The underdog
Chapter one
Waking up I feel the wet ground beneath me, as I look up I see just trees around me and I remember the earlier events that has happened. Back in district thirteen they needed someone to take on an extremely dangerous task that could get you killed, what that task be well I'll tell you. They looked for anyone between the ages 16-18, to go to District Twelve and volunteer for the most dreadful event that has ever happened, The Hunger Games.
This year is the 74th hunger games, 74 years ago the districts all rebelled against the Capital to try and change the government but that didn't happen the districts from 1-12 were punished with the hunger games and district thirteen everyone thought we were blown off the map and all dead but no we are very much alive and we need a spark and that spark is me. I will try till I die to have a peaceful place again and I learned in the textbooks that in the old days the people voted for the one they wanted to be in charge but no this government and country was ruled by President Snow.
So that explains why I'm sleeping on the floor of the forest and its been a long hike to District Twelve but I feel it in my stomach that I'm close I know I am. I get up and start eating an apple to fill my empty stomach and my thoughts drift to what will happen after I volunteer for the girl, but I don't have to think about how my family felt when I told President Coin I would do this because I don't have any family left.
I finish my apple and throw it to some animals so they can have the core of it. I think back to my mom and dad when they were alive, they were some of the people of district 13 that died from a disease, would they be proud or sad. I remember my mom telling me one night when I as small it feels forever ago but I still remember, 'Hope the only thing stronger than fear'. That is how I will last forever and even after I die I will pass my hope on to someone else and hopefully more than one person and every single person in Panem.
As I look up I see a huge fence, I remember President Coin saying that some of the fences were alive with electricity. I have two or three choices if its not electrified I will find a hole and go under it or climb over it and if it is electrified I will climb a tree and jump over the fence. As I get closer, I listen to the fence to hear a humming sound but instead I hear nothing which means I can go under the fence instead of going over. I see a clump of leaves together I shove them to the side with my hands and I see a hole that will surely let me fit threw there and once I'm on the other side I check the time and stand up.
Thirty minutes till the reaping, where two kids will be picked from a gigantic glass bowl. I change into nice clothes; a white dress and I run my hands threw my hair and start to walk to where the reaping will take place. As I get there the pick my finger for blood to check my name off, the barns of district 13 put my name in the place where all the people of Panem is kept and made me as a district 12 citizen. I see a girl with brown hair in a light blue dress talking to a smaller girl who has blonde hair and I think it might be her little sister. As I walk by them I stop and ask, "Where are the 16 year olds standing?"
I curse myself as soon as the question left my mouth; the older girl has a bit of confusion on her face as I asked her that, I quickly cover my mistake by saying, "I just turned 16 yesterday."
She doesn't look convinced but she just points in a directions with a clump of older looking girls and as I start to leave I feel a hand on my shoulder and I see it's the girl who gave me the directions to the 16 year olds are, she mutters, "good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor." It sounds sarcastic but I tell her good luck and I wave and smile to the little twelve-year-old girl with blonde hair who looks scared to death. I feel disgusted that the capital would send children as young as 12 years old to go into the games and also I feel mad at district 13 for not doing anything but they needed a plan and someone to train for this to work and not to screw up and will be willing to risk their lives for this opportunity to make a difference.
I remind myself it's all on me to save everyone, if I don't do my job right everyone will still have the same life. My thoughts get cut off by the escort of district twelve, Effie Trinket, wearing a bright green suit and pink hair that looks like a wig, and another person sitting down on one of the chairs is a tall, almost bald head, I'm guessing that is the Mayor. But there is an empty chair, I wonder who that is for.
When the clock hits two, the bald man walks to the podium and begins to read the history of Panem, its interesting I never heard it before but I heard they told you about it in class but since I had to train for this I couldn't hear the history of how this country came to be. "The country that came to up out of the ashes of a place that was once called North America," the mayor said, "the disasters, the droughts, the storms, the fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal was for what little sustenance remained. The result was Panem, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteen districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens. Then came the Dark Days, the uprising of the districts against the Capitol. Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated." That's what they thought I said in my head. "The Treaty of Treason gave us new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gives us the Hunger Games."
As he finished talking, thousands of questions came to my head but one that made me think really hard was why had the districts fought against the capital 74 years ago? My hands start to sweat a bit but I force myself to calm down, I can't show weakness now because tonight is when we will see the recaps of our competition and I can not pretend to be weak either I have to be strong, I have to be fast on my feet, I have to move the whole country to rebel but it will take time but I know what I will and can be though I will be the underdog.
