I don't own any rights to the Hunger Games. All of it's storylines and characters belong to the amazing author, Suzanne Collins.
This is the story of the 73rd Annual Hunger Games, from the point of view of Silas, a 18 year old boy from District 7. Tragedy has continually struck Silas throughout his life, and his last eligible Reaping is just the beginning. He has been reaped once before, yet there is a reason as why he can be again.
PART 1 - A Family Tradition
CHAPTER 1
I find myself waking up late at night, not quite sure where I am, or what it is that I am scared of. But, it's then that life starts to settle back in, and you realize that your nightmares truly are safer than the world that you live in.
I lift my blankets off of my bed and turn, setting my feet down onto the cold floor. But, I also know that it is a reassurance of another day. The floor has always been that for me. Aside from the soft sheets that I am wrapped in during sleep, the floor always is the first physical object that my body touches each and every day. I stand up and dress in my usual attire, usually consisting jeans that are far too big for my body and one of only three shirts that I own... long sleeved, made of thick wool, and plaid. All for working in the cold and cutting wood.
I can't help but feel saddened at the fact that once again my mother has worked hard at home to keep my clothing clean, just so that I can go out to the forest edge and dirty them up again. My usual duties include chopping trees down, sawing the trunks and logs into smaller bits, loading the wood into trucks so that they can be shipped off to the factories, and then repeating the process along with a hundred or so other men and boys younger and older then me.
But, as I am looking at the shirts hanging in my closet, I realize that I do not have to work today. It is Reaping Day, and that means that every boy and girl between the ages of 12 to 18 have whatever duties in their normal schedule expunged, so that they may attend the annual ceremony of the Reaping itself. Now, you may be asking yourself what a reaping even is, and if you asked a person with advanced knowledge of the English language, like myself, we would all tell you that it means to obtain a reward. But, trust me that there is no such luck when it comes to the reaping that I am referring to.
"Silas, your breakfast is nearly ready!" my mother calls from downstairs. "I've picked you and Gabriel each a set of clothes out of Zakius's room. They will fit you both nicely for the Reaping."
I roll my eyes and shake my head in amusement. I know from looking at the clothes in my own closet, handed down to my from my older brother Zakius, that there is no chance that I could ever fit into anything that once belonged to him. And how does she actually expect my younger brother Gabriel to fit as well. I mean, I know that he definitely takes after Zakius in terms of growth rate, being only 13 years old and already reaching close to 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing close to 140 pounds. But, I'm still 5 years older than he is, am two inches taller, and weigh exactly the same weight. Sure, he's stockier. But, he doesn't nearly meet the height requirement that somebody like Zakius, having been exactly 6 feet tall when he died, imposes in terms of clothes.
As I enter the kitchen without a shirt on, having only bothered to put on a pair of torn sweatpants, I say to my mother, "you realize that Gabriel will never fit in Zakius's clothes. Even I can't fit into Zakius's clothes."
"It'll have to do," mother replies. "He had been through 6 Reapings up until..." She stops herself, understandably so, and simply finishes by saying, "he... he had plenty of decent enough sets to where. They're all that's available for you two. I'm sorry."
I sigh as I slide into one of the empty chairs as the kitchen table, knowing that it is best not to argue any further. The conversation has already spun off to the untimely demise of my brother, so I know pressing the subject is out of line.
"Tell me I didn't miss breakfast," Gabriel says, wiping the sleep out of his eyes as he steps into the kitchen, yawning.
"Did Dad already go off to work?" I ask, turning to mother as she finishes setting our plates for what may possibly be our only meal of the day. Usually, it would be closer to the middle of the day. But, we need to look lively and as full of color as possible for the Reaping.
"He left about 15 minutes ago," mother replies, turning from the counter and setting a plate in front of me, just as Gabriel is sitting down across from me. "They sent Xavier over to inform him that with you being off, they would need him in for not only his own shift, but also another to make up for your absence."
"The Peacekeepers' doing I'm sure," I say, unable to hold back my anger.
Unlike most districts, District 7, the home of the forest and lumber yards, had Peacekeepers from the Capitol that were far stricter than any of the others. It's the Peacekeepers who actually run most of the businesses, due to the rising importance of wood and paper over the last few years. I was not the least bit surprised to find my father absent this morning, because this sort of thing occurs every year in our district. Sons and daughters all miss work on this one day, and their parents are forced to work extra shifts to make up for the missing pairs of hands.
"He says he wants both of you to visit him before you make your way to the Market," mother says. "He'd like to wish both of the luck and see you before anything happens."
