There I was perched up on a barren tree looking across the rocky terrain. I peered down at my blood stained hand, a knife in one, and a necklace in the other. My long brown hair hung in my eyes, but large clumps, glued together with blood giving it a red tinge. Wait even I'm confused about this, let's go back to 3 weeks ago, to the day of the Reaping, to the day of my attempted suicide, to the day I became a Tribute.
My day kept getting worse, first Clare, my best friend, wasn't at school, then I threw up and still had to go to work, making guns for Peacekeepers, to top it all off today was the Reaping, when the best of our warriors go to kill people from other districts. That wasn't gonna happen this year, this year, I'm gonna volunteer to be a Tribute. I'll never make it; I'll die on day 1. I'm only 13 so my names in there twice, but I don't care if my worst enemy is up there, I'll be there in the end.
We walked to the Reaping, cramped in a small space with the other guys. Then we all went silent, the mayor gave a speech but I couldn't hear a word over the mumbles. It finally got to the actual Reaping. First was the girls, the District escort reached in and pulled out a name. "Christine Carfwood" he called out. Christine Carfwood a name everyone knew, a 15 year old who's been in so much trouble it's surprising she's still alive. Everyone agreed that if she was drawn that no girls would volunteer, that way we can get rid of her. Then he reached into the guys' names as she walked up, "Chase Lundor". My eyes bulged out of my head; the chances of my name being pulled were 1,000,000 to 1 and that 1 just happened. I walked up as everyone stared, the muscular tomboy who can't follow the rules and the twig who doesn't fit in.
I stood on the stage, looking at the thousands of eyes looking back. "Any volunteers?" asked the escort, seeming to try to ruin my suicide mission. No one. Not a sound. The Careers stayed silent. "Ok then meet your Tributes!" he screamed out.
I sat there in the pampered room in the District hall, waiting for my mom to walk in. I heard footsteps from the hall, probably 3 doors down. My great hearing could hear it clearly, but not as clear as the cheers from outside. Clare walked in wearing a sad face, "What's the chances of them picking out you, well what's the chance of it being anyone else I guess"
"Everyone's pretty happy huh?"
"Sorry, but the two of you are outcasts, freaks. Just like me,"
"So? That means we have to die? Don't answer that, I know everyone here hates outcasts. At least Christine was normal once. I've been different since the day I was born." My only similarity with anyone is the fact my parents are split, my dads a Peacekeeper in District 11 and my mom and I make guns in The Nut. I knew my mom would be here, but my dad probably won't be home to comfort my mom until after the NEXT games have started.
Clare left after realizing I had gone off into thought. I didn't come out of this episode of deep thought until my mom had walked in to say goodbye. She didn't actually say anything, just a long hug and she cried a little. She left trying not to sob about losing her only child. I figured that would be it but I was wrong. The door opened again and I figured it was time to go. Instead my 17-year-old cousin Ryan walked in. I hardly saw my cousins at all the last time I saw him was 4 years ago, I wouldn't recognize him if it weren't for the scar on his temple from a gun testing mistake where a bullet grazed him.
"Hey dude." He said flatly sitting next to me and putting his rucksack by him.
"Hey. What are you doing here? We never see each other."
"I figured that you wouldn't really have a Token," Wow, I didn't really have a Token to wear, I'd want wear it so I don't blow up like a girl a few years ago. "So I brought you this." He said taking something out of the bag. A glove. A black leather glove with red writing on the back. "Here, it says, 'A grounded bird can't compare, to a flock in the air'" I took the glove and stared at it seeing the graceful writing in the palm of the glove. I turned it over to see a drawing of a crow, again in red.
"Wow, thanks, but where the hell did you get this?" I asked since I didn't want some one watching the games to say 'That tribute stole my glove!'
"I found it in my house and my mom said I could have it" he buzzed quickly knowing what I was thinking.
The trip to the Capitol was short. As usual we in warrior garb on the District 2 float on our way to the building. After being escorted to our rooms I found myself lying on my bed thinking about the Games, what terrain? What kind of tricks? What kind of weapons? Eventually I realized I had stayed up all night thinking. The next day we had training, but I was to exhausted to do anything. Note to self: Don't stay up all night. All I did was learn how to tell f something was poisonous or not. Then another Tribute walked up to the teacher, she had medium blonde hair, I recognized her from watching the other Reapings, and her name was Emily, from District 4. "Hey aren't you from District 2?" She asked with a questioning look.
"Yeah, why?"
"It's just aren't most Tributes from 2 Careers and all muscley?"
"Yeah but I'm not a Career." I pointed out, "Not everyone from 2 are Careers. Aren't you a Career, cause you're from 4?"
"Ok, ok I get it. No I'm not a Career. I don't know why none of the Careers volunteered. They just didn't."
"Weird. Same here."
"Anyway. Is that glove your Token?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry I kind of forgot I was wearing it"
"What's on it?"
"A crow and a quote" I said opening my palm so she could see the crimson calligraphy. "A grounded bird can't compare, to a flock in the air." I said reading it.
"Wow, cheesy"
"Yeah but it's all I got"
"Oh, I brought a turquoise necklace" she said reaching in her standard gray T-shirt and took out a shining light green stone on a silver chain.
"How is that your Token? You can choke someone!"
"The chains to weak"
"Oh"
We hung out the rest of the day talking about our lives back home.
"Yeah being part of the Games is kind of my suicide mission," I admitted after she said how she's better off dead for her family
"Well your mission should be a success with the other Tribute from 4,"
"What makes you say that?"
"He's Bryan Odair. Finnick Odair's cousin."
"Wow, we're dead."
"Yeah, Finnick has trained him since his 5th birthday, that was his birthday wish, to be trained to be a Tribute."
