I'm lying awake in my room that I share with my two brothers. I've been waiting to see the first sign of sun to seep through our withered curtains to indicate it was time to get up and hunt. Even though everyone in District twelve is still sleeping or just rising, I can feel the tension of today's events beginning to form in the air.

It's the reaping day for the annual Huger Games. Two unfortunate souls will be reaped from a drawing sending them straight into the clutches of death. Because if you're from District Twelve, you don't come back from the Games.

The Hunger Games is where 324 kids compete to survive by killing the rest. The last one standing is crowned victor and is awarded with wealth and fame.

District Twelve is the bottom of the barrel in terms of Districts. We don't have much and most of us are starving, but we continue to live our pathetic lives because even if you wanted to die, it has to be in the manner that the Capitol likes.

The Capitol is top notch. All the wealthy people migrate there, showing off their things and inventions and rubbing it in the faces of the people who make them.

I sit up fiercely in bed. I don't want to think about the reaping but it's on my mind every single day. We're to never forget about the Games since we're reminded of it all year around. It's a never-ending cycle of torture.

I'm always in constant worry about my brothers and praying they will never have to do a tesserae. But also knowing inevitably I have to take one. Taking tesserae means that you can get grain and oil in return of putting another entry into the reaping, giving you more of a chance of getting picked to participate in the games. The first time you add your name is because you have to. The second or how many more times you do tesserae is to keep your family from starving to death.

The only thing at this point that can take some of my stressful thoughts of the reaping off my mind is hunting with Katniss. I still remember the first time I ran into her. I smirk at the memory of when we first met and how I thought she was bad news, the way she was lurking around my catch of the day. It was the first food I've caught in a while and I wasn't about to let someone try to still it. But as I demanded to know her name and she stuttered out "Katniss" and I thought she said "Catnip," for it was a barely a whisper and I knew she was no threat. We made an instant connection.

I learned after I finally got her to talk, that she was someone I can confine in wholeheartedly and rely on when I need to mouth off about the capitol and the harsh reality we live in. I was fourteen and she was twelve yet we were out hunting, in hopes of getting food on the table for our families. There is no such thing as childhood when you grow up on this world. Four years later we have become a pretty good team.

I decide instead of waking alongside for the rest of the District, I should get an early start by heading out to the forest and waiting for Katniss there. I slip out of bed and put on a pair of hunting boots, not even bothering to change out of my clothes since they are what I would wear to hunt anyway. It wouldn't matter either; I would just have to change for the reaping. I grab a bag to keep our goods in and walk quietly past my brothers not wanting to wake them. They deserve to rest.

I head through the door and trek to the edge of our District. We have a fence that surrounds District Twelve and we're told that it's always buzzing with electricity, that will keep out the wild and dangerous beast that roam in the woods but most of the time it's let off to conserve energy. I still take the time to listen for signs of life before I head out into the wilderness.

My first stop is to the fallen log where Katniss and I stash are hunting supplies. I pull out a smaller bow and quiver so generously given to me by Katniss and some things to make traps with. Then I set up a few, hoping an animal will come by and be the unlucky candidate for a trade I will make with the baker. While I wait for a snag, I walk around various bushes and shrubs inspecting them to see if the berries that are there are safe to eat or if they're the kind that would kill me the second they touch my tongue.

I hear one of my traps get tripped and I smirk triumphantly. Whatever it is I hope it'll be worth a loaf of bread. I get to the trap and see a squirrel dangling high above my head. Disappointment floods through me because a squirrel isn't really a delicacy to some. While most people here would trade anything for meat, the baker has had better meat than this and he might not think that it would be a fair trade for a fresh hot loaf of bread.

I decide that's it worth a shot to see if he'll take it so I head back and off towards the bakery. I walk in the back door, knowing that he will be standing near the oven, preparing to make a new batch of bread and other delicacy's for a new day. I spot him holding a tray of dough as I enter. When he sees me he places the tray in to the oven and close the door. "Gale. What do you have for me today?" He wipes his floured stained hands of his apron looking towards me expectantly.

Sheepishly I open my bag and pull the squirrel out. " I know it's not the best trade but…" I don't know what else to say. He gives me a small smile and says, "It's just fine." He takes the squirrel from me and places it on the counter. He takes one of the loaves from a tray that's placed with the other finished products and wraps it in a napkin. " Here, Gale. Good luck." I look up at him and see that this trade is over and done with. I always like the baker even though his not much of a talker. But then again neither am I. I take the loaf and it's warmth seeps through the thin napkin onto my hands. As I walk, the sweet aroma floods my senses, making my mouth water.

