Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or the ideas. All of this was created by the amazing Suzanne Collins. Thank you Suzanne for bring this story to our world and writing it.

I'm running faster and faster, but he's got me. He's going to kill me. With his vicious, bloody face staring me straight in the eye, his sword, already wet with my blood, raised in the air. As he lunges and is about to stab me in the chest, I scream in horror of my impending death.

I wake up, sweating, paralyzed, but not screaming. I don't want to wake up my brother, because then he'll be disagreeable. The sun shines through the window, showing that it's a beautiful day, but that doesn't matter. Today is the Reaping. My life could change today.

My brother is still breathing heavily in his bed, probably not having any crazy nightmares like I am. My name is only in five times, I probably won't get picked. But there is still a chance.

District 12 is not the best place to live, even though my family owns the bakery in town. But we can't afford to eat what we actually sell, we eat the stale bread and pastries that no one wants. Not exactly luxury. The other districts have it so much better.

There's stomping, and I wonder what it is. Then I realize, it's my oldest brother, Mitchell. The middle brother, my other older brother, is named Riley. They don't like me, well I know for a fact Riley doesn't. As for Mitchell, I think he's fine with me. I bet if I was reaped, Riley wouldn't volunteer for me. Mitchell might, but he's 20 years old, so he is no longer qualified for the reaping.

Riley rolls onto his back, and sits up. "Peeta, you know what day it is?" he says with a yawn.

He's so stupid. Of course I know what day it is. "Yeah Reaping Day. Let's hope I can go another year without having to compete in the Hunger Games."

"These games are stupid, but there really isn't anything we can do about it. But we only have our names entered in a few times, so we won't get picked. Now shut up and get dressed pita bread." Riley answers with a smirk. I ignore the stupid nick name he gave me when I was five.

I roll my eyes. Who does he think he is? My mother? But I grab my reaping outfit anyway, and head towards the bathroom. The tub is all filled up, ready for me to clean up before the Reaping. I undress, and put my pajamas in the hamper next to the tub. I have to be quick, so Riley has time to get ready too. As I step into the tub, I realize the water is cold. Shouldn't have slept in so late, I thought. But after enduring the shocking cold water, I start to wash up, washing my hair, and scrubbing everywhere. Once I'm done, I step out of the tub, and dry up real quickly, and rub my hair dry.

The clothes I have to wear consists of nice leather shoes, brown pants, and a white button down shirt. Nothing fancy. I put it on, and look in the mirror. My ashy blonde hair falls across my forehead in waves, ending right above my piercing blue eyes, which are filled with fear. I slick back my hair using water, to make it look a little nicer. When looking in the mirror, I realize I'm not super tall, but average height, and being a baker's boy, with a stocky build.

Since I'm ready, I leave the bathroom, and go back to my room where Riley is already sitting on the bed impatient. "About time you were done pita bread." he says.

Again, I roll my eyes at him. I know one day I will probably appreciate my older brother, but that day is not in the near future. He leaves and heads towards the bathroom to wash up himself. I forgot to drain the tub and fill it up again, but that's his problem now.

Sighing, I start to head to the kitchen for breakfast, where the rest of my family is waiting. Breakfast is a little special today, now we have fresh bread instead of the stale bread we normally have. I pull out my chair and sit down, resting my feet flat on the floor. "Good morning Mother, Father. Mitchell."

My mother ignores me, and Mitchell answers with a nod, but my father responds with a "Good morning." Out of all my family members, I like my father the best, honestly.

All I'm thinking about while eating is the Hunger Games. What a cruel way to punish a country. Sending 12-18 year olds to their death every year. Taking a female and male tribute from each of the 12 districts, and only expecting one of the 24 to return. It's absolutely sick. Our district has only had two victors, and the only one alive is a complete embarrassment, in my opinion.

I finish my breakfast, and head to go brush my teeth. Riley has just finished up, and he heads to eat, punching me on the shoulder. "Just left the tub full of dirty water? Not cool Peeta."

