Author's Note- This is just something I was working on a while ago with some friends. It won't be crack! or written under the influence of sketchy sleep medicine. The *full* story will be from the point of view of several characters. The first chapter is Callus Severthorne. I will be correcting errors as I go.
Callus~
I woke up today in my modest, cot-like bed today with an anxious nagging in the back of my head. I try to remember what the cause might be, but I come up blank. "Callus! Wake up! Get dressed, today's the Reaping!" my mother calls to me. Damn, I swear to myself. How did I forget that? "Come on, Cal!" my mother calls again. I snap the sheets off my body and fall off the bed, and frantically get up and stumble to my dresser. I yank out my drawers, looking for clothes that would be considered acceptable, so I pull out my father's well-worn slacks and one of his nicer collared shirts. He was killed a few years ago when he was caught with a weapon hunting for food for us. The Peacekeepers executed him in the square. I shrieked and cried out as they put the gun to his head. From then on, there hasn't been a single moment that I haven't hated the Capitol and their games. I stomp downstairs to eat.
Breakfast, it turns out, is a measly portion of oats and some spice I got from the market yesterday. The guy gave me a pretty good bargain for it, saying that he is giving a discount on items for any person who dared put in tesserae, saying they deserve something nice before they die. Suddenly, I realize the meaning of those words. If I get picked, all of Panem will be watching. I will no longer be Callus Severthorne, honor student and future engineer. I will be a doomed boy.
We arrive in the square with hordes of people closing into the small area where the hideous Ceri Boru stands with bright blue hair and a horrid bright yellow reflective jeweled dress, two glass bowls in front of her, one with my name entered seventeen times in. "Hello, ladies and gentleman of District 6!" she announces as I find my spot in the holding area for possible tributes. "Today, I will be taking one name from each of these bowls," she says, "and the two people with the names I pick will be participating in this year's 54th Hunger Games!" Ceri purses her lips to deafening silence. Everyone in the Reaping pool is petrified with fear at the possibility of them dying a horrible death at the hands of fellow children. "And now," Ceri proclaims, "the male tribute for District 6…" her hand hunts through the bowl. I can almost feel the electricity in the air. Time slows. I hear Ceri's words in slow motion. "Callus Severthorne!" I don't feel anything. On autopilot, almost like in a dream, I walk up to the stage. Ceri sticks her hand in the other bowl and pulls her hand up with a slip of paper. "The young lady who will be joining Callus is... Ava Haverton." A girl I recognize from school walks up, her face as pale as mine. Not Ava... I've seen her eyeing me in class and turning away with embarrassment every time I look at or talk to her. She looks away, but the cameras still catch her expression. My head is spinning, how could this happen? How could it be me and her together? How can we possibly kill each other? Ceri announces with a beaming smile that these are the tributes that will represent District 6 in the Hunger Games and we turn and shake hands. Her pale, freckled face turns from just blushing to rose red cheeks. I can't help but blush either. She finishes the Reaping with, "And may the odds be ever in your favor."
We walk together to the train with cameras flashing and TV crew trying to keep up with us being whisked to the vehicle that will take us to prepare for our certain doom. I hear my mother crying out to me that she loves me as we get on. I think about how I'm all she has, being an only child and the only other person in the house with her. I can't help thinking that she would also have to watch me kill and/or die a horrible death. When I come back into reality, I am thrust into complete luxury. The seats are leather with buttons on a console, the windows have fancy curtains, and the velvet carpet gives you a sort of, "Hey, you're probably gonna die, so why not be in a nice place before you do" feeling. I eagerly sit down and look at the buttons and see they have the names of foods on them. I press a button that says Steak and Potatoes, so I hit it and 30 seconds later, a beautifully cooked steak with golden mashed potatoes and creamy, thick turkey gravy popped out, steaming next to me. Next, a fork, knife, and spoon pop out of the console and I grab them and take a spoonful of mashed potatoes and pop them into my mouth. I can't help but let out a muffled groan of pleasure. Once I swallow, I look around and see Ava is sitting across from me looking at me. Over-cheerfully, I say, "Hi! How's your day?" but I instantly regret it because I know how her day is. I say, "Sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that. Your day is going exactly as bad as mine." She shyly mumbles a quiet, "Yes." and nods her head slightly. Her face is less pale and has stopped blushing as much, but there's still a pink hue to her cheeks. I next try the steak. I take a bite and stop as I see Ceri board the train and the door slides closed behind her. I stare in disbelief that she will be our guide for the Capitol. I continue with the steak letting out another, "Mmmmm!" and taking more and more bites until I finish the whole plate. I see there are also drinks on the table like teas and some that I probably shouldn't drink because they probably contain astronomical amounts of alcohol. Ceri comes in with her green powdered face and her enormous clown blue hair with a hideous dress and her horrible high-pitched Capitol accent. "Hello, hello, Callus and Ava, my brave tributes from the lovely District 6! Enjoying the tea, Callus?" "Yes," I reply, "it's very sweet with that hint of bitterness. Nothing like the rare tea I've had back in District 6." I try to say it in my most diplomatic voice. "Oh, isn't that lovely," she chirps,"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying it. Now, how are you feeling, Ava?" She mumbles something inaudible. I'm guessing it's a mix of shyness and anxiety. Oh, and also a bit of "I'm-about-to freaking-die-Oh-Lord-Jesus". I stare out the window and there it is. The Capitol.
