Hello, all. Below is Chapter One. I would like to thank Rareid123 and LokiThisIsMadness for Saphyra and Killian respectively. I will be taking a page from my sister's book and doing a chapter for each of the districts for the Reapings. Creators: help me out and keep an eye out for allies and/or a nemesis for your tributes. Comments are welcome. Remember this is my first SYOT and I'm a people pleaser, so be nice. Constructive criticism is welcomed.

Mentor – Khalani Averic (victor of 17th Hunger Games) -

Mentor – Blake Mahner (victor of the 10th Annual Hunger Games)

Escort – Vea Gold

POV Khalani Averic – District One Mentor

As she looked out on the crowd before her, Khalani realized that she'd never grasped just how many people were in her district. The faces stretched out before her, so eager, so ready, at least the older ones. The younger ones grew more and more frightened as they decreased in age. One of the youngest ones, a twelve year old boy, caught her eye, literally shaking in his boots. Perhaps the younger ones were the wisest, she reflected.

And then there was Blake beside her. He was five years older than she and seemingly five years dumber. He had no eyes for the tributes, but had his eyes fixed on Vea Gold's outfit, or in Khalani's opinion, lack thereof. There had been rumors that Blake and Vea had been having an affair without the Capitol's knowledge and there'd certainly been clues both before the games last year and during Khalani's victory tour. The last couple of hours, though, Vea had been extremely fussy and Blake had been anything but accommodating. It was nothing short of a miracle he'd arrived at the Reaping on time, mostly due to Khalani banging on his door, breaking in the window when that didn't work, and dousing him in ice cold water as a last resort. Khalani hoped they would both be focused enough to give their tributes the best chance they could. Khalani was hoping for a back to back victory and was certain she could achieve it. After all, so many of the trained, clean cut 18 year olds who had been only a year behind her in school looked eager to volunteer. Part of her was hoping that Liv, one of the most skilled fighters she knew would be this year's victor, but then another thought hit her. She remembered the terror of being inside the games, the adrenaline rush of not knowing if you would breathe another breath, see another dawn or if the tribute standing beside you would kill you or you would kill him. Would she really wish that on Liv? Though it wasn't as if it were actually her decision. Everything now lay to destiny.

"Ladies first. Let us see who will follow in the steps of our own Khalani Averic," Vea's voice sounded out, crisp and confident. Her hand circled, far too many times for Khalani's impatient mind and she drew out a paper. Khalani couldn't help but feel her pulse race. After sitting through six Reapings as a potential tribute and wondering if she would have a choice in her fate or not, the response was automatic.

"Zoe Blanche" she called out a name, but she had barely uttered the words when "I volunteer!" was shouted from the 17 year old section. Khalani strained to see if she recognized the speaker, but she didn't need to try for long because the brute shoved through the ranks, not bothering to come to the aisle that had been cleared dividing the boys from the girls. Instantly Khalani was certain she'd never crossed paths with this girl in her life. Her pierced eyebrow, nose and ears, combined with the paradox of her white dress and leather jacket signaled that she mingled with a crowd that Khalani wouldn't have touched with a five foot pole. Trying not to show her internal cringing, Khalani donned the smile that had charmed the Capitol last year. We can work with this, she thought. Maybe she'll connect incredibly well with Blake. But at a glance, Blake was in outer-space. Even Vea seemed to be taken aback a bit by the girl, understandably so. Khalani could smell the drugs on her from where she stood. Honestly, who came to the Reapings high?

"What's your name, dear?" Vea asked, seemingly recovered from her initial awkwardness.

"Saphyra Cullen and I'm District One's back to back victor," she announced. A huge cheer erupted from a group of hooligans that Khalani recognized as one of District One's most obnoxious troublemakers. A boy in the eighteen-year old section was groaning and shaking his head. Khalani tried to remember him. He looked familiar . . .

"Marc Cullen" that was the name! He'd been in training with her for a little while, but had to quit when his parents . . . "Marc Cullen for the boys." Khalani barely realized that Vea had called a name but the same boy, dark-haired and worrisome was suddenly screaming in utter frustration. No, maybe not screaming. He may have been hysterically laughing, but it was difficult to tell. Whatever he was doing, it was loud.

"Dang, bro!" Saphyra hollered from stage. "I'm gonna whoop you!"