Ignoring him seemed to satisfy me the most, so that's what I do. In the bathroom, I brush my teeth, then smile. There's no way I can smile on Reaping Day though. My smile is nice though, even described as charming by many of the girls at school. I know plenty of girls who want me, and would like to go out with me. I haven't accepted any of them. I have my eye on one girl, and one girl only.

Katniss Everdeen. She's beautiful, and ignores practically everyone. A lot of guys like her, I know that for a fact. Girls whisper about her in the hallway. But she still walks down the hallway, focused on what's in front of her, just ignoring everyone. She's small, but powerful. Her dark brown hair is always in a braid down her back. Her olive colored skin is absolutely flawless. We have made eye contact briefly a couple of times, but I turned away quickly. I didn't want her to know I had been staring at her.

While heading down the bakery, I catch a glimpse of her as she gives something to my father. Probably something she shot in the woods. Besides being pretty powerful, Katniss is an amazing shot. She shoots the squirrels straight through the eye, as being careful not to rip the soft flesh. Her squirrels are okay, but I know I would rather prefer the wild turkeys she sometimes shoots. But we cannot afford those, so she and her hunting partner, Gale Hawthorne, sell them to the Peacekeepers.

The Peacekeepers are supposed to punish us for that kind of thing, but they want fresh meat as much as we do. They give good prices, and can buy more than the rest of us.

And Gale Hawthorne. All the girls talk about him at school, stare at him. He ignores them just like Katniss. He's handsome, manly, tall, muscular, and absolutely desirable to all the girls apparently. I just see him as competition for Katniss.

I hear a whistle, signaling that it's time to go to the Reaping. Maybe I should finally talk to Katniss after this Reaping. If I don't get picked of course. I could get to know her, become friends, and eventually make her love me as much as I love her. Okay, that might take a while.

My love for her started when we were five. She had two braids in her hair instead of one, and was wearing a cute red dress. The teacher asked who knew the valley song, and her hand shot straight up. And just like her deceased father, all the birds stopped and listened to her clear, beautiful singing voice. I fell in love instantly, and after that, I watched her walk home every day. Not in a stalker way, like all the way to her house, but I would watch her after school, hoping she would notice me, talk to me. No such luck. But who was I kidding? Katniss had never been the one to go and randomly talk to people.

I wonder if she still remembers the time I gave her the bread.

It was a rainy day, and I saw this skinny, way malnourished little person with brown hair. It was Katniss. She was staggering, and clearly didn't have enough energy to really walk. She was rummaging through our garbage cans, and my mom came and yelled at her. Katniss just walked over to a tree, and leaned against it. She looked pretty close to passing out. There were two loaves of bread in my hand, fresh hearty bread with raisins and nuts. I throw them into the hearth, and pull them out. I got a little burned, but it was worth it. My mom saw it, slapped me, and told me to go give it to the pigs. I went outside, and saw Katniss. We made eye contact, and instead of giving it to her, I threw it at the ground, and gestured at it. At first she hesitated, but then she grabbed it and ran as fast as she could towards the Seam. For a second, I smiled, but then my mother came out, grabbed my ear and brought me back in. I faced a horrible beating that night, but it was worth it because I saw Katniss at school a couple of days later, looking stronger than ever.

As I'm walking down to the Square, I pass my friend James, whose family owns one of the shops in town. I have tons of friends, and I don't have anyone I consider my best friend. But out of all my friends, he's probably my closest one.

"Hey man, what's up? Ready to get this Reaping over with and watch a couple of Seam citizens go to their deaths?" he greets me with a smile. James. One of the only people who can turn even the Reaping into the joke. The Seam are just poorer, and enter their names in more times in exchange for tesserae, oil and grain. It's not their fault that they have their names in more times.

"Shut up James. This is no time for jokes. For all you know, it could be you." I say with a smirk. I then walk away. He might have said something, but I have absolutely no time for him and his joking around.

