Mitch's POV

Why is the sunlight so bright today?

That is exactly the first thought that rushes through my head when my eyes open this morning. For such a bleak day across Panem, the fact that the sun is shining seems slightly like rubbing salt in the wound.

Today is the reaping for the 500th Hunger Games. All of us are terrified.

The Hunger Games. They were made as a punishment for a rebellion and has caused 2 of the 4 rebellions that have happened since. Somehow the Snow like has managed to quell all of the rebellions before reaching the President's House.

It seems like a good few public beheadings are amazing at silencing the districts.

But now, it has been 112 years since the last rebellion, and a few things have changed. I am the product of one of those changes.

My name is Mitch Grassi, and I am an Untouchable.

The Untouchables were brought in after the 375th games when Capitol members rebelled after a girl from district 4 who was popular among the Capitol was reaped and died in the games. The rule may have caused one rebellion, but people have adjusted to the idea.

A month after the games, all children who would be in the reaping for the games for the first time next year have to find a talent and perform for the district. The Districts then send five children each to the Capitol, where they perform again. The Capitol citizens vote either yes or no. You get over 50% yes, you become an Untouchable. You become an Untouchable, you aren't entered into the reaping. You are immune from the games.

It is a pretty good idea. The Capitol get more people to obsess over, and the Districts get a morale boost to distract them from the horrific murder.

I finally roll out of bed and onto the floor, which was probably a bad idea, since I'm now in quite a lot of pain. After picking myself up off the floor, I trudge to the wardrobe to find a good outfit for the reaping. Just because we can't be reaped, doesn't mean we can skip out on attending, especially since all Untouchables are roped into helping with the games.

Scott said he was wearing a dusty blue, didn't he? That means I have to match. The Capitol citizens would faint if the singing power-couple Superfruit dared not to match outfits. That's how I became an Untouchable – by singing with my boyfriend. Now we tour Panem and perform, unless it's the games. Scott and I are the Untouchable support – we act as second mentors to the tributes and gain sponsors through performing. Last year we even managed to send a girl a weapon which helped her win.

Having finally gotten dressed in my dusty blue overgrown coat and black trousers, I sort out my face and hair and start to head downstairs. I'm only halfway down when I start to hear a sobbing coming from the kitchen.

Running down the stairs, I see my housemate Alex sitting at the kitchen table and sobbing.

Rushing over, I hug Alex which I think startles her a bit given the way she jumps in my arms. Pulling her away from me I look into her eyes.

"Little Alex, what's wrong?"

She looks up at me, fresh tears forming in her eyes,

"Mitchy, I'm scared. What if something goes wrong, what if they forgot to take me out of the reaping, what if I end up in the games? I'm too young for this, I want to see my mum!"

Alex bursts into tears again, throwing herself into another hug and burying her face into my shoulder (almost ruining my coat, by the way). As I return the hug I speak soothingly to her:

"Oh Munchkin, you worry too much, you with your overactive imagination! There's no way you can get reaped, you're an Untouchable now, and you've got all of us to protect you – we'd never let it happen. I know it's scary because it's your first year, but you know that you can't see your mum. The Untouchable contract, remember?"

Alex nods bitterly. She's told me it's the only part of being an Untouchable that she truly hates – the fact that we are allowed no contact whatsoever with our families. I don't mind this rule – my parents saw their beloved clothes shop more than they saw me – but Alex loves her family and would do anything to see them.

Because of this, we all become a huge family within the Untouchables village (only a slight downgrade from the Victor's village on the other side of the District). Alex is one of the closest people I have, along with Scott. I don't know what I'd do without either of them.

"Mitchy," Alex starts, "What will happen in the Capitol?"

"Well," I begin, "Your talent is writing, so you'll be taken to the journalism section where you'll write reports on the games, and I'm sure you'll do just great. All of the Untouchables stay in the same building, so I'll only be a few doors away if you need me. Did you pack all of your writing stuff in the bags they took yesterday?" She nods softly.

