The Hunger Games

by GreenspireTC

This is based on the Novel The hunger games by Suzanne Collins.

"How many times is your name in the pot, Gale?" asked Katniss.

"42." I said.

"Oh my gosh, Gale."

"Yeah, I guess the odds aren't ever in my favor." I laughed.

We made our way through the woods, under the fence and back through the district. Katniss took the deer back to her mother, then we got ready for the reaping. The reaping is a time when all children from ages 12- 18 submit their name in a bowl to be drawn for the Hunger Games. For every time you submit your name, you get a meal. I'm from district 12, a severely poverty stricken district, food is very scarce. The children that are chosen, then placed in an arena, designed by the capitol, to fight to the death.

"Gale."

"Mom."

"After the reaping, we'll come home, it'll be fine."

"Uh-huh, okay cool."

"I love you."

"Yeah."

I put on a nice button down and pants that were torn in the knee, we headed down. The roads were crowded, I looked for Katniss and Prim, who is Katniss's younger sister but didn't see them. We continued on through the crowd and we finally arrived.

"Boys this way, girls over here," demanded a capitol official.

"Gale! Gale!" Katniss yelled over the crown.

I stopped and scanned the crowd, looking for the source of the sound, when I get shoved and forced into a line of teenage boys that looked frightened and white as paper. The reaping is about to start, everybody is so nervous their teeth are chattering, I am standing here next to Prim and she's as happy as a kid on Christmas.

"Oh no," said Prim, "Effie Trinket is coming out to chose the names for the games.

The girls are chosen first. She's choosing the names.

"Primrose Everdeen!" Effie announced.

"Primmemem." Katniss yelled over the crowd.

Prim made her way forward toward Effie, shocked and stunned, she made her way at a snails pace up to the front, climbed up the steps, and stood stone still up front.

"Good dear, next, the boys!" announced Effie, "Gale Hawthorn!"

I was to in shock to take in all the information that was just given to me. . . .

"Gale, darling, right this way."

I nodded and walked forward, I had to act confident for Prim, I mean at least we could be there for each other in the arena. Oh my gosh, Katniss, her mom, my parents. Every part of our life was changed and every possible problem was rushing through my head.

Then Effie announces that if any tributes are willing then step forward and nobodys does,Prim is very upset.

After the reaping, Prim and I are led through large metal doors and down a corridor to a set of rooms where we are supposed to rest and get ready to be on film. It's more like a room where people sit in their own shock and begin to self destruct.

I hear a knock on the door.

"Yes?" I ask drowsily.

A capitol guard enters, "You will be allowed two minutes to visit with family and friends. They will be entering soon. Meanwhile make yourself at home!"

He exits abruptly. I am very worried for prim, what if i die what will she do. Then katniss enters the room, i run to her and hug her for what seems to be a quick second.

"Good bye Gale,"

"I"ll take care of Prim,"

"Take care of yourself."

"Time's up," announces a capitol guard, "Come this way, Katniss."

Seeing Katniss leave is like watching my whole childhood slip out of my reach. We've been through the world together, I wonder what will happen with these games. Will I ever see her again?

My mother rushes in.

"Ummm," she says behind tears.

I grab her in a hug, we sway in silence for what seems like forever.

"I didn't expect this," she murmurs.

"Really? Shocking."

"Aww, Gale,I love you."

"I love you too."

"Time is up."

She exits.

The train leaves at 6 A.M. sharp. We get ready and climb aboard. The train is like a hotel on wheels. There sleeping quarters, dining room, living room, drink cart, etc. Prim is glued to my side and we hang in the living and eating chambers. There's plates of food in every corner and crevice of each and every room (even the bathroom). Prim and I were almost enjoying the ride.

That night we had a meeting with our Mentor. A Mentor is a person or people that have won previous games and they are here to help you win the games. Our mentor is a drunk 50 -year- -old- man -who doesn't doesn't appear to give a shoot about what we do.

"Well, hey there." He mumbles. "Can I help you two?"

"Yes. You're here to keep us alive." I state.

"And why would I wanna do that?"

"Because if you can kill 23 kids and live so can we. I am getting out of here alive!" Prim demands.

Prim is a very quiet and emotionless girl. Katniss is always there to meet her every need. For her to speak up like that tkes a lot of emotion and determination and it shocked us all.

"All right, all right, lemme get a drink and we'll start." he says.

"No no no no, you've had enough, we are starting now." I say.

Haymitch tells us that the main way to succeed in the games is to convince people that were a good opponent so they will sponsor you. A sponsor will send you needs in the arena that will come in use like medicine, food, or water. So his motto is, 'You have to get them to like you.' When I try to talk to people the just ignore me and give me looks like they want to kill me right in my place.

The training is a time that determines the pecking order of the games. It's day long, involving practicing hunting, killing, hiding and survival. I am confident in my hunting skills, this should be the same, only hunting people? At the end of the day they grade us on a scale from one thru ten, ten being the highest and one being the lowest. The people with higher ratings will go for the people with the lower ratings.

"Gale Hawthorne "

I walk through the large metal doors into a small room that has a orange glow to it, the walls appear to be a screen. 'That's odd,' I thought. In the center of the room there was a table, on the table, a knife, a hunk of meat, and clay. I hear an ear tearing screech and see a giant dog running, what appears to be, at me. Then, all around me, trees, three to four feet in diameter rise up and u, providing cover, I reach my hand to feel the rough bark, I feel nothing, my hand runs right past and I realize the trees are an illusion. That must mean so is the dog, the food, knife, clay, and table. 'What is this?' I think, 'This can't be a training.' The dog comes at me, I don't move, it snarls and leaps at me. I stand there. It flies through me. Everything goes dark. The metal doors open. I exit.

"What the hell was that?" Haymitch yells at breakfast, "You just stood there! That's going to put a dent in the process of having sponsors. You're going to be the weak target in the games. Watch out, they will all come after you."

"I didn't know what to do. There was nothing to do. There was nothing in that room, it was all an illusion!"

"Their was two ways to go about that, none of which you chose, one, you grab the knife and the meat, try to kill the dog or feed it the meat, two you use the clay and camouflage yourself to the trees."

"How do I kill something that doesn't exist?" I ask, "There was nothing their."

"You act like it does, the dog would of reacted to the knife or the meat."

"How was I supposed to figure that out?"

"You outsmarted them, most kids would of thought it was real and they would of fought back. But you, you're different."

The morning of the games, we get our uniform that we will wear in the arena. The uniform can be a clue of the climate or what the arena is like. They don't tell you so it's a complete shock to where you will be. This year, they outfitted us in light khaki hiking shorts and an athletic t-shirt that included a long sleeve flannel shirt. It was the same attire for boys and girls. We we are sent through and elevator leading us up to the arena where you wait on you block for the count down.

"Welcome to the 74th annual Hunger Games! May the odds be ever in your favor!" Announced Effie.

The contestants faces are white and sunken, like a white empty bowl. They stand stone still in our arena which appears to be a flat dessert. I look over at Prim. We make eye contact and I know we can't participate.

Effie then starts the countdown,."10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, let games begin!"

We both then run and grab a backpack.

Then Prim says "To the woods!"

We are running through the thick brush as were being chased by fellow tributes. I then hear a scream from the person chasing us. We stop to rest. Prim says

"We can't do this." says Prim

I say, "You're right, but how do we escape?"

"We need them to lose track of us."

"The Trackers."

"No!"

"It's the only way."

We use a knife from our pack and start digging the Tracker Jackers out of our arms. We are bleeding everywhere, it is going to turn into chaos. The pain is like no other.