WREN LENNOX, 15

A few weeks earlier…

The bells of my family's plant shop chimed, and an unfamiliar customer came in.

"Hi, Welcome to Lennox Plants and Goods!" I yelled with a smile. "Can I help you with anything today?"

The lady smiled at me. "I'm just looking around for some plants to spruce up my home, do you have any suggestions?"
My eyes lit up and I walked over to the lavender section of the store. "You can't go wrong with these. They smell incredible, for starters. Lavender also repels insects, helps with stress, and can even deal with physical pain. If you want to feel relaxed and stress-free, I'd go with this."

"You sure know quite a bit about plants," the lady said.

"When your parents have owned a plant store your entire life, it happens naturally."

She walked around the store before coming to the front and buying a bunch of lavender. I smiled at her and wished her a nice day.

When my work day ended, I ran out of the store and headed to the forest, meeting with my friend, Aaron. He passed me his pipe and together, we sat in the grass and smoked.

"Did you have a good day at the store today?" He asked as he inhaled the plant.

I nodded, unable to talk through my coughing fit. Once the weed kicked in, neither of us said anything. We continued to sit in the grass and enjoy the view around us. I didn't even realize that we had intertwined our legs. Feeling relaxed, I put my head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around me.

We were there for what felt like hours. I started to come to when a group of hunters passed by us, their guns by their side. They were dragging along a dead moose carcass and smiling as they admired their work. Seeing them gloat about killing an innocent animal made me squirm, and I nearly threw up, too. I was probably the only vegetarian in all of District 7, something that made most people give me weird looks and call me a "hippie." I wasn't a hippie, I just thought animals deserved better.

None of this fazed Aaron though, who was still enjoying the high. After several deep breaths, I rejoined him, not wanting to ruin his moment.

The day of the reaping…

For once, people in District 7 are excited about the reaping, since our district won last year with Oakley Wallace. People are convinced that we could win again.

Link comes onto the stage with the brightest smile possible as he welcomes us and introduces Oakley. The crowd applauds her, though she looks like she's about to collapse on the stage. After she pulls herself together, Link announces the girl tribute. Wren Lennox. ME!

I stand still for a moment. Never did I expect my name to be chosen. No one does, but I definitely didn't. My family never needed me to get tesserae, so my chances were lower compared to everyone else. No. I won't let this happen. I stay in spot, refusing to move. My plans are thwarted when the Peacekeepers walk towards me, tasers in hand. That gets me going. Instead of sulking, I decide to give everyone a show. I skip and twirl on my way to the podium, making people glare at their friends and/or laugh. I'll do this on my own terms.

RIVER THOMAS, 16

A few days earlier…

The sound of my mom cooking wakes me up. I head to the kitchen in our cozy little cabin and find her making eggs and my brother sitting at the table, ready to eat.

"Hi River, honey," she says with a weak smile. "What are you doing today?"

"Meeting up with Calix and Aspen in the forest. Probably will hang out for a bit," I reply.

Her eyes fall to the floor. "Just be careful, okay? Avoid anyone working or anything that looks dangerous."

She's said this to me every time I have left the house for the last six years, ever since dad died. He was working in the forest one day when someone threw an axe and it landed in his chest. Since then, my mom has refused to let me even touch an axe or join the lumberjacks, even if it would give the family more money. It used to drive me crazy, since all of my friends got to join their parents working. Hell, even Oakley Wallace has used axes since she was like 7, and look where it got her. Home from the games. Eventually, I gave in to my mom's requests. She didn't want to lose anyone else after all.

I usually follow her instructions, but I have used an axe more than once. I love climbing trees and making things out of wood, even though that involves sharp objects. And I've learned how to build traps, even at the risk of getting attacked by animals. Of course, I would never tell her any of this.

Before I head out, I give her a kiss on the cheek before grabbing my small bag and finding my friends in the forest. Aspen pulls out a blanket for the three of us to sit, and Calix hands us bear meat sandwiches.

"Dude," Aspen asks. "When did you get bear meat? My dad has been trying to get some for months, but none of the markets sell it anymore."

"My family hunted it at the outskirts of the district and then cooked it there," Calix replies. "Doesn't it taste better than anything?"

I nod, but Aspen decides to talk. "I wish I could eat this every day of my life. Way better than the other meat we have around here. I get so sick of eating the same thing over and over and over again."
"I'm thinking of asking out Mira Thorne," Aspen continues. "Do you think she's had enough time to grieve her brother? His games happened almost a year ago. I mean, she obviously wants to get with me."

"You can probably go for it after the reaping," Calix asks.

My two friends continue to talk to each other about anything and everything. I enjoy hearing their conversations, but I choose to sit there silently, absorbing the world around me. Suddenly, I see my dad in my head. How would he feel about me right now? Would he be proud of the person I've become? Would he want me to change? Would he understand mom's fears, or would he encourage me to live my life without concern? Every time a memory with him pops up, I try to hold onto it as long as I can, the memories disappearing more and more.

The reaping…

Wren Lennox? For the Hunger Games? Yeah right, everyone in the district knows her as the weird girl, even the people that live on the outskirts. How can you live in District 7 and not eat meat? That won't serve her in the games. Next, Link swirls his hand around until he touches one piece of paper and smiles, announcing… holy shit. He said my name.

I inhale and exhale and stoically walk up to the stage. My entire body feels numb. That is, until I see my younger brother staring at me from the 12-year-old section with tears in his eyes and falling down his face. That feels like a punch to the back of the legs. He can't see me crumble though. I need to be strong for him, so I turn around and wipe my eyes before staring back out at the crowd.