Tomorrow is another miraculous day of History, The Reaping. It's the same every single year. Someone always manages to volunteer to become a Tribute to the Hunger Games. I don't understand why people even bother watching it. It's nothing but a bloodbath. Where's the fun in that? I mean, watching people kill each other? It disgusts me. It's the 26th year of the Games. It hasn't changed a bit since it started 26 years ago.
I stood up from my chair and continued my training. We've been trained our whole lives for this. To Be Killed. "Rocky, are you even coming?" My Best friend, Mason, called my attention.
"What do you mean?" I asked him as I returned my Daggers back to the shelf.
Mason glared at me and said, "We're going to visit District 4, Remember?"
Now I remember. He's taking me to District 4 to run an errand for the Mayor. I didn't want to go, but he told me that He'll spill my deepest, darkest secret to the world if I didn't accompany him. I believe I was cursed to have a Jerk of a best friend. I hurriedly changed out of my Training Suit into a casual Dress. I don't wear dresses from the Capitol, I don't want to look like a clown or anything near that.
The ride from District 2 to District 4 was quick. All eyes were on us as we walked through the streets. I'm not used to this kind of attention since I've been hiding from society ever since I turned 5. Upon arriving at the Marketplace, the foul stench almost made me cough. I did not appreciate the smell in District 4, it smells like rotten fish. No Offense though. I followed Mason, who looks like he's trying to get us lost. He stopped in front of a huge building. I held my breath as we walked inside.
"Stay here" said Mason as he went inside a wooden door. How Sweet of him to leave me outside when I can't even breathe. I decided to explore - to escape the stench of this market. I found myself in front of a sea. The water was crystal clear. I am quite fascinated with bodies of water since we live in a mountain, although there is a waterfall near my home. I took my shoes off and dipped my toes into the water.
"Trying to kill the fishes?" said a voice from behind. He chuckled and sat beside me. I stared at him. He was tall and good looking. He had jet-black hair and Gray eyes. "I'm Triton by the way" he spoke in a calm voice, husky voice.
"Rocky" I smiled. Triton looked at me from head to toe and asked, "You're not from District 4?" I shook my head. I'm not the talkative type of person. We just sat there while watching the sun set. I haven't seen one this beautiful in my entire life.
"Hey Rocky, we need to go!" yelled Mason. I stood up and fixed my dress. I didn't bother saying goodbye to Triton. We boarded the train and went back to our District. I found out that Mason didn't succeed in delivering the letter. We arrived home just in time. I heard the bell ring, it signalled that everyone must be in inside and those who would fail to follow this rule would be punished.
I immediately ran towards the elevator going straight to my room. I took my dress off and took a shower. My Parents called me to dinner but I didn't have the appetite. I lay down in my bed and closed my eyes. Tomorrow might be the end of my life.
Morning came. I ate my breakfast with my Dad and it looks like he has something so say. He was staring at me. "Rocky, don't volunteer" he begged. "You're 17, two more years and you're not eligible to enter the Hunger Games anymore-"
"Dad!" I cut him off. I don't want to hear him begging for me to live. "We already talked about this. I'm going to volunteer for the games whether you like it or not" I slammed my fist on the table and stood up from my seat. I don't want to hear anymore of his nonsense. I can't turn back now. I can't... I made a promise.
The reaping is at 2, I still have time to Train. I wore my Training Suit and grabbed my daggers. 1 miss out of 20 shots, not bad. They better have daggers for me to use.
The First bell rang. Only 20 minutes until the Reaping. I hurriedly changed into my best dress. I need to look good when I step on the stage. I lined up with girls of my age; I spotted Mason on the other side where the boys are. I held my hand out to the Peacekeeper who took a bit of my blood and scanned it. It was painful at first but the pain quickly vanished.
Emily Potterfield went up to the Stage. She hosts every Reaping here in our District. I despise her way of dressing though. Pink. "Good day to all of you" she spoke in a high-pitched voice. The accent of the capitol is quite irritating to the ears. I rolled my eyes as she showed us a short film of the Dark days, The Days when District 13 rose against the Capitol. It finally ended. I'm sick of that video. "Ah, those were truly dark days." She whispered loud enough for us to hear. "Now, shall we?" She walked towards the glass filled with our names. "Since men were created first, let's start with them" Is she mocking her own gender? What happened to Ladies first?
"No need to pick a name," a familiar voice from the back shouted. Mason. All eyes were on him. "I volunteer" Is he nuts? He knows that I'm going to volunteer too. Does he really want us to kill each other? He walked up the stage with pride. Being a Tribute means a lot in our District.
"Well, Well, Well" Emily seems impressed with Mason. "Then, let's proceed with the girls" It's my turn to take the spotlight. I threw a dagger and it caught their attention. The Peacekeepers went nuts. "I volunteer as a tribute" I said. I found the wide smile on Emily's face creepy. "Two volunteers? Such an entertaining District you have" she told the Mayor. "Well come now" she told me.
