New Story inspired by a line from the Hunger Games Series. Lemme Know what you think!
Any lines taken from THG are obviously those of Suzanne Collins & not me
Chapter 1: The Reapings
Katniss Everdeen
Bright and bubbly as ever, Effie Trinket trots to the podium and gives her signature, "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!" Her pink hair must be a wig because her curls have shifted slightly off-center since her encounter with Haymitch. She goes on a bit about what an honor it is to be here, although everyone knows she's just aching to get bumped up to a better district where they have proper victors, not drunks who molest you in front of the entire nation.
Through the crowd, I spot Gale looking back at me with a ghost of a smile. As reapings go, this one at least has a slight entertainment factor. But suddenly I am thinking of Gale and his forty two names in that big glass ball and how the odds are not in his favor. Not compared to a lot of the boys. And maybe he's thinking the same thing about me because his face darkens and he turns away. "But there are still thousands of slips," I wish I could whisper to him.
It's time for the drawing. Effie Trinket says as she always does, "Ladies first!" and crosses to the glass ball with the girls' names. She reaches in, digs her hand deep into the ball, and pulls out the first slip she encounters. The crowd draws in a collective breath and then you can hear a pin drop, and I'm feeling nauseous and so desperately hoping that it's not me, it's not me, that it's not me.
She calls the name out clearly. "Madge Undersee." I turn to where Madge is standing, only a few feet away from me. Her face is turned white in pure shock, and from where I am standing; it appears that she's shaking terribly.
I turn to the stage, where Mayor Undersee looks like he's about to vomit. He is talking rapidly and urgently to a Capitol attendant who unsympathetically is shaking her head. Even the mayor's daughter isn't safe on reaping day.
Madge begins walking upstage shakily, and suddenly she vomits all over her pretty dress. I recall the innocent comment she mentioned to Gale earlier, about looking pretty in case she has to go to the Capitol. Neither of us ever imagined she would be reaped. The odds were certainly in her favor. But it hadn't mattered.
Capitol attendants come swiftly to her side, helping clean her up. The ground is hosed down right away, but it still smells a little putrid. On stage, Mayor Undersee runs into his daughter's arms. She is crying, making feeble attempts to wipe away her tears. Attendants come to rip him away from his daughter. He begins to yell to her, saying it's ok, it's ok. But for Madge, I doubt it will ever be okay again.
In the chaos I don't even have time to wish for Gale's safety. Effie Trinket reaches into the bowl, swirling her hand around until she claims the victim.
Effie Trinket crosses back to the podium, smooths the slip of paper and reads out the name in a clear voice. And it's not Gale.
It's Rory Hawthorne.
I turn to Rory immediately and see him make his way through the sea of twelve year olds. His fists are clenched in determination and he so resembles his brother in this moment. Eyes full of fury, jaw clenched, he is determined. Gale! I think. What will Gale do? I have this question answered as he speaks up, his voice hollow.
"I volunteer as tribute," I turn to him. Oh no, I think. Gale has just sent himself a death wish. Rory seems to have realized this as well, because he is running to his brother, pleading with him not to go.
"No Gale!" Gale cuts him off by stiffly saying, "Go back to the twelve year olds Rory." His voice is stern, and resembles one of a parent laying down the law. "I won't! I can handle myself!" is his automatic reply. I decide now is the perfect time to cut in and step between the brothers, whose faces are but a few inches from one another. I push Rory out of the way, guiding him back to the other children.
I exchange a look with Gale before turning my head away from his. "Up you go now," I say, my voice cracking at the end.
"Right you are Catnip," He makes his was up on stage and awkwardly mumbles his name into the microphone, and Effie Trinket bets her buttons that he volunteered to take the place of his brother. No duh.
As soon as I can after the reaping, I grab Prim and Rory, and set out to find Hazelle, Posy, and Vick. Hazelle's eyes are threatening to spill with tears, but she holds them in for her children. In this brief moment I am able to think of how the odds were certainly in Rory's favor; his name was one slip in thousands! But it hadn't mattered. He had still been reaped, still been chosen to fight to the death for the entertainment of the Capitol. And Gale made sure that would never happen. I sigh. I cannot be mad at Gale. If Prim were reaped, I know I would do the same for her in a heartbeat.
We silently make our way to the Justice Building, so that we can say goodbye to Gale before he leaves us, maybe forever. No Katniss! You will not think that way. Gale is a hunter, he can manage himself, and he has for years. In this moment I thank no one in particular for Gale's skills in the wilderness, for they could potentially save his life in the weeks to come.
Hazelle and the children are ushered by Capitol attendants into a room that houses Gale. I cannot imagine what emotions must be flying in there. Every must surely be crying I think, save Gale. He's not much of a crier. I try to imagine what would happen if I were the one trying to comfort my mother and Prim, telling them what to do when I am no longer here to do them. But I can't. I don't think I could ever, but in these situations, one doesn't really have a choice, now do they?
Fifteen minutes later, I am shoved into a room containing Gale and a velvet chair. I think my mom called it a loveseat. I only know the fabric is velvet because my mother has a dress with a collar made of the stuff.
"Hey Catnip," He says, smiling sadly. His eyes are not stained with tears, but occasionally his words get caught in his throat. I can barely stand looking at him, I can't imagine life without my hunting partner.
