I Volunteer
"There will be no volunteers." I knew that fairy tales didn't always have happy endings but the Capitol proved it to us. They reaped lovers, a pregnant mother and her husband, a brother and sister, a rebel, and best friends. They said it was chance but these stories were written long ago and they knew how they wanted them to end. If we have no destiny we're dead.
Prologue- The Rule Change
District Eleven, three months before the Reaping
(Oakley)
As we all settle down on the floor in my family's front room, in front of the television screen, I turn to the three of my friends that are in the room with me and ask, "Do you have any idea what this could be about?"
"You heard as much as we all did, Oak," answers Grace from beside me.
"I know but I don't always take in all the information," I say, winking.
She smiles. "You did this time," she reassures me, entwining her fingers through mine.
"It must be something pretty important as they're announcing it so suddenly," decides Basil.
"Usually they give a couple of days warning but they didn't on this occasion," agrees Susan as she absentmindedly plays with Basil's hair.
"Does that mean Orion and Hope don't know about it?" I sigh.
"Probably," mutters Susan. "They weren't at work when they told us about the announcement this morning and I didn't see them this afternoon to tell them."
We all nod in agreement.
"Does anyone know where they were?" Grace questions.
"I certainly didn't," I reply. "I can't imagine why they didn't go to work."
"They never don't go to work," Susan adds.
"But I suppose there's a first time for everything," finishes Basil.
That probably makes it worse.
We all fall silent as the anthem of Panem begins playing when the screen suddenly turns on. As Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman both appear to begin introducing the announcement, the front door opens to reveal the flushed faces of Orion and Hope, both crouched over and trying to catch their breath. They walk in, shutting the door behind themselves, and collapse in the corner.
I don't think I want to know why they're like that.
"Where we you?" asks Grace over the voices from the TV, never the one for subtlety.
Hope laughs and readjusts herself so the two are more comfortable. Then she stares up from Orion's lap, waiting for him to make the explanation.
He rolls his eyes. "We were at work just...elsewhere."
"What were working on?" Basil mocks, wriggling his eyebrows at them as he looks over his shoulder to the corner.
Hope sticks her tongue out at him. "We were working in the orchard," she argues, "and we were doing the work... Just not quite in the way that we were meant to or in the place."
"Don't make it sound even worse than you already have," accuses Orion, staring at Basil.
Basil raises his hands in mock surrender. "How can you work elsewhere?"
"There are some parts of the orchard that we're not actually meant to go in but Orion found the other day and convinced me to go with him there to work," Hope explains. "We did our usual work there."
"Why are you so out of breath then?" questions Susan. "Were you chasing each other or running away from someone?"
"We're not out of breath anymore," begins Orion, stopping as he receives glares from the four of us. "Some peacekeepers saw us so tried to catch us. We outran them and hid, thinking we'd be fine until they saw us again and we ran into town. There, we heard that there was going to be an announcement about the Reapings so we assumed you'd all be here, as this is where we usually come for these sort of things."
I sit up straighter and look at him. "It's about the Reapings?" I repeat.
"Yeah," answers Hope. "Did you not know?"
Before I have chance to reply, the room turns eerily cold and the words freeze in my throat. I turn back to the screen to see that the two amiable co-hosts have disappeared, only to be replaced by a large stage, on which only a microphone is placed.
President Snow walks slowly, not because of his age, but to make the audience feel even more tense, onto the stage, tightly holding a golden envelope in his old hands. He obviously knows what's in it but is holding it to add to the effect.
The brightly coloured audience in front of him, in their extravagant clothes and oversized embellishments, quietens down their cheers when the President reaches the microphone and taps it to make sure it has been turned on.
I feel everyone hold their breath in the room and I pull Grace closer to me, trying to reassure her that it's all okay.
"Citizens of Panem," he begins, "friends of the Capitol, this announcement is spoken for the Districts who send a male and female tribute for the Hunger Games each year." He pauses to let the people in the Districts begin to take in his information. "This is about the Reaping for the Hunger Games which follows the same rules in each District." He pauses again.
Hope and Orion were right about it being about the Reapings, I guess.
"The number of children in District Three volunteering for one spot in last year's Games has made us realise something. That they are all loyal to each other and dislike the killing."
This is answered by some supporting calls from the braver members of the crowd who like the Districts but perhaps not the Capitol's punishment for them. I like those Capitol people.
"So for the Hunger Games this year, and all future Games, there will be no volunteers- only those who have been chosen will participate."
A shocked silence falls as the whole audience realise the power that their President can impose.
I swear in this moment, the only noise you could hear across each District and the Capitol would be President Snow exiting from the camera's view as the screen switches off.
After a few minutes, Basil says shakily, "I suppose it's not going to make any difference to us."
"What do you mean?" I mutter, my eyes still fixed onto the blank screen's position on the wall.