"I volunteer! For crying out loud, I volunteer. Did no one hear me the first time?" A boy from the 17-year old section stepped forward through the crowd. He slapped Marc on the shoulder and shoved him back into the section. "Buck up, man. That was embarrassing." He jaunted up to the stage with a spring in his step, taking the microphone from Vea. "I'm Killian Odell," he announced, as though it was a given that he dittoed his district's partner's conviction and didn't need to state that he would be District One's back to back winner.

"Well, District One, let's have an applause for both of our victors, I mean, tributes." Khalani wanted to hide as the applause of the district washed over the stage. Both of them were so confident it took her aback and Vea's blunder didn't help matters. There were so many people talking, congratulating, cheering, but the only thing she could hear was "pride goes before the fall." She'd been confident, yes, but she'd also been studious and there was a part of her that knew the odds. Her choice to volunteer had been meticulously calculated, she had evaluated her own strengths and carefully planned her arena strategy. Even then, in the midst of it all, she had regretted it. As all of her allies died and she had to suffer through the dying screams of one of her closest friends, screams that still haunted her mind, she had regretted her decision. Now, seeing two volunteers so zealous to bloody their hands and so arrogant as not to realize what that meant, made her want to graphically illustrate the weight of their decision to both of them. Even as she watched them disappear into the barracks where they would farewell their friends and family, she couldn't help but wonder what second act she had gotten herself into.

District One Female – Saphyra Cullen

"You're a coward," Saphyra accused, the frustration that she'd felt with Marc for the last several years boiling up in what she meant to be her parting words to him. Part of her hadn't even wanted her brother to come, but he must have cut her friends in the line to see her.

"This isn't about me. You volunteered? Were you drugged? What is in your crazy mind that you think you could possibly do this. Why? Saphyra tell me why?"

"Definitely not for this lecture. This isn't what I was looking forward to when I said goodbye to my friends and family."

"Damn it, Saphy, I've tried so hard to save you for so long and you do this?"

"I don't need saving, Marc. If you're going to lecture me, you can get out of here."

"Saphyra this may be the last time I see you. . ."

"I'm coming back."

"Saphyra," Marc took a breath, knowing he could incur her wrath at any moment. "You're my little sister. And I love you. And if you don't come back – "

"I said I'm coming back! GET OUT!" She could barely see what she was doing she was so mad as she grabbed the ring off her finger and hurled it at Marc. She didn't know if he'd caught it or not as he scrambled out the door.

Just outside the door, Marc ran headlong into his aunt. "I'm not going in," he declared. "I love her, but I just can't." There were tears in her eyes, the tears of guilt that she hadn't done a better job of raising Saphyra after the two children were orphaned so many years ago, fear that Saphyra wouldn't come back, tears of regret that nothing she could do would change anything that had passed between them. These tears weren't in preparation for a victor, they were for a failure that Marc was almost certain was coming. His sister was destructive, reckless, impulsive. Even now she was probably on drugs. Marc put his arms around his aunt and sighed, fingering his mother's ring between his index finger and his thumb.

"Yo, Marc, glad you got bailed out. It would have been a shame for your sister to have to slaughter you," a voice came from behind him. Any other day, Marc would have groaned and pulled some snappy retort about Zac getting his life together, but not today. Today, he put on a brave face, just for a moment, and shoved the ring into Zac's hand.

"Give this to her. She threw it at me and she's going to want it later. Go quickly. I don't know how much time you have." For once, Zac and the gang didn't give him any retorts. They wanted all the time they had to say goodbye to Saphyra. Marc sighed as his sister's real family took the over and ejected him from her life, probably permanently.

"Nice show Sassy!" her best friend congratulated her and there were high fives all around.

"Your brother . . ." Fitch started.

"Don't even start about him," Saphyra warned.

"He said you'd want this," Zak said, handing Saphyra the ring. "Take it."

"I probably should," Saphyra whispered softly and there was a moment of silence as she put it back on her finger. "I can't believe I almost lost it."

"Hey, it's back now and it'll be your good luck charm in the games," Zak said. "It'll bring you back to us."

"Did you stuff morphling in the jacket pocket?" Jessi demanded anxiously.

"Please, of course I did," Saphyra said. "You guys didn't think I'd actually do it, did you? Volunteer? I had you all going."

"Drana thought you were too chicken," Alyx said, ratting out his friend who then punched him in the shoulder.

"Proved you wrong didn't I?" Saphyra challenged, slugging Drana harder in the shoulder.

