Hey guys! First story! Okay, so this is my version of the first hunger games. I know some things may be a bit different, but you need to understand, this is the very first games, I'd imagine they were just working some things out. Also, I don't really go into full detail explaining a few things that you already know. Sorry. Any questions, leave me a review or send a message.
Kylie Sansfor, I sign in big, scrawling letters. Kylie, my name. The man pulls back the clip board and ushers me into the main square of District 2. Of course they need to take attendance. Wouldn't want anyone to miss out on a chance of death, now would they?
There are many people there all ready. I head into the roped off section, where I have been instructed to wait. I pass the twelve and thirteen year olds, who's faces hold barely disguised terror. My heart goes out to them, but what can I do for them, when I can't even help myself? I find my fellow fourteen year olds, who stand together in a clump. I know all of them, as we go to school together, though I know barely any of them well.
"Kylie!" A voice cries, right by my ear. I turn to see Riley, my class mate. She and I have known each other since we were babies, and over the years, become close friends.
"Hey, Riley. Nervous?" I ask, even though I know the answer. Of course she is. We all are. How ever, I am not prepared for this reaction.
"Oh, don't!" Riley nearly screeches. I notice that tears are all ready streaming down her rosy cheeks.
I am about to reply, but already, a woman has appeared on the stage that has been set up, and stands next to the mayor. You can tell that she is from the Capitol, from her perky face, the way she seems the only one in the vicinity who is up-beat, but mostly, from the multi-colored tattoos streaking her arms, and the jewels, opals and rubies, encrusted on her eyelids. Yes, she is definitely a Capitol freak.
She taps on the microphone she is holding, and it makes a loud, ringing noise that silences the crowd.
"Hello, District 2! It is so good to be here with you today. I am sure that you are just as excited as I am to be here today, for the first ever Hunger Games!" She pauses, waiting for applause. Not one person in the crowd cheers. "My name is Landra, and I will be the escort, and mentor for District 2 tributes, until there is a winner for this district who will take over as mentor. Now here is your mayor, to tell you about these games! Let's give him a round of applause, everyone!" This time, we clap half heartedly, only for the mayor's sake.
"The Hunger Games have been created in order to keep our districts in line. During the last several years, the Dark Days, the districts rebelled, led by District 13. As punishment, District 13 has been destroyed, and each of the other districts will send two children between the ages of twelve and eighteen every year, to fight to the death on television. The games are a reminder to the districts that because of what they did, their children are being punished as well…" He begins in a flat voice. I know that the mayor has a son. He is probably about my age, maybe a year or two older. His son has just as much a chance of being chosen as anyone else.
Finally, the mayor concludes, and Landra finishes with, "May the odds be ever in your favor!"
Then, she walks over to two huge glass balls. They are about halfway filled with little slips of paper.
I know that 3 of those papers have my name on them. Each child from twelve to eighteen entered slips of those papers, 1 for the twelve year olds, 2 for the thirteen year olds, and so on. 3 papers in hundreds gives me a pretty good chance of walking away, but what about next year? And the year after that?
"Lets find out who the first District 2 tribute ever will be!" She reaches into one of the globes, and snakes her arm around for a while before finally seizing one paper. One little paper that will condemn one child. Slowly, she unfolds it, and reads the name.
"Keliana Sansfor!" She calls out. Poor girl. The name sounds familiar, but not overwhelmingly so. Then I realize that Riley is sobbing, and clutching to my arm, and other children have begun to give me pitying looks. Suddenly, it hits me, like a ton of bricks, and I realize. Keliana Sansfor is my name. Keliana. Kylie. I am going to be a 'tribute' in the Hunger Games.
I approach the stage shakily, my breathing heavy. Only when I am halfway up to the stage do I realize that Riley is still hanging off of my right arm.
"Riley, get off!" I say impatiently. I know she's upset, but I am too, and this just isn't a good time. "Come on, get off!"
