This is my first time writing a HG fanfic. I've never really visited the HG fandom before and so I'm really not sure what's considered cliche and what's not. Out of all the things I had thought of to write, this is probably the least cliche. But it's real short. Well, I could have made it longer but I don't have the time. :P
Written for Starvation forum monthly prompt challenge.
She hates The Hunger Games. And she's not even a Tribute.
Actually, that's exactly where the hatred stems from.
"This is madness." "You're crazy." She hears it all the time but when you live in a District whose people you're quite sure have never actually been sane, such labeling really doesn't mean anything. And she's not talking about the green body dyes or the extreme wastage of food at feasts, she was born in the Capitol and she's lived there all her life. Those actions don't mean much to her. However, the moment you arrive in this world, you've always wanted to be cared for, to be hugged, kissed, loved. It's an innate want to be loved by someone, an innate need within your heart, really. Without love, without someone to care for you, life is…bleak. And it can show you how dark or grey it can be, even if you lived in a world as elaborate and colourful as the Capitol because really, it's not what you see with your eyes, it's what you feel (or don't feel) with your heart.
And of course, this is where the lovely Hunger Games come in.
She dreads the day when the Games start, not because she's has to go through the Reaping but because this "start" is really just the end to her in a whole other way. She's never really known of any one else who hated The Hunger Games with the same reasons as she did. Being a resident in the Capitol, Reaping Day didn't mean a death sentence, so why was she so against the whole thing? Because when the Games aired, the idea of such entertainment flew into everyone's minds and stuck there, hooked itself there and refused to leave till all 23 tributes died and the victor was announced. In the Capitol, all you saw were videos of the Hunger Games, all you heard were discussions of the Hunger Games, all you felt was the anticipation building up in each District member as they stared at the screen and all you thought of was The Hunger Games and the Hunger Games only. The only ones you cared about were the tributes.
Who's going to die? Is she going to die? What is he doing? No, it's a trap, she shouldn't do that! Woah, that's clever. Water, find water! Oh no, he died.
And that is all there is.
There's no more "How was your day?", "Had fun?", "Good night Sweetie.". No. Her friends, her family…They were engrossed in this form of entertainment and if she had nothing to say about the Games, they had nothing to listen to. All they did each night was stare at the screen as dirty girls and boys ran away from each others' weapons or ended the tributes lives with gore and blood. Most people had nothing against this-this not caring about anything else besides the Games-because nearly everyone joined in. But she never did like the Hunger Games and because of this, she was nobody during this period of time, nobody to care for, nobody to give a damn about.
She knows its stupid to envy people who were fighting for their lives while she had a comfy room and a never-ending supply of food. She knows its dumb to let the small problem (small when compared to trying to survive in a arena where everyone wants you dead) of not being cared for during this time get to her. She knows its freaking idiotic but that's just how she feels! Jealous. Because for this period of time, these filthy kids get the attention while she's ignored.
It's crazy to envy them, it's madness. But what is mad in a place where people treat dying kids as entertainment?