"You mean like one of us gets picked?" I ask, anger burning inside of me at the thought of it happening. It's a familiar feeling after all that my family and I have gone through over the last year.
My mother gives me a weak smile and nods, before turning to the sink. I know that she is thinking about the exact thing that I am. It's quite impossible not to after only a year of grieving.
As Gabriel and I walk along the side of the road, trees losing their leaves and dropping them around us, the solitude of the forest overtakes me. I know, coming from a lumberjack, it may sound like such an odd thing, due to the fact that my everyday job in and of itself is the destruction of the forest. But, truth be told, where my district is located, the forests are so thick and vast that there is plenty to go around. Supposedly, this land was once known as Minnesota. And one of the defining aspects to the district is the fact that one of the Great Forests of Old still remains, once called the Superior National Forest. National meaning what? I don't know. Maybe it belonged to a great nation that existed here many centuries ago. The Capitol has restricted such teachings in our schools, and understandably so if the nation that once existed here was so great. And right on the edge of our district is the largest body of water on the face of the entire continent that Panem rests on, Lake Superior. It has been called that long before even the existence of Panem, according to my father. I have only seen it once in my whole life, and it was when I was very little. If I can manage it, I do hope to one day see that Great Lake, at least one more time.
There is silence between Gabriel and I for quite a distance, the lumberyards being approximately 5 or 6 miles away from the small village that my family lives in, called Misquah, which supposedly was named after the range of hills that tear through our district. Having hitched a ride on the back of a truck, we got over half of the trip abolished. We were then dropped off, as the driver, whom I recognized as a man who lives in a neighboring village, told us that he was turning off of the road. Gabriel and I have now been walking for just under an hour, covering about 2 miles of distance. But, as we approach the last quarter mile or so of our trek, Gabriel finally speaks up.
"So, how are you feeling?" I turn and look at him, unresponsive to such an open ended question. "Considering..."
"Considering what?" I ask, looking away as I continue to lead the way.
"Well, I mean this is your last year of eligibility," he replies. "I just figured you would be feeling a little more relaxed than usual."
"My name is in there 17 times Gabe," I say, annoyed. "I wouldn't exactly say I'm relaxed."
"17?" Gabriel asks, as if he didn't quite hear me. "I thought you said you were only gonna put your name an addition 3 times. That's the number you agreed to with Mom and Dad."
"That wouldn't have gotten us anything Gabe," I reply. "Maybe a month's worth of limited grain and water. That's it."
"So, putting yourself in an addition 10 times over the automatic 7 is the answer to keeping us from starving?" Gabriel asks, now sounding angry. "You know, it's not exactly your sole duty to keep us alive Silas."
It's now that I turn and stare my 13 year old brother right in the eyes, anger evident, and say, "Dad and I both work our asses off so that Mom can be a stay at home wife. So that you can get an education that's actually worth something, rather than following in Dad and my footsteps in the lumberyards. Dad obviously can't help our family as far as the tesserae is concerned, so I take it upon myself to do so! I would really appreciate it if you'd lay off of me about it!"
With that, I turn and continue walking. But, Gabriel remains rooted in his place, not quite sure what to make of my outburst. It's now that he finally says the words that I was dearly hoping that he wouldn't say.
"Is Zakius's death the reason you dropped out of school?"
I turn once again, my eyes glaring now, almost unable to hold myself back from attacking Gabriel.
"You know Silas, he was only doing what you would do for me," he continues. "He knew what your potential as a writer was... not to mention the fact that you can't fight worth a damn. There was nothing you could've done once he spoke up."
Amazingly, I stay rooted in my own place, simply taking in the words that he is saying to me. I know that he is right, but it doesn't make the truth any easier to bare.
"It should have been me," I say, holding back the tears. "It would have been so much easier for the family, coping with my death, compared to his."
"He knew what he was getting into," Gabriel says, stepping up to me. "And don't under estimate your value to the family. I love you. Mom and Dad love you. They just love you in different ways then they did for Zakius."
"Is that really supposed to console me?" I ask, looking into my brother's eyes. "I already know this much. The difference is drastic."
Gabriel sighs and places his hand on my shoulder.
"You need to figure out how to let go Silas," he says. "If you can't do that, you'll never find peace."
And with that, he walks around me, continuing down the road. I continue to stay rooted, remembering back to the worst day of my life... exactly 1 year ago.