"Why is he just now a Tribute? Why didn't he volunteer last year? Or the year before?"
"His name was drawn last year, but another Career took his place. Then he swore that he would end him himself."
"Well he was wrong, that Career was killed in the games"
"Yeah the Career that they somehow didn't have footage of his death and they claimed was a mutt."
"So what?"
"He went missing when the Games started last year and says that he found the arena, snuck in, took out the cameras, and did what he said he would."
"I don't believe it."
The next day we actually trained, turns out Emily's trident throwing was Finnick worthy, but so was Bryan's. I myself found out that I could hit a fly from 10 feet away with a knife and not kill it. "Another bull's eye way to go!" cheered Emily.
"You can do better with a trident" I provoked.
"You're both pretty good" came a calm voice from behind. We turned around and saw a Career from District 1 Steffany Canish; A 14 year old girl with long blonde hair and sky blue eyes. She was only a year older but probably half a foot taller than me and at least a foot taller than Emily. Emily and I were the second Tributes to get here and she was the first. Earlier she was practicing hand-to-hand combat, then we saw her at archery, and just minutes ago she was using swords. "I can't use these things for crap" She walked to the trident station and picked one up. She carefully aimed at the stationary target and threw it. Bull's eye, on a target at the archery station.
"Wow that's bad." Emily said astonished.
"I'm guessing the two of you will work together in the Games, I want in.," she growled out of nowhere.
"Umm sure, I guess, but just be ready to fight once it's down to us." I said knowing it wouldn't happen.
"More than ready" she said in a creepy tone.
We trained the rest of the day and the next. Then it was time for our scores, Steffany was the second one. Only 1 Tribute afterward it was my turn. I walked in and saw the Gamemakers glaring at me with a steely focus. I picked up a knife and looked at the body paints probably 60 or 70 yards away. I threw it with as much strength as I could. The paint splattered all over the wall. I knew I was on a roll. I used the remainder of my time hitting far off targets with pinpoint accuracy. I left confident in a good score and the slightest feeling of actually making it to the Victor's Village.
We were sitting there in silence waiting for the scores, Steffany: 9, Christine: 6, me: 8, Emily: 8, Bryan: 10. Those are the only Tributes I knew and wanted to know; with a rating of 10 Bryan is sure to part of the Career pack. If there were ever a Tribute with a rating of 10 that wasn't a Tribute, well Panem would probably fall apart at the seams.
Never a days rest here. As soon as I woke up I was whisked away to the stylists, and damn I've never loathed anything more. Burning baths, tearing tweezers, and freaky fabrics. In the end my pale skin was paler, my dark brown hair was darker, and my simple black shirt and pants were replaced with a tuxedo worth more than my house. I got to keep the glove but that was it. The blazer and pants were a midnight black with crimson drawings of crows on them, but something else. A closer look made me realize that there were small rubies in the fabric. Even with the burning and overdressing the thing I hated the most was the fact that they put maroon red eye shadow on me. I was pissed.
I was sitting there at the interview while Steffany answered questions. She was wearing a tiger print dress that was pink instead of orange at the top, fading to red at the bottom. Every question answer had to do with female empowerment, even 'How do you like this gorgeous dress you're wearing?' which she answered with 'I hate it; and I hate how every girl wears a dress every year. I don't like dresses! I feel they say 'I'm weak and high maintenance. Which I'm not.'
Christine's dress looked like a blood splattered wedding dress and all of her answers had to do with death. It was odd.
Then it was my turn. I walked over to Caesar. When I stepped up I saw his crimson face. "Wow! Our eyes match!" He wailed into the microphone. "Anyway, what's your favorite part of the Capitol?" He said with an ear-to-ear smirk.
"I'd have to say the fact that you look like someone stabbed you in the eyes" I said in my sarcastic tone. Followed by murmurs from the audience and chuckles from the tributes.
He gave a fake laugh with his look of 'oh my gosh!' and tried to continue "What a joker! Now, how about you tell us about your Token, it seems to be the base of your outfit."
"It is. It's a glove I got from my cousin. It has a drawing of a crow, like my outfit; and it says 'A grounded bird can't compare, to a flock in the air'" I said looking down at the ground.
"Wow, deep. Now you're probably one the only drawn Tributes from District 2 to actually make it to the Games. Why do you think that is?"
"It's because I'm the freak of District 2. They want to get rid of Christine and I." Caesar tried to stop my rant but I continued. "The people there, much like the people here in the Capitol, despise anyone different. I was going to volunteer myself to be a Tribute as a suicide mission, but I'm gonna show all of you, back at home, here in the Capitol, in the other Districts, that even if your different you don't deserve to die. I'm not committing suicide anymore. I will try to win. I will win. I will be the next Victor." I finished right as the time stopped. Hundreds of eyes started up at me in awe. I'm not the freak of District 2 anymore. I'm the freak of Panem.
Emily's interview went well, she wore a long strapless dress of rainbow fish scales. It kind of made her look like a mermaid. She answered all of her questions sarcastically or comical. No matter how funny her answers were everyone's eyes still gazed at me. The other interviews went the same. It bugged me.
They finally ended and we were off to the Games. I was changed out of the suit and put in a green shirt and cargo pants. I was standing on the metal platform about to rise up into bloodshed. I slowly rose up; even in this tube I could feel the temperature rise and humidity fall. Until finally I saw the sand and rocks of the huge wasteland. I never thought I'd see one again, last time they did this everyone was bored with it.
We all stood there waiting and listening. I looked to my right and saw the smallest Tribute from 11 standing on her platform. Then a huge bird flew out of nowhere and knocked her over causing her to blow up. I nearly ran in he other direction to avoid the chunks flying toward me but stood there to avoid the same fate. Blood drops and what I think was a finger showered me. Let the blood bath begin.