"Well, well, well!" Diamond says waving her wands, "it looks like we have a volunteer!" She looks at Katniss and Peeta. "I thought it would be your daughter volunteering, not someone volunteering for your daughter." She laughed. I walk slowly through the crowd, and up to the stage. I pass Rose on the way up. She looks into my eyes, hers confused like it couldn't be real. I walk onto the stage ignoring Diamond saying to me. I vaguely hear her asking my name, and age.
"Whats your name dear? how old are you?" she asks me again.
"Cassandra Blackwell, and I'm Sixteen" I say with no coldly.
"Well she reminds me a little like you." she winks at Katniss. I scan the crowd looking for him, and there he is, my mother holding him back while hes trying to rip is way through the crowd, and get to me. Oh God Avery. I'm so sorry. I promised him nothing would happen. I broke my promise. I'm leaving him all alone, and going into the Hunger Games. I look into his eyes, and he stops moving. Tears flowing down his face. I give him a little smile, but he looks away.
"And now for the boys!" Diamond says laughing. She walks over this time without falling. She plunges her hand into the bowl and pulls out a slip of paper. She walks back over to the podium, and unfolds the paper.
"Jasper Adrain." She reads out. She looks up into the crowd. The whole crowd of sixteen year olds almost seem to part and move out of the way of their friend. Soon enough a boy with scruffy black hair and blue eyes he walks out. His hands shaking as he walks up the stage. He looks at me, his eyes clouded with fear. I look back my eyes strong, and fearless. Everything will be okay. I think to myself. I will keep my promise. I will keep my promise to Avery, I will have the that rabbit stew with him. I will come home. Diamond goes on and on about how even though the Districts rose up and rebelled against the Capitol, and won, it still came back to what it was before. She steps back.
"Go on you two!" she sang, a smile still plastered on her face, "Shake hands." She goes to sit down, and the mayor stands up to deliver the speech about how the Hunger Games came to be. Once he's finished he looks at me, sadness written on his face. He shakes his head and walks back to his chair. The Peacekeepers take no time before they come in and grab Jasper and I off the stage and bring us to our rooms. I don't want to say goodbye. I don't want to leave. I should never have volunteered. I should have just let Rose go. I didn't know her that well. I shake my head. You're not that kind of person. I think to myself. You know you couldn't have just let her go. I turn to look behind me one last time. I see the faces of all the other kids from my District. Safe for another year. The huge wooden doors close and I know, that's going to be the last time I see it. Goodbye.