hey guys this is going to be co-owned so if you like this go check out TheFaultinDivergent's profile (she is also my editor) no hate!
I wake up screaming to the sound of a fading explosion. The smell of smoke hugs my lungs as if they were long lost friends. The explosion that woke me up was from the mines. It was the explosion that changed my life forever... it damaged my lungs. The memory is kind of vague, but I was on our annual school field trip when it happened. The memory is just an unpleasant blur now. Luckily, my Auntie Prim's homemade remedies made it easier to breathe, but once in a while it gets really bad.
Today is the day of the reaping. Whoever gets reaped my mom, Katniss, has to mentor. My mom won once, with my dad... they were the star-crossed lovers of our district, district twelve. She was the capitol's sweetheart, the girl on fire. Well, that is until she cheated the capitol. She couldn't bear to be without my father, her one true love.
Today everyone in my district is required to put on their best clothing, and go to the square. I wake my mom up to find that she was awake this whole time in the office. "Mom what are you doing?" "Oh! Hazel! I didn't think you'd be up yet!" "Where's dad?" I ask. "He's still sleeping, he was up all night doing... uhh... paperwork" "What paperwork? He's a friggin' baker!" "Never mind that! He was nervous about the reaping...go get changed!" I walk out and see the art studio full of my dads paintings. My mom said that the arena inspired him. Now he bakes and occasionally sells his paintings.
Now that I'm ready, I tell my mom and dad to get their bags and start to pack they are going to be gone for at least three weeks since they are going to be raising sponsors for whoever is reaped. "We'll meet you at the square, okay?" My mom says. "Whatever you do, don't volunteer for anybody." My dad tells me. While they pack I go to meet my best friend Isaac. We go hunting every week, my mom says that hunting used to be illegal, but that was changed shortly after President Snow got killed. My mom said she used to hunt with Isaac's dad, Gale. Isaac isn't awesome at shooting, but he has his dad's talent for setting snares... or at least that's what my mom says. I got my mom's eye though. My dad is still sort of skeptical about letting me into the woods, but he still lets me. I got his artistic ability too. I guess I got the best and worst traits of them, my mom's stubbornness, and my dad's overprotective instincts.
I meet Isaac in our usual spot in the woods. He holds up a piece of bread from the Hob, and I remember that my mother said that Gale did this the day of her reaping. "Stealing your dad's thunder, are you?" I laugh. He flashes a small smile. "I didn't think you would notice!" He laughs. "Whatever. Sometimes the legend needs to be dragged on, even if it means stealing your dad's pickup lines!" I say giggling. "Well your mom married Peeta instead, talk about a cock block!" I laugh. "Well your dad basically dropped off the face of the earth for about a year so..." he playfully punches me in the arm. I laughed "How is Gale, anyway?" He shoots one of my arrows at a squirrel, missing dramatically. "Wow, Isaac, it's like you're blind!" I laugh. He disregards my remark and continues. "Do you expect me to go up to him and be like 'oh hey dad, Hazel, the daughter of Katniss, the girl who chose Peeta over you, asked how you're doing.'" he pauses and waits for me to react "Hey, that was a long time ago, they're over it anyway, don't you care about your mom?" I say. Isaac has always thought that my mom should've chosen his dad, even though he wouldn't even be born now. "Yeah, but I totally ship Everthorne!" "What the hell does that even mean?" Isaac sighs. "It means you put them in a relationship either against their will or without them knowing." "Fun!..." I say "So, basically the Hunger Games when your parents were in it..." "Leave it alone!" I yell only half kidding. He really does have a hard time leaving it alone. "What's the big deal anyway? My dad was there first!" Isaac argued "It's just annoying... it's time to go, I'll see you later." "Wait, Hazel," Isaac starts. He breaks the bread in half and hands it to me. This is why I like Isaac. He can snap back to his usual self even if the situation is bad. "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!" (a/n: TheFaultinDivergent totally ships everlark while I ship everthorne. Tell us who you ship in the comments)
The square in front of the Justice building is crowded. The members of District 12 gather around the large screen, a large mass of grey-blue neutral colors. I see Ellie Trinket, successor of Effie Trinket, stride onto the stage with a large, flashy blue wig on. She taps on the microphone. "Welcome, welcome, to the ninety-second annual Hunger Games!" She says in her silly Capitol accent. Like mother, like daughter. They stopped showing the video after President Snow was killed, it was outdated, blah, blah. "Well, let's get right to it! As always, ladies first." She makes her way over to the large glass bowl holding the names of all of the girls ages 12-18 in District 12. My chest tightens as she gracefully dips her hand down into the bowl, and quickly pulls a name with the gentle swish of her hand. As she delicately opens the slip of paper in her artificial nails my stomach churns. "Hazel Mellark!" She exclaims. I feel the blood rush to my face and tears spring to my eyes, but I bite them back. My mother starts screaming. "Hazel!" She attempts pushing past the Peacekeepers but stops. My father told me that this would happen... he told me that the capitol would choose me on purpose. He said that is would make for a better show and that's what they want, its just a show. she could see Caesar Flickerman talking about it on Panem Tonight "Can you believe it! The daughter of the girl on fire was reaped! What a coincidence!" My dad jumps from where he's sitting and runs toward the podium before anybody can even tell what's happening. I hear loud it with you, murmuring coming around all sides of me and I am forced to drag myself in front of all of district twelve.
"Now for the boys!" She draws another name from the opposite bowl and reads it aloud. "Isaac Hawthorne!" The boys around Isaac part, and he begins to make his way towards the stage. "Go on, shake hands you two!" Ellie says, and we do. He gives me a small smile, a pitying smile, as if to say this is the last time we will truly be together, before we are under the intense watch of the Capitol, and thrown to our certain death. It says, this is the Capitol, and this is the cruel world we live in. "Our two tributes from district 12!" Instead of applauding, the audience raises three fingers, and the Peacekeepers pull us into separate rooms.
I sit in a chair and anxiously await my parents, chewing on my lip. The door bursts open, and my parents rush in. "Three minutes!" The Peacekeeper says, even though I'm not really listening. My father hugs me and I finally let the first tear slip out and onto his shoulder. He releases me and my mother presses something cold into the palm of my hand. I look at her, tears sliding down my cheeks, and then look in my hand. "It's a mockingjay." She says. "Whenever you have it with you, nothing bad will happen." I throw my arms around her shoulders and let out a sob. "Time!" My parents are rushed out of the room and I'm alone again. That's when the door opens. Aunt Prim and Gale walk in. aunt prim walks up to me and calmly says "its okay... you can win just be careful" she hugs me and runs out of the room I hear loud sobs and crys as she runs down the otherwise quiet hallway "Hazel, I know how terrified you must be just remember who the real enemy is"