Contest: The Hunger Games

Host: DisneyWorldInfoQueen (Cancelled)

"Are you excited?" I question my twin sister, Mirabella, and adjust my tie in the mirror while she does her hair. She'd been standing in front of the mirror doing her hair and make-up for a bit longer than an hour and she was still at it. Mia frowns and meets my gaze in the mirror and ties her hair back.

"For what? Reaping Day?" I scowl and roll my eyes, flopping down on her bed because it was closer and in direct view of the mirror.

"No, for our birthday Mia. No more Reaping, no more games, no more fear." Mia would've never admitted that she was afraid of the games because she was a Career and fear wasn't common among us, but I knew her better than that. Mia shrugs in response to my question and continues to get ready, putting on the diamond earrings left to her from our mother after she passed away from sickness seven years ago.

Our mom died from a fever that swept through the Capitol and the twelve districts. Those who lived grandly in the Capitol survived, but us? We were rich and well cared for by the Capitol, but our relations didn't extend to point where they were willing to sacrifice their own for us. The antidote never left the Capitol and our mom was left for dead. In remembrance of her, our mom left us each a piece of her. I got our grandfather's watch and Mia got her favorite earrings.

"I'm excited, I guess." Mia responds somberly and it worries me, she wasn't acting like the Mia I knew. I push myself up off her bed and stand behind her, draping my arms down around her neck and resting my chin on her shoulder.

"What's wrong baby sis?" Mia sighs, her brilliant green eyes meeting mine in the reflection of the mirror.

"I don't know, I'm just tired of this. One more day and we're free, I hate that our birthday is literally the day after Reaping Day." I snort and smirk confidently at her, a bit of my Career attitude showing through. Some of my blonde hair falls in front of my face and Mia smiles.

"Hey, it just means we get to celebrate early." I flash her my signature smile and tuck the hair back behind my ear, pulling away from her.

"Yeah," Mia responds, still sounding less than excited. "how I look big brother?" Mia wonders twirling in front of me with her arms out. I laugh and grasp ahold of her hand and pull her around our bedroom in a series of twists and turns. She loved to dance, it helped with the pain of losing our mother.

"You look beautiful, just like Mom." I say, pulling her against me. Mia smiles and drapes her arms around my neck.

"You look pretty handsome too." I smile and pull away from her, getting down on my hands and knees to get the birthday present under my bed.

"I swear if that's a birthday present I'm going to kill you." Mia threatens, she was mad because I was breaking out deal. We had this agreement where we didn't buy gifts for each other since our birthday was right after Reaping Day and surviving another year was the best present we could get. But this was our last year and pretty soon we'd need to start buying gifts for each other. I was just getting a head start. I get to my feet, holding a light blue box in my hands.

"That was because we were in the Reaping every year and making it another year was the best present we could get. But after today, we'll be free of it, and then what? We'll need to start buying each other presents." Mia nods but continues to scowl, clearly still opposed to the idea. It was breaking tradition.

"So why'd you get me one this year?" She challenges, I shrug and look at her through my blonde bangs.

"Because I'm your big brother and if anyone can break the rules, it's me. Open it." I place the little box in Mia's hands and shove my own into my pockets. She sighs and unties the dark blue ribbon, resigned to the fact that it was time to break tradition. She could be so difficult sometimes. The ribbon falls away from the box and Mia lifts the lid off the top, her eyes widen at the gift inside.

"You didn't." She gasps, glancing up at me and then down at the box again. I couldn't stop the grin from overtaking my face.

"I did." I snap back cheekily, Mia pulls the silver locket from the box and pops it open to expose the photos I'd cut and placed inside. One of her, Brooks, and me, and the other of our mom and dad before she died. Together the two photos completed the Glendenning family, in her locket, we were whole again. Mia sniffles and brushes her hand under her eyes, I pull her against my chest and hear her chuckle softly.

"Aren't you glad you broke the rules? Happy Birthday Mirabella." I tease and breathe out, Mia laughs and nods her head before taking a steadying breath and pulls away from me.

"Well, since you broke the rules I suppose it's okay that I did too." She says, peaking a glance up at me. I blink in surprise, of course she would break the rules and then give me a hard time about it. I should've guessed. I huff in resignation and watch her pull the bottom drawer of her dresser open.

