Mutation Mayhem
District 2 reaping
Sagi's POV:
"Sagi! Get your ass down those stairs and celebrate your sister volunteering to be in the games." I hear my mother yell. Probably already giving my sister, Vanessa, tips on how to win the games.
"Why would I want to? The games are solely a way for the Capitol to have entertainment for a few weeks each year since they can't make any other form of entertainment. Besides that other tribute is me! How can you forget that I'm volunteering to prove to you that intelligence can win the games instead of just brute force, which is Vanessa's only chance to becoming a victor in the games!" Maybe that'll finally get through to her. Or it'll get me killed as soon as I take a step on those stairs. A few years ago I engineered the stairs to turn into a slide if we ever needed to escape quickly, but my family found the lever I hid under the fourth stair and try to kill each other every once in a while.
As I expected I stepped onto the stairs and end up sliding down almost impaling myself on my sisters makeshift spear. Thank god for my sister being horrible with spears otherwise I'd be dead. Instead of hitting me she hit the slide above me as I slid past her. I didn't avoid danger for very long after, since my mom tried to force a knife through my skull.
"What was that you yelled from your room? Cause I thought I heard you say that your sister wouldn't survive with only brute force." Mom asks.
"Uh..." I begin to say.
"Exactly you can't even think of anything to save your ass at home what makes you think you'll survive the games without any strength?" Vanessa asks, as she struggles to get her spear out of the stairs.
"At least I could get that spear out of the stairs and actually hit someone with it." I shoot back.
"Yea right, like you could pick anything up besides your little short sword and bow. Why doesn't strong guy come prove that he can own up to his word?" asks Vanessa.
"Fine step aside." I reply
"Oh please like you'd ever be able to.." my sister begins to say, but I've already pulled the spear out of the stairs and tossed it aside. "How did you..?"
"Because unlike you I actually know what my strengths and weaknesses are. And one I've never had to worry about is physical strength. You know the saying, "never judge a book by its cover?" I ask
"No, I don't read." Vanessa says
"And that's exactly how we're different from one another. Now if you excuse me I must go say bye to a few friends." I say walking out the door. The last thing I hear is my sister bitching about how I just dissed her and my mom not giving a shit.
Vanessa's PO V:
"Mom, were you even listening to what just happened?" I ask
"Yes, and unless you want to get destroyed in the games you better learn to be tolerable. Most of the tributes now will kill on sight if you're annoying." She replies
"Wait, so you're siding with Sagi on this one? That's so like you! You never give a shit what he says to me!" I yell running out the door.
"Hell no you're not getting away that easily! Get your ass back over here." Mom yells while throwing a knife into the gate in front of me. "You're not going to leave this house talking to me like that."
"Why should I talk to you how you want me to, if you always side with Sagi? He's always pulling shit like that and you never care." I explain
"I know he does, and he's always punished one way or another. " mom says as she walks over to me.
"Yeah right, you never punish him. You're too focused on me." I say
"If I was too focused on you, Sagi would've already been in a games. He hasn't volunteered because he's waiting to enter the games with you and give you a chance of survival. Have you ever wondered why he doesn't run very fast?" Asks mom
"Of course I have an he always tells me, he's a slow person. It's not like his training causes him to be slower than everyone else." I say
"You have no idea what he's gone through to train," Mom says as she walks back inside, "you can go now."
"Wait you're not going to tell me about his training!?" I yell before she walks in the door.
"No, you must figure that out on your own. You have from here until the games start to figure out what your brother has done to make sure you at least survive the bloodbath." Mom says and as the door closes I hear her start sobbing and say, "even if it means he doesn't make it past the first day."
Sagi's POV:
"Damn it Sagi, why didn't you tell me you were volunteering?" Asks Kyra
"I didn't want to worry you. I was on my way to let you know. I'd never leave without saying bye to you. Although I regret to say that I'm volunteering to give Vanessa a chance at victory. My mom wants the female victor tradition to continue." I reply
"Well that's some bull shit. You shouldn't go just to give someone a chance a victory. Go compete to win." She says. "And you know as well as I do that Vanessa will kill you as quickly as possible."
"Yea, which is why I have to be careful while making an alliance with her." I say. "Come on let's keep walking toward the square."
"Fine." She replies. "You know you could've made your last few months here better."
"Really? How so? All I've thought about up until now is training and increasing the amount of weight I carry around." I say
"You truly are a dumbass aren't you?" She asks
"Apparently, I still don't see what you mean." I reply
"Never mind, I have to go get in line for registration." She says running toward the square.
