So I just wanted to upload a bit of the new story I'm working on. I cannot promise any consistency for uploading chapters. This is purely just to get some feedback and yeah. The summary is listed below, as are the characters who will have perspectives. If you don't like the changes I've made, please don't review meanly. I just want to know if you guys like what I wrote. Thank you!
-Oakley
Things from the original series I've Changed:
*Important things changed from original series*
Finnick didn't die, and Annie wasn't pregnant yet. They waited ten years before having their son
Katniss and Peeta didn't marry (because I feel Katniss didn't deserve Peeta)
Instead, Katniss and Gale got together. They had a daughter, who is friends with Finnick and Annie's son, but too young to be reaped for these games
Snow and Coin's deaths still happened in the way they did
Prim never died, she married and has one son and two daughters
Summary:
"As a reminder that the rebellion caused families to turn against each other, in honor of the 100th Hunger Games, parents must choose only one of their children to send to the reaping, in which the tributes will be reaped from those chosen names."
There was no successful rebellion. There was no proper uprising. Instead the Hunger Games continued after all that happened was hushed up. Now we come to the fourth quarter quell and to mark a century of Hunger Games. Family choices of names are having to deal with the consequences of their child being sent to death by their own parents. Lives are forever damaged and bonds are broken.
Characters:
Colson "Cole" Stone - "I asked my parents if I could go. Not wanting to send my sisters, they let me go. Biggest regret of their lives."
Chevy "Chev" Bates - "My name was put in by accident, it was supposed to be my brother's name."
Axle "Ax" Cross - "I knew my best friend was going to be put in, so I volunteered for my family, so maybe I could try to save her in that arena."
Bentley "Ben" Lexar - "My family, we're poor. So my parents had to ask themselves, who could they survive without?"
Harley Lexar - "I didn't want Bentley to go. I begged and pleaded with my parents. But their decision was final."
Isla "Issy" Rivers - "I'm not the favourite child, anyone can see that."
Dylan "Dyl" Odair - "I was their only choice, and it tore them apart to watch me go."
Lakelynn "Lynn" Adams - "Sometimes you have to make hard choices. Sending me was my parent's easiest choice."
Chapter 1 - The Odd One Out
Isla
I knew I wasn't the favourite child when my older sister got more attention than me. Rare as it was, younger siblings sometimes got forgotten, just like me. As soon as they could, the minute I turned eighteen, I had a feeling my parents would kick me out of the house and make me fend for myself. Luckily my best friend's family would take me in, no matter how old I was. The Odairs lived in the Victor's Village and loved me very dearly. I was practically their second daughter, as my best friend Dylan had a little sister who was only four. He was fourteen, and very loved by his parents. He was given just as much attention as little Layla. Nothing like my family.
Dylan loved me. He told me so. And I loved him back, but told him we had to wait. We were young, only fourteen. We had years ahead of us. Plus his parents already approved of me, and I loved them too. I spent most of my days after school at their house, or playing in the sea off their back deck. Dylan and I have the best times together. We sometimes laugh for no reason, and for hours on end. Sometimes Annie, Dylan's mom, sees us rolling around on his bedroom floor holding our stomachs because we're laughing so hard. She just smiles and asks us what was so funny. She actually cares. Wish I could say the same about my parents.
It's Monday. Tonight the guidelines for the Quarter Quell are being broadcasted for all the districts to see. I'm actually looking forward to seeing it. I've never been alive to witness a quarter quell. The last one ended in a rebellion that turned unsuccessful. All the information regarding it is classified and should never be spoken up. I suspect Dylan knows more about it than I do, but he's genuinely smarter anyways, so of course he knows more! Who am I kidding?
When I get to school, Dylan's already waiting for me outside the school. He's got some sort of picture book in his lap, and I recognize it immediately. It's the one his parents' friend sent him a few years back, for his tenth birthday. She's a Victor too, but from District 12. She scrapbooks stuff that's important and it's actually really neat. I love to look at the book whenever I go to Dylan's house.
"Hey Dyl," I say, as I approach the blonde haired-blue eyed boy. He's definitely got his father's looks and he's flawlessly beautiful. He's also fit, and quite muscular, from all his swimming and running that he does with his dad. I've seen them run past our neighbourhood more than a hundred times and sometimes they swing by to grab me to come run with them. What they do is hard work, but it's fun when I get a break from the boats every now and then.
Dylan looks up and a smile breaks across his sculpted face. "Hey Issy!" He shuts his scrapbook and shoves it in the top of his backpack. "Wanna come watch the Quarter Quell opener at my house tonight?"
I nod. "Okay! Will your mom make popcorn?" Popcorn is a luxury treat that I never have at my house because my parents think it'd be wasted on a girl like me. We can definitely afford it though. Whenever I go to Dylan's house, Annie makes popcorn for us, and as much as we want. It's our favourite treat.
"You bet. You should've seen the enormous box of kernels we got from the trains yesterday!" I laugh as Dylan spreads his hands to show me the length of the box. "It was so big!"
