Isabella Southhaven (12)

District 1

I wake up, shaking. I realise my older brother, Aspen is holding me in his arms, trying not to cry. What if I'm picked for the games this year? There are no careers this time because it's only 12 year olds.

He lays me down on my bed again now I have stopped trembling and I am awake.

"It won't be you, Bella. I promise." He says.

"It might. There's hardly anyone with their name in more than once. This is the richest district. And when my name is called... when it's called... no one will volunteer." I say, and continue to cry.

"No it won't Bella. Anyway you'd come home if it was you. You've trained. You could win." He tells me.

"I guess..." I whisper and I stop crying.

"We have to get changed for the reaping now. I promise it won't be you." He gives me one last hug and goes back to his room. I'm so glad he isn't in this reaping. I only have to worry for myself and Ollie now.

I put on a little white sundress with pink and purple butterflies on it and some plain white gladiator sandals. Then I put on my little silver necklace with a little flower on it. Me and my siblings all have them, even tiny Little Flower has a little charm bracelet with the flower on it.

Silver who is only 18 months old doesn't understand anything except that Mum disappeared a while ago. We got the necklaces after Mum died. Mum died giving birth to Little Flower. She was already ill and as soon as Lil was born, she went into a coma and died the next day.

We live with our aunt Goldie in the victor's village. She has 2 children of her own – Hannie and Ollie. She's actually nice, considering she was in the games. She wasn't a career like most district 1 tributes. She won by hiding in trees and throwing knives at any tributes that threatened her. She only killed 2 people, the district 2 tributes.

I go down to the kitchen to find Hannie and Ollie (who are 7 and 12 years old), Aspen (who is 15), Max –my 6 year old little brother- and Silver in a little high chair sitting around the table. Goldie is holding Little Flower gently in her arms. It's hard to believe it was just 3 weeks ago that mum died. Little Flower looks too tiny not to have a mother, though I know Goldie will do her best to be like a mother for her. I can tell Goldie is upset when she looks into Little Flower's silver eyes and is reminded of her sister, my mother. All of us have the silver eyes and blonde hair of our mother.

Ollie Southhaven

District 1

I look at Bella. She is just as nervous as I am. I heard her crying, and Aspen going into her room to stop her nightmares about being reaped. The hunger games is not an honour – our family knows it. My mother was a victor at the age of 13. She only killed in self defence but she still has nightmares. She's one of the more normal victors these days. Or at least she was. She was really recovering from the games after 14 years when her sister –my aunt and Bella's mum- died. Now Bella, Aspen and their siblings live with us.

My sister Hannie breaks the silence by asking: "What happens in the hunger games, Mummy?"

Hannie doesn't have to watch them yet. The rules of Panem these days allow children under 8 to not watch the hunger games. This is the first year Max is watching them and I think Hannie is going to watch them too. She will be 8 in 2 weeks and Max is only a couple of months older than her. She can't stand being younger than him.

I just hope me or Bella don't get reaped. I don't want my sister and cousin's first time watching the games to have me or Bella dying in them. I couldn't stand it if she did.

Eventually during the time I have thought all this, mum has worked out what to tell Hannie.

"The hunger games are where 24 tributes go in and 1 comes out" Mum starts.

"Like on a holiday?" She asks.

"No sweetie. I know you are too young for this but I have to tell you before you are watching it. 23 of them die and 1 survives. You know we live in the victor's village? I am a victor. That means I won the games. The winner is the tribute that survives." She is down on her knees in front of Hannie now as Hannie is only small and is now stood up from her chair. Tears are running down from her face

"What's a tribute?" she asks, looking shocked.

"The children between 12 and 18 years old that go into the games." Mum answers her, the tears still running down her face.

"How do the tributes die?" Hannie finally asks.

"Hannie, you're smart. What do you think?" Mum asks her, not wanting to say the words.

"They kill each other?!" The shock on the 7 year olds face is too hard to bear as she is crying as well, so I go over and give her a hug.

