Hey all, I'm back. I haven't been since about... June, but I'm back to write. I have just recently read The Hunger Games trilogy, and after reading part of Mockingjay, came up with this story.
So, this is my first HG story. Please review, if you could.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the Hunger Games. The quotes, characters, etc. I do however, own the plot, the Six Sires, and Beatrice. Do NOT use it against me. ;)
"They would be even more powerful if that pox epidemic hadn't flattened their birthrate and made them so desperate for a gene pool and breeders." - Katniss, Mockingjay
My name is Beatrice. I am 14 years old, and I am a breeder, descended from Oakley, one of the Six Sires.
During the pox epidemic that took place over 50 years ago, many of my ancestors died.
My family bloodline has come from those who are hardy, who survived the pox epidemic. As far I as I know from school, there were only about three-hundred that survived. Now, that might seem like a decent amount, but we started out with about one-thousand people.
So the Capitol set up a breeding program, containing what was left: One-hundred ten females and one-hundred men. (The rest were elders, infertile, diseased, or too young to breed. These are sent to grow our food, maintain our facilities, etc.)
There were six main "sires". They were named Edward, Clyde, Cedric, Oakley, Ulysses and Hudson. Anyone who survives today has supposedly descended from these six men in some way.
Our bloodlines have all been traced these numbers of years. So, when they sort us, we are separated by gender, by grade level, and then by which of these sires we descended from. Each sire had given it's offspring a different quality.
Edward gave his offspring courage and modesty; Clyde, strength and versatility; Cedric, loyalty and courage; Oakley, an even temper and chivalry; Ulysses, leadership and a hot-temper; and Hudson, adaptability and strength. Each of these qualities survives in us today and determine our mates, friends, and homes.
Those who descended from Edward are housed in the mountainous ranges. Clyde's descendants are housed in the forest. Cedric's in grasslands. Oakley's in forests. Ulysses's in savannahs. Hudson's in beaches.
Being from Oakley's line, my home is a forest, shared with other females. We live next to the Oakley's males. We share the other half of the forest here in 13.
Females are bred once they start ovulating, about age twelve, until they hit menopause, which is about age forty-five. We usually don't live long due to being bred so often. The average life span is about fifty years. The boys, however, live until they are about seventy.
To control the low population of females, the Capitol administers a drug right after females are bred to increase the chances of concieving a girl, since the choice is made about 30 minutes after conception. It is 40% effective to affect the outcome, but to the Capitol, any chance is better than none.
Today is Monday, the day when new stocks of ovulating females arrive. They are transported from the farms and factories from which they work, and now, live behind cement walls and wire cages. Today there are five girls, all aged eleven. They are ovulating sooner nowadays. These girls all look cute and pretty, but still a bit chunky - they musn't have filled out yet.
The girls are corraled into a small twenty by twenty pen, and then separated one by one into offices, being examined by doctors. Gynecologists are important here.
Each girl is checked for when she is at her peak fertility. The first two years, they are uncertain, and get checked often, but for the rest of us, we're right on schedule. We know when we will be bred.
The girls return and then are separated into their groups of which of the Six Sires they descended from. There are two Edward's and three Clyde's. They are sent into their habitats, and then the day returns to normal.
Today, my friend, Royal (The Royal Oak), is being bred to a Ulysses male rumored to be named Oliver (Jet's Black Fire).
Oh, I didn't mention we had registered names? Sorry. We do. My registered name is Oak's River Shadow. Nifty, isn't it? I somehow got Hudson's lines mixed into mine, but that's a different story.
Anyways, today Royal will be bred to Oliver. At 1 P.M., she will be sent into a breeding chamber. Of course, there are rules. The females are placed in first, naked, and tied to the wall by their necks. Their arms and feet are wrapped, so they cannot kick the male. Then, they send in the male. Depending on the boy, they either say hello and be polite, or get down to it just because they get to. They have five minutes to breed. If they don't, they take them into another room, and then tie the girl to the wall where she can't move at all. The workers at the facility then take the boy and collar him with gag chains. They drag him into the room and force him to mount the girl. If he refuses, he is whipped.
And then that's it. It's over. The newly-bred female is sent into a small chamber until she is confirmed pregnant, and then released into a new piece of land with other pregnant females of other Sires. They are frequently checked to be sure they are still carrying. As for the birth, I don't know anything.
I say a fond good-bye to Royal and then hide under my shady Oak tree. I will not see her for half a year, or possibly, never again. I see my other friends - Helen, Adele and Alice - under another Oak tree, talking about their latest babies. Helen's baby had gold hair. Adele had a still-born. Alice's baby was born with brown eyes. Right now, they are on rest. I, however, have failed to have been selected to breed. They seem to not like me. So I just hide under my Oak tree.
Not long after do I hear that I'm next to be bred.
So that's the first chapter. More coming soon...