I'm awoken by the sun shining on my face through the window. I must have forgotten to close the curtains last night. I roll over away from the bright light and towards my alarm clock.

Crap…it's only eight-thirty. My alarm clock wasn't supposed to go off for another hour. Usually, I'm up three hours earlier, getting ready to work a shift in the fields before school, but today, there is no work or school. I was hoping to sleep in.

I groggily sit up and reach for the curtains and pull them shut before flopping back into bed. I close my eyes and try to drift off again.

Eight-thirty turns to eight-forty-five. Then it becomes nine and I give up.

As much as I want to spend just a little more time in my own bed, I know when I'm beaten.

I climb out of bed and rub what little sleep is left from my eyes before going to clean up. I pull my hair back into a messy ponytail, mainly just to get it out of the way. I'll have to be sure to clean it up before the Reaping, but for now, this will do.

The smell of pancakes reaches my nose as soon as I exit my bedroom and my mouth waters. Sylva and Rycin know I don't like doing much on my birthday. Neither of us did. It's hard to celebrate on a day that celebrates children being taken away to die. This feeling only grew once Sunny and I learned what happened to our mother. I tried for a while, mostly because Sunny didn't want to let the Capitol interfere with our happiness, but that effort died with her.

Sylva and Rycin respect my decision not to celebrate, but they always insist on making me breakfast. I was against it at first. They'd already done so much for me, and I felt bad taking more, but they were persistent, and ultimately, they know that pancakes are my weakness.

Sylva looks up and smiles at me when I enter the kitchen. "Happy birthday, Amber," she says.

I force a grin and try to sound cheerful. "Thanks, Sylva," I reply. "Those pancakes smell really good! Are you ever going to tell me your secret recipe?"

Sylva laughs. She meets me halfway to the table and pulls me into a hug. "Not in a million years," she teases.

This gets a laugh out of me and I wrap my arms around her. Sylva kisses the top of my head and for a moment, I can almost picture my mother doing the same thing. I give Sylva a squeeze and gently pull away. "Where's Rycin?" I ask as I go to set the table.

"He'll be here soon," Sylva replies. She walks back to the stove and starts cleaning up. "He's making sure everyone at the pub knows what to do while we're gone. Will you be okay here by yourself?"

"You ask me that every year," I joke.

"I worry about you every year."

Rightfully so. There's a very real chance I'll be joining them on that train.

Once the table is set, Sylva sits me down and places a plate of pancakes in front of me, perfectly buttered and drizzled with syrup. "Thank you," I reply.

"Damn, that smells good!" Rycin's voice echoes from the hallway.

"Language, dear," Sylva chides.

Rycin appears in the kitchen and waves her off with a wry smile. "Damn isn't even that bad of a word." He ruffles my hair as he passes. "Happy birthday, Amber."

We eat our breakfast, making some small talk. When we finish up, the conversation comes to a stop. Rycin and Sylva exchange a long look. I raise an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"I know you normally don't want anything for your birthday," Rycin begins, "but…this is your last reaping and…" His voice trails off.

Sylva continues for Rycin. "It took some time, and we had to call in a couple of favors, pull a few strings, but…we found it." Rycin pulls a small box out of his pocket and slowly hands it to me with a sad smile.

I hesitate for a moment. Found it? Could he really mean...

I open the box and burst into tears.

When my grandfather gave me my necklace, he also gave a matching one to Sunny. It was our thing, sort of like a friendship bracelet. When Sunny was reaped, she wore her necklace as a token. I thought it had been lost when she died. Her killer had taken it off her body and kept it as a trophy. It wasn't found on him when the boy was torn apart by mutts...

I gently pull the necklace from the box and hold it close. "I can't believe you found it…" I sob. "I thought it was gone forever."

"I know," Rycin replies, resting his hand on my shoulder. "I can't either, but hey, we did and now you can wear it too."

"It'll be like I have a piece of her with me. Thank you," I say with a sniffle. "Thank you both so much."

I unclasp the necklace with shaking hands. Sylva sees this and goes around me, helping me secure it to my neck.

I look down at the necklaces, both hearts now together again.

I can almost feel Sunny next to me, telling me it will be okay. I don't know how true that is, but for now, it helps.

Sylva and Rycin take my empty plate away and tell me to try and relax before the Reaping. We all know that will be impossible, but I can try. I spend that time picking up my room. When my room is clean, I take out my fiddle and I start playing. Soon, I find myself lost in the music, too lost, because soon, Rycin is knocking at my door, telling me it's time to get ready.