I walked up the stage and shook hands with Mason. It's a tradition for the tributes to shake hands before they die unless you have the odds in your favour. "Thank you for your participation, May the odds be ever in your favour" said Emily. It was her final words before she brought us inside the Justice hall or as I call it, the Torture hall. We were left in separate rooms for us to say our farewells. My Mom and Dad went in first. They were bursting with tears, at least my mom was.
"Take Care my dear." my mom hugged me tightly. This may be the last time I'll ever see her again. Dad wasn't speaking but he was filled with tears. "I told you not to go" he scolded me. I sighed, "Dad, I already told you that I'm going to participate in the Hunger Games whether you like it or not" Why can't he get it? They should've prepared for this moment a long time ago. I planned this when I was still 12 years of age. I'm 17 for heaven's sake. "Take care of mom and make sure that nothing bad happens to her" I told him. I love them both but a promise is a promise. The peacemakers pulled them out of the room since their time was up.
Mason's mother visited me next. Mrs. Cutherforth. I'm in good terms with her; I treat her as my second mother. She hugged me tightly. "Take care, Rocky. Try not to get killed" she was crying. She knew that only one of us can survive unless we both get killed. "May the odds be ever in your favour" That's probably the most horrible thing anyone can ever tell me. She was pulled out by the Peacekeepers but not before she gave me a golden locket.
We boarded the train to the Capitol. We were given our own compartment. Even though I live in a Wealthy District, I haven't been in a place as fancy as this and this is just the inside of a train. I wonder what it looks like in the Capitol. I haven't been there, it isn't allowed. We were instructed by Emily to wait for our mentor in the lounge. "Why'd you volunteer?" I asked Mason who was busy admiring the glass chandelier. He stared at me with his Hazel Brown eyes and said, "To keep you safe". Safe? Is he kidding me? One of us will eventually die out there and if we do survive, how can we kill each other to win?
I slapped him as hard as I could. "Mason Cutherforth, you are an idiot. How can you keep me safe? You're going to sacrifice your life for me to win? What if I don't win? You're wasting your life on something useless" I yelled at the top of my lungs. I was glaring at him. I want to stab him right now.
"You're not useless!" He yelled back at me. What is wrong with him? First, he volunteers for the games and now this? He placed his hands on my cheeks. "Rocky, you are the most amazing girl on this planet. You are not useless" I stared at him, his eyes are very beautiful. I can't imagine him saying these; he's not the sweet type of person. It feels like I'm in front of another person.
"Who are you and what have you done with the Mason I knew?" I laughed with him. Yes, we can be crazy at times. I hugged him tightly and a single tear escaped my left eye. "Mason, this may be the last time I'll be able to hug you" I sobbed a little. He broke away from the hug and held my chin. "Hey, we'll always be in each other's heart" he smiled and wiped away my tears.
We were interrupted by a loud clap from the door. Our mentor was staring at us with a smile. "Young Love. That will attract sponsors. Keep it up" he said. "I'm Siena by the way" We shook hands with him after we introduced ourselves. He's tall, about 5'10. He has blonde hair, green eyes and Pale white skin.
"So tell us, how can we survive?" I asked him. I don't know anything about surviving but I can put up a good fight. He took a sip of his tea and scanned us from head to toe. "You can be placed in any type of environment, from a hot desert to a frozen Iceland. The most important thing that you must have is water. Water is your new best friend and if you're lucky enough to get sponsors, they might donate few matches. Use them wisely."
"How can you even be sure that there would be trees?" asked Mason. He has a point there. Siena gave us a chuckle, "If there aren't, then you're dead. That's just it". It made my heart beat fast. I was getting more nervous by the minute. "And if you want to stay hidden, try climbing trees. They help" Siena added as he took another sip of his tea.
"What are the possible causes of deaths?" I asked him. "Killed, Poisoned, Starved, Froze, or Burned. Depends" he smiled at us as if we had no chance of winning. I'm not entertained with his attitude. He thinks we're going to lose at the first minute. I quickly grabbed the table knife and almost stabbed his hand. Good thing he was swift. "Will you be serious with this? I can't believe that our life depends on YOU" I emphasized the 'you'.
"You want a tip?" he asked sarcastically. "Stay Alive" he left the lounge but Mason decided to follow him. He's really going to get the tips out of him. I heard a loud thud from where Mason and Siena went. I'm not interested. For all I know, Mason is beating Siena but that isn't allowed so maybe it's the other way around. I don't feel like getting in any trouble for the meantime so I went to my compartment and changed into a much more comfortable outfit. I didn't like the feeling of being in a formal dress.
