Author Note:
Thanks for clicking on my story please read it and let me know what you think! All and any feedback is much appreciated especially seeing as this is my first go at a fanfic, I've been planning it for a long time but only just recently started writing.
Also I just want to clear something up. This story will be from the different point of views of the tributes in the games, not all of them will get point of views and this is not an SYOT all these tributes are my own creation, I think that's about it so now story time :)
Halt
The flags are out, the bands are playing, the vendors are yelling and the people are bustling. The children are slowly moving off into their respective age sections and the parents are gossiping away about this year's games. Central Square is alive and thriving and the atmosphere could be described as nothing other than exhilarating. This is reaping day in District 1. I hate reaping day in District 1.
Yep, even in this glorified career infested District not everyone loves the hunger games. Ok, well by 'not everyone loves the hunger games' I really mean, 'everyone loves the hunger games, except me'. It's just so odd, here I am, some small, skinny kid leaning on some random brick wall watching the world carry on its nonsense, I seem to be the only one who sees this for what it really is, a murder show where the Capitol just proves to us just like every other year that we are their servants and we have do whatever they want.
Alright maybe I'm being a bit of a hypocrite since technically I'm a career myself, but it's not like I've got a choice. Every District 1 parent dreams of their child becoming rich and famous, and of course making them rich and famous in the process. Mine are no exceptions, and so I've been training for the hunger games for the past 9 years, which is a big deal considering I'm only 15, and it's an even bigger deal considering I'm kind of a pacifist.
The age group sections are starting to fill up now and I'm considering going and finding some other 15 year olds when I hear a call from the crowd,
'Oi maggot!' Janos and his group of mates emerge from the crowd and start walking towards me and my solitude, maybe if I pretend not to hear them they'll ignore me? You see Janos is this gigantic brute of an 18 year old that is already unofficially this year's male tribute for our district, and he's a bit of a tool. I say he's already this year's tribute because things are done differently in career District's. In the weeks leading up to reaping day the career school trainers announce who they think the best 18 year old female and male candidates for the games are, and it is an unspoken rule that no one else is to volunteer come reaping day, which is great considering the already completely up themselves fuckwits like Janos really need an excuse to parade their ego around… I mean here I am minding my own business, why can't he just leave me alone.
I feel his sturdy grasp on my shoulder as he reaches me.
'I said, oi maggot, you should know that that means you little mister I'm too scared to kill people'
Janos leans over me trying to look intimidating, quite successfully I might add would that I was actually intimidated by him. See while I am a bit of a pacifist, I quickly learnt that by refusing to fight the world would be made a much more painful place for me, so instead I practiced as much as any career, however I didn't practice how to kill people, more just how to maim them and finish a fight as quick as possible with as little damage done as possible, and I'm darn good at it to if I don't say so myself. However there is a downside of this, the trainers see a lot of potential in me and hate me for not training like a true career, and so do the older careers such as Janos, who has had the pleasure of constantly shoving me around these past few years. I always told myself one day I would snap and retaliate, and this might be the last chance I get if he's off to the hunger games today, so why not poke the lion? I did say I was only KIND OF a pacifist didn't I?
'Look Janos' I stare up as coldly as I can at him 'It's your big day, we don't want you getting hurt, just go run off with your little friends and I'll let this one slid considering you'll be dead in a few weeks ok?'
That didn't go down well, I see his face suddenly drop to a frown. He's not used to people retaliating and talking back to him, most just cower and try to get out of a possible beating.
'You'll regret that maggot…' Janos raises a closed fist while tightening his grasp on my shoulder with his other hand, no doubt with intentions to reconstruct my face, but he's too slow, he's fast compared to the other bulky 18 year olds but not compared to me. I swipe my foot against the inside of his, sweeping his leg out from underneath him causing him to fall as I simultaneously twist out of his clutch. I move a half circle around him as he gets up with his back now to the wall and as Janos reaches his feat I look him in the eye and for that split second I see what might even be a glimmer of fear, for a split second later I spin a full circle and roundhouse kick him straight into the side of the knee. I barely have time to hear the crack before I leg it straight into the crowd of 15 year olds before his friends have a chance to figure out what has happened. Just in time too by the look of it, the escort is about to make his speech, and as I find a safe spot deep in the crowd I can't help but chuckle as to what is going to happen now seeing as Janos will definitely not be volunteering. I've either given his mates a chance at glory or sent some poor kid to an early grave, or with any luck Janos might get reaped himself.
After lots of pointless talk that no one really listens to about the glory of District 1, the reason for the Hunger Games and how lucky we are to have such a duteous president in Snow, it's finally time for the names to be drawn. Just to add to the things I hate about reaping day, I hate our escort too, he's just such a puppet and I honestly wonder if he understands what he talks about half the time with his spiky blue hair tight lime green suit with all manners of frills everywhere. He's just impossible to take seriously, I think his name is Herron or Harrien or something? Yeah Harrien that sounds about right, I think. As I'm pondering over how I'm not sure about this barely human man's name after so many years of watching him he puts his hand into the female bowl and draws out a name.
'Tra…..'
'I Volunteer!' He who shall now be known as Harrien barely got out the first syllable of the reaped girls name before the voice that everyone was expecting is heard from out of the 18 year old section.
An absolutely stunning girl with long, wavy golden hair and the most angelic of faces proceeds to walk up to the stage. Supplying nothing but her most gracious smile as she shakes hands with Harrien and tells him that her name is Amber Sandrea and how excited she has the chance to represent her district and blah blah blah who really gives a crap she's a slut with a knack for killing people just like every other female tribute we have?
Eventually attention turns to the unknown male tribute when Harrien gets tired of staring at Amber's inappropriately short dress while she rambles and he decides to shut her up and draw a name. I have to say I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a little excited to see everyone's reaction when Janos doesn't volunteer, or better, if he still does!
'And the male tribute for district one is…'
I have a look around to try and find Janos in the crowd but he must have gone off to cry to the peacekeepers or something, I think regardless I'm going to be in quite a bit of shit after today.
'Halt Gilderhall!'
Fuck, well I wasn't wrong...