"No one ever volunteers in District Eleven," he clarifies.
"I bet they rig the Reaping," decides Hope.
We all turn to face her.
She has her eyes shut as she faces the way the screen was positioned, and she's curled up on Orion's lap with his arm around her. As she feels all our eyes upon her, she adds, "There's got to be a reason why they put the rule in this year. It's not like they've never had a fight for one spot before. I know it always used to happen in District One and Two before they worked out a system for volunteering. So they're obviously going to pull particular names at the Reapings to either make the Games more interesting or to make the chosen tributes pay for something they've done in the past."
"There's still no one interesting in District Eleven," Susan argues.
Hope shrugs as Orion says, "Hope, I think you're really interesting and amazing but I wouldn't want you to into the Games."
The trace of a smile appears on her lips. "But I bet the Capitol know all the secrets from each District. Who's committed crimes, who's in love, who's disabled, who's related. Need I go on?"
I sigh. "If that's the case, I don't think I'll want to be watching these Games."
"I think you'll want to," disagrees Basil. "Because if these Games are rigged to get those who have committed crimes, the two in the corner have basically thrown themselves in."
"Hey!" Orion complains. "We've never done anything...much. And then it's always necessary."
I can't help but agree with Basil, though. How ever much I think of those two as my friends, they haven't exactly stuck to the laws that are enforced with awful consequences for if you're caught breaking them. But they hardly ever are and, if by a small misfortune they are caught, they always seem to get away with it.
"I'm going to have to say that Basil's right, on this occasion," admits Grace.
"Woah! You two really are in for it then if Basil and Grace are agreeing," laughs Susan, trying to lighten the topic.
Orion doesn't even crack a smile as he stares at Susan, wrapping an arm around Hope when she sits up and leans on him. The expression on her face as stony and so different to the usual kindness that graces her pretty features.
"Don't," Hope challenges as Orion's arm around her tightens its grip. "Don't ever joke about us being reaped over anyone else."
"Why ever not?" Basil says, smirking. "From what you've said, you've only made it seem like you will be."
"That was a suggestion, yours was an accusation!" Hope shouts. "I don't think it will really happen. Sure, maybe they'll get some people who have committed crimes that are punishable by death, which they will be when they go into that Arena. They'll have one person that they want to come out and only that person will be coming out. No one else will have a chance this year."
She turns around and buries her face into Orion's chest as he says, "You lot are geniuses. You're meant to be our friends. When this was announced, I was expecting 'what's going to happen when someone who can't go into the Arena has to go in and no one can volunteer?' But no, you instantly turn on us and say that we're going in. Thanks guys but, if that's what you think, we may as well go. If you blame our inevitable journey to the Arena on the fact that we've supposedly committed crimes, maybe we'll change before the Reaping, but there's obviously no reason why to as you're all so set on the fact that we're going in."
Without giving us chance to argue, they've both stood up, linked hands and walked out of the front door.
"Great," I mutter. "You've pushed them away and we may not speak to them again if they do happen to go in."
"Oh right, let's all turn the blame on me," snaps Basil. "I didn't see you defending them. From what I heard, I only got agreements from everyone in the room but them-"
"Stop it!" instructs Susan, covering the boy's mouth with her hand as she fixes her eyes onto his.
"Yeah, Basil," I laugh. "You're not-"
"Doing that as well," finishes Grace, placing her hand over my mouth. "We've all broken those two away from us and we need to make up with them so we can't have the four of us breaking up too. Just at least stay together until the Reaping."
I nod and mumble from beneath her hand, "It's only because I don't want to lose them earlier than we will."
Author's Note: This is a rewrite of my original introduction because I didn't like it... It's the same actual thing when the rule change is introduced but I've added bits before and after. For those who have read further on of my story, you may want to read this but then you may not want to, depending on how you feel... But I will be updating the later part of the story soon but school work is currently my priority... Anyway, read, review and enjoy!
Also, just for future reference if people want to know the order of this story...
Chapter 1: Prologue: The Rule Change
Chapters 2-9: Chapters 1-8: The Reapings
Chapter 10: Chapter 9: The Capitol Reaping Report
Chapters 11-14: Chapters 10-13: The Train and the Tributes' Parade
Chapter 15: Chapter 14: Training
Chapter 16: Tribute Profiles
Chapters 17-18: Chapters 15-16: Training
Chapter 19: Training Round Up and Scores
Chapter 20: Chapter 17: The Interviews
Chapters 21-23: Chapters 18-20: Before the Games Begin
Chapter 24: Chapter 21: The Bloodbath
Chapter 25: Tribute Support
Chapters 26 and onwards: Chapters 22 and onwards: The Games
Chapter 57: Chapter 53: The Games Recap
Chapters 58-60: Chapter 54-56: After the Games
Chapter 61: Epilogue: The Day Before the Victory Tour
Chapter 62: The Sequel's Up