Queen of the Arena
Almost all of the characters are my propriety, except the one that are in the trilogy of The Hunger Games, these belongs to Suzanne Collins. I hope you'll enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it.
PS: I'm sorry in advance for the errors of Grammar; English is not my native language.
Chapter One; The Reaping of Reine Blazzer
I woke up, startled and I am left wondering why I feel so empty. Then it hits me. Today is the Reaping. The 69th Hunger Games are about to begin. Being from District One, I don't have a lot of chance of being picked. My name will only be in the ball five times. Plus I'm pretty sure someone would volunteer for me if I'm picked. Well, for me is a big words, in place of me would be better. I'm not like a lot of the kids my age. I actually like to live and I don't want to end up like our last tributes. The guy was drown in the flood and the girl got killed by the crazy girl from District 4 that actually ended up winning the whole thing. What a shame.
I decided that I should begin to prepare myself, being from District One, our Reaping is always the first one, at 9 o'clock in the morning. I look over to the clock on my wall and I know that I should really get up now. It's already 8.
The sight I see in the mirror when I get out of the shower is surprising. I looked tensed. At least I still look gorgeous. My red hair falls in big curls in my back, but I decide against it. I start to put it in a ponytail, but finally ended up doing an intricate bun at my mom suggestion. I let two strand of hair on each side of my face, it always brings out my emerald green eyes and then I decide that for the top it'll be alright. I then look over to my wardrobe and decide to wear a dress. I put a green one to go with my eyes and because it is my favourite color. The dress is an old family heirloom that my family has since before the first war. It's short and simple, as I want to appear today. I already stand out enough with my flaming red mane.
"Are you coming? We are leaving now!" I hear my twin brother, Beau, saying.
"In a second!" I just have time to catch a bracelet before I go down the stairs of our house over the wine shop my family own. They are already there, my mom, Glamour, my dad, Diamond, my twin brother, Beau, and my little sister, Glimmer. Me and Beau, we look exactly like my mom, Glimmer however, is like my dad, her blonde hair, we only all have one thing in common, which is our emerald green eyes.
We make it to the walk of fame; it is where the Reaping always took place. The sun is shining strong today and we can hear the sea from over the building, just outside the fence. Because yes, even if the Capitol loves us, we are still confine in our District, just 10 feet from the ocean.
I take place in the 16 years old girl section, almost in the front. I look over to my brother and I wink, mouthing "May the odd ever be in your favour". He smirks and looks in front where the mayor and our escort, Milaine Deverro take place on the stage. The mayor starts the lecture of the Treaty of Treason, which I have heard already 15 times since I was born and yeah, I'm getting bored. And that's when Milaine steal the micro with her gold dress, hair and skin.
"Welcome everybody to the first Reaping of the 69th annual Hunger Games! I'm pretty certain that this will be one of the most exciting Hunger Game, aren't you excited? I know I am!"
Please, you're just happy that you got promoted here after your two district tributes where in the final six last time.
"You mentors this year will be Cashmere and Gloss."
I remember when they won, they where both 13 years old. No one thought they could stand a chance. Now every time they mentored a tribute, they always there till the end. I'm happy because last time we got a winner, well, it was them.
"Well, let's get this started, and may the odds ever be in your favour! Ladies first!"
She walks toward the girls big glass ball and I watch her hands plunge in it, maybe she's touching my name at the moment. Well I don't care if she touches my name in the ball, as long as it doesn't come out. Her hand does a gracious circle in the sphere, she looks like she wants the last slip at the bottom. Damn, just take one already. It's like she heard me because her hand finally grips a slip and bring it out.
"Reine Blazzer"
I cannot contain myself. The F-word escapes my lips before I realized it. It's my name. I immediately put a dazzling smile on my face. I know I'm the first tributes to be chosen in this year's Hunger Game. I'm the first face they will see, and I want to be sure they like what they see.
I walk to the platform and I see my mom in the distance, she has her ice mask again. I remember the last time I saw it, the last time she had to mask away all her emotion for our sake. It when my older brother died in the 65th Hunger Game, killed by Finnick Odair.