I sigh and check the clock. Sure enough, we have to leave in less than an hour. I gently place my fiddle back in its case and run my hand over the wood one last time, admiring the instrument that kept me sane over the years. "Thanks for everything," I say quietly, before closing the case and latching it. Either I'll return tonight to take it to the pub and play a show, or I may never use it again. I hope that if it's the latter, Sylva and Rycin will make sure it goes to a good home. I would hate to see it gather dust.

I open up my closet door and pull out a dress that I picked out for the Reaping. It is the same dress that my mother wore when she was reaped, a blue and white gingham dress with short sleeves and a skirt that reached my knees. Two deep blue ribbons dangle down, ready to be tied back into a bow. There is a matching pair of blue flats in a shoebox on the shelf. It's hard to believe that this dress is in such good condition, despite being seventeen years old. It had been sitting in a box for most of that time, and I had accidentally stumbled upon it while looking for something in the attic last winter.

When I saw it, I knew what I would wear to my final Reaping. Now that I have Sunny's necklace, it makes even more sense. Now, both my mother and my sister will be with me today.

Once the dress is on, I brush out my hair and tie it back with a matching ribbon Sylva got for me. When I look in the mirror, I almost feel like I'm looking at my mother through the television screen. Sunny and I were both the splitting image of her. I look just like she did all those years ago. I was only one year old when she died, but I still miss her deeply. Her loss left me with a hole that I don't even know how to fill. I tried to learn as much as I could about her. She was strong, brave, and determined. She always knew the right things to say. I wish I could talk to her now.

I wonder what she would say to me.

Within ten minutes of the Reaping beginning, I'm signed in and in position. Sylva and Rycin are in the Justice Building, waiting to be introduced. They both hugged me so tightly, telling me that I would be fine, but they were scared. I could hear it in their voices.

Sunny and I stood here two years ago, gripping each other tightly, even though neither of us were too terribly worried. We never had to take tesserae. We only had five slips each, while other children had so many more. We were going to be fine.

We were naïve fools.

Other girls gather in my section. Some give me glances, others try to avoid standing next to me. Most just ignore me. One girl gives me a smile, trying to be nice, I suppose. I return it. It's the least I can do. The clock chimes and the mayor of District Nine steps out of the Justice Building, followed by Luna Herald, who looks very out of place with her purple hair, unnaturally lime green eyes, heels that are at an ankle-breaking height, and a hideous violet dress that is criminally covered in sparkles and sequins.

Luna's been our escort for years. She's the one who drew so many of my relatives' names from the bowl. Seeing her makes it real. Two kids are about to be taken away and I will likely be one of them

I have to stay calm. I can't panic again.

When Luna called Sunny's name, I froze up. I stayed frozen as Sunny detached herself from me and walked towards the stage with confidence, something I only saw during the recaps. I was too stunned to even move. It was like I was underwater. I couldn't breathe, think or do anything. I didn't even hear Luna ask for volunteers...

I cried when I went to say goodbye to my twin sister. I tried to apologize, but Sunny shut me down pretty quickly. "If you had tried to volunteer, I would have shoved you off that stage. Now stop crying. I don't want my potential last memory of you to be you crying." Sunny was always like that. She was bold, daring, and optimistic, everything I wasn't. It showed in her art and in her life. When I lost her, I tried to be more like her. Still, the guilt ate at me.

I should have snapped out of it sooner. I should have volunteered for Sunny. She should have been the one to live.

Would it even matter? She'd be here now, waiting to be Reaped too.

I don't know. I don't know if it would change anything. If the Capitol wants us in the arena, in the arena we will go. This is my fate, right?

The mayor approaches the microphone and begins his yearly speech about the Dark Days and the history of Panem. Then, he moved on to the victors. District Nine has had three victors in sixty-six years. Sylva and Rycin, our two living victors, are already seated on stage.

District Nine's first victor, Quintin Reeves, won the Sixteenth Hunger Games at sixteen years old. We don't see his Games much, mostly because they were considered a disaster that nearly resulted in then-Head Gamemaker Volumnia Gaul being out of a job. A disaster because the wrong tribute won, humiliating the Capitol in the process.

Sylva Mayleaf won the Thirty-Sixth Hunger Games when she was fifteen years old. She was a middle-class girl without much skill, but she had a lot of charm. She had also seen her fair share of bar fights and would often throw out disorderly patrons with a broomstick, which somehow translated really well to a spear.

Rycin Marlow won four years later at eighteen. He was a farmhand, handsome and strong. He was also very intelligent, being able to outsmart and outmaneuver his opponents. He and Sylva started dating after his victory, and their romance and later marriage were highly publicized in the Capitol.

Luna takes the microphone once the mayor concludes his speech.

