"May the odds be ever in your favour."
The year is 2202 and in Panem there is a division. Not a division of race, religion or gender, but a division between the poor and the rich. The Capitol of Panem holds the nation's most wealthy and powerful who control the rest of Panem and its twelve districts. Each district produces something different for the Capitol, ranging from the produce of Electronics from District 3 to coal mining from District 12. 74 years ago, the districts had united to overthrow the capital but once District 13 was obliviated, the hope of revolution was destroyed.
Now, every year, two tributes are selected from each district to participate in the Hunger Games, a battle to the death until one tribute is left standing. Every year was different though and it was up to the Capital how things were run. Some years, two male tributes were selected, whereas other years it was two females or one of each. It was different within each district and nobody ever knew what to expect, all they knew that it was two tributes from each district, with an equal number of boy/girl tributes. That was certain. Whilst the Capitol disguises it as a symbol that "even the strongest cannot overthrow the capitol" others see it as a sign of oppression, a way to see 12-18 year olds slaughtered for the Capitol's entertainment.
"Damn you, Noah." Santana scolded, dropping her bow as said boy came to stand beside her, that all too familiar smug smirk on his face.
She'd had the perfect aim, holding her breath as she released the arrow in the direction of the deer for it to only leap to safety, having being startled by Puck's footsteps.
"What were you going to do with that thing anyway?" He asked, gesturing to where it just stood with his head. Glancing back at him, Santana sighed quietly, shrugging a little. "Sell it to the peacekeepers. Now I have nothing."
Reaching down, Puck picked up a small stone from the floor of the woods. "How about this?" He carefully threw the stone at a nearby tree, alarming a flock of nearby birds who quickly flew into the sky. Santana was sharp to reply, pulling back her brow and shooting with accurate precision. A bird dropped down shortfly afterwards.
Chuckling, she glanced at Puck with a small smile before advancing to scoop it up. After stashing away the catch, the pair of them moved through the woods to stash Santana's bow and arrows away in the usual spot.
Hunting wasn't a rare activity for either of them and overtime, Santana had gotten better at it. After her father died, the responsibility fell upon her to take care of her younger sister Cassia, who she and everyone who knew her referred to as Cass. She was smaller than Santana, having just turned twelve years old, with the same tan skin. Her eyes however were different, her hair being slightly lighter, just like their mother's. Santana thought back to the night before when she'd once again had to comfort Cass after she'd experienced yet another nightmare of the reaping. The reaping was the process of selecting the tribute from the districts and it was perfectly understandable why Cass was so frightened of the reaping this year. It was her first time. When each citizen turns twelve, their name is automatically entered into the pick and that's why Cass was so afraid... Afraid it could be her in that arena.
/
"Hey... It's okay. I'm right here with you." Santana had said softly, cupping her younger sister's warm cheek to calm her, her tanned thumb running along soft skin.
"I-It was the same dream. The same one." Cassia could barely form words, her tears making it hard for Santana to understand her. "Lay down." Santana lowered her thumb from the girl's cheek, nodding slowly with understanding and sympathy.
After helping the young girl lay down and covering her in blankets to ensure that she was warm, she quietly began to sing:
Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes
And when you awake, the sun will rise.
Halfway through, the young girl had joined in, causing Santana to smile softly as she finished. Seeing Cassia visibly relax, Santana released a small sigh and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her sister's forehead.
/
"What if everyone just stopped watching? If nobody watched, what would happen?" Puck asked, laying back on the grass, his brow creased and face pensive. Santana glanced at him, not fazed by his questions as Puck was always like that. He'd question the system, question the capitol.
"That'll never happen. People will always watch." She responded honestly, shrugging and following his line of sight where he was gazing at tall trees, not a metal fence in sight.
He didn't respond for a while, staying quiet for a few moments. "We could do it, you know."
"Do what?"
"Runaway. Go to the woods." His response was bold, his eyes shifting to look at her.
"We wouldn't last 5 miles." She glanced back at him. "Besides, what about Cass? Your brothers?"
"Oh, I'd last 5 miles. I'd go that way." He extended his arm in the North East direction, pointing towards a path of long, bulky trees. "We'd take them with us. We could do it."
Santana nodded once, looking down at the grass they were sat on. Reaching out to touch it, she bit down on the inside of her cheek. "How many times is your name in today?"
"42."
She looked up at that, her eyes widening with alarm. "Puck..."
He cut her off, shrugging one shoulder with nonchalance. "I guess the odds aren't exactly in my favour."
If somebody wants to increase the amount of oil and grain for their family, they can enter their name more times for the reaping. Puck's family, just like so many others, were struggling for food, so that was the only option.
