"Subjects have been sent." A whitecoat declared. The director grinned a sinister smile. Whitecoats milled around, watching computer monitors to see how their six subjects were doing.

"Are you sure this is really a good idea?" Jeb Batchelder questioned. The director turned on him.

"Of course this is a good idea, Proffesor Batchelder." She hissed. "Hold your tongue before an elder."

"Sorry, director. It's just...It seems kind of dangerous. I mean, we shouldn't even know about this-" The director cut him off.

"Of course we know about Panem. We created it. Don't tell me you believed those hobknockers when they told you we sent the subjects to the future." She groaned. "Panem is a country we built ourselves. The people of Panem know nothing of us or the rest of the world. Just of their districts."

"Oh...right." Jeb said.

"We won't hurt your daughter, Professor, we cannot touch them, but they will remember nothing of their past lives. We will see if they become friends again, odds are your daughter and experiment number 247 will hit it off, just like they had before. We've refitted their minds with memories we've created for them, memories close to their past lives, but not exact. They will live in Panem until...until they die." The director explained. "And if they should get picked for the Hunger Games, you need to very well know we had nothing to do with this. We just created the country, we did not tell them how to run it."

Jeb nodded in understanding, worried for the safety of his only daughter.

~Max's POV~

I quietly walked through the woods towards the fence. It's supposed to be electrically charged all the time, but there's one section that I've found is never really turned on. My guess was there was a short somewhere and they didn't notice, some people said that's where they open it up and let new animals into our forests, but whatever the reason, it was alright by me.

I hoisted myself up the fence, climbing quickly and quietly over it to the other side. Knife in hand, I made my way into the forest. No one was supposed to go past the fence, it was built there to keep us safe inside our district, but in my opinion, the forest is much safer than any district in Panem. In the wild you don't have to attend the Reaping, or have your name put in a drawing for the Hunger Games. The Capitol wasn't controlling your every move and there was plenty of food to go around.

Even though I live in district nine, where pretty much all we do is hunt, it's still hard to get dinner on the table some nights. It's just me, my dad and my younger sister, Ella. My mom was killed by the Peacekeepers when they found out that she kept some of the meat from hunting at our home without paying. My family and I had to watch as they whipped her until she was unconscious then be-headed her when she came to. It was horrible and I wished Ella hadn't had to witness it, she was only 7, and I wished even more that it hadn't even happened. But, what's done is done, and it can't be un-done.

"Aren't you afraid you might get caught?" The voice surprised me and I jumped, letting out a small squeal in spite of myself. I turned to see Fang, my only friend, propped up on a tree branch, looking down at me with a smirk on his face.

"I could ask you the same thing." I retorted. His smirk widened as he stated, "I never get caught."

I rolled my eyes, he may be one of the cockiest people in district nine, but somehow he's the only person I can tolerate long enough to have a decent conversation with, it's as if I've known him in a past life. I joined him in the tree, making myself comfortable against the trunk.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the Reaping?" Fang asked. I shrugged. The Reaping wasn't my favorite get-together in the district. I hated anything Hunger Games related, unlike some of the people around here. The Reaping was where they drew names to choose the tributes for District 9. I shuddered, thinking how many times my name was in there due to tesserae. I've had to sign up for quite a bit of that, since my family isn't the wealthiest around. Every little bit counts, as my dad always says.

"Think your name will get drawn?" Fang questioned. I looked up at him, slightly shocked he'd even ask such a thing. Then I remembered, this is Fang that I'm talking to. Tall, dark, silent and emotionless Fang. I shrugged again. Fang grinned, a rare occurrence, and recited a famous line from the Hunger Games, "May the odds be ever in your favor", then climbed down to the ground.

"Where are you going?" I asked, climbing down after him.

"Some of us are being forced to look presentable on the small chance that the odds aren't in our favor. One of those people would be me." He said, a grin playing at the corner of his lips.