"Hello everyone, and happy Hunger Games!" Her shrill voice booms loudly throughout the square. "May the odds be ever in your favor! District Nine is as lovely as ever, and I am so excited to see you all!" She smiles and I can't help but notice that she's added sparkles to her teeth. "It's that time of year again, and that means it's time to select our lucky boy and girl who will get to represent District Nine in the Sixty-Sixth Annual Hunger Games! Are you ready? Ladies first!" She walks towards the girls' bowl and reaches inside.

This is it. I will either be sent into the arena, or I will walk into an unknown, yet brief future.

Is that really what you want, Amber? Do you really want to let the Capitol run your life like this?

Do I even have a choice?

Luna's hand closes on to a slip of paper. The other slips rustle over the microphone as she pulls it out and walks back towards the microphone.

What would Sunny do?

The realization hits me hard and something begins to change. I do have a choice. I have a say in what happens to me.

I am not going to let them reap me, and I'm not going to live the rest of my life in fear. If I'm going to die, I'm going to die on my own terms. If I'm going to live, I'm going to live free of this curse. And there's only one way to do that. The very thing I should have done two years ago.

Luna Herald doesn't get a chance to say the name on the slip. I raise my hand into the air and shout out those four fateful words. "I volunteer as tribute!"

Everything stops for a moment. Everyone's eyes are on me, stunned.

Luna looks down at the slip, then up at me. I don't wait for a response from her. I make my way toward the aisle and the waiting peacekeepers. "Oh! I… I do believe I need to read the name on the slip first." She recognizes me, surely, based on her half-hearted response.

"Does it matter?" I ask. "The result will be the same, won't it?"

Luna tentatively lowers the slip. "Very well." Her smile is now very fake. What I've done is against protocol, but she knows I'm right. It ultimately doesn't matter.

The Peacekeepers escort me to the stage and I can't help the shaking in my hands.

I climb the steps, trying to keep my head high. When I reach the center of the stage, Luna angles the microphone toward me. "What's your name?" For a moment, I'm confused. Luna knows who I am. Most people in this district know who I am. Still, I think I've disrupted things enough and this is procedure after all, even though I can't remember the last time Nine had a volunteer.

I take the microphone, force a smile, and introduce myself to the world. "Amber Reeves."

"Another Reeves!" Luna replies excitedly. "Looks like the Luckiest Family in Panem is returning to the spotlight! Let's give her a big hand!"

A few people clap, but most just stare at me, the cursed girl who just volunteered for certain death.

Luna declares that it is time for the boys. She walks over to the other bowl, pulls out a slip, and calls out the name. "Bran Crawford!"

The fourteen-year-old section shifts and a scrawny fourteen-year-old boy with dark hair and blue eyes makes his way toward the waiting peacekeepers. His eyes are wide and he is trembling as he is escorted to the stage. When Luna asks for volunteers, no one steps up.

I find myself feeling bad for the kid. Even if I tell Sylva and Rycin not to play favorites, they will ultimately be more invested in me. They raised me after all, and they don't want to lose me like they lost Sunny.

Sylva and Rycin... When Bran and I shake hands, I find myself glancing over at them. They are staring at me, horrified and disbelieving. I suddenly feel awful, not for volunteering, but for what I'm about to put them through. What will they say to me when we reach the train? Will they understand?

Bran and I are led into the Justice Building and the doors shut behind us. We are separated and taken into separate rooms to say goodbye to our families. Sylva and Rycin won't be coming in, they'll be too busy filling out paperwork for us, so I am alone with my thoughts for a while.

I spend the hour pacing back and forth, occasionally taking sips of water from a pitcher that had been left for me, trying to clear my head.

For most of the hour, two questions bounce around in my head.

What did I just do?

And why don't I regret it?

I wasn't going to post this chapter yet, but I got a sudden burst of motivation and after a couple rewrites, here it is!

So Amber has volunteered! She decided to take her fate into her own hands and attempt to break the curse. She definitely has mixed emotions about the whole thing, and I do hope I portrayed that. On one hand, her decision to volunteer was impulsive. On the other hand, you could say it was a long time coming, given how obsessed she was with the possibility of her going into the arena. She may not entirely regret it now, but she very well could later. She is already starting to feel some doubts, especially once she sees Sylva and Rycin. Next chapter, we get to see exactly how they feel about Amber volunteering.

The Reeves Family being called the Luckiest Family in Panem is most certainly a Capitol thing only. I figured that the Capitol would see Amber's family as lucky since they see competing for the Games as a huge honor. Amber certainly does not see it that way.

We also get a glimpse at Amber's district partner, Bran Crawford! Bran was also a character that changed a lot over the course of planning this story. I don't want to give away too much yet, but so far he's been fun to write and I'm really happy with him so far.

I don't know when the next chapter will be up. I want to get a bit more writing done first. I have a pretty good idea of how things are going to go. I just have to put it into words so it won't be too long! Until then, take care everyone!