The bedframe creaked beneath me as I threw myself onto my mattress. Downstairs, everyone was celebrating Delphi. I could hear Vela and Pegasus chanting his name in a teasing manner. I remembered the joy in my mother's eyes when Delphi signed the news to her. I remembered my father clapping Delphi on the back and telling him he was proud to have a Victor as a son.

He hadn't even volunteered yet! Chances were he'd get slaughtered in the arena… but even then all the focus would be on him. His funeral, his memorial, his little shrine in the backyard next to our grandma's… Delphi, Delphi, Delphi.

It was so unfair! Being the youngest meant I was always overlooked, always shunted to the side. And always compared to Delphi.

"Oh, your brother is so good with throwing knives! Why don't you give them a go?"

"Delphi was a pleasure to have in this class. I'm expecting you to be as well."

"Isn't Delphie's girlfriend nice? When are you going to get a girlfriend?"

All sentiments about how great my brother was, and all comparisons I was born to hear forever. But no matter what they wanted, I wasn't Delphi. I never would be. I wanted the name Cygnus Youmei to be remembered, and it damn well would. I was certain of it.

When they announced Delphi's name to the crowd of anticipatory Academy students, a wild idea came to me. I could volunteer in his place. In District 1 and District 2, there were fines for volunteering without express permission. District 4 didn't have the same rule. We didn't take training as seriously as the other districts. But that would change when I won.

It was still infuriating though. I deserved to be chosen legitimately, but my soft suck-up of a brother was their pick. I would have to fight tooth and nail to show that I was better than him, but I would succeed. Because I was better.

On the morning of the reaping, I was the first one awake. If my plan was going to succeed, I needed to take a few precautions to ensure Delphi was not the one to make it to the stage first.

I showered quickly and then got down on my hands and knees to rub the bar of soap on the tile floor. When it was thoroughly coated, I put everything back in its place. Anyone who wasn't aware of the slippery floor was going to have a hard time keeping their balance.

I locked my bedroom door and opened my closet. Our family wasn't rich, but we weren't struggling for money. Overall, I'd say we were solidly middle-class. So I had a few nice shirts, but most of them were hand-me-downs from my four older brothers.

I chose a steely gray shirt that matched my stormy eyes. It used to belong to Pegasus, but it was still in good condition. I paired it with tight black jeans and my favorite black boots. They were fashionable but easy to move in; both requirements for volunteering.

By now the rest of the house was waking up and I went downstairs. I wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible when things went down… literally. My mom was at the stove, frying eggs, while Dad squeezed oranges with an old metal press.

"Can you set the table?" Dad asked, not looking up from his squeezing. "We're having a special breakfast to celebrate Delphi."

"Oh, really?" I asked, raising my voice in false disbelief. "Why ever so?"

"Stop it," my dad scolded. "Your brother worked hard for this and he deserves to be celebrated."

"Sure," I grumbled. Mom shot me an annoyed look and I scurried over the cabinets. No sane teenager would dare to cross their mom.

I was setting out the silverware when it happened. There was a loud thud upstairs and Delphi shouted in pain. Dad dropped a lemon half on the floor and jumped to his feet. Mom looked up from the stove, confused.

"Delphi!" Dad yelled. "What happened?"

"He fell!" Pegasus called down the stairs. "He must have slipped in the shower."

Dad cursed loudly and dashed up the stairs. Mom looked at me in confusion and I quickly signed to her what had happened.

When I was three, my mom got meningitis. She recovered, but completely lost her hearing. So our family learned to sign. I signed better than all my brothers, a fact that I took pride in. Vela said it was because I was so little when it happened. I told him it was because I was smarter. But it wasn't hard to be smarter than Vela.

When Delphi came down the stairs about ten minutes later, he was being supported by Dad and Pegasus. He was holding a hand towel on his forehead and Mom rushed over to him to inspect the injury beneath it.