I stand in line to get my blood taken by the Capitol people. Once it's my turn, they prick my finger, and I wince a little bit. But then they dab it, and I walk over to my place in the crowd. Since I'm 16, I'm more towards the front. Whilst looking around, I spot Katniss, but she doesn't catch me. At the back, I see her little sister, whose name I do not know. She's a small little thing, with two braids and her shirt untucked a little at the back. She is adorable, and will probably be as beautiful as Katniss one day, in a few years.

Everyone has made it to the square. There's three chairs on the stage, and the Mayor is sitting in one, the District 12 escort, Effie Trinket, in the second. But the third chair is empty. Must belong to Haymitch, the current mentor of the tributes.

The clock strikes two, and the Mayor steps up. No one claps, but we all get ready to listen. He starts a speech, about the history of Panem. The disasters, all the horrors that struck our people. The war that struck our land, battling for what little was left. Panem was the result, the Capitol surrounded by thirteen peaceful and prosperous districts. Then there were the Dark Days, where the districts rebelled, and the Capitol gained full control of twelve, obliterating the thirteenth. The Treaty of Treason gave new laws, and as a reminder of the Dark Days to never be repeated, we have the Hunger Games.

I explained the Hunger Games before. But each of the twelve districts sends two tributes, one female, and one male, to participate. The 24 are put into an outdoor arena that could be of any terrain possible. Over several weeks, these competitors must fight to the death. Last one alive wins and is crowned the "victor".

These games are sick, and remind us we are at the Capitol's mercy. Remind us that we would never survive another rebellion. If we try to rebel again, they'll turn us into more District 13s, and no one wants that.

The worst part, the Capitol turns it into a celebration. There's big parties, fancy costumes, betting on tributes, and just treating the games like any other TV show. But the victor gets an easy life, with unimaginable riches. And the Victor's district gets showered with prizes, mostly food, while the other 11 districts sit here and starve.

"It is both a time for repentance and a time for thanks." Quotes the mayor. He reads the list of past victors, but that doesn't take long as we have only had two.

Haymitch comes up on stage. He's middle aged, unstable, balding, and definitely drunk, as usual. He starts hollering something unintelligible, and falls into the third chair. He tries to give Effie Trinket a hug, but she looks offended and tries to get him away from her, even though he's just confused. I seriously can't believe that guy will be mentoring the poor tributes this year.

I sigh, as does the mayor, because everyone in Panem is probably laughing at us right now. To get the attention away from Haymith, he introduces Effie.

Being all bubbly and cheerful, like she shouldn't be, she hops up to the podium. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" Her signature phrase. She talks about what an "honor" it is to be here, but she definitely sounds like she doesn't want to be here. But she is making this sound like some raffle where the winner will win lots of money. Ha, I wish.

Now it's time. "Ladies first!" Effie walks over to the huge glass bowl, and draws out a slip of paper. She walks back the podium, her heels clicking against the stage "Primrose Everdeen!"

Everyone looks at a small little girl with twin blonde braids, and an untucked shirt in the back. Then I realize. That's Katniss's little sister! Katniss is going to volunteer for her, because she would never let her go into the games. How am I ever supposed to talk to her now? She's strong, so maybe she can win.

As Primrose walks up, Katniss walks after her. She looks dazed, but worried. People are murmuring because choosing a 12 year old is very unfair.

I hear a cry come out of Katniss. "Prim! Prim!" She reaches Prim and pushes Prim behind her. "I volunteer! She gasps. "I volunteer as tribute!"

I almost want to cry, because I may never be able to have my dream girl. But everyone is confused. District 12 never has volunteers. In other districts, volunteering is a huge honor. Here, it's considered suicide.

"Lovely!" says Effie Trinket. "But I believe there's a small matter of introducing the reaping winner and then ask for volunteers, and if one does come forth we, um..." But she trails off.

"What does it matter?" Says the mayor. He looks at Katniss. "What does it matter? Let her come forward."

"No, Katniss! No! You can't go!" I see Prim scream, wrapping her skinny arms around Katniss.