"I should probably look presentable as well, the odds are hardly ever in my favor." I sighed. It's true, completely. Ever since that day when I was nine. My mother was killed, that same year my cousin's name was drawn at the Reaping. He died during the bloodbath, didn't even last a day. The year after that, when I was ten, my best friend, Nadia, was chosen. She was killed by the Careers shortly after the Games began. Every year someone I had known and loved was chosen and killed in the Games. That's why Fang's my only friend, I let myself risk having a friend, but if he's chosen and he dies…I don't even known what I'd do this time.

Fang and I walked to the fence, managing to kill a couple animals along the way. We each got two rabbits each, but that's about it.

"See you later." I said to Fang as we turned our separate ways. He lived across the district from me, but we'd always meet up at school and hang out, or go to the woods together.

"See you, Max." Fang said, then turned away. I sighed inwardly and made my way to my house. I had a feeling this year, the odds were defiantly not going to be in my favor.

~Iggy's POV~

The district was quiet, as it always is on this day. The Reaping. The day that one boy and one girl will be sent into the Arena for the Hunger Games to die. Everyone in district 12 knew that being chosen was a death wish. Especially for us. There had only been three victors for district twelve. Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Katniss and Peeta won on the 74th annual Hunger Games, Haymitch won during the fiftieth. Everyone guessed that there wouldn't be another victor for another twenty five years.

"Iggy!"

I turned around to see where the voice was coming from and saw Angel running up to me. Angel was my neighbor's daughter, she lives with her brother and her parents.

"Hey, Ange." I greeted, grinning. She giggled and replied with a greeting of her own before her mother grabbed her arm and directed her back to the hob. I turned back and headed for my own home where I live with my mother and father. I'm an only child.

"Igmund Griffiths, where have you been?" My mother scolded as I came through the door.

"Out." I replied. She sighed in exasperation and shoved some clothes in my hand.

"Go get ready for the Reaping." She ordered. I rolled my eyes and made my way to a back room in the house known as my bedroom…and the closet. My bed barely fit and there was about three feet of space between either side of the bed and the wall. I stripped off my everyday clothes and put on the clothes my mother gave me to wear to the reaping. Nice black pants that were clean and not torn, a gray dress shirt that I'm still wondering how she got, and black shoes that weren't scuffed up. I sighed and joined my parents in the living room. It was a quarter till two, and the reaping started at two. Without hesitation, I walked out the door, my parents following behind me, to the center of town. I stood with the other boys my age, just like every year. I looked around at everyone, knowing that two of these people would be gone today, never to come back. Most of the faces were hard, emotionless. But few let their real emotions slip. Fear. Fear that their name will be drawn and they'll be put in the Arena to die.

I let my mind wander away from these thoughts and instead thought about what the terrain in the Arena might be this year. Doubtful that it will be snowy, they've done that before, but it was a bust because the tributes froze to death before they could tear each other apart, like the Capitol audience wants. That's all the Games is about, watching kids pit it out, killing each other to stay alive. Kill or be killed. And the people in the Capitol would, of course, be loving every second of it. Unlike the people in the districts. Watching kids they know get killed or turn into vicious monsters. Not that you could blame them. If you're moral in the Arena you're as good as dead.

The Capitol was always excited about who would win, they even place bets on the tributes. It sickens me to the highest level, how these people just watch as 23 kids are killed! Always. Twenty-three kids always die. Except in one case, that's the only precedent. It was the 74th annual Hunger Games, when district twelve won. Both of our tributes came home alive, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. They put on the act of being hopelessly in love, and when they both almost committed suicide in the Arena out of desperation to save each other, they were both announced winners. Now that they've won, their act is over. I haven't seen them together at all. Katniss is usually around the Hob when I go through(the Hob is pretty much our black market.), but she's never with Peeta. She's always with Gale, her 'cousin'.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts as the mayor started talking, giving the speech that he has to every year at the Reaping. After he was done speaking Effie Trinket, the district 12 representative, stepped up to draw names the names of the tributes. She gave a short speech, ending with the ever-so-famous line "May the odds be ever in your favor". She stepped over the ball with all the girls names from district 12. I wondered who it would be, and was shocked when I heard the name.

