I faintly hear Iris cry out. I take slow steps up to the stage. Each step, my breathing becomes more rapid. In…Out. In..Out. In. Out. In Out. Inout. Soon I'm almost to the hyperventilation. I force my self to take a deep breath as I walk up the stairs. My hands start shaking and I can't control them. My eyes seek my family. Almost all of my sisters are crying; Rose just stands there, shaking her head desperately. Tibithia gives me a huge Capitol smile, all teeth. I tremble; not only will she be escorting me to the Capitol; she'll be escorting me to my death. She moves on to the boys, "Thresh Rescotti." Oh no! Oh no no no no! Not Thresh! He's one of my few friends that aren't my sisters. Even though he's a 7-foot giant and is six years older, he's helped take care of me and my family. In the orchard that I work in, I'm not too far from him working in the fields. We communicate by whistling a three-note tune. He walks up to the stage and gives me a pained look. We shake hands and he gives mine a reassuring squeeze.

Tibithia leads us to separate rooms where we will say our goodbyes to our friends and family. As far as I know, Thresh has no one, but me and his grandmother. I stare out the window at District 11. Most people are celebrating not getting picked, but a few still have grim looks on their faces. The door behind me flies open and I jerk my head around. "Rue!" Iris shouts and jumps into my arms.

"It's okay Iris," I say, "Everything is going to be okay." She sobs on my beautiful yellow dress. I make her face me and smooth her hair back,

"Okay?" I whisper. She nods and hands me something, her necklace.

"Iris," I start.

"Please keep it," she says.

"Okay."

Violet attacks me next, "Rue, please don't go!" she pleads.

"I have to. I'm so sorry," I say. I give her a tight squeeze and a sad smile. I do this to all my other sisters and finally get to Rose.

"Rose," I say, "You have to take care of them, okay?"

"Promise," she replies tearfully. "You are the second oldest," I continue, "So I pass my responsibilities on to you."

She says, "Okay Rue, be careful please; for us." I nod. I turn my attention to my parents. They both pull me into a long hug and one by one, my sisters join in. We stay like that, in one large family hug. This reminds me of something. I did have another sibling, my older brother, Raloi. He died in the 70 Hunger Games, before Iris was born. We hugged him until he had to go. My family does the same to me now. The peacekeepers come in to lead them out. "I love you all!" I shout as the door closes and I hear a few cries of reply.

Tibithia takes us to the train that will deliver us to the Capitol. When we step in, it is like nothing I've ever seen. Brass doorknobs, beautiful crystal chandeliers, and shimmering jewels decorate the room. We sit down in the lush furniture and Tibithia tells us that Chaff and Seeder will be in soon. As soon as she leaves, Thresh turns to me.

"Rue," he says in his deep voice, "I am so sorry that this happened. I just…" His words trail off.

"It's okay, Thresh," I reply quietly, "It's not your fault." As I raise my gold-brown eyes to his, I add, "I hope you win."

"Rue," he says sadly, "That's no way to be thinking." He pulls me into a hug. Just as we sit down, Seeder and Chaff walk in. They introduce themselves and we shake hands; I make sure to shake Chaff's right hand, for his left one is gone. He lost it in the Games and for some reason, didn't get a Capitol replacement. Seeder's personality is warm and I like her right away.

"So," Seeder starts, "The other tributes are being announced on television." We make our way to another train car and sit on odd furniture that I've never seen. The seal of Panem lights up the screen and they start with District 1. Names: Glimmer and Gloss. District 2: Clove and Cato. I start to loose track and then flash in just in time to see District 10: Shalda and Yexan. I see myself get called up to stage and then Thresh. District 12: Katniss (volunteer) and Peeta. The seal shows again and then it's over. "Interesting mix," says Thresh. Seeder shrugs. She sees my expression and says, "Let's go to dinner, shall we?"

If I thought Capitol décor was unbelievable, I was nowhere close to being prepared for the food. There were potatoes, vegetables, entire roasted pigs, goats, and cattle, and much, much more. I gave myself small servings at different times so I wouldn't get sick. The food was so good that it was hard to limit it. Then came dessert; mountains of gelatin, towering cakes, delicious chocolates, and things I couldn't even name. Afterwards, I felt like I would be sick. Thresh looked a little green as well. I quickly excuse myself and wander into another car. I have no idea where my room is, because the world is spinning. I eventually bump into a Capitol attendant who is slightly annoyed; "Lost?" he asks and shows me to my room. As soon as he leaves, I find a toilet and have a reunion with my dinner. Afterwards I feel so awful; I rinse out my mouth several times and take a shower, something that I have never once done before, because we have a tub in my family. I change into silk pajamas that I find in my room. I look in the mirror. Even though I've been cleaned, I still look like a wreck. I glance at my bed, a perfect place for a shaking body. I collapse onto it and let my head fall onto the pillow, a perfect place for crying eyes.