-Kate-
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
A voice, booming across the sky, announced with a joyous tone:
The Games will commence in 3...
I glanced around. 28 other teenagers readied themselves, staring at their goal. The circle that encompassed each of them, surrounding them like a halo, trapped them within the arena.
"I just want to leave"
I just wanted to leave. They had promised us glory, riches...happiness. Then again, they do that once a year. 'They' caused a ruckus last year. Trying to outwit the Gamemakers, you were torn between thinking they were idiots or heroes. In the end, the baton of punishment had been passed to the next year.
The Districts were beginning to swirl in protest. As the inferno grew higher, the Capitol knew they needed something to douse the flames of unrest. It seemed like appeasement; they had overturned a new leaf, decided to give back to the Districts. The mandatory airing of the President's broadcast was, for once, welcome.
"We at the Capitol want to watch the Districts continue to grow and prosper, despite some troublesome individuals. As of tomorrow, we are beginning our new initiative: the Inter-district Benefit program. A test will be administered, then after a short processing time, the smartest 30 citizens, age 12-17, will be recognized. To incentivize the lazier of you, the winner will be granted a place in the capitol, riches and food for your family, and fame beyond your wildest dreams. May the odds be ever in your favor!"
The Game will commence in 2...
My parents told me to just be realistic and find a job in the city.
"Kate, we are just being realistic here. Why try?"
I tried harder on this than anything I had ever tried before. A chance to escape, a chance to leave my family to find a better life. I wouldn't even feel guilty. I could just send them food and money. I wouldn't feel guilty at all.
After hours of studying, writing, and long sleepless nights, it was finally the day of the Inter-district Benefits test. They presented me with a contract, and I signed it. Probably an integrity thing, telling me not to cheat. The actual IB test seemed to take no time at all. A few hours, and I left, worrying about all the wrong answers. I was sure I wouldn't be one of the smartest.
It took a long month for the results to come. So, in the meantime, I read. Treasuring every story, every person, I simply read, living in a world different then mine. Fiction was a commodity in our library. After exhausting the few that there were, I dove into the endless reminders of the Capitol's dominance: the Hunger Games archive. From each book gushed the blood of a friend, a family member, a loved one. From each page spouted the tears that came from lose, separations, and connections ripped apart. Each word told the end of the story: death.
I was happy that I wouldn't have to deal with that.
The results came in. I was one of the 30 smartest people in the whole world! Trying to keep it all in was too much, and I let out a small squeal. This was it; I could finally leave this District and do whatever I wanted in the Capitol! I rushed over to a television, the president was already dishing out his praise.
"We are glad to congratulate those 30, who have excelled past their peers, and are among the smartest members of their respective Districts. These are their Districts' children, their leaders, their future. So congratulations to all of you..."
Endless thoughts of what would happen to me fired throughout my brain.
"for being chosen for the 75th annual Hunger Games."
The smile stayed on my face. What? I stared, eyes empty. What?
"You eagerly took this test knowing where you would be going; for this you should be praised. This was clearly written within the terms and condition of the contract you signed. Advisors will be chosen and we will see you in the Capitol in just a few days."
I cried. I ran home and cried. The one thing I thought I had in my life, gone. The next days blurred together in a mess of tears. My parents told me to stiffen up and be stronger, but every time the stories of pain and hunger flashed in my head. Every day I was closer to the torment that seemed so distant from me when I read about it in books. I sat in my room in the Capitol, not making friends, not scouting out the competition, just sitting.
My advisors had been chosen. Hoffman told me I should eat, that I would need it in the following days. He told me I should train if I wanted a chance in this. I didn't want to eat. I didn't want to do things. I just wanted to leave.
The Game will commence in 1...
I look around me. Some people looked eager, some nervous, some terrified; each of them bound by a ring. I looked at a girl next to me, her eyes sharper than me. Her ginger hair covered her face, she ignored it -intent on reaching the goal. On the other side, another girl was not as ready. She was shrunk to the center of her circle. I knew she wouldn't be able to cope with what she would have to face.
Stories flashed in my mind. A story about a dapper boy falling in love and having to kill his beloved. A story of a girl begging for mercy from her best friend. A story of a little kid who dropped her memento, setting off mines around the circle.
That's it. It finally all makes sense. I know the sacrifice I need to make to save them. I know how I can prevent most of the suffering that will take place.
The Games will now...
Arms outstretched, I let myself fall forward, escaping this infernal ring of hell. The grass outside the circle came closer to my face. I guess, now I'll be just another story.