Hello, welcome to my games! To be honest, I suggest if anything you at least read through to the District One reapings. I promise it won't be a waste of time.
My feet fell heavily across the hard marble floor, and my breath came in short, hard gasps.
If I didn't get to the podium in time, I'd be fired. These Quell cards were supposed to have been at the podium over a half hour ago, and the live show was to start in less than a minute. If I didn't get there in time...
I arrived at the stage, and gratefully the heavy velvet curtains that separated the president from the crowd were still pulled tight.
"Where the hell were you?" President Maron hissed through clenched teeth. She tore the box from my hands, and I started to sweat and shiver nervously.
"I-I'm so s-sorry. T-the cards were m-missing." I stuttered. She looked at me through narrowed dark blue eyes, and she seemed close to striking me. Maron was one of the nicer presidents I had worked for, but I had to admit I had serverely screwed up this time.
"I swear, if you-"
I never found out what she was going to say next, because the curtains began to pull open rapidly. Out of reflex, I ducked down beneath the podium, landing myself right next to her legs. I curled my aging, pudgy body into the small cave that existed under the stand, and contemplated my life. Seventy really wasn't that bad of an age to die, was it? Maron aimed a small kick at me that let me know we would definitely be discussing this later.
I let out a small sigh, and looked up to watch her speak. Well, this was certainly a different point of view. Maron looked directly into the crowd and surrounding cameras, and smiled.
"Hello citizens of Panem." she said in her breathy voice. "Welcome to this joyous occasion, the tenth drawing of the Quarter Quell!"
An enormous roar came from the crowd.
"As a nice treat, our forefathers had a very special one planned for this year." She waited till the ooo's died down. "So please wait as I draw the card."
The crowd sat in anticipative silence as her long slender fingers picked up the card marked 250, and deftly cut it open with her small knife. She pulled it out and seemed to read it quickly, before suddenly going pale.
My heart stopped. Oh no, I'd seen that look before. Twenty five years ago, when President Cohn was "removed" from office for lying about what the card in his hand said. Apparently, even he thought forcing twenty four ten year olds to fight to the death was going a bit too far.
I pinched Maron's leg, a move that probably could have cost me my life. She looked down, startled but grateful, and then opened her mouth to deliver words that changed Panem forever...
The sad thing is is that this is actually much better than the original. It seems, though, that no matter what I do, the beginning chapeters just aren't any good. The reapings are though.
Update: I'm looking for a Beta. If interested, please check profile for details.