A/N: HELLO, EVERYONE! I'm starting this one on a whim and I don't know if I'll actually finish or continue, especially since I have yet to finish Brittanic. Nonetheless, I couldn't get this idea out of my head and had to work on it. I'm pretty sure there are other Hunger Games and Glee crossovers so I'm sorry if this is already done (especially if there's a Brittana one), but it's worth a try. If I do continue, this will be a purely Brittana focused fic and there will be no other romantic pairings aside from them.
Thank you to JessicaHayden for Beta-ing this and encouraging me to try out the idea.
Disclaimer: I do not own glee.
The blonde girl stood erect in the crowd as the ball spun, her eyes never leaving the clear compartment containing the scattering pieces of paper. This would be her last year in the reaping but her name was in there a total of fourty-nine times, her odds way higher than most. She was actually pretty surprised she hadn't been chosen for the Hunger Games already. Every year, she would always sign up for three extra tesserae, enough to provide for her family, and pray that it wouldn't be her last. She lived in District Eleven and it only had two living champions, and for good reason too. District Eleven focused on agriculture and although they produced enough for the entire nation of Panem, nearly none of it went to them. They were starved and overworked, unlike the people from the first and second district who were always strong and trained. Brittany knew that against them, she wouldn't have a chance.
Her bottom lip got caught between her teeth as the spokesperson continued to tease them, waiting for the perfect time to pull out their names. When it finally stopped, she closed her eyes, held her breath, and waited for the announcement. She knew it would be her; she might not have been smart but she had always trusted her intuition. "Brittany Pierce," the loud voice called out, echoing inside her head, a small ghostly mantra. The blonde opened her piercing blue eyes and stared at the woman in which it came from; Holly Holiday. The name made Brittany sick to her stomach. It was ironic, really, how someone with such a bright name represented an event that was so dark and caused nothing but pain to nearly its entire audience. The only holiday anyone got from going with her was a funeral. "Come on up, Brittany," she said eagerly. The crowd was dead silent, unable to understand her enthusiasm. Out of fear, they all started clapping, fueling Brittany to move, knowing she had no escape. No one would volunteer for her and she hoped no one would, she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she knew someone had died for her.
Her footsteps were slow, hesitant to walk down the path while the claps continued, eating away what was left of her sanity at that moment. It was a celebration, yet to Brittany and her family, it was a death sentence. The Hunger Games, an event that happened annually where two people, a male and a female, from each of the twelve districts would get chosen to participate in a tournament. All twenty-four 'tributes' would be placed in an area and forced to fight to the death until only one person remained, the champion. It was the capitol's way of reminding all the districts who was in charge. They had the ability to force others to kill people simply for their pleasure. It was sick but effective- as hard as life was in the districts, no one wanted to die.
She had hardly noticed she approached the stage until the woman pulled her up, her voice as cheery as always, while she spoke false words of encouragement and congratulatory compliments. Brittany couldn't even bother to listen to her, her mind completely wrapped around the fact that her family will no longer have her to take care of them. She looked out to the crowd, her face completely blank, when Holly started the roll for the male tribute. At the far end, she could see her family, her mother, father, and little sister, unable to control their emotions, tears streaking down their faces. She wished she had the liberty to do the same, but in front of this audience, with thousands of people watching, she had to stay strong. She couldn't cry and show weakness. She had to stay confident.
Her body tensed when she heard Holly call out the male tribute, "Sam Evans." He was a well-built boy and Brittany hardly knew him, but from what she knew, he was a nice guy. He was popular out in the fields and Brittany knew most girls fought for his attention; he was also the mayor's son. He never had to sign up for tesserae and never had to work a day of his life. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Mayor Evans stumble, unable to believe that his own son was chosen to die and he could do nothing about it. There was similar silence as they asked for volunteers; no one was willing to risk his or her own life to save anyone else's. The fact that he was chosen gave her less hope. She knew that she already had no chance against the first few districts, but to know that she likely won't even have a chance against her own was an unreassuringly negative thought. Sam hadn't worked in the fields but he had a stronger and well-fed body compared to Brittany's and usually that went a long way.
Holly said her last few words, as required of her, before ushering them to the back. Brittany was placed in alone in a room with the knowledge that goodbyes were imminent; she just hoped that her family would be able to stay strong for her. The first to enter was her father, his tears dry, nonetheless the stains were visible through Brittany's sharp eyes. Without saying a word, she hugged her father, enjoying the last of the warmth she could get from him. What was she supposed to say to her father when she knew she was going to die? "Take care of mom and Rose, okay?" she whispered into her father's shoulder. Brittany knew he tried his best to care for them and she was glad they had him. "I love you, daddy." The tears started to run down Brittany's face as she absorbed what she could from her father's embrace; this is probably going to be the last time.
They eventually pulled away after a Peacekeeper told them their time was up. The man gave his daughter a small pat on the back before leaving, unable to speak through his tear-clogged throat. The next person that came in was her mother, not wasting time and rushing to pull her into a hug. "Brittany," she whispered, her tears wetting the girl's shoulders. "Do your best and don't give up," she tried to say confidently. Even though it was her own daughter, she had a hard time believing that she would survive. It was stupid to assume otherwise. Brittany nodded and gave her mom a squeeze, whispering the same words she said to her father, before pulling apart and letting the last person in.
