Disclaimer: I DON'T own The Hunger Games, although the book is genius.
Also, this is my very first story ever on Fanfiction. I wrote it a couple months after I finished Catching Fire but I never got around to posting it.
Review and Comments are appreciated. =)
My first thought this morning when I woke up was that today was going to be a bad day; I could just feel it in my gut. Today was the annual Quarter Quell and it was finally the 100th Hunger Games. All of the Districts were expecting the worse this year, not only because of the Quarter Quell but also because of the 100th year anniversary since the games began.
I crawled out of the small bed I shared with my 2 year old sister, Delfina and wandered into the kitchen where I saw my mom, her hands twisting around the mug of tea. Rubbing my eyes, I plopped myself down into a chair beside her. Once I saw my mothers face my heart wrenched in pain, she usually took these games harder than any of us had because her friend had died from them. I lost count of how many times my name has been entered into the draw resulting from the tessraes I took to feed my family. It didn't matter anyways because the little grain and meat could not feed a family of 4 - soon to be 5. I glanced down towards my mom's swollen belly and wondered how in the world we would be able to feed another little one.
Ever since the 75th Hunger Games, the Capitol has been nothing but harsh on everyone. A whole new set of rules were now in place from the rebellion that was caused by Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Katniss and some others were never found after their escape but we were all well aware of Peeta's capture. No one was ever informed of where he was or what happened to him, all we knew was that if we tried to rebel against the Capitol, it would not be pretty. I had always looked up to Katniss and her bravery from the stories my mother would tell me about her. I admired her strength to defy the Capitol but resented her at the same time for causing the Capitol to become stricter. Once Katniss escaped Panem, the districts were in full blown rebel. Mother said that it took months to finally settle everything down; District 12 was even blown off the map. Even at the 78th Hunger Games, things had settled down, but the rebellion was not over yet. People were making pacts to not have children, and of course, without kids, there would be no Hunger Games. The Capitol made a new rule which stated that each person was to marry and have at least 5 kids. It was cruel considering marriage was the only thing that the Capitol did not control at the time. The punishment if you did not follow it was the denial of food, and ultimately death. Now, each of the 11 districts were overcrowded and swamped with people and kids. You would think the Capitol would have some compassion and provide each family with more food or money but they didn't. I despised the Capitol and all of the power they had over us, I only directed pure hatred for them.
If I could, I would start a rebellion against the Capitol myself, but I was just a 15 year old girl, what could I do? I never stopped wondering how Katniss managed to start a rebellion, and since the Capitol never showed footage of the 74th Hunger Games, I did not have a clue. Mother told me that she defied the Capitol with berries but I never understood what she was talking about.
"Contessa, sweetheart, would you like some bread?" I snapped back to attention and looked over at my mother. She held out a plate with a small piece of bread and cheese on it, I took it and gave her a weak smile. I'll need my energy tonight, I thought. The small cry of pain made me leap out of my seat and over to the sink where my mom was standing doubled over in pain.
"Mom, what's wrong?! Is it the baby? Are you okay?!" I cried, helping her over to my chair and sitting her down.
"No no, it's fine. Your little brother or sister is going to be a very active child." Mom was so pale as she patted the top of her belly. She was ready to pop any day now, but the Hunger Games was not helping her keep her stress levels down, which is what she is suppose to do.
"Mom, go lay down, I'll take care of things." She was about to argue but another kick from the baby made her change her mind. She headed over to the couch we rescued from the richer parts of District 11 and I helped her put her feet up. After she was settled in and comfortable, I went back to the kitchen and continued to wash the dishes that mom never finished. A few minutes later, a small snort, then light snoring came from the living room. Mom needs a lot more strength than I do for this evening. In a couple days, there will be 5 of us living in this small house which barely contained enough room for luxury items. I put the wet rag down and looked at my surroundings; even for such a cramped space, my father managed to make the space look slightly bigger and joyful. There were small flowers that acted as the boarder on top of the bright yellow walls. When I was old enough to understand the horrid way the Capitol works, I asked my father why he would paint such beautiful things in a horrible world.
"Oh Tess-bear," he chuckled "Just because the world isn't a pretty place, doesn't mean you can't make it one."