The rain was pouring harder than usual for a fall afternoon in District 7. My brother Zakius and I were both fitting into our sets of clothes for the Reaping. It was his last year of eligibility, and my second to last year. Gabriel was in the next room over with mother, trying on the only sets of clothes that would fit him. This would be his last time ever wearing them, as he would hit a growth spurt over the course of the next year. As I buttoned up my shirt, Zakius grabbed my shoulders and spun me around to look at him. He light blue eyes sparkle as he looked at me, nodding in approval. His handsome features, including his height, muscular upper body, and especially his face, which all of the girls in District 7 loved, were far superior to my own. I was a lot shorter, far skinnier, and had my hair grown out similarly to how it is to this day. But, despite his good looks, Zakius was smiling at me as he always did, appreciating me for who I was, pure and simple, and not trying to mirror him in drastically horrible ways.
"You look good Silas," he said. "At least you and I can both go in there looking good for my last go around."
I smiled and asked, "is that how you're taking this Zakius... your last go around?"
"How else can I take it little brother?" he asked, shrugging. "After this, I'll either be free or I'll be going to the wolves. The odds are exactly in my favor, I will admit though."
"How many times is your name in?" I asked.
Zakius chuckled and replied, "55. But, don't tell Mom."
"What about Dad?" I asked, feeling worried for him now.
"Dad knows," Zakius replied. "He's the one I told before I even did it. Usually, I'd put my name in 3 or 4 times extra, but it never amounted to much. This time, either way, if I go in the arena or avoid it, the family will be okay for a while. He was understanding and supportive."
"I'm just scared for you Zakius," I said.
He shrugged, as he always did... not a care in the world, and replied, "there's worse things to be afraid of."
From the events that were soon to come, I knew that phrase would be something that I would look back to and try to figure out. What is worse that imminent death?
As the three of us all walked out to the Town Square, our little village being the place where District 7's Reaping always took place, I tried my hardest to edge my way through the group of boys that I was supposed to stand next to... the 17 year olds. Zakius walked off to join few of his friends in 18 year old section. And then, of course, Gabriel walked off to join the 12 year olds up in the front. Out of the three of us, I was the only one not talking to anyone. I was considered to be rather anti-social compared to Zakius especially.
It wasn't long before the Mayor of District 7 was standing before the crowd, reading the Treaty of Treason, which consisted of the usual lines...
In penance for their uprising,
each district shall offer up a male and a female
between the ages of 12 and 18 at a public "Reaping".
These tributes shall be delivered to the custody of the Capitol,
and then transferred to a public arena,
where they will fight to the death until a lone victor remains.
Henceforth and forevermore this pageant shall be known as
"The Hunger Games".
I listened intently as finally, the Capitol representation of District 7 stepped forth. This year, it was a male, and he looked as ridiculous as ever, with flaming blue hair and heavy eye liner, to go along with his buttoned up pink suit. This man, if that's what you could call him, started off with the representation's usual spiel.
"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"
As usual, the Capitol Representer started off with the ladies. This was the first of many hard moments for me to bear.
A very pretty girl, "Emily Forthwood", whom I had had a decent friendship with, and a heavy crush, was picked to be the female tribute for District 7. She was my age, 17, and was known for being fierce and combative. This punch to the chest suddenly had me thinking about volunteering so that I could protect her. Emily, after all, had far more to live for than I ever did. All I had was a decent writing ability. Then, it came to the boys.
I stood in place, breathing heavily as the thought of simply volunteering kept urging me to step forward. The man pulled the slip of paper with the male's name on it. He unfolded it, read it, and finally announced to the crowd, "Silas Bennett".
As my name shot out through the speaks, I found it very difficult to move. How I could be feeling this way, after just experiencing thoughts about wanting to volunteer. Maybe, this was the deciding factor in how big of a coward I truly was.
As I stepped out of the crowd, beginning to make my way up to the stage, I suddenly heard the words yell out from behind me, "I VOLUNTEER TO TAKE HIS PLACE!"
I turned and watched as Zakius ran out from the crowd of 18 year olds, before finally reaching me.
"Zakius, what are you doing?" I asked, not quite able to believe it.
"You need to go back and find Gabe," he said. "Find him and both of you get to Mom. Do as I say Silas!"
He pushed me away, almost angrily for my silence and look of shock. He then proceeded forward with the Peacekeeper escorts.
All I could do was drop to my knees in heartbreak as the tears were overwhelming me. Instead of me finding Gabriel, he ran up to me, falling beside me and wrapping his 12 year old arms around me.