Finally, we pass Riley's brother, a seventeen year old named Haran, and he helps me to pry her away. I realize that I am probably Riley's only friend, or only good friend anyway. I would most likely be equally upset if it were her going to the Capitol.
I step up on the stage, and Landra leads District 2 in a quick round of applause. Meaning that she claps and cheers, while they stare spitefully at her.
"Now for the male tribute," She says, and plucks a paper out of the other glass globe. The anticipation is less climatic, for me at least. I have already been chosen, so what does it matter who else is? "Toro Faulkner!"
A muscular boy with dark brown hair and eyes, probably about sixteen or seventeen, lumbers up onto the stage. My chances aren't looking good, with him up against me.
Landra pauses. "Now, before we make anything official, I need to ask." She says. I look up in surprise. "Are there any volunteers to go in place of these two tributes?"
No one makes a sound. It is as if they think that even the slightest movement, and they will suddenly be up on the stage. Even sobbing Riley falls silent.
"Very well then! How about a round of applause for our tributes, Keliana and
Toro!"
-*.*.*-
The second the door opens, Riley practically flies in.
"I'm sorry, Kylie…" She murmurs. What else is there to say? I am somewhere in the Justice building, sitting on a couch in a luxurious room. They brought me here after the anthem played, and told me any visitors would be coming now. So we sit in silence, and I know that she is my true friend, because the way she looks at me is not like I am a dead man walking, but believes that I can win. Well, that makes one of us.
"I'll see you soon, Kylie," She tells me, as she stands to leave, and a smile actually flickers across her face.
"Bye, Riley," I say, sadly, after she has gone. I know that she would realize that I am not counting on returning, if she had heard me.
Next, my dad comes in.
"Kylie," He says sadly, and sits down next to me. He then pulls something out of his pocket, and drops it in my hands. It is a little piece of Jade. Something tugs at the back of my throat, but I will my self not to cry. It is smooth and round, about the size of an acorn. When I hold it up to the light, it shines, and I can almost see through the sea green stone.
"I gave it to your mother when we were married. They told me you could bring something with you. I thought you might like this." He says sadly. My mother. Her name was Jade. Each year, he would get her a little trinket, made from jade. She was always a bit frail, and when we lost her during the rebellion, it hit him hard. But he tried to keep going, for me. I kept him sane at the time. Now, I don't know who he can go to.
Eventually, he is taken away, being told that his time is up.
I have one more visitor, someone I do not expect. His name is Raynen, and he is in my year at school, so I have talked to him some, and see him once in a while around the district, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that we are friends.
"He's my brother," Says Raynen, without hesitation.
"Who?" I ask in confusion. "Who is your brother?"
"Toro." He tells me, as if it should be obvious. "I need him to come home, Kylie. He's the only one I have."
Suddenly, what Raynen is saying sinks in. "You want me to lose so that your brother can come home? You want me to die?"
He chuckles softly. "Well, when you say it like that… All I mean is for you to stay away from him. I don't want it down to you two."
"What, you think I'll kill him? I seriously doubt the chances of that." I say, still shocked.
"No, I think he'll kill you, and then I'll have to be angry with him." Raynen says, and with that, bids me goodbye. I am soon taken out of the justice building, and into a car. We have a short ride to the train station, and then a bit longer of a train ride to the Capitol. We are served lunch on the train, while Landra talks to us.
"So, what are you thinking, about strategies for the games?" She asks, as we wolf down food. Might as well enjoy it now, I suppose. From what I know, there won't be much where we're headed. Toro and I don't actually know very much about the Hunger Games, other than the fact that we will be pitted against each other, and teenagers from the other districts, in a fight to the death. We don't know where we will be, what we will have, nothing.
"Well, I was sort of thinking staying alive would work," I say, and Toro laughs at the look of anger on Landra's face.
"Yes, joke about it now, but when you've got a knife in your back, I'm sure it won't seem quite as funny." Ouch, really hitting a sore spot there. I glower, and Toro doesn't look so happy either.
