In The Blink Of An Eye

Chapter 1: Reaping Day

It was reaping day. The day I dreaded so much. The 74th annual Hunger Games. Despite it being my 4th year to be prepared for the chance of my name being pulled out, my stomach still painfully squeezed at the thought.

My name is Chloe, and I'm a citizen from District 2, Panem. For me to say that I'm quite lucky living in District 2 would be complete irony because in fact, no one is lucky, no one is safe and no one can escape from the reality that this is in fact the real world we live in now. We specialize in Industrial Masonry which gives us a fair bit of wealth compared to most districts, though perhaps its not really worth it when you remember that from the ages of 12 to 18 your life could be pulled away right in front of your eyes just by the mere mention of your name on one particular day each year. This is our sick punishment. The punishment of our rebellion that has caused a bunch of kids to be thrown out into an arena for slaughter, while our districts, our families, our friends, and our nation watch on screens because we've been taught that we did wrong. This is the reality, and I'm definitely not ready to be a part of it.

I finally got out of bed, and headed down the dark wooden hallway of our 'not too bad' cottage situated on the outskirts of District 2 up in the mountains. District 2 isn't so bad, I guess. There are a lot of villages surrounded by mines, and we're very close to the Capitol itself. My mum stays at home to look after me and my younger brother Wade, while my father and older brother Hammil work as Stonemasonries, which means they shape types of rock and stone, then send them to the Capitol along with all the other thousands to make their wonderful city… well… wonderful.

I sat down at the table and looked at my bowl of porridge and fruit, clearly not hungry with all this thinking about the reaping.

''C'mon, hun. Eat something, it'll be good for you. Please.'' My Mother said coming over to me and putting her hand on my shoulder rubbing it. I wasn't having any of it, not today. I heard her sigh behind.

''Wade? Get out of bed now!'' She bellowed down the hallway to my brother's small room, which was opposite mine. A few moments later my rather tall, blonde haired, blue-eyed younger brother solemnly sat down in the chair next to mine and began eating. He looked a lot like my mother, as did my other brother. They both have short, thick straight blonde hair the same shade as my mother's, who's was also quite short. I took after my father. Long, wavy, dark brown hair (although my dad's was very short), small in size, round faced and dark blue eyes. I was definitely a daddy's girl.

''How can you eat?'' I asked Wade. He always seemed to eat, no matter what day. He just shrugged and carried on shovelling his porridge and fruit down his throat. I figured he must be slightly nervous, this was his first year being entered into the reaping.

''Where's Dad and Hammil?'' I asked my mother, looking around.

''They've gone to work for a little bit. They left really early, it'll give us some extra pay… we need it.'' She was right. We did. Despite being in a wealthy district, we weren't wealthy ourselves. Sure, we got a decent amount of money to afford nice food now and then, and to sustain this 3 bedroomed cottage but we weren't rich in the slightest. We had a small living room with 1 couch and 1 armchair, a fireplace with an old bear rug in front, and a small working TV with one channel required for the Hunger Games and other events the Capitol want us to know about. We have a tiny bathroom with a toilet, a bucket under a tap for our hands and a wash basin. Our kitchen backs onto the living area. We have a long table with 6 chairs, a few work boards to make food on, to keep the old kettle on, and a barely working stone stove in the corner. The first bedroom next to the toilet belongs to my mother and father, then next to that is my tiny room which barely fits a bed, and then opposite is my 2 brothers. We may not have a lot, but we work with it and we're happy for the most part.

Giving up on my breakfast I grabbed my blouse, skirt and socks and fresh underwear from the wash basket on the side of the kitchen and headed to my room to get changed. We have a fairly large, although broken mirror in the living room which I headed to after getting myself ready and stared at my reflection. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl looking back. The girl who's childhood had been stolen and who's future was held in someone else's hands, just like so many others. I sighed and brushed my long dark hair, grabbed a piece from the side of my face, twisted it and pinned it back.

It was finally time to head to the reaping which was held in the main village a little further down the mountain. My father and older brother had got back and changed, as did my mother and younger brother. As we stepped outside our house we did what we did each year. We stood in a small circle holding hands, closing our eyes and praying that mine and my two brothers names weren't called out. I could only hope.

The main village was packed with Peacekeepers in their white uniforms, grabbing, shoving, pulling and pushing people into line and into place. The once so friendly small little town, with cobble roads, wooden shops, friendly smiles and welcoming, fresh scent was now replaced with a cold, silent atmosphere with hard expressions all for the same reason. Who's child will be next? What mother will loose her son or daughter? Not knowing if it could be a friend, a neighbour, a relative…

My mother and father had to leave us and stand on the outer ring away from the children. My heart was pounding at the familiar scene, and suddenly my brothers were out of view. I tried not to panic and quickly headed towards where the other girls were headed to have their blood taken and to be 'registered in'. As soon as they pricked my finger and stamped it, I rushed off to find my place and stand still and do my best to block things out. Not so shortly after, the main stage was filled with the usual people. The mayor of District 2, his wife, their son, and our escort. The one who holds our futures. The one who speaks death, as some of us say. Our escort happened to be a short lady named Saffra Dunbryll. She had a squeaky, but prominent voice. Her hair was always long, down to her thighs in a different color every year. Today her hair was blue, with sparkly sticks, clips, and all sorts coming out of it every which way. She looked like a fairy in this case. Her skin was pale white, but her lips were bluer than the sky. Her short blue dress puffed out from the waist and her ice white gloves gripped the microphone.

Tap tap tap as she patted the microphone to make sure it was working. ''Welcome District twoooo, to the 74th annual, Hunger Games!'' she shrieked. I cringed and stood closer behind the taller girl in front of me so I could feel a bit more out of view.

