((A/N: Hey guys! This is The Hunger Games in Rue's Point of view with a twist. This is co-written with WOWPH2OHOAHP (Kenzie), my best friend. I hope you like it!))
My eyes slowly drift open as the rough feel of my canvas white sheets brush against my fingertips and dread fills my thoughts. Today is reaping day. My very first reaping. I slowly stretch out my arms and rise from my bed, walking slowly into the main living room of my very small, very old, oak wooden home. It's degrading in the most obvious ways; The roof was at a slight slant, every nook and cranny was infested with spider webs, and the door creaked loudly when opened. it shook the whole house if you jumped too high and landed too hard, but it was what I had, and it was home. It's not like I could complain anyway, I'd get whipped! They are very strict here in eleven.
"Rue.." my mother sighs, looking straight at me. I'm the first of her children to get reaped. All my siblings are too young. My sister Itha, for example, is only eleven. Eleven and a half, she would say, but eleven nonetheless. As is my brother, Olive. He's eleven and a quarter. The rest of my siblings; my sisters Duni, River and Rain are all younger.
"Yes, mother?" I ask.
"I've got your dress picked out here." she tells me. I glance to where her view points. There, on our old wooden chair, lies a deep blue dress. It's a bit ragged and it has a small hole in one side, but it's my best dress. I go to change into it. When I'm done, I walk into the room once more.
My mother smiles at me and starts to braid my hair. Just then, my father, Sythus, walks in.
"Well" he smiles, kneeling down to me. "Doesn't my little flower look beautiful?" I smile and look down, blushing a little. Rue was the name of a small mountain flower, so my father sometimes calls me flower.
"Keep your head up" Mother tells me, moving my chin upwards. "I can't finish this braid if you keep looking down." Father turns and walks away to talk with my younger siblings as I keep my chin upwards until Mother was finished, when she wrapped my braids up on the top of my head and tied it with a string. "There!" she smiled with satisfaction.
"Thank you." I smiled, and turned to hug my mother. "Mother?" I asked her, pulling away from the hug.
"Yes, Rue?" she looked at me, squeezing my shoulders.
"Can I walk down to the meadow?" I asked, wanting to be alone for a while to ponder on the day. I felt like I might cry, and I didn't want anyone to see me.
"Of course you can." said my mother. "but don't forget about the reaping." Of course I wont forget the reaping. How could I? It could be me they choose!
"I promise." I tell my mother and start to head towards the door. "I love you." The door creaks open and then slowly closed. I walk down a dirt path through the trees that I had to walk down whenever I had to go almost anywhere from my home. I walked the path down to the city. Just beyond the edge of it lies the meadow in which I work almost everyday. The only reason I'm not working there today is that the reaping day is considered some kind of holiday. As I walk through the city I see many shops, a small bakery and the mayor's mansion. Of course, we couldn't afford anything here. We could barely afford food for all of us. We get very small portions if any at all, but I've gotten used to it. I passed the border of the city and looked upon a dark wooden fence and gate. Here it was. I nudged the door open with my elbow and walked carefully inside. I was alone here. Finally. I remove my shoes and start to walk carefully toward the trees, the soft dirt squishing between my toes. I come to a peach tree and steady one of my legs on a low branch as I begin to haul myself upwards. I sit in a crevasse made by two large branches and dangle my feet down below me. I am up high. When I look above me, I see vibrant green leaves and a few small green peaches. None seem to be ready to eat, but I don't feel like climbing higher, so I lean back. I hate the Capitol. Why must it have these stupid games? Oh, yes. 'As a reminder of their generosity and forgiveness'. I really don't see how making children fight to the death serves any purpose if they are trying to show us how generous they are! I lay back and start to sing a song I've made up about our orchards, I've put most of it to the tune of our four note chime.
Straight past through the city
along the path
flowers start blooming
trees start producing
I keep on singing
here in my tree
while i keep on picking
this fine harvest eve
the orchards keep a smile
upon my face
though the world is harsh
and I am but small
I only think of my beloved trees here
and I can escape all the sadness I see
there is no sadness for me
when I'm in my trees
I sit back a while and close my eyes, When I reopen them, I am in tears. What If I were to get chosen? I wouldn't stand a chance. Of course, it was very unlikely I'd be chosen, but it was still possible. I hate that it's possible. I hate it. But I've got to be strong. I look toward the sky and realize it's almost one thirty and I have to go to the reaping by two, but I don't want to leave her. I carefully wipe my face and climb down from the tree, I take a deep breath and wipe my feet on the grass, then slip them back in my shoes. I realize my dress is a small bit dirty now, but I don't care to wipe it off. I just push open the gate and leave, heading for my home. I start to run.
As soon as I arrive, I burst in the door. "It's time!" I huff.