"Of course you did, and yet you gave me such a hard time." Mia smiles, reaching to the back of the drawer and bringing out a rectangular box. She hands the box over, stilling clutching her locket tightly.

"Here, Happy Birthday Hayden." I roll my eyes and take the box from her, Mia climbs to her feet and twines her hands before her as I pull the top from the box. The item inside is silver with both hers and my initials engraved on the handle. It looked exactly like the one I'd ruined all those years ago. I'd been begging for a replacement from our dad, and I guess Mia overheard.

"Thank you Mia." I say, lifting the switchblade out of the box. "It's so much better than the one I ruined." I laugh and tuck the tiny weapon into my suit pocket.

"Well, I guess we should go join the others. The Reaping will be starting soon." Mia says, reaching for my hand. It was tradition for us to hold hands while walking to the Reaping, I'd done it the first time as a way to comfort her and the next year we did it again and then again after that. It became a type of superstition for us that if we held hands maybe they wouldn't pick us. We were safer together than apart. We were the truest definition of twins joined at the hip.

I nod solemnly and tug Mia down the hall and into the kitchen where our father was sitting at the kitchen table; pictures of our mom spread out before him. He had his head in his hands but he looks up when he hears us enter. I stop, forcing Mia to as well, as Dad wipes the tears off his face.

"Oh, Hayden, Mia, I'm sorry." He says, resting his chin in his hands, smiling lightly. "You guys look great, have you seen Brooklyn?" I frown at my dad, wasn't she here? But from the innocent look in my dad's eyes I knew I was wrong, and I so wished that I wasn't. I sigh and run my free hand through my hair, messing it up a bit.

"She's not here?" Dad shakes his head and frowns.

"Lucas's?" I nod and glance back at Mia. She looks at me with glimmering green eyes, the same level of disappointment and frustration evident in them as well. But she'd never admit it to Brooklyn, she was the good sibling.

"We'll stop on the way and check though." Mia nods and I look back to our father, "We'll see you at the Reaping, right?" He nods, a somberness crowding his eyes.

"Of course, now go before you're late."

The walk through the streets of District One is full of silence between us. I was brewing with anger at our younger sister. I hated how she would spend her nights at Lucas's house and never tell us where she was. I don't think Mia much liked it either but Mia never spoke her mind. However, I did. I walk swiftly up to Lucas's door and bang my fist against it furiously.

"Lucas!" I shout, rolling my eyes and scowling. A moment later, the door opens and there stands Luke, dressed in his best suit with our sister cowering behind him.

"Hey Hayden." Brooklyn says cheekily, twirling around in her strapless dress. She didn't even acknowledge Mia, but that was normal. She was jealous of her because Mia was my twin and she didn't have one. I was almost positive that everything Brooklyn did was to attract mine and our dad's attention while taking it away from Mia.

"The hell are you wearing?" I snap, staring with disgust at Brooklyn's excuse of a dress. Brooklyn laughs and rolls her eyes.

"A dress, duh."

"Brooks, don't." Mia bites, a bit of her anger leaking through her nonchalant façade. Brooklyn glances at her, green eyes simmering.

"Whatever." She snaps, latching onto Luke's arm and shoving her way through Mia and I, breaking our hands apart. Brooklyn infuriated me, I loved her, I did. But she drove me crazy. I clench my jaw and force a smile while fighting the urge to give in to the Career side of me.

"Hayden relax." Mia says, following along behind our sister and her boy toy. I stutter and roll my eyes, gritting my teeth. Her nonchalance was so annoying.

"Relax? How can you put up with her?" I hiss, unsuccessfully trying to suppress the Career attitude in me. Brooklyn, Mirabella, and I had been training for the games since we were kids and after everything we'd been through, somehow, we had managed to hold onto to who we were. Through all the training and lessons and teaching, we'd still managed to scrounge together our humanity and with each other's help, kept it nicely intact.

"Come on, let's go Hayden. We'll be late." Mia states, reaching back for my hand and pulling me along behind her. Brooklyn, Lucas, Mirabella, and I all stand in line with so many other teenagers, waiting to be pricked by the Peacekeepers and herded together.

