At eighteen, I am an ideal contender for the well-known Hunger Games. Years are counted by the Games. PM and AM: Pre Mockingjay and After Mockingjay. 75 years were in the PM days, and the year as of today is 46 AM. 46 years of the Hunger Games after the legend Katniss Everdeen failed to save the districts from death.
I live in District Two. My name is Henri Romulus. I have two siblings. The youngest is Hayden. He's twelve. This is the first reaping that he is eligible for being reaped. Hallie is my 15 year old sister. Hallie goes to the same training school that my parents sent me to at age six, but Hayden is disabled. He goes to a normal school. Hayden can still do the things of a normal child, but the slightest push, or shove, could cripple him for life.
This year is a special year. It is the last year the the Capitol will allow volunteers. Because of this, more parents are putting their children in the school to train them for the Games. If nothing else, for protection, in case their child is in fact reaped.
My mother goes by the name Athen. She is a head peacekeeper in District Five. My father, Crotia, misses her every day. He rises at dawn and returns at dusk on every new day to work in the forges. I go to my school for free because since I was young, I showed promise to bring a victory to District Two. Hallie also goes for free, but only because of my status. She might also bring a victory one day, but then again, so might anyone.
In school, I grow on teachers. I can joke for a moment's notice, and then return to a serious training mode then minute next. I do not have enemies because it is hard to dislike me, which is simply a fact accepted by everyone. My skin is pale, but my eyes are dark. A river runs through our poorer part of the District, a river that each person has their own name for. I call it the Phantoms' Song, for it remains silent on most days, unless death is washed on her banks.
I specialized in a few weapons in class. Mostly, I am known for making good split-second decisions. My favorite weapon to use would have to be the mace. I love the power that I can posses, when holding such a deadly weapon. I am skilled with a sword as well, and have spectacular aim, which grants me natural ability with knives and a bow.
What sets me apart from the others is my odd intelligence. I studied types of wild food, and poisons, and all kinds of environments. I studied things to make myself an even greater threat in the arena. I feel bad for the girl that must go into the arena with me, because everyone in my District knows that she must surely die.
On reaping day, I do not get to say farewell to my mother. I wake early to shake hands with my father before he goes to help other households. I begin to prepare a hearty breakfast for my siblings. It is a normal day for me, and I whistle a soft tune. This is goodbye for no one in my world. I wear a black suit and a white undershirt. A red rose is in my front pocket, reminding me of the river when it appears in the summer, when thousands of petals fall and float on the river's surface. On those days, the river is nothing but silent.
I dress Hallie in a red summer dress, despite the cold outside. Hayden does not bother to dress appropriately, but I allow it nonetheless. Hallie holds his hand as they walk behind my steps to the center of District Two. It is a longer walk than I would have liked, and we pass the Phantoms' Song on our way. It is not silent today, either, as if it knows something the world has dismissed. Perhaps a storm is approaching. Or, perhaps the souls that have passed know that soon, more will join them.