The bell rings then, so Dylan and I split up for class, promising to meet up for the walk to his house after school. The buzz at school all circles around the fourth Quarter Quell and all of us are excited about it. My name's in the pot only once, as is Dylan's. My sister, Esme, has almost aged out, but she's still got her name in too. Dylan's sister Layla is luckily too young to have her name put in. Annie and Finnick-Dylan's dad-have both won the Hunger Games, so the odds must be in their favor. Better than my odds, I bet you.
After school, Dylan and I race for his house. He beats me, by a mile, but I tell him it's because he's on the track team. He laughs and shrugs. Then he pulls out his house key and fumbles with the lock while I admire the houses in the District Four Victor's Village. They are all really pretty and trimmed nicer than any house I've ever seen. The houses back onto the water, and Dylan has his own dock leading off his backyard. I'm jealous, until he always reminds me I can come over whenever I want and jump into the water with him and pretend it's mine. Dylan's always so giving that way. Just like his parents.
He finally get the door open, and we step inside his family's mansion. Both Annie and Finnick have said that it feels too big, but they aren't allowed to make it smaller.
"Mom? Dad? Layla?" Dylan drops his backpack in the closet and I shove mine in there too. We leave our shoes next to the door.
"In the kitchen!" Annie's voice floats back to us. Dylan skids on his socks into the kitchen. The wood floor is really smooth, and Dylan tells me he's going to teach Layla how to slide on the floor as soon as Layla is ready.
I spot Annie first, standing at the counter with the popcorn maker. Finnick's at the island table playing with some blocks of Layla's. He's absentmindedly stacking a tower, then knocking it down. Layla's already running for her big brother, who she loves more than anything else in the world.
"Dilly!" Layla throws herself into her arms. He picks her up and gives her a big hug.
"Hey Layla! I missed you at school today!" He holds her close and she smiles. Even at four, she already looks like an exact copy of the beauty that radiates off Finnick and Dylan Odair. Same blue eyes and blonde hair that falls in waves. She's got classic beauty, and such that if she ever entered the games she'd get tons of sponsors. Same for Dylan. Me, not so much. Although I know Finnick and Annie would send me things. They have more money than anyone and will never worry about it. My family doesn't really either, but sometimes we have to make the paychecks stretch.
"Hey sweetheart!" Annie comes over to hug her son. So does Finnick. Then they turn to me. "So nice to see you, Isla," Annie says warmly. She's the nicest woman in the world.
"Here to watch the announcements with us?" Finnick asks.
I nod. "If that's okay."
Annie nods right away. "Of course! We wouldn't have it any other way. Hurry, help me with the popcorn. The announcement will be made in ten minutes."
Dylan gets everyone some soda to celebrate, while I help Annie with the popcorn. Layla comes over and I can't help to sneak her a few pieces in between popping. Annie just smiles. She knows I love Dylan's little sister.
When at last the popcorn is popped, we settle onto the couch with our bubbly sodas. Dylan and I have a bowl between us, and Annie and Finnick are sharing with Layla. It's really buttery and delicious. The TV's on, and the opening seal of Panem opens up. President Joy appears on screen, looking terrifying in her black dress that shows way too much skin. "Welcome to the 100th annual Hunger Games! This means a century of games have taken place and the fourth Quarter Quell! Before I announce the rules for this year's Quarter Quell, let me go over the past three quells."
"On the twenty-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence, ever district was made to hold an election and vote on the tributes who would represent it." I shudder. I've seen the recap reapings of those games, and it was really bad. One district voted on a poor boy who was crippled so that their strong kids wouldn't be killed for no reason. The mother of the boy was hysterical, and prayed for everyone to not elect him. But no one listened the the mother of the chosen boy ended up committing suicide after her son was killed right off the bat.
"On the fiftieth anniversary, as a reminder that two rebels died for each Capitol citizen, every district was required to send twice as many tributes." Man, that must've been rough. Facing more opponents than necessary. Jeez.
"On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capital, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors." That was the year of the failed rebellion…
Finally, President Joy gets to announcing this year. "And now we honor our fourth Quarter Quell and the mark of the hundredth Hunger Games." She draws the next envelope the little boy holds out to her. He's all dressed up in black too. "As a reminder that the rebellion caused families to turn against each other, in honor of the 100th Hunger Games, parents must choose only one of their children to send to the reaping, in which the female and male tributes will be reaped from those chosen names."
I freeze. My parents have two choices, me or my sister. They would never choose Esme in a million years. So that only leaves me. But my odds are the same as they were last year. Just less names to choose from.
As I turn to Dylan, I see him run out of the room. I can't think what is wrong, until I see Annie crying and Finnick looking grim. Then it dawns on me.
Dylan's the only eligible child in his family to be entered into the reapings. And if you don't two or more children to choose between, what do you do? Well Dylan automatically gets his name in the bowl and since his parents were both drawn in previous games, the odds of his name being drawn are high. Especially with less names to be chosen from. Besides, District Four automatically has more girls than boys for some reason. Boys are more preferred to be kept back from the reapings mainly so that they can keep working. With Dylan not having much choice at being entered, and that fact that only a few boys will probably will be in the pot to begin with, I think it's safe to say Dylan's entered into the games. And that's the last thing anyone could ever want.