We arrive at the Capitol at around One PM, just in time to see the last few districts tributes being chosen live. For District 10, there is a small boy, probably fourteen like me, and a girl who looks like she could be his sister. They don't seem like very much of a threat. They are so small, and not very muscled. I may be small, but I spent my child hood running and throwing blades around. And my knives never miss their targets. But then, I have never thrown to kill before.
From District Eleven, there is a big guy, and a leaner girl. The District 12 tributes shock me. They are both probably fifteen, and look like they have never had a proper meal in their lives. A black dust coats their clothing. I am sure that at least these tributes will be nothing to worry about. We later watch the recap, and I notice Toro keeping track carefully.
We are put in a large… there is no other word for it but mansion, where, Landra explains to me, we will be staying until morning. My room here is nice, but Landra has told me that my room in the training center, which is where we are headed, once all the other tributes arrive, will be much nicer. I sleep very well in the soft bed that has been prepared for me, and my last thought before sleep is that the Capitol citizens must lead very easy lives.
-*.*.*-
I wake up with the sun, the vivid images I had conjured up in my mind still dancing before my eyes. I dress in a pair of grey leggings and a purple shirt, the first things that I pull out of a well stocked closet. It hardly matters, since I am sure that I won't be in them for long. If I am going to appear on camera, Landra will force me into something nice, if need be.
When I head out in to the hall, I realize that I have absolutely no idea where I am. It occurs to me that Landra would want me to stay put, and just for that, I begin to wander. I soon start opening doors at random. Some are empty, most are locked. Finally, I find one that is already open. I curiously peak my head in, and find that it looks just like mine. I edge a little further into the room before coming to a revelation. It is my room. I went around in a complete circle. Well, obviously exploring is hopeless.
Just as I sit back down on my bed, Landra re-opens the door. "Oh, good, you're awake!"
She leads me down a long staircase, and then suddenly, we are off again, being driven to the place where Landra tells Toro and I that we will meet our stylists. I reach into my pocket, just to feel the safety of my little piece of jade. Then, I check my other pocket. It isn't there.
"Stop!" I cry, and Landra looks at me in annoyance.
"What is it?" She asks, her lips pursed.
"My stone! I left it in my room! We have to go back!" I say in despair.
She clucks in disapproval. "I will send some one to retrieve it. You will get it back at the training center."
I close my eyes in frustration, and bite my tongue to hold back my harsh words. Landra, although she has a funny way of showing it, is only trying to help me.
Soon, though, I have forgotten all about Landra and my stone. I can hardly resist raking my eyes down the face of the woman in front of me as she works. They may say that they're making me beautiful, but if this is what they think then I know one thing for sure. When people say that pain is beauty, they are not exaggerating.
"Relax, really darling!" Says a member of my prep team, a woman with dark green hair, as I let out an unnerving shriek. After they stripp my body of hair every where except for the brown locks that fell from my head, they begin to untangle said locks, trying to accomplish what I know to be an impossible feat.
You're right, why wouldn't I be calm in this situation, I think in frustration. After all, you're just preparing me to be sent to my death.
After a very long time, give or take an hour or two, they finally declared me to be 'stylist ready'.
"Oh good," I mutter to my self. "I'm just dying to meet him." Good thing Landra isn't here, because, unlike my prep team, I think she would understand the implied irony in the statement.
In he walks, although struts might be a better word for this man. He is younger than I expect, in his mid-twenties, I would venture to guess. His hair stands up in flamboyant spikes, and I feel an automatic disliking. The way he observes me, like I am a piece of clay that he is going to mold into a masterpiece. All of the Capitol citizens that I've met have acted like this- so high and mighty, like they are on top of the world. But then, in a way, they are.
So, there is my first chapter. I want an opinion on this now, please: is this to long or to short? Or is it just the right length? I want to know! Also, I actually read gethsemane342's First when I was writing this, and it absolutely inspired me, although I swear, I did not see the idea, and think 'oh, I should do that too!' I like to be original, so if geth thinks that anything in my story so far, or in the future, resembles her story too much, then I will change it. Other than that, thanks for reading!