Night Under the Moon
A Hunger Games Fan-fiction
Written by
Alexandra K
My Name is Lyex M. Basildrew. People call me by my nickname Lex, or Lexi. The war in Panem is over. Though cheerful at this thought, we realized two days later, that the new leaders were going to hold the 77th annual Hunger Games with the children in the capitol. 24 names will be picked, and we'll have to fight just like President Snow made the 12 districts do. The games never entertained me. I felt too sorry for everyone who fought. I began to like Katniss Everdeen as I saw her on Television often. Then when I heard we had to fight for the final games, terror struck me.
I'm 14 years old, and old enough to be in The Hunger Games. I have one younger brother named Coriander, and one older sister named Hortensia. Each of us are also liable to play in the games. Do to the Capitol children only playing, 12 girls and 12 boys will be picked. There's the possibility that all three of us will picked, and only one of us will come out.
The Capitol objected to such a consequence, and after a speech from President Coin, we knew we had no choice, and this was a taste of our own medicine. The dread set in, and we accepted that fact. It's a good thing that this will be the last game though, and they're only going through with this once. But still, that means 23 capitol children lost.
About two weeks after the announcement of the games, it's reaping day. I stand in a group of girls around my age while my sister is near the front, and my brother in the back with the boys. I see my mother and father looking very scared as they stand with all the other parents. I'm crossing my fingers to hope that the three of us won't be picked.
A young woman stands in front of two bowls filled with slips of paper. Each of our names had been put into the bowls twice. I remember that previous districts signed up for something, and their names got put in to the bowl more. I think they did it for food, but I don't remember. The woman in front of the bowl has blonde hair, and green eyes with very light makeup. She doesn't look familiar at all. I'm going to assume she was with the rebels.
I catch a glimpse of my best friend Olive, trembling like everyone else. She looks like she's going to cry nearly. I know I would too, but I need to hold on to myself. I can't be weak. I'm a Capitol child, aren't I? The lady announces there will be 24 tributes, which we already know, and decides to draw the first name from the boys bowl. She will alternate between genders as she goes. The first boy she calls is an older boy, 17 years old with brown eyes and black hair. I don't recognize him at all.
Next she calls a girl. I know this girl very well. She has blonde hair like I do, blue eyes, and is 16. Her name is Hortensia. I'm completely mortified that she'll be playing in the games. I keep thinking to myself "Please don't call my family". I guess the odds are not in her favor. Again she calls another boy, and another girl, and so on until they only need 6 more tributes. 3 girls, 3 boys. The woman with the green eyes reaches her hand inside the glass bowl and pulls out a slip and annouces who it is.
"Our 18th Tribute to compete in the games will be Lyex M. Basildrew."
No, no, no. This can't be happening. I can't be playing in the games with my sister. The crowd of girls makes a path for me and I step onto the pavement walkway up to the stage where I take my spot next to a boy called before me. Hortensia looks down the line at me and we exchange sorrowful glances. I can see my parents now weeping, my mothers face buried in my fathers chest.
How could they do this to us? It's not our fault! The Games were President Snows fault, and now that he's gone, so should the games. I want to scream, I want to run and leave the Capitol. There are guards around, and I can't just flee. I shut my eyes and calm my breathing a bit and relax. I've seen tributes play in the arena, as long as I can run to a sheltered area, I'll be fine...
Right?
There's now only one boy to pick now. I watch nervously as the final slip of paper is drawn from the bowl. She reads the name and I go deaf. My worst fear has come alive. Coriander will also play in the games with us. Forced to fight, and maybe kill each other. I hear a scream from the crowd, and I recognize it's my mother completely horrified at all three of us playing together in that arena. A guard walks over to her and leads her off somewhere. The 24 of us stand on the stage in front of cameras broadcasting it live over Panem.
We're all scuffled off the stage into a building not too far off. The girls go in one room, the boys in the other. Here we're allowed to say our goodbyes, and then off we go again to that horrible place where previous tributes stayed. 1 girl and 1 boy stay on each floor. I'm put with the boy called right before me. I believe his name was Cedar, just barely 1 year older then me. He recognizes me from school, but I didn't notice him often much. During our stay in the Tribute building, we try to get to know each other better, but that just doesn't seem to work. The day flies by very quickly and I settle into my room, showering and then trying to sleep.
The next morning I'm awoken by someone rapidly knocking on my door, I get up and open it to see Coriander standing there.
"Coriander, what's wrong?" I ask.
"I had a nightmare, can I stay in here for a bit please?" He gave me his puppy dog look, and I stepped aside to let him in.
Coriander is only 12 years old, which is why I fear him playing in the games the most. He's not very good at any kind of physical activity. What if he dies in the blood bath before we can get away safely? Actually, the arena isn't safe at all. I'm going to keep him alive as long as I can before one of us dies. I'm really not too concerned with Hortensia too much, she's very athletic, I'm sure she can handle herself. Though anything could really happen.
He hugs me suddenly, holding on as tight as he can. He buried his head just below my chest, and starts to sob silently. I comb through his dirty blonde hair, hushing him with soothing words. When he finally stops he looks up at me with those ocean blue eyes.
"I don't ever want that nightmare again," he says through a sniffle.
"What was it?" I ask back.
"I dreamed you and Hortensia were dead before the first morning in the arena trying to protect me. I got scared and didn't know what to do, then the next thing I knew I was being stabbed in the back. We all died Lexi."
I blanched at that thought. There was a very high chance all three of us are going to die in that arena somehow. I will protect Coriander with my life, but if I loose it before the games are nearly over, he's going to die after me. He hardly stands a chance by himself. Hortensia and I are his only hope.