"Primrose Everdeen."

Katniss Everdeen's younger sister. I looked up to the stage, where Katniss was sitting, trying to hide her emotions, probably hoping someone would volunteer for Primrose like she did two years ago. But no one did. As usual. Primrose walked up to the stage as if she was in a trance, but I could see the fear in her eyes as she passed. Primrose didn't deserve this. She was one of the sweetest people around here. It was horrible having to watch her climb the steps to her most certain death. She was sweet, loving, caring…and strikingly beautiful. She was fourteen now, like me, we used to hang out at school, until my mother found out. She said she didn't want me hanging around 'with the likes of her'. My mother has never liked the victors of the Games, or their families. She says they're just beasts, never the same after being in the Arena, and they rub off on their family. But I knew Prim wasn't that way, I can't say much for Katniss, but Prim would never be that way. But I also knew she could handle herself. She'd come out winning, just as her sister did.

My anticipation grew as Effie walked back over to the ball with all the boys' names in it. I held my breath as she walked back over to the podium. When she said the name out loud I was put into even more shock. I could hardly move.

"Igmund Griffiths."

I stood up slowly, and as if I was on autopilot I walked toward the stage, my mind racing, my heart pounding, but all the while my face showing nothing. I wasn't aware of anything anymore, I was oblivious to everything, until I was ushered away into the Justice Building where I would be given time to say goodbye to my family and friends before I was sent off to be killed.

~Max's POV~

I stood with the other girls my age, trying to keep my mind clear of all negative thoughts. What if this year the odds aren't in my favor and my name gets called? No, I won't think of that. This year the odds are in my favor. I won't get called.

I hope.

Within a few minutes the mayor had begun his speech which he gives every year at the reaping, just like the mayors of all other districts. I zoned out, like I always do, until our representative stood up from her place beside this years mentor, Maddison Packer. Leah Speight, our representative, gave a short wish of luck that, as usual, ended with the trademark, "May the odds be ever in your favor", then she walked over to pull a slip of paper out of a ball filled with similar slips of paper, all with a name on them. All with a death sentence attached to them.

Leah leisurely made her way back to the podium, letting us all wait in anticipation to see who was going to be sent off this year. When she finally reached the podium and spoke the name, I swear my heart stopped.

"Max Martinez."

My eyes widened for just a second before I replaced my fear, rage and shock with an emotionless mask filled with nothing but pure boredom. As I walked up to the stage Leah had already pulled out the boy's name. Before she read it she asked if there were any volunteers to take my place. Of course, it was a negative. Then she read the boy's name and I had to mentally yell at myself to start breathing again.

"Fang Ride."

Fang made his way up to the stage and stood beside me. Leah asked for volunteers, there were none, but I could see the shock in people's faces. Everyone knew Fang and I were best friends, we were almost inseparable and we spent almost every minute of every day together. Now we're being put into the Arena together, and we both know there's only one way out.

Please tell me there's another way out of this, I prayed silently as Fang and I were ushered off to the Justice Building where we'd be given a few minutes to say goodbye to our loved ones.

Only one thought was going through my head the entire time.

I'm going to have to kill my best friend.

CH. 2

I sighed and sat on the edge of my bed. Fang and I had just gotten on the train, I had been escorted to my room and told to change if I felt so obliged. I shrugged off my clothes and folded them neatly, sitting them beside me on the bed, then slipped on something out of one of the drawers. A dull gray shirt accompanied by a knee-length black skirt.

I stared at the wall across from me, thinking of what I had told my younger sister when we said goodbye. I tried not to cry, unsuccessfully might I add, as she told me how much she'd miss me. I hugged her and told her I'd come back, that I'd win just for her. I promised her I'd try my hardest to win. I could only think of one way to win, and that involve killing someone I cared about.

