Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Well, I found the courage to at least start another fanfic. This idea came to me some months (a year?) ago while listening to "Fall Asleep" by Jars of Clay. I heard it, and suddenly realized that it would be perfect as a Hunger Games Fanfic. I hope you enjoy this! Please leave a review letting me know what you think.

When her name was called as the female tribute for the 9th annual Hunger Games, Mags felt her body take a brief respite: no air in her lungs, no thought in her mind, no curiously frail rhythm in her chest. After a moment, she noticed everyone stare at her with pitying eyes and she remembered that it was time to approach the stairs to the Town Hall building to stand next to the announcer. On a Reaping Day, most people called those steps the Chopping Block.

"What are you doing," her sister asked, holding her by the wrist. Mags turned her head and stared in confusion at her older twin, Annie. "They called me, not you, Annie," she added. Mags' knees went weak as Annie walked past her, her sister's hand upon her wrist replaced with two more. She looked and saw Gil and Finn, their heads giving a slight shake as they lowered in guilt. She stared at them, eyes wild with hurt, and collapsed to her knees. She might have been able to run and volunteer in her sister's place if those two weren't still holding onto her. They knew her better than to give her that chance. She didn't know how easily they could betray her sister by saving her. She squeezed her eyes closed to the point of pain, as if she could wring the tears out more quickly that way. As the only response to a call for female volunteers was silence, Mags understood that the town's cruelty towards Annie in favor of her went far deeper than she expected. She crouched into a fetal position, allowing hyperventilation to take over as she tried to drown out the silence. She imagined that someone wanted to tell the truth, that someone tried to say that Mags was still in the crowd and that Annie could go free. But as she heard her own name proclaimed as one of the tributes from District 4, she heard something repeated again and again until she realized it was coming from her own mouth.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."