Disclaimer: I don't any own anything from Miraculous.

Also I'm looking for a beta reader.

Chapter One

The first weeks of summer were always a blessing. Winter had lasted for a very long time this year, and spring was short lived because of it. If District 8 depended on crops for a source of food, there would have been a shortage of food next coming fall. Her parents were concerned that next year they would have to use the flour and sugar more sparingly if they wanted to make ends meet. Being the sweet, compassionate girl she was, Marinette would never let her parents feel the stress of paying for bills and food if she could help it; so ever since middle school, she would take four to six hour shifts as a seamstress, making Peacekeeper uniforms right after school. She also applied for tesserae, adding her name an additional time each year.

She never told her parents she had. She would just add the oil and grain each month to their food storage for the bakery, and they were never the wiser. With this year's reaping, her name would be within that bowl 28 times.

Even with her name placed in that many times, Marinette chose to ignore the number throughout the year and each time she picked up her monthly grain and oil. Yet, while enjoying the first few weeks of summer, she knew the reaping was creeping closer and closer. Each day that passed, the daunting number blared in her head, branded into her mind until the reaping. After the names were called, and it wasn't her, she would breath a sigh of relief and pray to whoever, whatever was listening that at least someone from 8 would come back home. Her home district wasn't a very popular win in the Games.

That's what the dark haired seamstress was trying to tell herself now as she stood in line, waiting to get her finger pricked before she joined the others, in the 17 year old group. She knew just like every year before, her name hadn't been called, and what were the odds it would happen this year as well? They were certainly higher, but realistically, how much bigger? Two days of reaping had already gone by, starting with Districts 1, 2, and 3 on the first day, following the next three on the second, and the 8th was scheduled to start by noon. Before then, Peacekeepers would sweep the industrial city, making sure anyone who wasn't bedridden was standing in the streets nearest the Justice Building.

The cameramen were busy near the stage, adjusting the lighting, and angles, preparing the ultimate viewing that the Capitol had relished in for the past 24 years and would enjoy for another special 25th anniversary.

Marinette's finger was pricked and she was allowed through the barriers. Peacekeepers escorted her to the correct 17 year old area. It was towards the front, the oldest being kept right near the stage. Next year, she would join them. Yes, next year, she would make it to next year, and that would be the end of it, no more constant worry for the Games. She made sure to lick the dab of blood on her fingertip, not wanting to stain her white, white dress. She had designed it herself when she was 12. It tightened just underneath her breasts, and flowed down her body, embroidered with a pink flower print design. When she was 12, the ends of the dress hung well below her ankles, now, they twirled around her mid thighs with her long, thin legs.

The sun blared down, but a gush of wind passed through the center, letting some sigh in relief that the weather at least was in good favor. The wind whipped her dress around her legs, and lightly tickled the girl standing beside her. The blond looked over, eyes on her handmade dress "Hey Marinette. Long time, no see."

The girl branded with a 28 on her mind looked her way, her hand coming up to push back some loose black strand of hair "Oh, Melodie! Hey, what are the odds, huh?"

The sudden mention of odds sobered the mood of seeing Melodie after such a long while. The two still smiled kindly, until Marinette broke the ten second silence.

"It's been like, what, since middle school? Ever since they split the classes into four, I haven't seen you around. Except those shiny blond beacons of hair now and again." She teased, poking at the golden tresses bound together in a braid.

Melodie flicked her hair to her other shoulder, away from Marinette's grasping fingertips "Stop! You'll undo the braid. And you would see me more if you ever slowed down for more than a minute." The taller dark haired girl could argue more, but felt the point was mute. Her old blond friend continued "And haven't you been wearing that dress since you were 12?"

"Well I've made alterations to it as I got older." More 17 year olds flooded the area they were in, moving the two girls closer together and deeper into the crowd. When they settled, Marinette continued "Besides, it has gotten me through 5 reapings so far. I figure, why not go for a lucky number 6?"

Melodie nodded, reaching beneath the shirt of her dress and putting out the charm necklace and laying it flat on her chest "This is my 'lucky charm'. Kind of, not really. It's more of a memorial." Ten tiny metal charms hung from her neck "I add two more every year, one to represent each person that goes into the Games." The last one she had added on looked like a small bird, a sparrow.

And for Marinette, it was like it was yesterday. She hadn't known the girl from last year, someone three years her junior, but she remember her crying. Her name had been in there once: just once. And the boy right after her, holding her on stage as she cried was named Sparrow. He was once hers and Melodie's classmate. The bluenette, reached out and touched the charm "I like it. I can really remember him like this. It's very pretty."

The blond smiled softly "Thank you." She looked to the back of the Square, looking to see just how many more people needed to file in "I hate the wait, it's the worse. Plus, this year is going to be so much different from every other year."

"Yea, the Quarter Quell. How do you think it's going to work?" The part time seamstress asked. Watching the announcement before the first reaping had been shocking. They had announced the first ever Quarter Quell, with a special twist to the Games. Marinette had thought it had been a joke, but nothing on Panem TV was ever a joke. This year, the Games were upping the ante, wanting to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the defeat of the rebellion. President Andre Bourgeois had thought it was thrilling to see how far Panem had come in such a short time, and what a better way to showcase that then having the tributes be forced not to recognize each other in the Games. She honestly wasn't sure what he said meant by that.

All he had said was that it was to represent how the rebels could not recognize that the Capitol was their only true friend and that the Districts could not rely on each other. President Bourgeois left it at that, explaining to the audience that the surprise would be revealed once the Games had really begun.

Melodie could only shrug "Beats me. I just want to be on this side of the television screen when we find out."

About to respond, Marinette opened her mouth to speak but the Panem National Anthem began to blare through the speakers on the stage. Up on stage, the ever wonderful Alec Cataldi. He was the District 8 Escort for as long as Marinette could remember. He was a shining example of a perfect Capitol citizen, meant to make the Capitol feel more immersed into the Games. With his dark skin, shaved head, and eyelashes long enough to cast shadows on his cheeks, his booming voice lit up the stage as the Anthem came to a close "Welcome, Welcome young ones to the 25th Annual Hunger Games. And what an exciting one this time, don't you agree?" Alec looked out among the thousands of sullen teens around him.

He was greeted with silence as he always was each and every year, but continued on nonetheless "Now the time has come for us to select the two brave candidates that will represent District 8 in the first ever Quarter Quell."

Over to the left hand side, where the 16 year old boys stood, one shouted "Like we have a choice!"

Marinette had to look away as the Peacekeepers quickly silenced him with a blow to the head. He laid on the floor, no one daring to look his way.

Alec continued, hardly flicking a long eyelash the boy's way "And as always, we'll have ladies go first." The man sauntered over to the bowl representing the girls. It was quite large, a tunnel of wind pumped through it to circulate the names inside it. There were over 800 names, certainly hundreds more in repeats, and 28 of them belonged to Marinette.

His hand waved through the globe, allowing names to hit his hand in the wind, but he did not grab out to one just yet.

Her heart was in her throat, thudding as she swallowed roughly.

She was so parched.

She wished she could go home quickly from here.

The crowds would be terrible to get through.

And the bakery was pretty far from the Square.

And she had left her sewing kit on her bed, she really hoped she didn't lose another needle.

Alec's had reached out for the name and pulled it away from the globe. He walked back to where his mike stood, center stage. The mike's audio reverbing through the dead silent crowd when he cleared his throat.

The girl with the black hair pulled back in pigtails had her nails digging into the fleshy bits of her palm, and her bottom lip wedge in between her teeth.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"