"Hey Gale. Don't worry, I'll keep up my end of our pact," A couple years back we made a pact that if one of us were reaped, the other would look after their family, bringing game, money, whatever they could. I know now that instead of one, I have two families I have to feed. I also know that because of Gale, I will do it.
"Thanks. Listen, don't worry about me, okay? It's just like hunting right?" His seam eyes bore into mine.
"They're people Gale. Real people," How can he just forget this fact?
"If you think of them as prey, they're really all the same right?" I try to imagine Gale running around, shooting people, but my imaginations not at it's peak today. Suddenly, a peacekeeper comes in to fetch me. I throw my arms around Gale frantically. "Don't let them starve Katniss!" I cut in with an 'I won't'. I'm still clinging to Gale, but peacekeepers come and remove me. They're dragging me out of the room, but I just catch "Just remember I-" and the door slams. Remember Gale whats?
I suppose it's a question I can save for later. For now I don't know if I really believe Gale is ever coming home, save for in a plain wooden crate. My head hurts and I decide not to think of this for now. I am walking down the hallway of the Justice Building, preparing to leave, when I decide to visit Madge Undersee. She was the closest thing I had to a friend at school, and I assume she would visit me if I were in her position. Plus, I have nothing better to do.
I eventually find her room, and a peacekeeper lets me in. How many people have visited her? I wonder, she didn't have many friends if any at school, so I don't picture anyone but her family coming.
The room is similar to Gale's and immediately I wonder if the main purpose of these rooms is to host the tributes for a short while. For whatever reason the thought sickens me. Madge is sitting on another loveseat, but unlike Gale, her eyes are puffy and bright red. I notice she is wearing something that she wasn't before. A gold pin is over her left breast, and when I get closer I realize it is a mockingjay with a gold circle encompassing it.
"Hi Madge," I say awkwardly. I am not known for my way with words, and we have never been a talkative duo in the first place. In this situation I am most definitely not the best person to provide words of comfort.
"Hey Katniss," she says sweetly, smiling sadly as a new stream of tears flows down her face. Oh no, I think. Tears, sadness. Maybe this isn't the best idea after all. Anything I say will surly bring another round of them.
"I'm really uh, sorry about this. Truly. It's not fair," I look at her tentatively, checking to see if my words helped in the slightest. Well she isn't sobbing, so that's pretty good. "If it helps, Gale is the best person to get stuck somewhere with. Maybe if you, um, team up with him, you'd stand a better chance?" I really don't know why I suggested this. Gale would be far better off alone than babysitting a mayor's daughter. But, this may be her one shot at living, so why not tell her?
"Thanks. And I'm sure you would know best about that, right?" A small smile is playing on her face. Of course she knows Gale and I are hunting partners. Almost all of Twelve does. But she's right. I do know this best, and if I were stuck in an awful arena, I'd want to be stuck there with Gale.
"Just stick with him, or at least get some survival tips out of him. Have him teach you a snare if you can, he's really, really good with them. Good luck Madge," With this she throws her arms around me suddenly, and I awkwardly pat her back until she pulls away.
A peacekeeper comes to take me out of the Justice Building. When I reach the dirt street, I feel trapped. Hordes of people are still hanging around, since they have nothing better to do. So many people fall silent and stare at me, as if to observe my reaction to this painful twist of events. I don't want to face their stares, their sympathetic looks. I want to run. When things go wrong, I flee, not fight. And now this means not going to check on Hazelle, or have the mini feast at home with Prim and my mother, but going to the woods. Solitude, beautiful solitude.
As soon as I break through the crowd, I am running. Running through the Seam, into the meadow, and as soon as I crawl through the break in the fence, into the woods. I don't bother getting my bow and arrow. I am in no mood to hunt. No, what I need now is the lake. My feet follow an invisible path, so familiar to me by now. When I reach the lake, I throw all of my clothes off, save my underwear, and just lie in the cool water. It is here where it hits me. Gale is going into the Games. He is a tribute. He most likely will not go home. He has to kill people. I have to watch. I now have two families to feed. Four children to look after. Two broken mothers to tend to. But, I don't know if Hazelle will break the way I imagine my mother would if I went into the Games. After her husband died, she was strong, and brought little Posy into the world without him. I doubt she has even accepted the fact that Gale will probably never come home. No, she is a fighter, a survivor. I have to remind myself that Gale is too.
I make swirling motions in the water. Underneath the surface, another world thrives. Little minnows swim with their friends. Plants grow. Frogs bounce around on lily pads. Everyone is content. I imagine another life, where Gale and I are living in the wilderness, with our families and all. All of us are safe, happy, and there is no Capitol to take that away from us. I scoff at myself. A world without the Capitol? Like that would, or could ever happen. But, if everyone thought like Gale does, it could happen, I suppose.
I get out of the water and sit on the steps of the cement house. I watch the sky change into beautiful purples and pinks. I wonder if Gale is passing by another district by now. I know I cannot continue this way, Imagining Gale's life whenever my mind drifts for a moment. At that rate, I would be as good as my mother. I remind myself that now she is better, she is fine. But barely is.
Eventually, when the crickets start chirping, and the sun begins to disappear, I put on my clothes and head back home for dinner, not that I'm hungry. This will be a long few weeks.
Soooooooo what'd you think? I'm really happy with it! Hope you all loved it:) Review whether you like/love/hate it! Im all ears!