"Mummy, will Aspen and Bella and Ollie have to go in the games?" she asks, not really wanting an answer.

"I don't know Hannie, I just don't know. Aspen won't go in this year. This year is a quarter quell. Only the 12 year olds are getting picked for it." she explains as gently as she can to Hannie.

Hannie hugs me tighter and the last question she asks is to me: "Are you going to go, Ollie?"

I can barely manage to say "No, Hannie, I'm never going to go."

Isabella Southhaven

It was too unbearable to watch Hannie, Ollie and Goldie so we gave Goldie a look, and she nodded for me, Aspen and Max to head to the reaping early.

"Don't go, Bella!" Max starts to scream.

"I won't Max. Please don't throw a tantrum. I won't leave you. Just stay with Aspen and wait for Auntie Goldie to arrive with Hannie, Ollie, Lil and Silver." I hug him.

"It won't be you. It can't be you." Aspen whispers as he gives me a hug then leads Max away.

I get my finger pricked and the peace keeper whispers very very softly, so I can hardly hear her:

"I know your family. Goldie is a lovely person. I really hope you aren't in these games. Good luck and if you are reaped, or if your cousin is reaped: I am very sorry."

"Thank you" I whisper back before going over to the girl's section. It's just a boy's area and a girl's area this year.

Eventually everyone is here and our escort Xyla walks onto stage. She is quite pretty and one of the less crazy capitol people. She has curly brown hair down to her waist and bright blue eyes. She wears a white blouse and rainbow fake zebra print leggings as well as black low-heeled boots. She doesn't wear make up at all.

She says all the usual stuff then walks up to the girl's reaping bowl.

"Ladies first" she says, and I swear I see a little tear rolling down her cheek as she pulls out the name.

"Our female tribute this year is Isabella Southhaven!" she announces. Now I know why. My cousin has just called my name. Wait... oh my god, my name was called. No, this can't be happening. I slowly walk up to the stage. On my way there I hear Aspen shout my name and Max and Hannie screaming.

When I get there I see her face. I know what she is telling herself. She's telling herself she's already pulled out her cousin's name – if she takes her brother's name out her world will have ended.

"Our male tribute is... no, no, not him, not him!" she screams. I know who it is.

She manages to pull herself together and choke out the words "Ollie Southhaven".

My relatives are really unhappy now. Ollie is soon up there on stage. He doesn't care that his sister is supposed to be a secret, he hugs her and whispers: "We can win"

Our relatives come into the room as soon as they can so they can have as much time as possible with us. We are in the same room for our goodbyes since the same people are coming.

Goldie, Aspen, Max, Hannie, Silver and Little Flower are all there.

I hold Little Flower in my arms for a long time, then I pass her to Ollie so that Silver can sit on my lap.

"You promised us you wouldn't go!" screams Hannie.

"I'm sorry, I can't change it. Noone volunteered for me. I have to go. One of us will see you again, I promise. Just try to not look at the tv when you're watching us. If Aspen or Goldie tells either one of you to cover your eyes, then cover them. Or your ears. Some tributes might swear." I tell Max and Hannie.

Xyla takes us to the train. Goldie comes too. I'm glad she got to be our mentor. She was allowed to come in and say goodbye cos she holding Little Flower and Aspen was with Silver. With a lot of talking to capitol people she managed to arrange for Aspen, Max, Hannie, Silver and Little Flower to come to the capitol with us. The only bad part is as soon as we are on the train they can't see us apart from Silver and Little Flower, if Goldie is looking after them. They are too young to notice anything anyway but I can't be too near to them or hold them like I normally would.

Hope you guys didn't mind those rules I put in there. I realised Goldie wouldn't be able to not mentor them but still had to care for the others.

Oh and here's the trivia and a couple of other questions:

- Who do you like more, Bella or Ollie?

- Any ideas so far, there is something that a few of you may notice

- Who plays Haymitch Abernathy in all the hunger games movies?