I think I always knew I’d be reaped at some point. Don’t ask me how- I guess I’d just always had a gut feeling it was my destiny or something. Every year that I didn’t get picked just meant I was one year closer to getting picked. When the announcer from the Capitol finally read my name aloud, I didn’t even flinch. I just made my way to the podium. No one tried to sacrifice themselves for me, not even my own family - it was like they knew this was supposed to happen too.

I wasn’t given much time to process the news before I was whisked away to the Capitol. In fact, I was given five minutes to collect my things, AND there was a plot twist - I could bring one non-lethal item from home into the arena. This had given me pause - tributes were never allowed to bring anything into the arena. And non-lethal?? How the hell was that going to help anybody?

Since I didn’t have long to decide, I opted for the one precious thing I owned - a flute. I’m not sure exactly what I thought the flute was going to help me with - I wasn’t even any good at playing it - but it had belonged to my mother and just felt wrong to leave behind. I tucked it into my sack of clothes, slung the bag over my shoulder, and walked out the front door of my childhood home without so much as a glance behind me.