The Tribute Parade and Training Scoring went smoothly but it was all a blur. All of the Career Districts looked fabulous, of course. In the Parade, Ava and I wore skintight liquid metal costumes that moved easily with our skin. The horses pulling the carriage were adorned with costumes of the same odd material. My score was 7 and so was Ava's. I threw a spear 50 yards into the heart of a dummy and threw a dagger from 20 yards into the neck of a dummy. That surely caught the attention of the gamemakers. Surprisingly, Ava excelled in martial arts and archery. The week of preparation passed like that *snaps fingers*. And then it was time. The night before.
Instead of not being able to sleep that night, I slept like a baby. I sunk into a deep, dreamless sleep. Almost like my body knew what was coming, and wanted to keep me from it as long as possible.
In the Arena. That's how my life will end. My surroundings come into focus. I look around and eye the rest of the tributes. A few of them look puny and easy pickings. I'll let everyone else fight, I'll just hide in a tree. While I'm looking around, a glint catches my eye and I look over to the source. The glint was a spear, and, right next to it, a loaded backpack. I see the countdown is down to ten, and my heart sinks. "Three, two, one," and then the horn sounds. I race straight off my podium heading straight to the spear. I grab it and the backpack. I whip around and spear a girl coming up from behind me through the chest. Oh my god. I'm so sorry! Blood trickles out of her mouth and she falls on the ground, staining the grass red. She had a family. They're watching her die now. Her cannon sounds. My mother just watched me kill someone! Another tribute tries to catch me off guard but I ram her with the end of the shaft in the stomach and she sprawls to the ground. Before I can get her, she grabs some throwing knives and throws them into a couple tributes with pinpoint accuracy. "Wow!" I exclaim, but it sounds more like "Wug". Cannons are firing pretty frequently now, but that's common for a Bloodbath. They stop, and I know that all of the weaklings have been filtered out, so now is when the challenge begins. "Hey, what's your name?" I ask. "Camryn Swallow. District 7." 7. The lumber district. Probably the most beautiful district by far, compared to my District, smog-filled and oily. "Callus. 6." I state, and then I see a sword on a rack in the Cornucopia. I run towards it only to see another surly-looking tribute get there first. He grabs it, but before he knows it, his life is snuffed out by a knife in his chest. I turn around and that Camryn girl stands there, smirking. I grab the sword and put it on my belt with my spear fastened diagonally onto my back, ready for travel. She runs away, and I keep a mental note to, 1: Watch out for her, and 2: Ally with her. I walk into the woods in search of the other tributes.
I walk through the forest and decide to climb up a sturdy tree as I see the sun go down, so I find a spot on a branch and lay back to sleep. Just as I'm dozing off, I see another tribute rearing up a knife and preparing to stab me, and I roll out of the tree as his dagger becomes lodged in the wood. I fall from the branch and hit the ground with a thud and get up with a few bruises. I pick myself up and run as the boy throws a hatchet in my direction. I assume he's from 7, judging by his accuracy and skill with the weapon. I wonder if he's teamed up with Camryn. I knew she would be a good asset to my survival. I run like the scared rabbits my father used to hunt. When I'm sure the 7 guy isn't following me, I scale a tree trunk and sit on a branch further up. Well, there's nothing left to do except settle down for the night.
Author's Note- Well, there it is. You can thank my boy Ethan for Callus' character, and Karli for Ava's. Reviews, please. I really appreciate it.
Ethan says "Somebody toucha my spaghet!"
Karli asks, "Do you know de way?"
xoxoxo
-Izzy Kenobi