''Before we start, please enjoy this wonderful short film, STRAIGHT from the Captiol!'' Saffra said, clapping a bit too enthusiastically. For the next few minutes, we had to listen to the same story we see every year about how the Games began, what we did wrong, why we deserve this and how it's for honour to our districts. Bull. When the screens all around us switched off, the time was close. Murmurs began and everyone was getting shifty and nervous. Saffra bounded back to the mic, tapped it again three times and cleared her throat.

''The time has come to select one brave young man and woman to represent District 2, in the 74th Hunger Games. Now if you will, lady's first.'' She said with a wink. I shook my head at the attitudes of the people from the Capitol. Like this was all a game in good fun, something to look forward to, something to be proud of. It most definitely wasn't.

Saffra rummaged her hand around the glass bowl full of names on the wooden table until she picked one and held it in front of her face and smiled. Slowly, too slowly, she opened the envelope, edged closer to the microphone and read out the unfortunate name of the girl who's life was about to be ripped away from her.

''Chloe Ivory.'' She said in a clear voice. I froze. My breath stopped, my eyes fixated on the girl in front of me until she slowly turned around to look at me with pity. I could hear the buzzing of voices behind me but I couldn't process them. Did she really just call out my name? She can't have. Not me, surely. I have a family to be with, I have friends, I have a life… a life that I'm most certainly not ready to give up. A moment later everything hit me with a force and I heard Saffra's voice beckoning me to the stage. Although my legs wobbling, I made my way to the side of the crowd when suddenly I could hear my mother's screaming. I didn't look, I just walked even quicker with tears filling my eyes and my fate setting in. As I made my way up the stairs and to centre stage I heard faint clapping and the buzz of the microphone to which Saffra had picked up, and no sooner was her arm around mine holding it up with a smile. I didn't do anything other than look up to the mountains and hope to wake up any moment, but I had to realise that it would never come.

Without noticing, I saw Saffra holding the envelope of the boy's name. The name I would have to kill, or be killed by.

''Phox Elphin.'' Was called out. I didn't know him. Maybe that was good, maybe not. It's hard to tell.

Suddenly there was a commotion. As I looked to the back of the crowed a tall, blonde boy was moving and pushing people… until I heard him.

''I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER, LET ME UP! I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!'' He shouted. Almost instantly the Peacekeepers took Phox away, and bought this other boy up. I wasn't too shocked, volunteering happens a lot in this district so I'm guessing he's been training.

As he got closer, I saw him.

Flashback: 2 months previous.

''What are you doing, Cato?'' I asked him as I walked into the large room, which looked like an old gym, situated just off the village square.

''What am I doing? What are you doing? You shouldn't be here.'' He said sternly as he turned back around lifting weights.

''After class earlier I heard you telling this guy you'd be here for training. You forgot something which you'll need for our project.''

Me and Cato had been paired up in Government class to produce a report on why we need the Capitol to run the country and what benefits it brings to our nation. Yawn fest. I'd known him before, but we hadn't talked as much as we had these past 2 weeks since our project began. We were becoming pretty close.

''Eavesdropping were we? I think you're lying and this is just an excuse to see me.'' He smirked. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the sheet of paper from my old school bag and gave it to him with a smug look on my face. He scanned it quickly and shoved it in his pocket then moved onto some other gym apparatus.

''What exactly are you training for?'' I said out of curiosity. He slowly looked back and his face changed.

''Nothing. Its nothing.'' He was lying of course. Deep down I knew what it was for but sometimes its too hard to believe that a child bought into this world is then made to train and learn the arts of survival in order to use them in a game of life and death when he's older. It gave me chills and I decided it'd be best to go.

''Wait!'' Cato said. I turned around and he was already near me, and he pulled me into one of his big hugs. He was tall and well built, which meant his hugs fit perfectly around me. This was my Cato. Everyone else knew the hard-faced, good looking, deadly, serious and incredibly tough brute, but me… to me he was a good friend even in the short amount of time we had been getting to know each other. I saw the real side of him and I was grateful. I smiled and we both let go.

''See you at the reaping.'' I said with my smile fading quickly. School had ended that day and the project was to be finished at the start of the new term… if we weren't picked out of course. My stomach twisted.

His eyes saddened and he looked down at the floor, and slowly back up at me.

''Yeah. See you at the reaping.''

End Flashback

It couldn't be. Why him?! Anyone but him! So many thoughts and feelings whooshed around my head so fast that it made me dizzy. The one that stood out most was that Cato, he who's been training his whole life for this, and now as I'm standing here, on this stage, looking into the eyes of what used to be my best friend, slowly realised these were the eyes of my possible killer.

I don't understand though. I thought we were friends, best friends, close?! Why did he volunteer for Phox? He's basically volunteered to kill me instead of him. Why would he do this to me?

As Saffra announced that we were now the two tributes for District 2, we were made to shake hands. As I gripped his, he squeezed and looked into my eyes. I didn't understand what he was trying to put across. He didn't appear threatening, he looked pleadingly… urgently. I dismissed this. If he cared at all about me, he wouldn't have volunteered in Phox's place. I turned around to the Justice Building just as the irony of everything set in. I certainly didn't expect to be seeing him like this at the reaping. I had no idea what was coming, but if one thing's for sure, it's that Cato went from being my friend, to my cold-blooded enemy in the blink of an eye, just like my life has, and I'm not ready for what's next.

Well I hope you liked my first chapter. Review and comment if you think I should carry on, as I'm not so sure :) I'd love to hear feedback! Thanks :)

-DistrictOfMagic x