Brooklyn is the first to be pricked and led away, she glances only fleetingly at the three of us. Her gaze meeting each of our eyes before she joins the other fifteen year old girls. Lucas is next, he doesn't bother to look back for fear of me mentally ripping him apart for his interactions with Brooklyn. And he was right to fear me, I'd never liked that kid.

I'm next, I step in front of Mia just like I always did and allow the Peacekeeper prick my finger. I barely felt a thing, I was more concerned about Mia whom I had to leave in a moment. Then the Peacekeepers gesture for me to walk away and my hold on Mia tightens just a bit. But it's only until the Peacekeepers start to get a bit restless that I hold on to her. It was my favorite part of Reaping Day, pissing the Peacekeepers off but pulling back before things got out of hand. I smirk and walk off to join the other eighteen year old guys.

Every year I stood here and waited for my fate, every year I hated it because Mia was out there somewhere without me and I was powerless against it. I wasn't afraid of entering the games, I could fight. I knew I'd be okay, I was afraid of Mia entering the games. She wasn't as strong as she'd have liked to think she was. If she or Brooklyn were picked then I'd volunteer, no questions asked. Except, I don't think my dad and the sister I'd leave behind could bear losing me like that.

"Hello District One!" Our escort, Lillian, announces, a bundle of orange hair on her head and red flames traveling down her face and neck. She wore a red and yellow gown with orange diamonds on the skirt.

The escort babbles on about the same things that she does every year, her hair bobbing with each movement. She shows the video along the screens and I have to fight the urge not to yawn halfway through it. After so many years of watching the same thing, I was terribly bored with it.

Then, it's time to pick the tributes.

Lillian smiles and grasps ahold of the microphone stand, the flames along her face morphing whenever her expression changed. "As always, ladies first." She says and walks over to a huge bowl of names. Lillian sticks her hand inside the bowl and pulls a little white slip of paper from the top of the pile. She clutches it to her chest as she makes her way back to the microphone. Lillian clears her throat and pulls the paper slip open.

"Brooklyn Glendenning." Lillian calls out and my blood freezes in my veins. My head snaps to the side, my eyes searching fervently for Mia. I could practically feel my heart pounding in my ears, this was it. I was volunteering and leaving Mia behind. I didn't know if I'd be able to do it, being without my twin. It felt wrong, but if I didn't protect Brooklyn then she'd hate me until her last breath.

Mia's green eyes lock on mine and for a moment, I can almost pretend nothing's wrong. Then the fear in me somehow blows hers right out of the water, a look of determination comes over her as she forces her way through the crowd. My heart surges, every part of me lighting on fire.

"Mia!" I shout, shoving people out of the way as I stumble toward her.

"I volunteer!" Mia announces and my heart does a flip in my chest.

"Me too!" I call out, dashing up beside my sister and grasping ahold of her hand, both relieved and pissed off with her. She'd saved Brooklyn, but possibly killed herself. The entirety of the crowd falls silent as the two Career twins are herded to the stage while their younger sister falls against their father in tears. The Glendenning family is suddenly in tatters. Once on stage, I release my hold on Mia to stand at Lillian's right while she takes her place on the left.

"And the District One tributes are-!" Lillian thrusts the microphone in Mia's face, she gulps and glances from Brooklyn, to dad, and then to me.

"Mirabella Glendenning." Mia says, Lillian squeals with delight and turns to face me, a maniacal smile on her face. The sight temporarily unnerves me and I stutter over my words. I clench my fists and fight back the shock.

"Hayden Glendenning."

"Well, there you have it District One! Your tributes! Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor!" And then the Peacekeepers surrounded us, forcing Mia and I back through the doors and away from my dad and sister. Mia's face morphs into a cacophony of fear, I quickly grasp her hand in an attempt to ward off the terror just a bit longer. We had to get inside the arena before losing our cool.

I couldn't believe this, one minute everything was fine and the next my life was falling in tatters around me. I would die, I knew it. Because no way would I let Mia fall victim to the Capitol's terror, I would kill myself if that's what it took to save her. I'd protect her, that's how it had always been, and nothing was going to change.