"Mags!", my brother Turbot calls. "Wake up, it's reaping day.". I let out a groan and slowly started to sit up. Next to me, my sisters Asherah and Pearl are still sleeping. They're twins, and only twelve years old. It's their first reaping. "Asherah, Pearl. It's time for reaping day.", I whisper to them. Asherah starts breathing heavily, as her eyes burst wide open. A tear rolls down her cheek, but I give her a hug and wipe it off.

"Asherah, what's wrong?", I ask.

Asherah looks up at me. "Maggie, what if it's me that gets reaped?"

"Don't worry, your name's only in there once. Once. What are the chances?"

Asherah lets out a sigh. "You're right." She gives me a small smile. "Thanks, Maggie, you always know how to make me feel better."

I feel my blanket shaking as Pearl slowly stands up. "Time for reaping day.", she says with an almost solemn voice. Even though Asherah and Pearl are twin sisters, they're very different. Asherah is more of a gentle person, while Pearl is more serious. They have a strong connection though, ever since they were born. Whenever Asherah was sad, Pearl was there to help her. I have four siblings; my twin sisters Asherah and Pearl, and my two brothers, 17-year-old Cove and 18-year-old Turbot. I'm really close to all of them, we have that bond that could never be separated. I mean, they are annoying sometimes but they're always there for me. Sometimes I have this selfish thought though. I'm really jealous of Asherah and Pearl's relationship and Cove and Turbot's. It always feels like I'm the one left out. I shake my head trying to get that type of mindset out of my brain.

My mother and father are in the living room, making some breakfast. Our house is pretty small, both the living room and our beds are in the same place. We live in a small shack on the northern bay, one of the poorest areas in 4. We don't make much money from our fishing, since much of it goes to the Capitol. In fact, we barely make enough money to get by. My mother and father had to sell everything they had, even their wedding rings. Sometimes I wonder why President Ravinstill lets us live like this, in poverty and oppression. And surely the Hunger Games don't help at all. But my parents said that if this is life, we have to try our best to live. Still, it doesn't stop the wondering in my head.

We all sit around the table, as my mother places a pot of boiled fish head soup. Usually, we can only eat the parts nobody wants, like the fish head and the tail. Personally, I like the fish head, especially the eye. "I hope I don't get reaped.", Turbot says. "It's my last year.". My father looks at us. "Kids, don't worry. There's no way any of you could be reaped. The chances are slim. The odds will be in our favor." I let out a small laugh, remembering last year and Lucky Flickerman. Last year. Last year, when my friend Coral died in the Hunger Games. I shed a small tear thinking about her. Coral almost won, only the District 12 girl left, Lucy Gray I think was her name. When Lucy Gray won, I felt a burning hatred in my heart for her. But now I realize, she was trying to survive like the rest of us. "Coral, I miss you.", I mumble quietly. "Don't.", I say in my mind. "Don't think about it." Coral's death hit us all hard, especially Cove since they were dating. Some people think Coral was a monster, since she tried to kill everyone in the arena. But she was only trying to survive, trying to survive the way she knew.

We all quickly slurp up our fish head soup and get ready for reaping day. Asherah and Pearl are wearing my hand-me-downs from my past reapings. My mother tells me she has a surprise for me. I follow her to a closet as she pulls out a beautiful green dress down to my feet, with pins made out of shells. I gasp and look at my mother. "I can't take this from you. I know how important it is to you. It's your wedding dress.", I say. My mother just gives me a knowing smile. "And you're gonna look beautiful in it Maggie.". I jump into her arms and she gives me a small kiss on my head. Cove and Turbol are dressed in what used to be white shirts but are stained a light brown. We step out of the house and make our way to the Justice Building.

The sun beats down on my back, as I walk to the girls' section for 16-year-olds. I take a deep breath. It's Asherah and Pearl's first reaping, so they walk slowly with the other frightened 12-year-olds. I catch Asherah's eye and give her a reassuring smile. "Next.", a lady sitting on a chair in front of me says, almost robotically. I lay my finger out, as she pricks my finger with a needle, to take my blood. After that, I take slow steps to the designated spot for girls.

In front of The Justice Building, stands two tables each with one fishbowl; one for boys and one for girls. Mayor Carent and some other government officials sit on lavish chairs placed behind them. I look around and can see peacekeepers everywhere. I remember one year, maybe in the 7th Games, someone tried to escape and they had to gun her down. Right next to me are Lynn and Grace. I know them from work, they fish in the same boat as me. I've been fishing ever since I was 6, and Lynn and Grace were always in the same boat as me. They've been people I could rely on. I reach my hands out to both of them. Both of them grasp my hands, and Lynn gives me a worried look. We all give each other a hug. "It's okay, Mags.", Lynn says. "What are the chances? 4 names out of 111,453. The odds will be in your favor. I promise." I give a weak smile to Lynn. How am I supposed to carry out my plan?

Suddenly, the anthem starts playing. Out of the building steps the highly eccentric Antonia Jewel. She's always known to look very bold and equally bizarre. I never got Capitol fashion, I never will. This year she looks especially ridiculous, with her face and hair dyed an electric blue and her dress, looking like what seems to be a giant pink starfish. Some of the older boys laugh, but other than them everyone keeps a grave expression on their face. "Welcome to the annual reaping of the Eleventh Hunger Games!", Antonia says, with a big beaming smile. "Let's get straight to business. Ladies first.". Antonia takes a few steps in her green high heels to the fishbowl. She digs deep and picks up a small slip of paper. I close my eyes, waiting for a name. "Marine Aram." As a girl with long blonde hair and a long azure dress steps onto the stage, I wait for the willpower in me. I take a deep breath, as I open my mouth to speak. "I volunteer as tribute."