"Then I'm sure you'll be fine! You can't do any wrong – you were the most popular entry in last year's talent show; the Capitol citizens love you! And besides, it won't be all bad, any idea why?"

A small smile graces Alex's face as she giggles, "I'll get to meet Yoongi!"

I smile, knowing that would cheer her up. Min Yoongi is a singing Untouchable from District Six and Alex has been fangirling over him as long as I've known her. She's been begging me to introduce her to him for ages, and I can't wait to see her reaction when it finally happens.

I smile at Alex once more, "Have you had breakfast?" She nods, "Well then, what do you say you go and get dressed and then I'll do your makeup for you before we go to the reaping?"

Alex rushes upstairs in an effort to get ready on time, with me still laughing at the table at how happy she'd become at the mere mention of Yoongi.

By the time we actually got to the front door it was only half a minute until we were meant to go outside, and I was still frantically gripping Alex's hair back. I swear the girl has hair that is sentient just to wriggle its way out of place.

"Now," I said through the grips in my mouth, "When that door opens there will be cameras everywhere, so look happy and not like you're about to see kids be sent to their deaths, okay?"

"Yes Mitchy," she replies. I just about manage to throw the grips out of my mouth before the door opens, and by the time the cameras find me I'm walking down the steps at the front of my huge and bland house with a grin plastered on my face.

As Alex and I walk down, so do about 30 other Untouchables of District One as we go to meet in the middle of the Untouchable's village as instructed by the directors. I head straight to where I know everyone wants me to be – straight towards Scott.

Scott Hoying and I have been best friends since the age of four and boyfriends since the age of 13. We have never fought, and are the Capitol's favourite couple. I see Scott walking towards me looking perfect in a dusty blue jacket and tie with black trousers and shined shoes.

As soon as we meet in the middle, we know what we have to do. Instead of shaking hands or hugging, we go straight in for a kiss.

Now, don't get me wrong, kissing the love of my life is amazing, but when half of the eyes in Panem are trained on you, you feel slightly like a rabbit caught in headlights and the kissing becomes rather uncomfortable, which is why we pull away as soon as we know that the Capitol audience will be satisfied and go into a hug.

"Are you okay?" Scott whispers over my shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm good. Alex isn't though, we need to keep an eye on her."

"Of course, it's her first time, she's going to be scared. You were shaking like a leaf the entire time. Kirstin's worried as well. Her anxiety seems to be even worse since dating Jeremy because now she's more scared for him than herself."

We pull away, and from the look in his eyes, I can tell that Scott wants to talk more as well, but we can't. Now we have to look happy as we complete the walk of doom to the reaping.

As usual, the Untouchables are one of the last groups there, as they like to parade us through all of the children that failed to become us, a nice reminder that all of the children could have been spared if they were more talented. What a lovely gesture for them on an already joyous day.

Once walking up the isle, we are herded into the Untouchables pen and sat in a way that every single person will have a good angle to gawk at us from. As Scott and I are the Untouchable support, we are sat front and centre to get a good view at the sods who get picked.

In front of us sit the two bowls that hold the fate of two unfortunate souls that were about to have their lives destroyed. As entranced as I am by the bowl, I have to look away before I throw up.

After five minutes of quiet whispering, the two mentors for this game are walked onto the stage, ushered ahead by District One escort, Maddie.

As escorts go, Maddie is definitely not the worst. Although she has an annoying trait of believing that posture and grammar are the solutions to life's problems, she's not extravagantly ridiculous like the rest of the Capitol, has not dyed her hair and skin and can sympathise with all of the tributes. After working with Maddie for quite a few years, I've become very fond of her as she genuinely cares for every tribute in District One and acts like a mother to them in the Capitol.

The two victors, on the other hand, don't look nearly as peppy as Maddie does in her simple black and white floating dress and black pumps. Callum, the male mentor, won five years ago by basically hiding until everyone else died. It wasn't the textbook career tactic, but hey, it worked.