Damn it, ruined my chance again. Oh well might as well go register. I walk the rest of the way to the square, and just before I get in line Vanessa comes out of nowhere and tackles me.
"What the hell was that for?" I ask
"That was for what you said to me this morning." She replies, "and what does mom mean by you're volunteering to help me?"
"She said that? No I'm volunteering to prove to her that intelligence can win." I say
"Whatever, just don't get in my way or you're dead." She says
Hmm this year's line isn't as bad as last or it's just that I'm later than I was last year. At least this year I'm not worrying about being selected. The only thing I have to worry about is someone volunteering before me.
I watch as Kyra is registered four people ahead of me and she joins the other girls her age. Vanessa winces as the Peacekeeper takes her blood sample and heads to join her friends in the 14 year old section.
As I get to the front of the line I say, "Finally." And as always I resist giving the sample until the Peacekeeper jerks my hand toward the needle and takes the sample. I watch as my name is registered and put into the computer system that now selects the tributes.
The Peacekeeper tells me to proceed to the designated section for my age group and on my way there I run into Marcus and he asks, "so you finally going to put your training to the test?"
"You know I am, since Vanessa's going to volunteer I have to, I promised my mom when she went I'd go to give her a chance at winning." I say
"So you're going to make sure you die?" He asks
"Not right away but yes, unless she's killed then I will avenge her any way possible." I answer
"I hope for your moms sake you're not lying to me about that." He says
"I'm not," I say, "Now let's enter our section before Mr. Head Peacekeeper gets pissed."
"Fine, but you know I love pissing him off, I guess now we wait." He says
"Yea I guess." I say trailing off into my own mind. I come to my senses as they begin the process of pulling names. I see the monitor begin to scramble through the names of the girls in district 2 and when it finally stops the monitor goes dark.
I look over to Vanessa and see she's getting ready to volunteer, and everyone around her seems to be disappointed she forced them not to volunteer. And our escort finally says after looking up from the tablet in the podium, "this years district two tribute is Vanessa Veitch." The crowd goes silent and I look towards Vanessa again. The look in her eyes is pure rage, because she didn't get to volunteer. "Now onto the male tribute." Once again the monitor flickers on and the names are cycling around the screen until one comes to the front blacked out, and the screen goes dark again. "And the male tribute for this year is.." No I can't let her finish that sentence. I yell, "I swear to god if you finish that sentence I will go ballistic," and in a calm voice, "because I volunteer as tribute."
A gasp rolls thru the crowd as they realize that I actually volunteered. Then the uproar saying district 2 has no chance at a victor this year. Then the peacekeepers come and take me up to the stage, and I'm asked my name. "My name is Sagi Veitch." I say, and as I look out over the crowd and Kyra isn't even looking up at the stage. I can tell she's starting to tear up.
"Congratulations to this years tributes, Vanessa and Sagi Veitch." Says our escort. As the square cleared out I was escorted into the justice building.
I turn to Vanessa and we were immediately put into separate rooms. Just as the door to the room I'm shoved into closes I see my mom forcing her way into Vanessa's room. I guess I should've accepted as much since she wants to have a female victor come home. I hear yelling from across the hall, but I don't get a chance to figure out what's being said because Marcus walks in and says, "Dude what did you say to Kyra before everyone gathered in the square? She's been crying since your sister's name was called."
"I don't fucking know what I did, all I know is she said that I could've made the last few months here happier for myself, I don't know what she means though." I answer
"God damn she's right you are a dumbass. How have you not figured this out already? I thought you were some sort of genius." He says
"What the hell are you talking about? Yea she's been acting strange for the past few weeks, but I thought that was one of her phases." I say
"Dude how many times must we tell you you're a dumbass before you figure out that Kyra likes you?" He asks
"Oh, yea I am a dumbass. How could I be so stupid! Now I won't get a chance to let her know I feel the same way." I say
"Alright you two you have 30 seconds to wrap this meeting up." Says the Peacekeeper standing at the door.
"Damn it, dude I have to tell her somehow." I tell Marcus
"I could tell her for you when you leave." He says
"Fine, but make sure she doesn't watch the real me out there." I say
"I can't make that promise but I'll make sure George and Marcia know too. They'll find out eventually anyway." He says.
"Fine." I say
"Ok time for you to go." says the Peacekeeper, as he drags Marcus out the door.