Chapter 1

For all the district two children we had to learn how to fight to survive. Our parents did not show us any amount of love because they only cared about making us hard and strong so we could win the games. Everyone strived for the day that we could make our district proud by winning. I was only five when it became my first day of War School. Today was like I never would have dreamed. Kids had to sit on the floor while the teachers stood up the whole time teaching. After years I tried to learn as much as I could but most of my lessons were private just like everyone else so we did not really get to know each other until high school. This was the time that we were told to start volunteering for the games. It was like they wanted to keep us all apart so we did not get emotionally attached when we had to fight each other to the death.

In the first day of high school there was this boy in my first class named Damen. He came up to me as soon as I walked into the classroom and introduced himself. It was so forward and unexpected that I instantly wanted to be his friend. I answered all the questions he shot at me with a small smile. Vanessa, was another person that caught my attention, she was a girl in my writing class acting like she was the queen bee of the school. The school day went by very quickly but all I could think about when I was walking home was this mystery boy staring at me, I had never seen him before in my life but yet I had held all of his attention. I should've been thinking about school, now I had to get up to my home so I could wrap myself in a warm blanket on my feather filled bed as soon as possible, but by the looks, Vanessa was giving me I knew that was not possible.

As I got to the baseball fields, which was half way to my house I saw the mystery boy pitching. I stopped and sat on the grass to watch because I loved watching sports. It was a thing that my parents used to do with me, though I know they were not supposed to show me love we had ways to express love without actually saying the words. When the baseball game was over I started to get up off the grass and put my earphones in, while started to walk home.

The next day was the same. The mystery boy stared at me and I trained with Damen, Vanessa kept giving me a look that could kill me but that would be a merciful death according to her. We had to go to practice training next. I was surprised in knife throwing because at the end of my turn I had hit all of the knives in the blue, white, red circles when asked by our trainer. Everyone was shocked even the mystery boy who I learned was named Cato, but he covered it quickly with a smile. We all got to watch each other to see how deadly each of us are. I knew that Cato was impressed, but Damen scared me by saying a good job. I get scared easily so it wasn't fun for me but Damen thought it was hilarious. We were not allowed to show compassion to each other until we have won the games so it was so weird that he was just so genuine I just could not understand it.

That evening I heard voices and my mother told me to set three extra places because we have guests coming and the boy said he was my friend. I instantly thought it was Damen but I was so wrong. Cato was here with his little sister and father, I guessed that his mom was to busy to come for dinner but that was fine. When we were eating Cato sat beside me because my mother told him to so we could talk about something that the parents had agreed with and I had a bad feeling about this decision. For the first time that evening I was right. When they went into the living room to talk I started eavesdropping. I overheard them say they wanted Cato to watch out for me at school and in training, so I was safe. I hopped he would say no but to my despair, he said yes.

"I would be honored to do that for you Mrs. Fuhrman" Cato exclaimed with a lot of excitement.

The next day Damen and Cato had to spar and it was still first blood. They both had swords but Cato was visible leaner and more muscular than Damen, he had all the advantages to win. Cato took the first swing and stabbed Damen right into the heart, he threw the first blow and all he had to do was shed some blood but he chose to hit him with a fatal blow. Teachers rushed Damen to the hospital wing and Cato was sent to the principal's office. I told my mother but she said he might have thought Damen was hurting you. I didn't know what happened but I wanted to find out soon. How could Damen be hurting me if they were chosen by the teachers to spar against each other? What was his deal? But as usual he could never be alone to talk to and I didn't want to talk to him with his friends watching. He was someone I did not want to situate myself with no matter how strong he was or how many times he promised my mother he would protect me, I did not need anyone to protect me especially him of all people.

I was running out of time. I couldn't sleep that night because tomorrow was the day of the reaping. It was not my first but it was the first that I could volunteer, but volunteering meant I would either die or win and bring glory. Questions were shooting into my head as I tried to sleep. What if I got picked? Who would be the boy that I had to beat? What would I wear to look nice? Yes, I think about what I should wear just like every other girl. So many questions to be answered but it all had to wait till tomorrow.