Thanks Gothgirl69 :-) You were the first reviewer! I think that honestly? You are the BEST!

I stand there, feeling sorry for whoever got reaped, until I look up and see everyone staring at me. I guess I blacked out. Interesting.

Wait, if I blacked out then...I'm the person who got reaped? I let out a sound, like a dying animal in the back of my throat and feel Lilah taking my hand and leading me up to the stage.

Once I've climbed the stairs and thanked her, I look out at the audience and find Fivey and Father crying and holding each other. Father looks older than ever. And Fivey is running towards the stage crying and shoving people out of the way.

She's at my feet and I try to smile. I think it looks more like a grimace, because she winces and sobs harder until she's wailing.

I take a step back and Carliu looks taken aback. He shrugs and then says, rather, obnoxiously, "Okay! Well! Let's look at our boy tribute, shall we?"

No one says anything. They just wait for the next unfortunate soul to be called.

Carliu grins and leaps over to the ball full of boy's names. I'm not kidding. He leaped. Leaped. What a psychotic freak.

"Aaaaaand, the boy tribute is...Tiger Sufyl! Wow! There he is! What do you think District Eleven? Do you see either of these tributes as the next victors? I sure hope so!" He chuckles, but I want to spit at him. How did he get this job?

Oh, look, there's my future enemy. Tiger Sufyl. He looks to be about fourteen. He looks like everyone does here. Dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes. Yawn. He's not muscular either. Probably a bloodbath tribute. He'll be in the hovercraft the first day.

Wait a minute. I'm going to be one as well. I feel tears threaten to fall as I face reality. I'm not coming back alive. I'll be dead. I sniffle and wipe a tear away.

I try to regain my dignity by walking to the Justice Building where I'll say goodbye forever by myself, without the peacekeepers.

I wriggle away from one when he touches my back. He glares at me and hits my shoulder. Hard. I wince and then stay put.

Once they drop me off in a prison cell-I'm sorry, room. Fivey and Father rush in. Their eyes are rimmed red from crying.

"You will come back Pony. If you don't I swear, I'll go to the capitol myself and kill you." The strength in her voice scares me, but I force a chuckle.

"Don't worry Fivey. Pony's tough. She can do this." Father must be dellusional. I'm twelve. Twelve! I've never trained. I'm always underfed, and I'm going to die in the bloodbath.

As Father says this, Fivey gets a strange look on her face. "Father, can you-can we visit at separate times? I have to talk to Pony-alone."

"Um, okay." Father walks out of the room more confused than ever.

"Fivey! You hurt his feelings! You should go say so-" Fivey put her hand over my mouth, forcing me to stop talking. her voice is low and urgent. As if I might not hear it. That or this room is bugged and she doesn't want other people to know what she's saying.

"Pony, I know that you might not win. But you have to. Mother died so that you could live, and well, since she thinks you're worth it, who am I to judge? Ow! Don't bite me, just be quiet! Anyways, heres what you do. Act confident, like you're going to win, and then, well. They're going to put a tracker in your arm. Once you're away from the bloodbath, wait a day. Then, hide in a tree. Quit biting! You're going to draw blood! After you're hidden in a tree, cut the tracker out. Then fall out of the tree, and play dead. Once your tracker is cut out, the gamemakers will think you're dead and put your body in a hovercraft. Make sure you have a weapon. Then, kill everyone on the Hovercraft and escape."

I blink. "Fivey, no! What about you and Father?"

She rolls her perfect eyes, "Calm down, we'll figure it out, I have very little time left, so promise me that you'll follow my instructions. Promise me!"

"Where would I escape?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Why can't I just die?"

"Because I said so."

I exhale, it's pretty obvious that she'll win this arguement. "Fine!"

She immediately brightens, "Good girl! Now, I'm going, and Father's coming in, and remember, tell him NOTHING! And Pony, if by some very slim chance, this plan doesn't work, just remember that I love you and I always will."

I nod and she gives me one last hug and kiss. Then poof! She's gone. Maybe forever.

Once Father comes in, I tell him not to worry, that I'm Pony Lyfus, and he raised me right and I love him and of course, that I'll be coming home. I never said I'd be alive though.

Before he leaves, he takes my hands and tells me, "Pony, remember, I love you, and if you do anything awful in that arena, I still love you. And I always will. I love you."

Then, Lilah comes in and hugs me and says that I'm her best friend and that she thinks that I'm the prettiest person she's ever met.

Hah. What a cute joke.

Then, I'm yanked out of the room by a peacekeeper and I'm shoved on a train with Carliu, Tiger, and our mentors, Plore and Urgrile.

We enter a room that has a big table filled with food, more than I've ever seen. My mouth is watering just looking at it.

"Shall we sit?" Plore asks.

We all take seats, and I'm on one side of the table while everyone else is on the other.

"Yoo-hoo! Pony, come come. Sit next to me dear!" Carliu is smiling at me and patting a seat beside him.

I know that he's trying to be nice, but something about his voice, the way he says it, like he's talking to a child sets me off, "I'd rather have my teeth yanked out and then had someone cut off my head with them." I nearly spit at him.

Then, a second later, everyone's staring at me. "What? He's from the place where people want me dead."

"If you keep that atitude missy, I'll see to it that your wish comes true." Snaps Plore. She is not one to mess with.

i roll my eyes and say, "Go ahead, maybe I'll do it to myself." I grab a plate and fill it with food. Glaring at Plore the whole time.

I don't think this is a good start.