I heard a gentle knock on my door. "Dinner Time" said Mason. I zipped my casual dress up and headed out to the Dining Area. I sat beside Mason, in front of Emily. No one was speaking. We were all eating quietly but I guess Mason really wanted to win since he broke the silence. "What if we're placed in a desert? What's the best way to survive?" he asked.
I believe Emily found it rude but she didn't utter a single word about it. She continued eating. "Like I said before, find water" said Siena. I doubt if this guy even has common sense. It's not that easy finding an oasis in a dessert especially if you're an amateur in survival. I better start training myself as soon as we get to the Capitol. My Father was the winner in the 3rd Hunger Games, they were placed inside a cave. Most of them died due to lack of oxygen but He managed to survive until the last tribute died. It wasn't very entertaining to watch, according to my mother.
I stared blankly at the window. The night was still young. The stars were shining beautifully. Mason is trying to figure out how we'll survive and I'm here, standing straight like a statue. I'm going to die, I can feel it. The thought made my eyes blurred. Tears were forming but not because I won't be able to live anymore. I won't be able to see Mason anymore. I don't know why I feel strange for him but I want us to live. Maybe I am falling for him but I can't think of that right now.
I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist. We're no couple; this is just how we roll. "See you in another life" I whispered to him. He gave me a weak smile but managed to say, "Let's Dance". He gently pulled me closer to him. Those eyes, I remember when we first met each other.
I was in my pre-teen years. Dancing was my hobby since I didn't care about the games at all. It was raining on a Sunday morning. "Mommy, can I play in the rain?" I asked my mom, who was busy cooking lunch. She nodded and I jumped in joy. I quickly ran outside and danced in the rain but someone caught my attention. A boy, about my age, was sitting on the porch of their house. He looked lonely. And being me, I pulled him towards the rain. He looked at me in a weird way but I didn't care. In the end, he enjoyed it too. That was the time I danced with a stranger, who turned out to be the person who completed my life.
˜*•. ˜"*°•.˜"*°••°*"˜.•°*"˜ .•*˜
I was blinded by the lights in the capitol. And No! Not the lights from the buildings but the lights from their clothing. Is this really what they call as fashion? Being turned into human disco balls? I smiled, hundreds of cameras flashed before me, as I followed Emily from behind. She led us to the tallest building in the Capitol, wherein a man and a woman greeted us and lead us further in the building.
R-i-i-i-i-p! I moaned in pain. I'm not used to being waxed. "If I survive the games, I swear I would kill you" I told her in a cold voice. Cypria laughed at my words, "I'm sorry darling but you're so hairy. Like father like daughter" she piped in her silly Capitol accent. Her voice is irritating and so are her jokes. I rolled my eyes and ignored her as she started babbling about how my father reacted the same way when she waxed him.
I've been in the Remake Centre for 2 hours and I can proudly say that I am absolutely glad that it is over. I stared at my glowing red skin. It's aching from all the waxing. My Legs, My Arms, My Underarms! Everything hurts. I saw Cypria coming back with a pair of tweezers. I yelped, "Oh no! No, No, No! You are not getting anywhere near my eyebrows." but before I knew it, everything went black.
I stood up as soon as I came back to my senses. I found myself back in my room and all dressed. But that wasn't the first thing I worried about. I ran to the bathroom and peeked at my reflection. I should've known. They plucked my precious eyebrows. I sighed in defeat. What should I do? Throw a huge tantrum so everyone would call me a brat? Never in my life will I do that. I dragged my two left feet towards the dining area.
"Finally, you're awake!" yelled the disappointed Emily. "The next time you want to be electrocuted for throwing a huge tantrum in the Remake Centre, be sure to wake up as soon as possible!"
So that's why everything went black. "I beg your pardon? A Huge Tantrum? I was just preventing them from plucking my eyebrows" I defended myself.
"Exactly! They were just going to pluck your eyebrows and you're already afraid? What more inside the arena?" she gave out a good point though but I was not scared. I glared at her and walked closer to her. "I wasn't afraid, I loved my eyebrows. If you dare tell me that I'm scared ever again, I will cut your head off right away" I whispered in a harsh tone. "Now, where's my stylist?"
"Right here, darling!" I turned around and found a girl, who was dressed in pink and silver, standing by the doorway. "My, My, You are truly a beauty." she was taking every inch of my body with her eyes. "I'm Lily, by the way" she smiled.
"Rocky" I replied. "So, what will I wear?" I beg you; don't let me go out there naked.
"District 2, Masonry... Let's focus on what you do. District 2 is the place where most of the Peacekeepers are trained and weapons are manufactured, but originally specialized only in mining and stone cutting..." she was walking around me. "Most of the former tributes used Gold costumes but let's focus on the weapons which you manufacture"
She's pretty clever. My dad wore a costume made of gold during his time. "So you're going to dress us up like human weapons? Hey, how about you dress me up like a human Canon?" I asked in a sarcastic manner. She simply smirked and said, "Why not?"