"Fishergirl" - The 67th Hunger Games

Chapter One

Author's notes: I have been working incredibly hard on this, and it's going to be a really long fic for my standards, seeing how I usually just make a oneshot. But noooooo, my mind thinks I'm too good for a simple hunger games oneshot. Nope. Gotta make a huge overload of hunger games.

Like I said, I've been working on this for a really long time. I can't tell you how many character sheets and planning I've done for all of this... DX

Anyway, I really hope you like! Please comment! Comments make me happy! I will try to get back to you if you comment, I promise!

<3,

Indigoplains

Disclaimer: the whole hunger games idea belongs to Suzanne Collins, bless her genius mind for this. But I own all my characters... ;) __________________________

I wish I could close my window, but I'm all comfy and warm in my bed. Sunlight streaks right through my window and right onto my face and pillow. I do have blinds, but my mom probably has pushed those aside in order to get me to wake up. She's been doing that every Reaping for the past two years since I snapped at her when she was rousing me for my second Games. Speaking of the Reaping, I remember that I've got to pay someone a visit before I go find out the tributes this year.

My mom's making her tasty blueberry pancakes in the kitchen when I march in, ready to go to the beach. She looks like the living dead, with her baggy, dark eyes and slumped shoulders. I'm about out the door when she finally realizes I'm awake. She turns and shoots me a look of concern, but I give her a smile to satisfy her worries. She always worries about me too much, but with the Reaping she goes a little overboard with concern. Somehow, she sounds much more relaxed today.

"Oh, hey honey, sorry that breakfast isn't ready yet. I just got up myself." She yawns, and blinks heavily, rubbing her eyes.

"It's okay, I'll eat later. I was planning on going to the beach first anyway." I explain, and she nods. "Be back in an hour or so," She goes back to breakfast and I quickly grab my backpack, stashing an extra granola bar inside in case I'm late coming back to eat. I give my mother one more glance before slipping out the door. I trudge out onto the dirt road that leads to the beach, which is only a few minutes away from my house.

The beach used to be a huge tourist site, until the Capitol idiots junked it up too much and just left entirely. Well, the only other beach remotely close to us is about an hour's walk away. So, a bunch of our neighbors and us eventually got to cleaning it up. It took a full day, even with all forty of us cleaning like crazy. Thankfully, the Capitol freaks have never come back since, and even if they did, we would without a doubt kick them out straightaway. I've never forgiven them yet, after they basically made us starve for a week when we couldn't use the beach.

Ethan doesn't see me when I first walk in, but he soon hears my footsteps and turns. We're the only ones at the beach, and I know why. Most people try to sleep in on Reaping Day, but Ethan and I never really have been able to. I sit down next to him on the creaky old dock. I smile half-heartedly at him, and I notice how pale he is. My smile fades and the words come tumbling out of my mouth before I know it.

"How was your mom?" My voice is shaky and uncertain. Ethan's face in unreadable; his eyes level but dark, his lips straight and thin.

"Fine," His reply sounds bitter, but he still shows no emotion. He hates talking about his family on Reaping Day, seeing how I was expecting him to snap at me when I asked about his mother. Ethan's mom's extremely overprotective, even more than my own. His Dad hardly even talks to him anymore, and it's just because of Ethan's brother.