Brittany dried her tears in preparation because she knew she couldn't let her sister see her cry like this. "Rose," she said softly before engulfing her sister in a hug. She was merely 11 and Brittany had a hard time accepting that she might end up in the same place as her next year. "I'll miss you," she whispered into the hug, acting as though it was only temporary.
Rose shook her head, not believing her sister at all. She might have been young but she was forced to watch the hunger games herself. Only one person ever lived and she wasn't naïve enough to be completely confident that Brittany would. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace before wrapping it around Brittany's neck. "I found the stone in the field once and I got momma to make a necklace out of it." Brittany examined the rough stone and realized it was a light piercing blue that matched their eyes. "Don't give up. Win for me, Britt," she added, her tone serious. The little girl pulled away and stared at her sister, "You have to win." She held out her pinky and smiled, "Promise?" Rose could see that Brittany was hesitant so she continued, "Remember, you can't break a pinky promise."
Brittany stared at the raised pinky before slowly raising her own hand, connecting her own pinky and nodding. "I promise." Her sister smiled and hugged her once more before being ushered out.
Now that Brittany was alone in her room, her body began to shake as the realization that that was going to be the last time she'll ever see her family again began to sink in. Before she could break down, Holly Holiday burst into the room, her smile as bright as always, stopping Brittany from doing more. The woman frowned at Brittany and raised her brow; "It's time for supper." She took hold of Brittany's wrist in a gentle but firm grasp before pulling them out to the dining hall. It was grander than anything Brittany had ever seen in her life and despite the circumstances, her eyes widened in amazement. She spotted Sam already seated at the table, his eyes puffy and red, probably an accurate reflection of hers, and another man and woman seated across from him. Brittany had heard of them, the whole town had. William Schuester and Shannon Beiste were the only ones in their district to ever win the hunger games and she knew they would be their mentors for the game.
She strode towards them with Holly at her side before taking a seat next to Sam. She gave him a small smile, which he returned, before they both faced the adults in front of them. "Now, we eat," William said with a somber smile on his face. He was a kind man, often found giving out food to the children on the streets, including her when she was younger, after earning his immense wealth from being declared champion of the 61st Hunger Games at the age of fifteen. He was relatively young and basically could enjoy the rest of his life in luxury, but from his eyes, anyone could see that getting there was not an easy task. All the champions were haunted by their own actions. Brittany wasn't sure if it was really worth it. She couldn't imagine killing anything, let alone another human, for her own selfish reasons.
As the food was laid down in front of them, Brittany had to control herself from gaping at it all. The scent was overwhelming and she could feel her stomach growl from hunger. She had never seen half of the stuff that was placed on the table, and the other half she had only seen but never tasted. The blonde was pretty sure there was more than the five of them could handle and the thought made her feel horrible. This was more than enough food to feed entire families and yet they were just going to be wasted after they were done with it. Nonetheless, this was going to be one of her last meals and Brittany took the opportunity to have as much as she physically could, knowing her counterpart was doing the same.
The meal went by relatively quickly and in silence, except for a few claims of excitement from Ms. Holiday, most of which were ignored. She was from the capitol and didn't fully realize what these games represented to the people of the district. The two mentors were polite enough to remain silent and let the teenagers enjoy their meal. When they were all stuffed, they were directed to another room, one with a huge screen in the middle. This was where they were going to watch the other reapings that took place during theirs.
It went in numerical order and Brittany paid close attention to the people she knew she would have to face sooner or later. From District One, a pale blonde hair girl was chosen along with a sturdy young man, Quinn Fabray and Blaine Anderson. Their names alone were enough for Brittany to acknowledge they were from the luxury district. There were no volunteers but from what Brittany could tell, the two chosen were already trained for the Hunger Games, Careers as they liked to call them. Next was District Two, in charge of the defense of Panem. In this district, the boy was chosen first and the guy who was chosen, in Brittany's mind, would probably be the winner; Noah Puckerman. He had a strong build and looked lethal. What unnerved the blonde the most was that he was actually smirking when he got chosen, like this was all going to be a fun game for him. Another girl was chosen for the Hunger Games but someone stepped up to take her place. It was quick, like everything was already planned out. Noah smirked at the girl as she gracefully stepped up to take her place beside him; Santana Lopez. She radiated confidence and Brittany couldn't find herself looking away from the girl. Noah was scary but there was also a deadly nature to his partner and Brittany knew immediately that District Two was going to be the one to fear.
Although Brittany continued to pay attention to the rest of the tributes, making quick notes, her mind was focused on the girl from District Two. There was something about her that caught the blonde's eye and somehow, she knew that Santana was going to be the deciding factor of the games; she just didn't know how. They eventually finished, Brittany feeling worse than before now that she had seen her competition, and excused herself, only to have a Peacekeeper direct her to her room. The furniture was expensive and the room itself was basically larger than her home but she knew she would never be comfortable in this environment. How could she be comfortable when she knew she was going to die? At that moment, Brittany made up her mind. If she was going to die anyways, she might as well let herself enjoy the rest of her short life. She promised she was going to win and if she couldn't physically win, she was going to emotionally win and enjoy herself.