Ch 4: The reaping: "And if I win?" I ask the judges coldly while on the inside I am freaking out. "Excuse me" the man in the center asks incredulously. "What happens if I win" I repeat slowly. The council is quiet for a moment but one by one they all start to laugh at my statement, as if the idea was preposterous. A man on the left side is the first to recover and he starts to speak. "District three is the only district that has never had a winner, I doubt you will start now. However in the very slim chance you do win Mr. Quell, then you will be afforded all the perks of being a victor." He says as he grins at me wickedly. The others nod their agreement to this statement. The man in the center rises "The sentence has been given and recorded, in one month on the day of the reapings it will be enacted. In the meantime Mr. Quell you will be detained until that day" he snaps his fingers and one of the doctors returns to my side and injects my IV. I almost immediately start to feel drowsy. "Bullshit" I mutter to myself before I lose the world to the darkness.
The month I was in jail seemed to pass as if in a dream. The only time I was not drugged was during my meal times and one hour a day for physical exercise. They placed a shock collar around my neck that can be activated from any distance. I so much as step out of line I am on the ground convulsing in extreme pain. Leave it to District Three to love their gadgets. During my small amount of time with a clear head I begin to plot. They can't keep me bound in the arena, which would be seen as playing favorites to the people, which the capitol cannot do. Yet once I am in the arena I am at the mercy of the gamemakers. They can blow me up on the platform, send a pack of mutts after me, send the career pack after me. The possibilities are endless, and each new idea terrifies me more than the one before. The month seems to pass as if it was a day. Before I know it I am drugged, bound and transported to the justice building, a tall intimidating skyscraper that has been in District Three long before the war. I smile for the first time in a month when I see the boys waiting for the reaping. "Well better it be me than them" I think to myself groggily. I am taken into a tunnel and when we stop the doors open to reveal dozens of gaurds with their weapons drawn pointing at me. "What is this it, clearly you need a few hundred more" I say in slurred way as I stumble out of the van. They basically drag me to the back of the stage. My head finally starts to clear when they take my collar off. They leave my shackles that chain my hands to my feet in their place. I can only make small steps without tripping. I stand to the side entrance at the main stage and wait for the pompous announcer to finish his speech about the importance of the games. "Try anything and our snipers will have you dead in a second" one of the guards hisses at me. "Oh good motivation" I say happily. The words are barely out of my mouth before one of the guards punches me in the gut. I fall to the ground just as the announcer grabs the boys name from the bowl. They all either say the same name or he knows the name he has to call. "Wyatt Ripley" the announcer says dramatically. I am pulled to my feet by my shirt and pushed onto the stage. I trip and fall but quickly try to regain my feet. My stomach aches from the assault from the guard. Every member of the audience is watching me. I can almost hear their thoughts, "Who is that" "Why is he in chains" "What did he do." I can see the questions in their eyes. I raise my hands and smile at them. I make a peace sign and then blow a kiss at the audience. "Now that is some district three pride!" the announcer says happily. "Now time for the ladies" he says as he reaches his hand in the bowl. The audience barely seems to notice him; all their eyes are still on me. I try to tune him out but my curiosity gets the better of me. He makes a show of pulling out the name, He grabs the small piece of paper and opens it "Thalia Marx" he says to the crowd. I am stunned when the name is announced; this clearly is not a coincidence. I hear a scream of NOOOO as I see guards take her from the crowd and drag her to the stage. "You said if I helped you, you would let me go!" she cries to no one in particular. She is put on the stage next to me "Guess the odds weren't in your favor" I whisper to her coldly.
We are taken into the justice building, thalia pleads with me, I ignore her and then silence her with a glare. We are put in separate rooms, this is where we say goodbye to our loved ones, but since we are both orphans this seems pointless. When the door opens I expect more guards but I am shocked by who I see. Mr. and Mrs. Dant and their 7 year old son. Mrs. Dant rushes over and hugs me. I cannot hug her back because of the shackles so I kiss her tear stained cheeks. "That bitch, that horrid bitch" she says as she sobs into my shoulders. "Wyatt listen to me" Mr. Dant says as we all sit on the couch together. "You are strong, clever, agile, fast, you can handle this, I know you can" Mr. Dant says to me. Mrs. Dant nods along with what he says but the tears in her eyes tell me she does not believe him. "Thank you for the support but I think we all know they won't even let me off the platform" I say sadly unable to look them in their eyes. "They can't do that" their little son pipes up, he had been so quiet I almost forgot he was here. "Just make sure you don't move a muscle and they can't blow you up, they can't favor a district" the little guy says. I feel a spark of hope and raise my head. I smile at him. "Thanks kid" I say as I smile at him. Far to soon the guards return to tell us our time is up. "I love you guys" I say as I try to keep my terror from my voice. They all hug me again, "Come home to us son" Mrs. Dant says as Mr. Dant nods his agreement. I break the hug and walk to the door. "You will win won't you big brother?" their young son says to me. I should have realized long before this, while my real parents may be gone, I still have a family that loves me. I smile and wink at him "Don't worry Beete I am coming back" I say as the guards force me from the door. Slamming it shut and cutting me off from the people I love