All I hear out of Katniss is "Let go!" I see Gale take Prim away, and Katniss walks up to the stage. Katniss has many emotions on her face. I can't tell if she's scared, angry, upset, I can't tell.

"Well, bravo!" Gushes Effie Trinket. "That's the spirit of the games!" She sounds pleased with all this. She puts the microphone to Katniss's mouth. "What's your name?"

"Katniss Everdeen." she says, with a hint of doubt in her voice.

"I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don't want her to steal all the glory, do we? Come on, everybody! Let's give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!" Effie says that like she basically doesn't care that Katniss might be going to her death. What is wrong with this stupid capital?

Of course no one claps, we're District 12. No one expects even Katniss to come back. She's too small, too fragile, and not strong enough. But that's their opinion. I'm sure she could win. But it breaks my heart that I couldn't even talk to her, couldn't even date her, before she goes. I saved my first kiss for her, and it's never going to happen. Now I think about it, this sounds like I'm doubting her ability to win. She's strong, she's smart and good with a bow. She would definitely be tough competition for the other tributes.

As no one applauds, everyone sits in silence. It's a bold move. And I cannot believe what people do next. One by one, people touch their three middle fingers to their lips and raises them. I don't join in, because it's a sign of admiration and respect, and it means good bye, never to be seen again. And I know Katniss will make it back.

She looks like she's going to cry, and Katniss doesn't cry, but before she can, Haymitch comes staggering across the stage. "Look at her. Look at this one!" he hollers, and throws an arm around her shoulders. "I like her!" Katniss makes a disgusted face as he yells out. "Lots of..." he pauses, probably trying to think of the right word. "Spunk! More than you!" he releases Katniss and heads to the front of the stage. "More than you!" he says directly to the camera.

Whether he's addressing the people or the Capitol, it's hard to tell. But we'll never know, because then he plummets off the stage, and is knocked unconscious. Now all the cameras are on him, and everyone watching is probably laughing at us. Katniss looks somewhat relieved that the attention is taken away from her volunteering slightly. Haymitch is then whisked away on a stretcher, and Effie stands back up to the podium.

"What an exciting day!" she exclaims, as if any one of us care. She straightens her wig, which is now very off center. "But more excitement to come! It's time to choose our boy tribute!" she places her hand on her head as she crosses to the ball that contains the boys' name. She grabs the first slip of paper she touches, and she quickly walks back to the podium, most likely just wanting to read the name. As she opens the slip of paper, I pray. Please don't be me, please don't be me. "Peeta Mellark!" I gasp, and my heart just fell. I'm entered into the games with Katniss.

Riley looks back at me, and shrugs. What a jerk of a brother. James does the same, just looking at me like What can you do? Some friends I have. As I walk up to the stage, Katniss looks me right into the eye, purposely acknowledging my existence. She doesn't look to happy to see me. Well I wish I weren't coming up there too, Katniss, I think to myself. I want to cry as I walk up to the stage, and stand there next to Effie, looking at nowhere specific. Just angry that this is my fate.

Effie asks for volunteers, and there are none of course. From the stage I shoot Riley a very dirty look, but he hates me and we both know it. That doesn't stop him from looking to the ground with shame. Mitchell looks me straight in the eye from all the way at the back. He looks sorry, and I'm sure he'd volunteer if he could.

After this, the mayor reads the long dull Treaty of Treason. I'm not listening, I'm too busy thinking about the fact that I'm about to be a tribute in the Hunger Games. Katniss must be thinking the same thing, for she's staring at the ground.

Once the mayor finishes, Katniss and I are asked to shake hands. I grab it, give it a reassuring squeeze, but she doesn't get it. We turn back, and face the crowd while the Anthem of Panem plays.

I can't believe this is happening. I should have talked to Katniss before this, let her know how I feel. Maybe we could have been friends, maybe we could have more than friends. Katniss looks at her sister, and I look at her as the anthem plays. She needs to win. Her family will starve without her. At that moment I promised I would do everything in my power to make sure Katniss wins.