"The odds really aren't in my favor this year…" I muttered to myself. This is the worst. This time it isn't just my best friend has been sent into the Games, I've been sent in with him. And only one of us can win. There's only one precedent to more than one tribute winning, and that was merely due to outsmarting the Gamemakers. I'm sure the Capitol got ticked about that one, at the 74th annual Games Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark were the final two. They put on the act of star-crossed lovers, but they were poor actors. The only reason they both won was because Katniss pulled out poisonous berries and they both threatened to kill themselves for the other. I don't see how this outsmarted the Gamemakers, I'm sure they could've just pressed a button and killed one of them, but both Peeta and Katniss won in the end.

Maybe we could try that… I thought. I can't let Fang die. He's my best friend, and honestly, he's the only one that will listen to me without judgment, aside from my sister. My father thinks I'm a screw up, as do most of the other people in District 9. If he were to die…I'd have to break my promise to Ella. I'd have to die in the Arena. I'd have to let myself die, I couldn't go back to District 9. I couldn't face everyone. I couldn't live knowing that I had lost my best friend, and possibly even killed him myself. If he does die I'd have to let him die by someone else's hand.

What if we're the last two tributes? Then what? You can't kill someone from your own district, unless of course you don't care for the whole district to turn against you. I mean, sure you've won, but you killed one of your own tributes. I shook my head, shutting off all like thoughts and thinking of only one thing.

I've got to win this year's Hunger Games.

After a couple hours Maddison came by to tell me that dinner was ready. I went into the dining area, where Maddison, Leah and Fang already sat, serving themselves food. I took the seat beside Fang and he looked at me, shooting me a rare grin.

"Okay, first order of business," Maddison began. "How do you all want to be trained? Together or separately?" Maddison appeared to be one of those 'no-nonsense' type people. I didn't like it. My first impression was that she was an uptight perfectionist, the exact people that tend to tick me off the most.

Fang and I exchanged a look.

"Together." He said, answering for both of us. Maddison nodded.

"Now, what abilities do you all have? Any good with knives, arrows, spears, etc.?" She continued.

"I'm pretty good with a knife." I spoke up. Fang nodded.

"So am I." He told her. I wanted to tell her of something else that would probably help me a bit in the Games, but at the same time I was afraid to tell her. I was afraid that maybe she'd tell the Capitol and they'd take me, saying I was a muttation, not a human, and that I didn't belong there, I belonged in the wild. Only one person knew, other than my family, and that was Fang. It's helped me with hunting and getting over the fence when the electricity is turned on.

The sandy brown and crème colored appendages on my back. Appendages that most people don't have, limbs that belong on birds, not human. Somehow, for some reason, I was born with wings. I also knew that Fang was in the same situation. We didn't know why, but we learned to cope. We hid them around other people and anywhere where we might be watched. But now, they might be an advantage.

I looked up at Fang to find that he was looking at me. His eyes were questioning. Asking me something. Should we tell? I shook my head slightly, barely noticeable, but he could tell.

Later that night, after Fang and I had stuffed ourselves and went back to our room, I heard a soft knock on my door. I got up and opened it, coming face-to-face with Fang. A little too close for my personal liking. I moved back so he could walk in and he did, then wrapped his arms around me.

I have to admit, I was taken by surprise. I started to push him away, until he started whispering in my ear.

"Just go with it." He murmured. "We need to talk, but I don't want them to hear us."

I nodded slightly and wrapped my arms around him.

"Talk about what?" I whispered in reply, hiding my face in the crook of his neck.

"The wings." He muttered into my hair. "Do you think we should tell them?"

"No." I said quickly. "It's a huge risk, who knows what they'd do if they found out. Don't use them and don't tell anyone about them. Don't even let on that you have them."

"What if there's an emergency?" He questioned. I thought for a moment.

"Life or death situation? Use them. Any other 'emergency', find another solution." I told him. He nodded and released me from the embrace. He leaned down and kissed my cheek.

"Same goes for you." He told me. I nodded and he went back to his room, leaving me to think, and not sleep, for the rest of the night.