The female mentor, Hayley, won last year, and I don't think she's recovered from the fact that she killed people to win, considering she looks like she hasn't slept from the games and is dressed in a barely presentable state. I feel so sorry for her, she was shell shocked the entire time we were mentoring her, but I'm glad she came back because she has a lot of siblings to look after.

The trio reaches the stage, and the mentors go to their seats. Maddie goes to the middle of the stage but refuses to look at any of us, which is odd, as she usually does.

Maddie goes up to the mic and begins, "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the 500th annual Hunger Games! As this year is a Quarter Quell, may I please ask you to turn to the screens behind me to hear a message from President Snow."

As all of us turn to the large screen, an image of President Lara Snow appears in all her terrifying glory. Lara was quite a young president, only in her forties, but she was already starting to show traits of ruthlessness. Even her smile terrifies all of us into keeping quiet.

"Welcome," she begins, "To the 20th Quarter Quell of the Hunger Games." She opens the golden envelope in her hands tantalisingly slowly, almost as if to drag every ounce of pain out of the citizens of Panem.

"To remember the five rebellions that have come before, and to show that no one but the Capitol is truly untouchable, five Untouchables shall be reaped from each district. There will be no volunteers."

The video ends.

I stare at the screen, blinking.

What?

This can't happen! We're untouchables for a reason. They can't do this!

A motion catches my eye. The reaping bowls are being replaced with a much smaller bowl with many fewer names.

Oh god, it's hitting me. They are targeting my friends.

My friends, my family, are going to die.

I start frantically looking around, trying to find an exit, find any way out of this situation. There's nothing; Peacekeepers surround our entire pen. There's nothing to be done. This is happening.

Maddie looks as shocked as the rest of us, she knows us all well at this point and I don't think she wants this any more than we do.

Her steps seem to get slower as she walks towards the bowl, and I swear I can see every muscle twitch as she reaches for the first piece of paper before unfolding it and speaking into the mic.

"Alexandra Martinez"

No.

No. This can't happen.

She's twelve. She can't be sent in!

I look to my left as little Alex sits in her seat, frozen and shaking. Two Peacekeepers come to drag her out of her seat, and her legs barely move as they stand her on the front of the stage.

As she looks back over to me, she mouths one thing.

'You promised'.

The tears start forming. I'm going to have to coach my non-biological little sister through the trauma that I've seen so many go through. If she dies, it will be my fault.

I can't let her die.

Maddie has already picked out the second name.

"Leo Valdez"

I watch helplessly as Leo gets dragged next to Alex. He's a year younger than me and a master director. I didn't speak to him much, but the fact that I now won't be able to means I almost sob openly.

This can't be happening. What did we do?

Maddie opens the paper and the next words are like a knife wound.

"Scott Hoying"

Yep, the tears are flowing. They can't take him away, they just can't! He's my everything – my soulmate – my other half – they can't take him – I can't live without him!

I nearly jump out of my seat and run to him, but I'm stopped by a slight shake of the head from Scott, who has just as many tears as I do. He knows we can't cause a scene.

We cause a scene, and we'll both be dead before the games start.

I barely hear the name of Kasey Oskar of the sound of my own heart breaking. Alex and Scott are both going in. Only one person can come out.

I'm going to lose my sister, my soulmate, or both.

I can't do this.

I'm not paying attention, but I hear the next name regardless.

"Mitch Grassi"

Maddie looks at me with a heartbreaking glaze as I'm hauled to my feet.

My feet aren't moving, and I trip over them as I'm dragged across the stage by Peacekeepers.

I look back across the stage at Scott and he looks at me, both of us crying openly at this point.

I know that only one person can win, but Scott and I are going to stick together on this.

But only one of us can live.

Maybe I won't have to live without Scott. Maybe he'll be the one having to live without me.

Maddie steps to the front of the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present your tributes for the 500th annual Hunger Games."