/
Leaving Puck, Santana made her way to the Hob where she'd sell her meat in exchange for home necessities. After getting some string, her eyes fell upon a small brooch pin in the shape of a mockingjay. It was gold, shining and bold. "How much?" She asked the lady behind the counter, lifting it up into her palm. The woman, not a woman of many words, simply shook her head and offered Santana a small smile, reaching out to close her palm over the brooch.
After making her way back home to Cass, there was around an hour left to the reaping. Entering the house, her mouth fell open before shifting to a smile as she saw the younger girl already dressed. "Look at you.." She mumbled with awe, kneeling down in front of her younger sister to press a small kiss to her cheek. Her mother intercepted before anything else could say anything, informing Santana that an outfit was awaiting her too. The older girl nodded solemnly, their relationship still slightly rocky after the woman's withdrawal from both of their lives after their father had died. They'd all changed in different ways, but the sisters, especially Cass, had needed their mother.
"Better tuck in that tail, my little duck." Santana spoke softly, reaching around to gently tuck the younger girl's shirt into her skirt. Subsequent to doing so, she could see Cass's apprehension. "Hey, listen to me.." She said soothingly, taking the girl's hand. "Your name is only in there once, they're not going to pick you. When you get there, you just get a small prick so they can take your blood, okay? It's all going to be okay, duck."
Cassia gazed back at her, nodding and squeezing her hand once before offering her a small smile.
Minutes later, the two were walking, mother by their side to the centre of the district where the reaping would be filmed live for the capitol to watch. It made Santana sick to the stomach, but unlike Puck, she didn't voice it, because really, what could she do to change things?
Approaching the lines to get their blood taken, Santana leaned down to Cass, cupping her cheek tenderly. "Remember. Just a small prick. I'll meet you afterwards near the others, okay?" She said, only gaining a timid nod in response before she was pushed along to join the queue. The prick to her finger didn't sting anymore, the way it had done the past three years. She was quick to make her way to the crowd, standing in line with the others as she waited for their representative from the capitol, April Rhodes.
Moments following, the Blonde stepped up onto the stage, the crowd remaining silent as it had been for the past few tense minutes. Peacekeepers lined the courtyard, guns in hand to ensure that nobody tried to escape. The ultimate penalty was death.
"District 12... Welcome to the reaping of the 74th annual hunger games. As usual, we begin with a message from the Capitol." Her voice was slightly high pitched, her hands moving in over dramatic gestures as she spoke. That was a characteristic of most people from the Capitol, they were dramatic and bold in almost every way.
As the movie on the screen began to play, Santana took the opportunity to look around for Puck, glancing over at the boy's half of the crowd. It didn't take a long time for her to find him as he was doing the same thing. He smiled in her direction, nodding his head once, causing Santana to smile back. Turning her attention back to the screen, Santana caught sight of April miming the final words to the video that was playing. She couldn't help but laugh under her breath.
"Wasn't that incredible?" She asked rhetorically, a wide grin upon her lips as she glanced around the crowd. After gaining no response, she pulled out a piece of paper. "District 12... This year, the tributes will be pulled from the pool of females. One from each bowl." A collective sigh was released from the left side of the crowd as the boys released a sigh of relief. They were safe. The girls however, were not. Santana looked over at Puck, seeing him pinch the bridge of his nose as he looked down, not seeing her glance over at him. Turning back, she looked back at the stage, just desperate for the whole thing to be over.
"Now... Let's begin, ladies first." She laughed softly to herself at her joke, which nobody seemed to find amusing. She moved to the right podium, fishing her hand to the inside of the bowl before quickly withdrawing it, a small piece of paper clutched in her first. Opening it, she shifted to the mic and took a breath before reading the name. "Brittany Pierce."
Santana glanced to her far left, seeing a group of girls step back, revealing who was presumably Brittany Pierce. From the angle she was stood, she couldn't see her face properly but the girl was taller than she was, slim, with long blonde hair. Hearing April repeat the name of the girl again, the Blonde seemed to snap to attention, taking a deep breath before stepping out of the crowd and walking towards the stage. April moved forward to greet her, taking a gentle hold of her shoulder when she finally reached the stage. Brittany simply gazed forward, nodding slightly at April's attempt to comfort her.
All Santana could focus on now was her little sister. For all she knew, Cassia's name could have been in the same bowl as Brittany's, as well as her own name. It was just a matter of time to find out.
April's attention was back on the crowd, another piece of paper clenched in her fist which she'd acquired from the other glass bowl of names. Unfolding it, she took another small breath and stepped in front of the microphone, reading it out clearly.
"Cassia Lopez."