The dizziness subsides and blinding sulight takes it's place. It's hot and crowded. That's the first thing I notice. The people around me look my age. Someone in the distance says something into a microphone, but it sounds garbled. Some kids are looking at me. Make that all of them. They stare at me expectantly. I look at my clothes. I'm wearing my own white tank top and short shorts and flop flops.

"Sydney Matthews!" Says the voice again.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end for no particulnar reason. I am ushered up to a large podium by some people in white sci-fi suits. I notice four other people on the podium who stood out: the woman with the microphone and bright pink hair, a middle-aged man who looked kinda drunk, a teenaged girl with a long black braid and gray eyes with a bird pin pinned to her shirt, and a teenaged boy with blond hair, blue eyes, and long eyelashes. They seemed very familiar, but I just couldn't place them.

The pink haired woman dug her hand into a large glass bowl with hundreds of slips of paper in it and pulled one slip out and read: "Leo Valdez!"

thats not right. I didn't know why but I just know that he doesn't belong here. wherever here is.

an elfish Latino boy with curly dark hair and a tool belt struts up to the podium. He smirks and reassures me that the reason our names were called wasn't dangerous.

then everything fell into place.

the name calling.

the bowls.

the familiarity of the people.

this was the Hunger Games.

I look at Leo. He's not supposed to be here, but he acts like he is.

whats going on?

_______________________

what'd ya think?

love ya!

CC