"We need to get up Silas," he whispered to me. "We can't just kneel here in the middle of the walkway to the stage. Come on."
I somehow found the courage to get up from the dirt on the ground, slowly making my way through the crowd until I finally found mother. Tears were streaming from her eyes as well, and I immediately wrapped my arms around her. We were both crying now as I looked up and watched as Zakius and Emily Forthwood were now being escorted into the Justice Building. I knew that I would soon see him, before he was taken away to the Capitol, but I was not very well prepared for it being the last time I would ever see him alive.
As I stand in the road, remembering that Reaping, it hits me hard. I can already feel my eyes watering up. But, I wipe the tears away as I turn and follow Gabriel.
As we walk through the entry gates to the lumberyard, I know exactly where to go. They usually allow workers to have their break during this time, so that family members, like my father, may see their children before the Reaping.
I cannot help but feel nervous as we enter the lobby of the gigantic Mill, large enough to actually have a desk and waiting area. My father will be here in no more than 5 or 10 minutes, and I still can't help but begin to think of what I'm going to say. He has no idea that I have entered my name in 17 times, increasing my chances of being "Reaped", and I also can't help but feel that if I don't get "Reaped" he will still continue to look down upon me as if I am and forever will be inferior to the likes of Zakius, the family hero and volunteer.
"It'll be okay Silas," Gabriel says, staring over at me as we sit side by side in the chairs. "Dad doesn't know about the tesserae. And he's not gonna find out from me. I'm sure he'll actually be in a mood to talk today."
"You say that from the perspective of an outsider looking in," I reply. "Dad doesn't care about me. All he wants is to get off for break, eat his lunch, say a few words about being brave... like Zakius was, and then go back to work."
"You say that from the perspective of an outsider," Gabriel counters. "You don't know what Dad is thinking. You don't know how he's gonna act."
I chuckle sarcastically, for I know that I actually do indeed know. Gabriel is the outsider. He doesn't work alongside father each and every day as I do. He doesn't see for himself the looks that father gives me, the bitterness that I know he holds within himself, the longing to have his favorite son back.
"Gabe, I think it's probably wise not to argue with me on the matter," I say, rolling my eyes. As I begin to say the phrase, "you're the outsider," I stop myself.
I turn my head to look at him, immediately catching a glimmer in his eye of innocence that even I can't help but fondle over. He is so young and naive... he wants to see the good in everyone. Not that I don't want to. I just don't. Ever since Zakius volunteered to enter the Hunger Games last year in my place, I know that father has looked at me as a coward, even though I couldn't help the powers that be, that came crashing down that day.
As I think of what to say, I simply blurt out, "I just don't think you're in a position to argue is all. Just let it be."
"So what? You're just gonna sit here and let me do all that talking?" Gabriel asks. "You know Silas, I don't get extremely excited about talking to Dad either. He's just as moody around me as he is around you. He's like that everywhere."
"And who's the one between you and I who works with him 14 hours a day, every day?" I ask, angrily, leaning over towards him with my eyes glaring. It's the second time I've yelled at him today.
Gabriel simply sighs as he looks away from me. I begin to think about what must be going through his mind... "why is Silas being like this?" or "why am I the target?". No, I take that back... Gabriel knows that I could never be upset at him, individually, for everything that has happened to me over the last year. He's too smart.
Just then, the doors on the opposite side of the lobby from the entrance ones open, before I watch my father stride in, taking notice of us as we sit there, staring at him. His usual expression as if something foul smelling is directly under his nose, is noticeable. I stand from my seat, as does Gabriel, as father approaches us.
"Dad..." Gabriel says, stopping as our father pauses in front of the two of us. "You look like you've been drinking or something."
"Eh, one of the boys had a bottle passing around the group," father replies grumbly. "8 of us finished it in under an hour."
"They don't allow us to drink on the job Dad," I say.
His eyes roll from Gabriel over to me, his annoyance evident.
"It's Reaping Day Silas," he says. "We always do this. Usually we wait until after the thing is over, as a celebration. But, there ain't much worth celebrating anymore now is there? So today we opened it a little early."
My brother and I stare at father for a few seconds, as he stares directly at me, the silence going undisturbed. Then, he finally smirks and notions to the chairs we were sitting in.
"Well, aren't you gonna sit down?" He practically falls down into one facing us. "We don't got all day."
Gabriel and I both turn to look at each other, before we both slowly slide into the chairs. As I sit, I can feel my father's eyes bearing into me. I look up from the floor and stare back, almost defiantly, knowing that he will eventually look away. And I'm right, as he finally turns and looks at Gabriel.
