Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games.

District 9

A/N: Dear BecauseofKillianJones,

I wasn't for sure if you had written Pan Lacey's name backwards or not, so I just used Lacey as her name. Sorry if it is wrong. :)

Wendy's curly, honey-brown hair bounced along her shoulders as she ran. Her small house came into view and she saw two older girls and a small boy sitting on the grass. The girls laughed as the boy told old stories of better times.

"... and then he pushed me off of the swing into the grass and my butt still hurts!" Wendy smiled as her younger brother told her friends about their day at the park. Of course, this story wasbeforeher older brother, Mike, had gotten Reaped and had never stepped out of the arena once he entered.

The girls turned and smiled widely as they saw their best friend approach. "Hi!" Wendy covered her ears as Regina yelled cheerily at her. The 16 year old squinted her eyes shut and put on a goofy smile.

"I can hear ya just fine Regina. So, why are you two here?" Wendy cocked her head slightly.

"It's Reaping day. Remember? We were gonna walk to the square together!" Lacey said. Wendy froze for a moment and looked down at her clothes. "You can go get dressed now."

The girls laughed playfully at her as she walked inside. Her room became more clear as she approached the wooden closet. The mirror on the vanity played with and refracted the light coming from the window. The musty smell of her bed mattress floated softly around the room. Her rickety closet doors were already opened from when she had gotten the clothes she had on at the moment.

Wendy grabbed a simple v-neck dress, the gray of it matte. She slipped out of her plain clothes and slipped it over her head. She grabbed a pair of worn white sandals and buckled them onto her feet. The weather was quite cold outside, so she put on a white jacket. Wendy tied her hair up into a messy braid and took a look into her mirror to be sure she looked acceptable. Her brown eyes shown back at her. She smiled at her appearance and left the room, ready to go.

Owen's brown eyes looked tired as he brushed out his dirty blond hair. The front pieces wouldn't go back and he sighed in defeat as he ran his hands through his hair. His tall figure was clothed in a black shirt with a gray tie, black pants and boots. The scars scattered across his arms and legs shone out. Some were fading, but most were not.

Owen heard the knock at the door that signaled it was time to go. He ran his callused fingers through his hair one last time and headed for the room his brother and sister shared. The door opens to reveal a lanky 15 year old boy. His eyes glittered with mischief and his mouth was smiling. The small girl behind him was shaking with anxiety. The 11 year old looked at Owen and grasped his hand. A gentle smile formed on his face.

"Cora, Ian, it's time to go. We wouldn't want to be late." As they passed through the hallway, the closed door of their parents room looked sunken compared to the light tan walls. Owen shuddered as he remembered the accident. The fire that took his parents life.

The sun was covered in clouds as they stepped out the door. Owen walked in silence as his siblings chatted among themselves. Owen thought about the day, what he would do after the Reaping. He was, of course, worried about Ian, but he contradicted himself saying it wasn't going to happen.

"Owen. Owen!" He looked to his right, finding that Cora was staring at him.

"What? I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

"I asked you how many slips of paper you had in the bowl." her voice cracked, but she soon regained her composure of smiles.

"29. A lot of people have more," Owen smiled a bit, doing his best to lighten the mood.

"That doesn't lower your chances." Ian swooped in the conversation as they reached the square. Owen knew it didn't, but he still tried to pretend it did.

The crowd was silent as the Treaty of Treason was read and the video played. As the escort walked up, a fit of giggles came from the anxious crowd. "Quiet down. Quiet down. I know how excited you are to participate in the Hunger Games this year!" The crown all of a sudden became quiet. "My name is Popcorn Kernel and I'm your new escort!" Popcorn's hair was a bright yellow, like butter, and was curled crazily. Her clothing was some kind of bubble suit also painted yellow. She stood barefoot, her feet a vampire white.

"We are going to start with the guys cause ya know... I want to." She marched to the male bowl, her suit screeching. She slipped her hand in and grabbed a crumpled piece from the top. "Owen Flynn!" Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for the desired male tribute.

Owen stood shocked for a moment, but quickly became emotionless. His body was numb. His mind was numb except for the voices repeating, It can't be me. It isn't. It can't be.

Before he even got to the top of the stage, Popcorn called out, "Wendy Fire!" Owen looked and saw a beautiful girl who looked to be 16 or 17.

Wendy looked behind her and saw her family staring, wide eyed and jaws dropped. Wendy marched to the stage bravely and states her name one last time before shaking her partners hand.

The world spun as they both entered the old Justice Building.

A/N: I swear my mind doesn't want me to write. My heart does though and I shall listen to it! I've been so busy and any time I have to write, I spend looking at a blank page. I'm so sorry and I promise I will update quicker. I'm not going to quit this story so don't worry. Bye!

-Mere