A/N: And here's the first real chapter! Remember, reviews are a writer's food ! :)

Chapter 1: To Wait

My name is Jade Eiko. I know, typical District 1 name, named after a gemstone. Yes, that's where I'm from. No, we're not all obsessed with winning the Hunger Games. I'd much rather just live out my life in peace. I never made the cut into the training academy for future tributes. Too weak, and though I am smart, intelligence only gets you so far in the games. Intelligence won't save you when you're alone, surrounded by careers. So that tends to be one of the last things they consider when accepting someone. Actually, very few are selected for the Academy. Usually, only two make it to graduation, a boy and a girl, ready to volunteer at 18. Which is why, for once, our district is actually worried about the reaping. We only have two tributes ready to volunteer. And apparently, the Academy has decided not to allow younger tributes to volunteer. Something about that causing problems in the years to come. Basically, they've decided to sacrifice four random children this year, so that next year will continue with two volunteers as normal. There was almost a riot the day that was announced, and peacekeepers eventually had to break it up.

I can't pretend I'm not worried. Very few people in our district take tesserae, which means we all have a pretty much equal chance of being reaped. I could very well be picked. I'm sixteen, with six pieces of paper in that big bowl. Six in, on average, around sixteen thousand. Multiply that by three, and my chances of being picked are around .1%. 1 in a thousand. It seems low, but so is everyone else's. No one ever really has a high number, not even with tesserae. The odds are, technically, in our favor. But someone still has to be reaped. In this case, three girls. Six total from our district. In short, I'm terrified.

I close the book I was trying to read, and decide to finally get out of bed. Since it's the day of the reaping, school is closed, and we don't have to be in the square until 4 in the afternoon. The actual event doesn't start till 5, but it takes a while to get everyone where they're supposed to be. Until then, we can do whatever we want. Some people celebrate, those who don't have children and agree with whatever the Capitol says. Others spend it with family, and still others gather together for support. Usually no one is too upset, since we always have volunteers. This year is different though. There's a lot more people worried. As for me, I'd much rather stay in my room all day with a good book. That's what I usually do. Being alone with my thoughts this year wasn't really the best idea though, in retrospect. I can't focus on even my favorite book.

It seems I'm not the only one having second thoughts about spending the day alone. My phone lights up with a text message, from my best friend. Well, I say best friend, but really, Naomi is more like a sister to me. Neither of us have many other friends, since we're both a bit different than the average District 1 girls. A lot of them like to emulate the Capitol, the ones that aren't trying to become tributes. Lots of fancy makeup, fashion trends that change by the week, personalities that are as fake as their hair. Neither of us ever had any interest in it, so it was almost fate that we ended up as friends. We like to tease each other that we're only friends because we have no other options, but in reality, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'd much rather have one real friend than a hundred fake ones.

Her text is short, simply telling me she'll be at our secret place. I smile. When we were only eight, we'd found a secret way up to the rooftop of one of the buildings, the tallest one in the city. We're not really supposed to be up there, but it's not technically illegal or anything. And as long as we aren't obvious about it, I don't think anyone really cares.

It doesn't take me long to get there, and I easily spot her, sitting at the edge, legs dangling off the side. Not for the first time, I find myself grateful that neither of us has a fear of heights. In such a busy part of the city, we're lucky to have found this refuge, a small place where we can be alone. I sit down beside her, and then it's just us. We watch the city for a while, as the officials start to prepare for the reaping. A stage is set up, and sections are roped off and reserved for different ages. Since Naomi is 15 and I'm 16, we won't be able to stand together. It's never bothered me before, not since I was 12 and she was 11, when only I was eligible for reaping. She'd been so worried, almost more scared than I was. But now, I have no explanation for it. It must just be nerves, because of the Quarter Quell.

We don't speak for a while. It's almost as if we're afraid to break the silence, that if one of us says something everything will crash down around us. I've heard that in other districts, where there are almost never any volunteers, that the reaping can actually end friendships. They just can't stand to worry so much for someone. Surely our friendship is stronger than that. I know it is. So then why are we so afraid to speak?

I'm about to say something when Naomi beats me to it. "Jade, what do you think the whole allies thing will be like?" She's still looking out at the city. It's not the question I was expecting, and it takes me a second to think of an answer.

"I'm not sure. I think it means that a tribute can't survive without their partner. Maybe they'll kill someone if their ally dies?" I wince as I say it. It sounds so...cruel. Even more than normal.

"I think they're hiding something" I stare at her. Naomi's always been more of a deep thinker, seeing more than most people. But I can't imagine what they'd be hiding. This is just another twist, right?

"That seems unlikely. Why wouldn't they just tell us?"

"I don't know. But I get the feeling that we don't know something important"

Naomi's rarely wrong about her predictions. She even managed to guess last year's arena theme, just based on knowledge of the last games and the gamemakers. I trust her more than any city official. But this seems...huge. Could they really get away with something like that? And even so…

"Does it even matter? We can't do anything even if they are hiding something. This is already one of the worst games yet, we'll just have to wait and see" My answer doesn't satisfy her and I know it.

We sit in silence for a while more, as the sun reaches its peak in the sky and slowly begins to drop back down.

"I'm scared" I don't have to ask her why. We're both scared. Scared for ourselves, for each other, even for our district, with all of its flaws. Maybe even for all the districts.

"I know" It's all I can say, but it's enough. The sun dips lower in the sky, and too soon it's time to go back home. To get ready for the reaping. I wish I could tell Naomi that it'll be alright, that this will just be another games and we'll be able to celebrate tonight. But I can't. I can't lie to her. I have no idea what will happen, and I'm helpless to prevent any of it. As we head off in separate directions, I glance at the sun again. I just hope we'll be able to see it rise again tomorrow, without this fear and doubt clouding our minds.