I head back into the woods, the sun fully lighting the sky. I resist the urge to start nibbling on the bread as my stomach growls in hunger. I want to wait for Katniss before starting. I head to our usual meeting spot. The view is spectacular and gives us a great vantage point of the great beyond. Seeing the vast land always makes me wonder what's out there being camouflaged by the massive trees and rolling hills.

I wish and hope for a place where we can leave and run to, But is it possible for there to be someplace other than the twelve districts and the capitol? I don't know and that's what scares me. Because if this is all there is, then what's the point? If I ran one day along with my family and Katniss I wouldn't want them to venture into an unsafe place. The whole point of running is to get away from danger. Not to run into its clutches.

I hear ruffling behind me and know Katniss has arrived. I take an arrow out from my quiver and push it through the soft bread. " Hey, Catnip." I say to her without turning around. "Look what I caught." I hold up the bread that has the arrow through it, waving it around so she gets a good look. She's to me now and she takes hold of the bread. "Mm, still warm. What did it cost you?" Katniss sits down next to me placing the bread in her lap. Now that she's here I feel myself calming, like I don't need to have my guard up anymore.

"Just a squirrel. Think the old man was feeling sentimental this morning. Even wished me luck."

"Well, we all feel a little closer today. Prim left us a cheese." She takes the cheese out of her bag that is draped over her shoulder. She looks likes she's trying very hard not to think about anything outside these woods. I know how she feels.

"Thank you, Prim. We'll have a real feast." Katniss take the bread and spreads the cheese on top of it. It smells delectable.

To cheer her up I start to mimic the one and only Effie Trinket, the announcer and escort for the candidates pick to enter the games. " I almost forgot and Happy Hunger Games!" I pick up a handful of blackberries, "And may the odds-", tossing one towards Katniss, which she catches it between her teeth eating it happily, "-Be ever in your favor," she finishes.

She laughs making me feel a whole lot better alongside her. When she's happy, she's radiant. Katniss always bring the good out of me. She's the only person I've ever let remotely close enough to experience the anger within me. I have a lot of firsts with her and I trust her with my life. Our friendship was started by the hatred we had for the Capitol, but it solidified when we realized our similarities. We balance each other out.

I take the loaf of bread and cut myself a slice, while I spread the soft goat cheese on top like Katniss only adding a basil leaf on top. As we sit back onto the rocks, silence engulfs us along with the sway of the wind and my mind once again wanders to the thoughts of running. We would be safe and far from the Districts and the Capitols horrid rules. I know that if we did run into the night, that we could make it, we would be able to survive. I decide to let Katniss in on my plan." We could do it, you know." The words barely come out a whisper. She looks at me confused. "What?" I take a deep breath and mutter, "Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. We could do it. You and I we could make it." I can see it. Just her with me in the woods, surviving together. We would do a lot better out there than we are in District Twelve, that's for sure.

Katniss doesn't respond right away. I know that's she's thinking of the people we would leave behind. I quickly add, "If we didn't have so many kids." She has Prim and her mother and I have my brothers and younger sister along with my mom to worry about. She knows that we can't leave them and I know it too. Without us they would all slowly starve to death. Our hunting is what brings the food to the table. She finally answers, " I never want to have kids." She looks off into the distant her emotions showing in the tone of her voice.

"I might, if I didn't live here." I answer truthfully. One day I think it would be great to be a father and teach my son or daughter the ways of life, but this is not the kind of world I want to bring a child into. "But you do." Katniss says irritation evident in her voice. I know she hates the thought of life after you turn eighteen. It's after that you are no longer eligible to participate in the hunger games. But when you grow into an adult your children become the ones eligible. Katniss feels she can only worry about right now and she can agonize about the future when she turns eighteen.

"Forget it." I say, matching her irritation. I'm not mad I just wish she would at least try to imagine our life if we escaped the clutches of the Capitol. I'm determined to find a way out of this place we have to call home. That's what I'm set on doing. But as I look over a Katniss who is looking down at the cheese given to her by Prim, I realize we first must get through reaping. After that I'm going to do whatever it takes to get us all out of here.