I see Gloss, he must be the one assigned to the female tribute this year, looking me over with an appreciative look on his face. Milaine greets me and ask for volunteer. Some years, like the year after we win, some people volunteer. Last year the winner was from District 4. There is no volunteer this year. Not for me at least.
"No Volunteer? Oh well, District One I present you your final girl tribute, Reine Blazzer!"
There's tons of applause. I know that I was really popular as I'm sweet but at this point? I don't have time to question it further as Milaine is now picking the boy.
"Beau Blazzer."
I have to retain myself from fainting or just shouting "No" as loud as possible. I see my little sister crying. The Odds are definitively not in my family favour today.
"I volunteer!"
I sigh, let the relief show on my face for a brief moment, the cameras are all on the boy who volunteered. I don't know him. He looks about 17, he has dark hair, tanned skin, he moves with the grace of a predator. A killer.
"And what is your name, if I may?" candidly ask Milaine
"My name is Shine Dawson, and I'm the 69th Winner of the Hunger Games." he says. I snicker before I can think. Gloss smirk in the back. Cashmere is glaring at me and Shine is giving me a sideway glance.
He put his place next to me and I can see Cashmere having a smirk. She must think he will win. Milaine makes us face each other and when he takes my hand, I can feel he's testing it, trying to crush him. I give him a brilliant smile and wink at him before freeing my hand and then twirling and waving at the public, and the camera.
But not for long, because some Peacekeeper take us and bring us in the Justice building. I get locked in a room. I'm wondering why they bother to lock the door, did someone really tried to escape? In a building full of peacekeeper? My thoughts were interrupted by my family coming in the room. I opened my arms just in time to receive Glimmer in them.
"Don't you freaking dare getting killed in the Arena!" she said
"I won't. You know that right? I'm a survivor." I answered.
But inside, I'm not that sure. Can I really win? Can I outlive 23 other teenagers? That's a tough call. My mother and my dad begin to talk fast, giving me tips, talking me in teaming up with the others "Career". Before long the time is up and I begin to shout that I love them until I'm sure they're out of earshot. Then my twin brother enters the room and I fall apart.
We don't say anything of the 15 minutes. He just hugs me while I cry. Then the time is out and I murmur him to take care of Glimmer. He nods. And this is it. I have the longing feeling in my chest that it was the last time I would see my family. I put the dark thinking away and I look in the mirror in the room. I make myself more presentable and then there's a knock on the door and peacekeeper are moving me again.
I'm in a car with Shine. This is awkward. We try to be as far as it is possible from each other. We don't talk, we know we are going to talk soon enough anyway, there's the whole alliance thing to do. The Tributes from District 1, 2 and 4 usually team up together. I only saw one Tribute some year ago who refuse to do it, and it was Finnick Odair.
We finally arrive at the station and we hop in a train. I observe that it's already afternoon, all the Reaping must have happened at the moment. We arrive in a dining room and there's more food than I could ever imagined at the same place on the table. I pick small portion of the healthy stuff and I start to talk with Gloss, who is sitting on my left.
"So, I take it you are my mentor?" I ask
"You take it right girl. So, any... surprise behind this alluring physique?"
"I'm quite the gymnast"
Oh yes, the surprise, a girl who's a gymnast. I know. But it could help. Who knows? So we start talking a little bit about how I could use this talent, in front of us, Shine and Cashmere are talking about similar stuff. I look in Milaine direction and smirk when I see how horrified she looks that we are totally ignoring her.
We then go to another compartment to watch the other Reaping. It starts with our Reaping and I'm satisfied how I look, confident, with just the good amount of arrogance. People love this attitude usually. Then the commentator comments about how the odds are note in my family favour and also talks about my brother who was in a past Hunger Games. Then, in District 2 a twelve years old get chosen and I'm flabbergasted when no one volunteer for him. Seriously people? There are usually at least four people who volunteer in this District.
In District 4 we get two seventeen years old, this will be good for the alliance I think to myself.
District 5, 6 and 7 are normal people, the girls look weak, the boys are skinny, and some of them even look underfed.
The next surprise is in District 10, there's a volunteer girl. She looks twice my size. How does she feed herself in that district I wonder?
These are the only one who really stands out. What a boring cast.