, someone volunteers when she reaches the stage.

The volunteer's name is Nyasa Sal, and she is a strong and quick seventeen years old. I vaguely recognize her from the District's community home.

I think her mom died in a boat collision, and her Dad committed suicide. She and Coral used to be distant friends, but after the accident Nyasa became closed off and deadly. She has dedicated her whole life to training for these games, and she certainly looks ready.

Auriel looks thrilled; she loves it when people volunteer. "Well look at how brave you are! District Four; here is your female tribute! Now to pick the males!" She digs around inside the glass bowl, where my name is written on six slips: one for every year older I am than twelve.

I'm lucky: I've never had to take tereasse. The odds are in my favor. But that doesn't stop Auriel from reading the name on the slip of paper: "Finn Crest!"

My heart stops. I feel like I'm drowning in the salty air, and I can't swim to the surface. I look around for help, but no one is looking at me. People have backed up forming a ring around me. Only Zale looks me, mouthing words I can barely work out: Someone will volunteer.

A few years ago, Zale and I made the promise that if one of us is picked, we would not volunteer. Neither of us wanted to have the death of a friend on our conscience. But he is right: someone will probably volunteer. This thought gives me enough courage to clear my face of all emotion and walk to the stage.

Auriel greets me and presents me to the District. I wait for volunteers. No one moves. I catch Coral's eyes in the crowd. They are filled with panic and tears, and they beg for someone, anyone, to volunteer.

A few more seconds pass, but they feel like hours. Auriel looks disappointed; no one volunteered. In a haze, I shake Nyasa's hand and look back at my district. In the distance, I can see the mast of the Star, and the creaking as the waves move it around. I am like her. Moved by the ocean, with no say in where I go.

Auriel takes my hand and Nyasa's in hers, and holds them up for the district. "District Four, I present you your tributes!" They cheer, unaware of the rising panic in my stomach. I can't show any emotion. The Games have already begun, and I can't show weakness.

Peacekeeps lead us to separate rooms, and close the door. I will have one hour. One hour to say goodbye to everything before I'm thrown into a game of life and death. My family comes first. Sandy bursts into the room, sobbing, followed by Mother and Father. Sandy hugs me and cries, "You can't leave Finny! You promised you'd help me hold my breath!"

I almost start crying myself, but I have to stay strong. "I know Dee, and I'm sorry. I'll be back before you know it, and then I'll spend the whole week at the beach with you." I pat her on the head, and keep hugging her while Mother talks to me.

"You realize you will have to join the Careers. You're strong enough, and you've trained hard enough. You have a very good chance."

She's right. While I've never directly trained for the Games, I've spent my whole life with nets, spears, and tridents. I know how to catch fish, and I'm strong. "I will come home. I promise."

Father looks me in the eye. "We know. We will be waiting. I love you Finn."

"I love you too Father. I love you Mother." I reach down and look Sandy in the eye. "I love you to Dee. I will come back before you realize I'm gone. I promise."

She looks at me, and slowly stops crying. "You can do it. I'll hold my breath until you do."

To prove her point, she takes a big gulp of air, and doesn't let it out. I pull her back into a hug, and feel her breathing quietly, trying not to let me notice it. I pretend I can't. "I bet you can Dee."

After one more round of hugs, my family leaves, and is replaced by Coral, Zale, and Kai. Coral is crying too hard to talk, and I just pull her into a hug. I kiss her on the mouth and whisper into her hair. "I will come back for you. And when I do, I'll give you this."

I pull out a pearl ring. I was planning on waiting until we were both safe from the reaping, but I might die in the next two weeks, and I want her to know how much I love her. I get on one knee, and hold out the ring.

"Coral, I love you. The day we first met, we were diving for oysters, and you started crying thinking about your parents. You went back up to the boat, and we talked for hours. That was the day I realized I was in love with you. When we got home, I found a pearl in one of the oysters. I kept it for all these years, and I had it made into a ring a few weeks ago. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you so much Coral."

By now Coral is flat out sobbing. "I love you too Finn. Of course I'll marry you."

She throws her arms around me. Zale looks at me from over her shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't volunteer. I didn't know you were thinking about proposing."

"We made a deal when we were little, Zale. I wasn't expecting you to volunteer, so you did nothing wrong. If you died after volunteering for me, I would never forgive myself. You did the right thing."

I pull away from Coral and hug Zale. "You know guys, this isn't goodbye. I will make it back."

Kai had remained relatively quiet in the corner, but now he steps forward. "We know you will. You have to. I don't know what I would do without you. You've been like a little brother to me. I remember the first time you came to my house looking for Zale. You were the smallest little shrimpling I've ever seen. But now, you're strong enough to party with the Careers."

He claps me on the back. I look around at my friends for possibly the last time. "I love you guys." By now, I'm seriously about to cry.

The Peacekeeper sticks his head in. "It's time to go."

I kiss Coral, and then hug Zale and Kai. "I'll see you guys soon. I promise." They walk out, and I'm left in a quiet room all alone. Screw it. I cry.

Woahhhhh! Awesomeness overload! Her stories are super interesting so go check them out! I'm serious.