There was a small cut on his forehead and the skin around it was already starting to bruise. A few spots of blood dotted the towel, but it wasn't a severe injury. I forced a concerned expression.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine," Delphi snapped.

"You have a big bruise forming," I pointed out. He sneered at me.

"You're going to have a bigger one if you don't shut up," he hissed.

"Delphi, leave your sibling alone," Dad said. "We'll ice your head while we eat and it'll be back to normal in time for the reaping."

"It better be," he grumbled, but let Pegasus lead him to the table.

Pyxis and Vela arrived shortly afterwards and we all had breakfast together. They didn't live with us anymore, but they were both part of the family business. The Youmei's made pearl jewelry and apparently had been doing so since before the Dark Days, according to our grandma.

Pegasus also worked for the business, though he focused more on sales than on creating pieces. My parents expected me to join him, since I was more social than creative, and Delphi would win the Hunger Games and make us famous. They had it all planned out, and I was perversely excited to mess it up.

After everyone was fed and dressed, we headed to the town square. We took the trolley, which ran through the main streets of the district. The other passengers were staring at Delphi and whispering. He winked at a group of girls and they squealed in excitement. I rolled my eyes.

The buildings in the square were decorated with blue banners and flower baskets hung from the lampposts. The fresh smell of the sea hung in the air, much more fragrant than it was near our house. If it wasn't so busy and loud here, you'd be able to hear the waves.

Mom and Dad fawned over Delphi for a few more minutes while I tapped my foot. Finally, Pyxis intervened and reminded them that we had to sign in. Dad wished Delphi luck and Mom kissed him on the cheek, and then we got in line.

After we were signed in I broke away from Delphi. I went to join the other 16-year-old boys, though I didn't identify solely as a male. When I won, I'd do something about the rigidly gendered reaping slots.

Our district's escort, Mignon Daerleen, took the stage a few minutes later. Their neon pink jacket had massive shoulders and a silver chain connecting the buttons. Their afro was dyed white this year, a stark contrast to their dark skin. They definitely looked like a Capitolite, but they did have style.

They welcomed us to the reaping and then commenced with the usual introductory spiel. When they announced the past Victors, I watched them closely, curious about who would be mentoring me. Finnick Odair was easily the most popular Victor, but Sienne and Mira were good too. And Trenton was apparently fun to be around. I'd never met the guy.

Finally, it was the moment I'd been impatiently waiting for. Mignon selected a slip from one of the bowls and read the girl's name aloud.

"Genevieve Crest!" they called. There was some shuffling amongst the younger girls but before Genevieve could make an appearance, there was another call.

"I volunteer!"

Heads turned to see Miriam Sanders strolling down the roped-off aisle. Miriam was easily the best female trainee at the Academy, as well as an award-winning athlete and champion surfer. She would be tough competition, but I wasn't afraid of her.

She shook Mignon's hand and then addressed the crowd.

"My name is Miriam Sanders, and I'm your newest Victor!"

Everyone cheered wildly and Mignon clapped too, clearly fond of their new charge. But then they were selecting the second slip, and I took a deep breath.

"Ma-". But they never finished reading the name. I burst out of the group of boys with my fist raised high in the air.

"I volunteer!" I shouted.

"No!" someone yelled from behind me. Delphi. I didn't bother looking back at him as I climbed the stairs. But I could hear him coming closer.

"No! He can't volunteer! I'm volunteering!"

"I'm sorry, but whoever volunteers first has claimed their spot as tribute," Mignon said. Delphi let out a shout of rage.

"He's my little brother!" he shrieked. "He can't do this!"

Finally, I turned to face Delphi, not bothering to hide my smirk.

"I can and I did," I said. "I'm Cygnys Youmei, and I'm going to win the Hunger Games."

Hi! Welcome to Tarnished, my Victor Exchange with 66samvr. I'll be writing the story of Cygnus's Games while she writes my character's rise to victory in return. So, a big thank you to 66samvr, and please let me know what you thought of this first chapter.

Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!

- Fiona