I hear roars, and cheers coming from the crowd, as if it is some kind of celebration, but I know that they are cheering and clapping because there kids get to live another year.

"Settle down everybody, now the boys" Avalon said sweetly

A few seconds go by but to me it seems like minuets, I am anxious to find out what boy will be trying to kill me.

"Thresh Williams"

I see in the distance a boy step out, and he has the same colored skin as me, but that is about the only similarity, because he is about three times the size as me.

"Okay you two shake hands" Avalon says

As we shake hands his grip is cold, but firm. As we separate I walk back into a room that has the most precious velvet couches, and a bearskin rug. It is kind of awkward sitting all alone in a room, with no clue what to expect. Then all of a sudden my mom comes bursting in the door, with a guy dressed in a weird uniform probably from the capitol, he told us we had 5 minutes to talk.

"Mom, don't cry listen to me I am only going to say this, you need to stay strong, and take care of the young ones. You can't leave us like you did when dad died." I told her with a calm steady voice.

"Okay, just I'm so worried you are the youngest one there, and you can't even tip the scale at 70 pounds soaking wet" she said

"Just remember that I will probably be the sneakiest one in the trees I will find means of food in the trees and I will stay up there until everyone else is dead, they will never hear or see me."

"I hope all those years of climbing trees pay off" she said with a sincere laugh.

We gave each other a hug, and even though it would be our last I still had my head held high. Next that came in was my neighbor Matthew for a while we just sat down and looked at each other, even though he was an adult no one understood me better.

"Oh Rue why, why did this have to happen to you. I hope you know that I would have volunteered for you if I was at age." He said

"Thanks Matthew, and can you check up on my family, and do the best you can don't let them starve!" I yelled out as they hoisted Matthew away from me.

After that I was escorted outside to a train, and it had apparently been hours, because everyone that was at the reaping was gone, and all that was left was a train, I turned around to look at the building, and there I saw Thresh, he had seemed to show no emotion. We boarded on the train and in there I saw marvelous leather couches, and just as I was about to sit down on them, Avalon came running in the room

"Hello, hello you must be Rue, oh gosh you are so small and fragile, aren't you just a little pepper pot full of sunshine, and you big guy must be Thresh, now follow me you two" she squealed

I tried to keep up with her little trotting, we walked down a hallway and at the end there were two doors, Avalon told Thresh to go in one and me in the other. In there all I found was a chair and a robe. Above the robe it read please disrobe, and when you are done press the button next to you. In my head I was thinking what the heck why would they want me to do that. When I was done putting on the robe I pressed the button and almost immediately a man came running into the room

"My, my, what do we have here?" he said

"I am Rue Silvers" I tried to sound powerful, and demanding, but all that came out was a little noise.

"Well welcome Rue, what a lovely name"

"Thanks "

"Pardon me I forgot to introduce myself, I am Mattel, I will be your stylist, me and you we will be good friends."

I was thinking to myself, I only have one adult friend and it is Matthew, you would be about as much of a friend, as a dog is to a cat. After he took some measurements. When he was done with me he escorted me to my room where I would be staying for the night. When I got in there I changed into some comfier clothes making sure to put the dress my mother gave me neatly on the top of the dresser. I lay down on my bed, and only seconds later Avalon called for dinner. I walked out to the dining table and there were monstrous piles of food, I didn't know how only us three could eat all of that, well maybe Thresh could but me now way, the plate of mashed potatoes, probably weighed more than me.

"Sorry your mentor is not here right now he will meet us at the capitol, something went wrong so he was not able to make it to the train on time." She said

After dinner I went to bed and it was the most divine, comfortable bed I have ever seen or felt. When I woke up there was a girl cleaning up my room, and I remembered Matthew telling me something about them and how I cannot speak to them, so I said nothing. I looked out my window and there it was the capitol. It was better than I had ever imagined. We rode up, and there was a man standing there greeting us, and I believed that he was our mentor.