"You ready Gabe?" he asks, sounding almost worried. I roll my eyes in disgust.
"I think so," Gabriel replies. "I mean, as ready as anyone can be right? My name's only in twice."
"Well, that's only because it's the way the Capitol has it set up," father replies. "Every year, your name is automatically put in once more than the year before. If I were Silas, I'd be a little more worried."
Here he goes, I think to myself as he looks over at me again, assuming that I'm worried about my name being "Reaped".
"I'm not worried," I reply, staring at him again. "Personally, I think it would be an honor."
"Well, that's not how you felt last year, now was it?" father states, causing me to shake my head. "What? What is it that you could possibly be annoyed about? Is it the fact that your brother stood up for you bravely? Hm? Saved you from certain death..."
I scoff and reply, "oh, if only that was it."
"Something else on your mind then?" father asks, bearing into me again. "Something you want to say to me?"
I can feel my eyes beginning to tear up as I stare back. Why can't I just accept the fact that my father hates me? Why do I have to start pitying him for the loss of Zakius? Because that's what I'm truly feeling at this point. Pity. Not hatred. Not jealousy towards Zakius. Pity... towards my father.
As I allow a single tear to drip down my face, I smile weakly and say, "I love you Dad." I stand up now, unable to be here any longer. "Just remember that."
I turn and walk away, knowing that both father and Gabriel are staring after me... one in disgust and the other in confusion and sadness over the tarnished relationship between a father and son just exhibited before his very eyes.
Why didn't I say anything regarding my putting my name in for tesserae? I ask myself as I exit the building. Then, I answer my own question. He'd probably just take it as a cheap excuse of a repeat of what Zakius sacrificed for the family... putting my name far less than he did.
As I walk down the road, I can feel Gabriel coming up behind me.
"Look Silas, I know you're not very happy right now," he says.
I stop and look back at him, causing him to stop as well, waiting for me to respond.
"I'm not the least bit angry with you Gabe," I say. "After the Reaping, the family will receive it's petty reward for my putting my name in for tesserae. If I'm going to the Capitol, it won't matter much to me what the reactions are. If I'm still here, then I'll have to deal with Mom's rage and Dad's scoff at my attempt to be like Zakius."
"You are your own person Silas," Gabriel says. "You cannot allow Dad to manipulate your thoughts or feelings. There was nothing you could've done. How many times do I have to say this?"
"As many times as it takes for Dad to be convinced," I reply, before turning and proceeding down the road.
I can hear Gabriel sigh in defeat behind me, as he continues along as well. We have a long walk ahead of us and the Reaping starts in 3 hours.
We enter our village with a little under an hour left. I stray off from the trail towards our home, as Gabriel continues on. I know that I need some time to myself, and being there, in that house, will not meet the peace that the forest nearby provides.
As I follow a trail down from our little property to the creek that runs through the trees, I find my favorite rock and sit, watching the water flow by. I actually begin to contemplate falling asleep, skipping the Reaping altogether. Maybe, I'll be taken to the Capitol for punishment, far away from here. Far away from the harsh feelings towards me that everyone seems to have except for Gabriel. But, instead I just sit there, counting down the minutes until the Reaping is due to begin.
With a little under 10 minutes left, I finally stand, looking around at the beauty my secret hideout possesses, before turning and walking up the trail back to my house. As I walk into the yard, I see Gabriel waiting for me on the steps. He looks up at the sound of my return and smiles.
"You ready?"
I attempt to smile back, unconvincingly, and reply, "as ready as I can be".
He nods and says, "Mom wants you go in and say goodbye."
I walk up the steps and enter, finding my mother standing at the sink washing dishes. She turns and smiles at me, holding back tears as she walks across the room and hugs me.
"You make sure you look brave out there, no matter what the outcome," she whispers. "You know the cameras will be on you even before the Reaping, because of last year. Just try to look brave, okay?"
I nod into her shoulder, before replying, "I love you Mom."
"I love you too darling," she says. "I'll be down there soon. I just have to finish some things up here. I'll be there, just in case..."
She stops herself, as she always does when talking about this sort of thing, and gives her weak smile again.
I simply nod and say, "I know Mom."
She turns away from me and goes back to the dishes. I know that she can't stand to be near me either, just like Dad. But, I know she doesn't feel the way he does towards me.
I drop my head and walk out of the house, finding Gabriel down the path a ways. I step down from the door and into the yard, not knowing if it will be my last time exiting the house that I grew up in.