CH. 3

~Max's POV~

"Both of you remember; do not try to get anything. Get as far away from the bloodbath as you can. Run the opposite direction and find a source of water as soon as you can. That's the only way you'll survive this." Maddison told Fang and I. We both nodded. "Nudge and Cinna will be here soon, but I have to go now. Good luck out there, I have faith in you. You're very smart kids; I think you'll be able to make it far in the Games." With that, Maddison walked out, leaving Fang and I alone. I bit my lip and stared off into space as she walked away.

"Max?" Fang said quietly. I almost jumped, not expecting him to say anything. I turned around to face him.

"Yeah?" He wrapped me in a hug, the second time since we had been sent off. Like the last time, I hesitated before finally returning the hug. "What are you doing?" I asked him.

"I'm hugging you, what does it look like I'm doing?" He answered.

"I mean why are you hugging me…"

"Because I may never get to do it again." He whispered quietly. After a few more seconds he pulled away from me and kissed my cheek. "Good luck, Max."

~Fang's POV~

The metal plate rose, sending me into the Arena. The place where I would undoubtedly breathe my last breath. The place where, if I am totally unlucky, I will watch my best friend die before my eyes. As I rose up I looked around the terrain, my mind spinning with tips that Maddison, our mentor, had given me and Max. Run away from the blood bath, do not run in. Find a source of water.

I looked to the west where a huge desert stretched for miles; to the North there were mountains. Huge mountains. I could see there was a waterfall, too, but I couldn't run that way, I'd go straight through the bloodbath. To the east I saw a thick forest. There was bound to be a creek or a pond somewhere in there, some source of water. To the south I saw a beach. So, it was the beach, where there was practically no place to hide, or the forest, which seemed familiar from my time in the forests behind District 9. I'm sure you can guess where I ran whenever we were able to move. Well, I started to run towards the forest, until I saw Max out of the corner of my eye running straight towards the Cornucopia, right into the bloodbath. What the heck was going on in her head?

I made one of those famous snap decisions, the kind that everyone remembers later for being either the stupidest dumb-butt thing they ever saw or else the miraculous saving of the day. I seemed to hear more about the first kind. I turned around and ran straight into the bloodbath towards Max, practically tackling her to the ground.

"Fang? What are you doing?" She screeched, reaching for the knife that she had been going towards. I quickly jumped off of her and stood up, only to have her push me back down. "Be careful! You're going to get yourself killed!" She exclaimed as an arrow whizzed above our heads. She grabbed the knife and two green backpacks, handing one to me, before turning and running towards the mountains. I followed behind her quickly, avoiding sharp knives and pointy arrows flying through the air and jumping out of the way of bodies as they fell to the ground, the life draining out of them. Once we were a good few miles from the Cornucopia we slowed to a walk.

"Maddison said not to go into the bloodbath…" I said, breaking the silence between us as we walked.

"Since when do I, Max Martinez, listen to what people tell me?" She asked me. I just shrugged.

"You should have listened." I told her.

"And walk around here with nothing? Yeah, right…Now, I have this." She held up her knife, examining the razor sharp blade. "Plus, we have some supplies in these packs." She gestured the green backpacks we each carried on our backs. I nodded, looking down at the ground.

"You know, you pulled a stupid stunt, too." She said after a few minutes. "Coming and tackling me…"

"I didn't mean to tackle you; I just didn't stop fast enough. Sorry about that." I apologized. She just shrugged it off. We walked in silence for a few more hours, staring at the ground and doing an occasional 360 degree sweep as the sun set behind the mountains. The temperature dropped greatly and I realized that we had climbed partially up the mountain.

"I think we should stop for the night." Max spoke up, looking around and wrapping her arms around herself. She had put the knife in her belt holding up her long, khaki-interchangeable pants/shorts. What would those be called? Ports? Shants? Well, I can certainly see why they dressed us in what they did. Our khakis could be changed to shorts and we were fitted with tank-tops, probably for when we were in the desert or beach portion, and the pants and jacket were probably for up in the mountains or the forest.

"Do you want my jacket?" I asked her when I saw her shiver. She shook her head and kneeled down on the ground, unzipping her backpack.