Olive nodded as I grabbed a hand-woven necklace from a table near my side and tied it around my neck. It was my lucky charm, and it was my one thing from home I'd bring. Not that I expected I'd have that rule enforced on me. Not that I thought I'd get picked.
I gulped as we headed out the door. We walked silently until we got to the District Building, where I was pulled aside to stand with other children my age to watch the reaping. My name was only in the bowl once, so it's very unlikely I'd get picked, I mean, what are the odds...right?
Everything was silent as Diamond Lytherblu, A brightly dressed woman with neon orange, horrendously crimped, cotton-candy-esque hair, walked upon the stage. She always did the announcing for the reapings here in eleven and everyone thought she was odd, which was absolutely true. Not just her blindingly vibrant clothes (which were, for your information, orange and pink to go with her hair), hair and make-up, but her funny capitol accent and her giant smile, which definitely didn't seem right for an event such as this. This was the day that one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts get chosen to fight to the death in a game known as The Hunger Games.
"Welcome, District 11" Diamond exclaims. "To the 74th annual Hunger Games tribute selection. Today we will pick one boy and one girl to participate in The Hunger Games this year." Everyone was silent. "Isn't it exciting?" she smiles, raising her arms up in the air. A screen rose up behind her and starting to play a video about how The Hunger Games started (in the very Capitol-ized way of making it seem like the right thing to do, which it was very much not.) I watched for a minute or so, but I turned away because I already knew all of it, as this video was the same every year and the scenes were just lies. "The games are to remind the districts of our generosity, caring and forgiveness," it said. "In sacrifice and triumph." I bit my lip and waited for it to be over. This is no sacrifice. This is mass-murder. I waited until it had finally ended, and let out a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, my relief couldn't last.
Diamond had been smiling even wider when she exclaims "Well, Isn't that just wonderful?" she went on to say how she'd be picking 'ladies first' and how it was something of a tradition. All the while my heart was beating at a rapid pace. Finally, after what seemed like eons, Diamond daintily reached her hand inside the bowl and closed her eyes, still not losing her smile. I couldn't wait for this reaping to be over so I could stop worrying about getting chosen.
Diamond's magenta-gloved arm moved around a bit before plucking out a name. Everything seemed as if it was in slow motion as she unrolled the paper and read the name aloud.
"Rue Haylence" she read.
My heart beat at the speed of light, and I felt like breaking down and curling up in a ball on the hard ground. That was my name. Still, I knew I couldn't cry. I couldn't. Not again. Not now. I wont let them know how terrible I feel. I try to stay strong as I look around for my family. All of my family members were crying. It didn't help me staying strong at all. I stepped forward, horrified of what awaited me in the days soon to come. Never once taking my eyes off my family, I kept walking. I tried not to cry as Itha burst forward from near the back of the crowd. I kept walking slowly forward.
"Come on up, dear!" Diamond smiled. A teardrop formed in my eye and slowly flowed down my cheek. I wiped it off quickly and held my posture.
"RUE!" Itha cried, crossing in front of me. "No! Don't take her! Take me! I-I- I volunteer!" Peacekeepers came down off the stage.
"How old are you?" asked one of them intimidatingly.
"I-"
"Well?" he demanded.
"Eleven!"
The other peacekeeper slapped her across her cheek. "Too young! You cannot volunteer." He lifted her up to carry her away, but I broke out.
"NO!" I screamed, trying to reach out to her. The peacekeeper didn't stop taking her away. I turned back towards the stage angrily. I wanted to scream, I wanted to argue, I wanted to rebel, but I knew that if I did, it'd make it that much harder for me to survive in the games. The game maker could decide he didn't like me and kill me off first thing. So I didn't scream, I didn't argue, I didn't rebel. I just stared and walked. When I reached the stage, Diamond shifted uncomfortably. For once she wasn't wearing a giant smile.
"Well" she said. "Hello, Ruta." regaining her posture, she started smiling again. "Let's pick our male tribute now, shall we?"
"It's Rue." I told her.
"Yes..." she mumbled, putting her hand in the bowl once more. She flicked it around a few times, again she pulled out a name. I thanked the universe Olive wasn't in danger yet, for if he was the tribute, I'd have to kill him.
Diamond unrolled the paper and read it in a loud tone into her microphone.
"Thresh Ravun" an ebony-skinned (like mine) boy made his way forth out from the crowd. He looked about 18. I've seen him before. I know I have. But where? He gave me a slight smile. Of course, I'd seen him in the orchard. He used to go there every morning and say hello to all of us working there. I never knew his name until now, though. Thresh.
"Well, shake hands!" Diamond squealed. He held out his arm for me and I took it. I choked down my tears once more and managed a weak smile.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of District 11!" Diamond called out. "Our tributes for the 74th annual, Hunger games!" she emphasized.