"Yeah, get your practice in before the arena," Drana said, visibly wincing in pain.

"The girl packs a punch. And all of Panem's gonna feel it." Zak said proudly.

"Time's up. You hooligans get out of here," the Peacekeeper reported. The four boys headed towards the door, but Zak held back a second. He grabbed Saphyra's wrist right on her tattoo and they did their secret handshake. "See ya later," he said and sauntered back out the door. Saphyra sighed. This would be a piece of cake.

District One Male: Killian Odell

"The chosen one is off to his arena. To seek his stars. I almost thought you weren't going to. It wasn't just because he was crying was it? Oh that poor family," his mother's brown eyes were already welling up with tears, honestly Killian wanted to just say goodbye to her right now and have the theatrical piece end.

"No, ma. I was going to volunteer anyway. It's just no one could hear me over his horrible racket. I'm going to make you proud, I swear. I'm coming home in a little while."

"Oh Spencer. I can hardly believe it. Our boy's going to finally be a victor. He's going to be a star and make us so very proud." Killian was almost certain his mother was going to hyperventilate. His father put a supportive hand on her shoulder as his hazel eyes met Killian's.

'We're proud of you, son. You will bring glory to this district and to this family." He smiled, his silence and blunt honestly contrasting Killian's constantly loud demeanor.

"Cy, you only have to miss me for a little while," Killian said, ruffling his younger brother, Cian's hair. The boy was silent, as usual. "Keep up your training, okay, and we'll have two victors in this family in a couple of years. Just watch me. Watch how I do it. Huh-huh." Killian showed off a couple of sword fighting moves, more difficult ones that he knew like the back of his hand. There was a knock at the door. Killian knew it couldn't be the peacekeepers yet; he could only hold on to hope that a certain someone would be behind that door.

"Allright, Cian, say goodbye." Killian hugged his mother, Cian and then his father last of all. Their relationship had never been particularly close, but they understood each other, understood without saying it that there was a slim chance that this would be their final goodbye. Killian quickly brushed that thought aside since his father hadn't even said it. As his family left, Killian's heart skipped a beat to see who was entering the room.

"Hey handsome," Blaer whirled in the room, her long blonde hair flowing behind her. For a moment, he was distracted in her blue, unblinking eyes and neither of them said a word. She kissed him, which Killian should have realized she was going to do, since they'd gone from friends who hook up every once in a while to girlfriend and boyfriend just a couple of days before. Still, the kissing took some getting used to.

"That was a surprise," he commented when she freed his lips. "I guess I'll have a lot more of that to look forward to when I come back. But seriously, did you find her." Blaer's blue eyes held a confused look for one second. "Blaer."

"Sorry, I must have dazed off. I found her, but he still wouldn't let me bring her. I really tried to charm him. Killi, do you really think that's going to change when you come back."

"I hate being called Killi and you flipping know it. Call me Kill." Blaer sighed at his pickiness. Ordinarily it was something she'd fight him on, and they'd have a spat about it and then things would go from there, but today wasn't ordinary. "Things will change after I get back. They have to. I can't explain it, but I need Sienna in my life. Life changes when you're a father."

"Does your family know?"

"Of course they do. You know what a blabbermouth I am." But they didn't. No one in his family except Cian knew that he had a daughter who he had never been allowed to meet. "Now is totally where I'm supposed to say something profound that will get you through the agony of missing me while I'm gone, but, sorry, babe, I got nothing." Blaer was about to walk out on him, knowing he was absolutely rubbish at goodbyes. "Hey, do me a favor. See if you can butter up the old man, ya know, Darya's father, so he lets me have my girl when I get back."

"Sure thing, Kill." She said it so seriously, as if for an instant she doubted he was coming back. "Just promise me you'll come back. That girl, Saphyra, she's pretty cutthroat. Promise me you won't trust her."

"Getting jealous already? I'm not even out of the district yet." Blaer's eyes held him in a gaze that could kill. "Please, baby, I don't trust anyone. I'm only out for me and you know it." She was annoyed, so he wiggled himself out of trouble with his lips and didn't let go until the Peacekeepers knocked on the door. Blaer's eyes were shimmering when she broke away and slammed the door.

Once he was alone with his thoughts, Killian paused for a second. He usually wrote in his journal when he was alone, but there wasn't pen or paper readily available, so, like an actor alone on the stage, his soliloquys began. "I was so awesome today. I volunteered for the Hunger Games."