AN: This telling of the 32nd Hunger Games will not focus on all the tributes, but more the most interesting ones, rather than the ones that die off in the first ten minutes. Please enjoy, and Happy Hunger Games!
District One, Jenna Maria, 15 years
It's time for yet another Hunger Games. For a while, I thought the Games were kind of cool and interesting, but that was before. Three years ago my older sister, Jacie, was sent to the Games when she was 15. She didn't come back.
Unlike most everyone else in District One, I despise the Capitol and their malevolent ways. They can't ever take back what they did to my sister, or all other Tributes that have died. 713 so far.
There's been a lot of talk at school about who's going to volunteer. Half my classmates say they are, but I know most of them will chicken out when the time comes. There's no way I'll ever volunteer, you can put your money on that.
The Reaping's are tomorrow, and the Games will have officially begun.
I wake up to the sound of birds chirping outside my door. I've always loved the birds, they brought me peace whenever I needed it, and I've needed it a lot in my life. I open the window to hear the birds better, but of course they just flutter off. It's an instinct, they know that some humans will want to hurt them. Just like the districts and the Capitol. We're scared of them, so we abide to their rules. But unlike the birds, we don't fly away.
Now it's ten minutes until the Reaping, guess I better get going. I give one last look at the heart-shaped locket hanging around my neck. I open it slowly, feeling the cold metal on my fingers. Inside a small picture of my mother is clasped behind a strip of metal. It's the last picture I have of her.
My mom died when I was only five. No, not died. Murdered. By my uncle, her brother. I hate my uncle even more than I hate the Capitol. He had no reason to kill my mom, but like my dad says, Uncle Trevor was a psychopath, and killing people was just a thrill for him. That doesn't make me hate him any less, though.
After my moms death, dad got rid of every picture of her. It hurt him too bad. Now dad is the only person I have left in the world, and I'm the only person he has.
The rest of the day is just a blur. The only thing I remember is my name getting called from the Reaping ball, and my dad's final words to me: "I love you, Jenna."
District One, Jacob Link, 16 years
I'm stuck behind the huge metal bars, corralled in along with all the other 16 year olds. It's a tight fit, which isn't good since the guy beside me smells like a moldy old piece of cheese. I wish they would just hurry up and get this done with.
Out of all the other boys in town, I have the highest chance of getting Reaped. First off, I'm 16, so my name is already in 5 times. But then I had to sign up for Tessera. I got five, bringing the number of slips with my name on it to a grand total of ten.
The reason I'd had to sign up for Tessera was because my family didn't have enough money. Since my father had been carted off to jail, I was the primary breadwinner, and my job as a salesperson at a perfume manufacturer didn't bring enough money in. I had to feed my three younger siblings, all of whom weren't even old enough to have their name in the Reaping ball. I'm probably the only one in my district who had to sign up for Tessera, since everyone else is filthy stinking rich.
A very eccentric looking woman comes onto stage. Her hair is a shade of green, and it kind of looks like a hippo barfed on her head. Her make-up matches. Her face is kind of scrunched-up and sour looking. Not the best escort around.
The mayor came up and gave a little speech, then the escort came up. Time to decide the fate of two people.
"Ladies first!" the escort said, screaming the overused phrase into the mic. Her voice was high and wispy. It annoyed me. "And our female Tribute for the 32nd Hunger Games is…..Jenna Maria!" Oh crap.
"And the male Tribute is….." she reached her hand into the large glass bowl and triumphantly held it up, "Jacob Link!" Double oh crap.
The chairs in the town hall are really quite comfortable. Their made of velvet, I think. I rub my hand over it, seeing the soft material change colors beneath my hand. We don't have any velvet in my house.
While I'm sitting there playing with the soft velvet, my mom comes in. Tears streak her face, making the make-up around her eyes reminiscent of a racoon. The only other time I've seen my mom cry was when my dad was taken away. Seeing her cry makes me start crying too.
"Mom…" I choke out. She puts her hand against my face, warming it. Her tender touch makes me cry even more.
"No, Jacob, don't do this! You're going to get through, my boy. I have faith in you!" she says, her bright blue eyes seeming to melt into a droopy gray. She knows I won't make it. I've never been like a career, never trained. I don't know anything on how to survive without being able to walk down the street and buy food, even though we have little money, we still bought our food. It's not like I had to go hunt down my box of cereal with a knife.
We didn't say much else, just sort of held each other. Then the Official standing out the door asked her to leave, and with one final kiss on my forehead, mom was gone.
Next came my younger siblings, all three at once. There was Tommy, the oldest, and the twins Molly and Maxie.
Molly and Maxie ran up and gave me a huge bear hug, their curly red hair bouncing all over the place. They were only six, but were wise for their age. They knew I wouldn't come back.
"Now, Molly," I said, trying to hold back tears, "I'm going to need you to take care of Mr. Fluffy for me, all right? And Maxie, it will be up to you to take care of Cuddles. Think you can handle it?"
"Yes!" They say in unison, their minds set on the task ahead. Mr. Fluffy and Cuddles were my dogs, both beagles. The names hadn't been decided by me, that had all been Molly and Maxie.
Now it was Tommy's turn. I turned toward him and bent down to his eye level, and put my arm around his shoulder.
"Tommy, you're the man of the house now. It'll be up to you to keep our family safe, and I know you can do it." Tommy's only ten, but he's a strong boy. He's been through a lot, and he knows how to use his head. I know I'm leaving my family in good hands. "You'll have to get a job, ok? The Tessera will help feed everyone, but that will only go so far."
He stared me straight in the eyes and said, "I can do it, Jacob. Don't worry."
And then I started crying all over again.
This evening has been a nightmare. Sure, the food is amazing, but nothing else is. The escort, whose name is Sorrell, isn't a very good escort at all. She keeps fussing about her hair, her clothes, her makeup, she doesn't even care about us.
But the worst thing of all is that Jenna, the female Tribute, is my cousin. My dad killed her mom.
I hope you liked it! There's a lot more coming in the Jenna/Jacob storyline. It takes a major plot twist next time it's their turn. Please review : )