"Let's hope there is something useful in here." She muttered. A small smile spread across her face as she pulled out a sleeping bag. I pulled a sleeping bag out of my pack as well. I looked up to see her taking her belt off.

"Max, what're you doing?" I asked. She walked over to a nearby tree and began climbing it.

"I saw one of the tributes do this in a different Hunger Games. Seemed to work for them." She told me as she laid her sleeping bag out on a sturdy looking branch before slipping in and wrapping the belt around her.

"I think I'll just stay down here." I said, rolling my sleeping bag out on the ground. I saw her shrug in the darkness.

"Alright, suit yourself." She muttered, moving around to get comfortable. I slipped into my sleeping bag down at the base of the tree. I looked up at the sky just as the Panem anthem started playing and faces of the tributes that had been killed today flashed through the sky. I counted mentally as the faces flashed up. 1, the boy from district 2; 2, the girl from district 8; 3, 4, both tributes from district 7; 5, the boy from district 1; 6, the boy from district 11; and 7, the boy from district 3. Seven tributes dead. Seventeen left. I sighed and turned over. Let's hope Max and I aren't next.

~Max's POV~

Snap!

My eyes snapped open and I found myself hanging above the ground, something encircled my waist, holding me up. It took me a minute to realize it was my belt, from how I had been sleeping the night before.

Riiip

What the heck? What was th-

Snap!

The belt gave out. I flailed, trying to grab onto the tree, the branch, anything to keep me from dropping like a rock. I thought about snapping out my wings, but by the time that the thought crossed my mind a slammed down onto something. No, the oof told me it was a someone. I looked down into Fang's dark eyes.

"Well, this is a new kind of wake up call." He muttered. I scrambled to my feet, unsuccessfully since I was still trapped inside my sleeping bag. Fang chuckled quietly and slid himself out of his sleeping bag before helping me out of mine.

"Thanks." I murmured. He laughed again.

"Anytime, Max." He said, smiling lightly.

"Aww, how cute. Look guys, it's the next Peeta and Katniss."

My head snapped around the find the owner of the voice, and to my horror, it was a Career. The girl that I recognized from District 1. She was surrounded by the rest of the Careers.

Before I had time to pull out my knife an arrow whizzed by my head, and I'm sure it would've hit me if Fang hadn't pushed me out of the way. This was going to get interesting…

CH. 4

I dodged the arrows that were shot my way and threw a hard kick into the District 1 girl's chest. She fell back, but the others cornered us. We both ended up backed against a tree trunk. This was not going to end well. Fang's dark eyes looked over at me, questioning me.

Fight or flight?

"FLIGHT!" I shouted as I jumped into the air, unfurling my wings. Fang followed my lead. I watched the shocked faces of the Careers as we flew off.

"I really don't think that was a smart idea." Fang said after a few minutes of silent flying.

"Neither do I. But I don't think dying would've been a good choice either." I said. Fang met my eyes and nodded.

"Well, now they all know." Fang muttered. "We're freaks with wings." I nodded. This was going to be a long day.

Iggy's POV

I watched Primrose as she tried to build a fire in the dark night. I guessed she felt my eyes on her, 'cause she looked over at me. In the light of the newly built fire, I could see her cheeks flush a light pink colour.

"Iggy?" She asked quietly, her voice sounding innocent.

"Yeah, Prim?"

"Will you do me a favour?"

"What?"

"If...If I die and you win...tell my sister and mom that I love them..."

I let my eyes fall to the fire. I'd had a crush on Primrose ever since we were kids. I looked back up at her and nodded slightly.

"Yeah, Prim."

She smiled at me.

And that's when this day got worse.

"HEY LOOK! It's Katniss's sister!" I heard someone call. And the next thing I know, I'm looking at Prim, her perfect body pierced by a spear, slumping over into our little fire.

I don't even question 'Fight or Flight', I get up and get my bum out of there before whoever killed Prim got me, too.

That was the most horrible thing I had ever seen happen...