Clove's Games.
If you recognise it, it's not mine.
Ever since I could walk, I have been trained for this moment. I can fight with swords, axes, spears. I know a dozen different ways to kill someone with my bare hands. But my real talent has always been in my throwing knives. I have sat through three reapings, half wanting to leap up and take part, but still desperately hoping I will not be chosen. This year, the year I am 15, the choice was made for me. I still remember everything in perfect clarity. Everyone was buzzing with excitement as we gathered in the square. Some were boasting how they would volunteer. As the woman who holds the reapings reached into the bowl, a silence laden with tension falls. And then my name was read out. As I walked to the stage, I noticed several girls scowling. Here in Two, nobody wants to challenge anyone who can fend for themselves. I put on my most jaunty, confident smile as she read out the name of a weedy looking boy with huge glasses. I really am smiling now- he won't be a lot of trouble in the arena. But then I hear it,bellowed out by a boy lunging for the stairs. "I VOLUNTEER!"
Great. Not only does this make me a lot less memorable, but this guy is massive. Tall, muscled, and obviously a good fighter. A few years older than me. This makes our alliance a lot stronger but doesn't look good for me. As the woman asks his name, he flashes the crowd a smug smirk. "Cato."
On the train, we watch the recap of the reapings. We don't pay a lot of attention, seeing as most of them will probably die or ally with us. A few stick in my mind. A twitchy boy from Nine. A scrawny girl who volunteers for some kid in Twelve. And a huge boy, probably the same size as Cato, from Eleven. I don't remember his name, Tash or something. Oh well. The odds are in my favour anyway. After all, Career tributes are better equipped than the rest. As I lie in my comfortable bed on this train, I remember the feeling of introducing myself as a tribute for the first time. "Clove. My name is Clove."
Clove, after the reapings of the 74th Hunger Games.