"What do you mean daddy?" I asked, confused.
"Its all up here Contessa" He tapped me lightly on my temple.
"You mean my head is pretty?" my 5 year old mind wondered.
Dad laughed "Of course, your head is absolutely adorable, but what I'm trying to tell you is that you can make Panem a better place if you use your imagination. When you believe it will happen, it will."
Those words echoed in my head to this day. Back when I was smaller, I would always go to my dad for every question, thought, and idea I had, he was my hero and the smartest person I knew. Dad passed away a couple months after Delfina was born, and he has never left my mind since. It was summer and the heat literally caused our skin to blister. Dad had a job out in the fields but we didn't have enough to eat, we never have enough to eat anyways. After a sleepless night with Delfina's nonstop crying from hunger, dad made a very tough decision that day to sneak some grain back with him and he got caught by one of the peacekeepers. Taking the food that you grew was a very big crime and we never saw my dad ever again. Peacekeepers came to our house to inform us of the news that my mom did not take well as she was now a single mother of 2 kids and an infant. Luckily, my mother did not have to marry again because she froze some of my dad's sperm cells. Many people did that, scared that they would not have enough kids to satisfy the Capitol. The freezing and treatment did not cost us any money as long as kids were coming, the Capitol were sick and twisted people.
"Tessa?" a small voice came from behind my frozen state. Delfina came into our kitchen dragging her pale pink baby blanket which she refuses to ever let go of. It makes everyone nuts trying to get that blanket away from Delfina and whenever we try she screams and clutches it tighter. Even though she drives some of us crazy, I know that my dad would have loved to watch Delfina and his other unborn children grow up.
"Hey Delfina, come sit down, I'll make you some breakfast." I plastered a big wide smile on my face and began to make some toast. Sometimes, I envied my little sister for her innocence and how she was oblivious to everything around her. I wish she could stay like that forever and never have to find out about what's really out there. After Delfina finishes her toast, I tell her to go wake up Tayden, who loves sleep probably as much as he loves food that we don't have, just like every typical teenage boy. Cutting another small piece of bread and cheese, I couldn't help wondering if either me or Tayden would be chosen for the games this year.
"He said to let him sleep 5 more minutes." Delfina reported back to me. I went to the room I shared with Delfina and Tayden and sat down on the small mattress Tayden was sleeping on. Wanting a good day today, I gently shook him awake and he finally opened his eyes to meet my sad ones. It sunk in that today was the reaping and he immediately put on a big smile.
"Let's make today a good one huh Tess?" he grinned up at me.
By late afternoon, everyone had filled into town to see the reapings and unlike previous Quarter Quells, we were going to see what was in store live and not on television. There would be the reading of the special yellow card and then the names would be chosen. I stood anxiously dressed in a red dress my mom made me with the other kids my age. Mom worked as a seamstress and it took her ages to get the leftover fabric to make my dress. I love it, even though I will have to now work twice as harder to take care of everyone since mom is on maternal leave. It is unbelievable the amount of people that are here right now. I cannot make out anyone or move from where I am standing, the place is packed; I couldn't even find Tayden who was here a minute ago. The enormous crowd becomes silent as this years escort and name reader, Seffie Blinket begins talking. She then invites our mayor to come up and tell us the history of the Hunger Games and how it originated: a speech which I have heard even before I was able to talk. I zone him out for a while and look into the faces of kids who can potentially be the next tributes for District 11. Wow, their life could be over in a flash, and here they are right now, standing right beside me. The thought made me wonder when this whole thing would stop, the Hunger Games and all of this madness. I guess I wasn't the only one bored with the mayor's speech because a lot of people began talking and whispering to each other. When the silence falls upon us again, I notice that the mayor now has the yellow card that decides what the "twist" at this year Quarter Quell will be. The once noisy crowd is now so silent that you could hear a pin drop. I hold my breath as I was for the mayor to read it.
"Now, to honour our fourth Quarter Quell," the mayor opens the yellow card that contains our fate, "as a reminder to the rebels that not even the strongest bond can bring down the Capitol, a pair of twins will be reaped from each district."
My blood stops pumping and my stomach drops. I look over to my 15 year old twin brother.
A/N: What do you guys think? Should I keep writing?