As I start to pay attention again the mayor reads the list of past victors of District 12, they only had two and only one is alive, Haymitch Abernathy, he is also a small part of the rebellion, I was told by Coin, I could trust him and not be fazed by the drunken man, who in fact is very smart since he himself rebelled in his games by ducking out of the way by the girl from district one and she threw the ax off the cliff but about 5 seconds later the ax comes hurling back at her and kills her.
I remember being told by Coin that I was going in alone as in no one from district thirteen will be able to help me and no one from the districts knows about me, which is good and bad in a sense, my thoughts once again get interrupted by that very annoying high pitched capital lady as she begins to bring on the death speech, "Happy Hunger Games! And may be ever in your favor!" As I look around to see all the scared starving faces of the children of the districts, how can anybody be happy by picking two names that will most likely die but it will not happen anymore I will stop at nothing to stop the capital.
"It's time for the picking of the name!" Effie Trinket say, "Ladies first!" and crosses to the glass ball with the girls' names. She reaches in, digs her hand deep into the ball and pulls out a slip of paper. The crowd holds in a breath and I know everyone must be hoping its not their, I wonder which child I will save, this will be my first small rebellion act, because no one ever volunteers from the proper districts as I'm thinking this I hear the name of the girl I'm saving, "Primrose Everdeen." I look around to see who this girl is and I see the girls stepping away from this one girl with blonde hair and I remember her from this morning, her sister was the one who pointed me in the right direction.
I hear a small whisper, "Prim." I know what that girl will do like any older sister she will volunteer for her sister, which I can't let happen or else she will screw this all up for everyone who worked so hard for this moment and I know its my time. In a loud and strong voice I say, "I volunteer as tribute." People all around looked shocked, most likely because they never have seen a volunteer before.
The small girl, Primrose, turns around and a small smile is on her lips, I bend down to her level and tell her, "Go find your mom Prim." With that said she rushes back and I stand tall and proud, I walk up to the stage, Effie turns to me and smiles a big smile, "Well I bet my buttons that was your sister, wouldn't want her to steal all the glory now would we!"
"No, that small girl wasn't my sister," I say in a neutral voice.
"Why did you volunteer then, wanted to win it all and be famous and have lots of money?" Effie asks me in an overly happy voice.
I'm furious, I say the first thing that comes to mind and I know it's a bad idea but I can't help it, "I volunteered for that child because she didn't deserve to die!"
Effie and every single person in the crowd looks shocked that I had the guts to say that but well that's one way to get the ball rolling.
"Well what is your name?" She asks quickly.
"Sophia Jackson," I say loudly, there is no room for shakiness in my voice.
"Lets have a round of applause for Sophia Jackson!" Effie says but no one listens instead they all put three fingers to their lips and point in my direction. While thinking about that, I feel proud of these people don't doing what a person from the Capital tells them to do.
All of a sudden I feel an arm go around my shoulders and I stiffen but then slightly relax, as I know who it is, Haymitch. "I know what you have spunk! More than you!" He exclaims, he is pointing to the camera as if to taunt the capital in his drunken state, I laugh slightly as he falls off the stage and gets himself knocked out. I stop laughing because the plan is a no go if I have a drunken mentor.
"Lots of excitement, now its time to pick our boy tribute!" Effie says quickly, I start to feel sick again that someone can be so happy about this day. She puts her name in the big glass ball that has the names of all the boys that are ages 12-18 in them; I'm praying it's not a 12 year old.
After Effie picks a slip of paper that will change someone's and his family life forever, she skips over to the mic, slowly unwrapping the piece of paper, she says a name, "Peeta Mellark" I look around to see the face that names belongs to, I see a blonde hair boy that looks almost 6 feet tall, strong shoulders, handsome, he doesn't look scared but in his light blue crystal eyes, they show his true feelings scared, nervous, terrified. "Ah well you must be Peeta Mellark!" Effie exclaims loudly.
"Well no shit," I mutter annoyed at her remark, which was quite obvious. Hopefully, no one heard me but by the angry look I am getting from Effie is that she heard me but then she starts to smile a very big smile, which looks rather painful.
"Well, now shake hands you too! May I present the two tributes of distract 12 Sophia Jackson and Peeta Mellark! May the odds be ever in your favor," Effie Trinket says in her high-pitched Capital voice. While I'm shaking his hand, it feels soft and smooth yet a bit rough, I look into his eyes and I then think of an incredible plan that has never been done before in the whole history of The Hunger Games.
