Chapter 1: Relaxation… For Me Anyway.
The beach was quiet; only the sound of the crashing, blue waves could be heard. Today was reaping day. Each year 12 of our districts have to sacrifice 2 children, a boy and girl from ages 12 to 18, in to a horrific battle to the death, also known as the Hunger Games. The thought sickened me. The slight implication of a young child barely in its teens forced to fight for their life is horrific, that's why I decided to volunteer this year. At least, hopefully, I would stand a chance of surviving.
No one knew I was going to volunteer. Apart from my brother, maybe. I knew of the true horror of the Games, I'm sure that'll I'll be living in it soon. All I knew was that I was going to represent District Four, my home in the most apparent 'glorious and rewarding' game ever. Never mind the fact that all of our chances of winning were miniscule and losing meant certain death.
I wasn't brainwashed, like all the Careers, into thinking The Hunger Games were honorable and majestic. It must never once cross their minds to question the real value of volunteering. Whether it was worth the risk; whether it was worth seeing twenty three poor dead children. I do but I guess that's why we're all here suffering. For the betrayal and the violence, fighting and the killing... Punishment from Capitol. We are pieces in their games I guess; pawns.
I cast my eyes out to the ocean, the sun just beginning to rise in the horizon. I smiled slightly. I could not imagine living anywhere else other than district 4. We were well known for our fishing, and unfortunately our womanizing 'hottie' Finnick Odair. He won the hunger games a few years back; due to his good looks and deadly trident skills. I sighed; even though this was my last year, my name is in it 30 times. I smirked at the irony of the Capitols motto and whispered under my breath with a smile,
"May the odds be ever in your favour."
I guess the odds weren't exactly in my favour this year. Rising off the ground, the soft golden sand shifted beneath my feet. I gripped my katana tightly. It had been in my family for decades. Way before the districts had been invented. It originated from Japan, where I descend from. My name is Ren, for water lily. Although my families language had died out way before I was born my father deemed it important that I learnt it, including their martial arts. My Father, ever since my mother died, became paranoid of losing me and my brother Yuriko and trained us tiredly since we were old enough to hold a sharp weapon safely.
We had to train in secret though. We weren't allowed to own weapons and if the peacekeepers found we were dead for sure. That was why I was here on a secluded part of the beach just before dawn. No one would be awake for another hour. Sunrise was when the workers went out to start fishing for the day. I would usually join them, I swam in the waters around saving any snagged nets and the occasional trapped dolphin. It was one of the better jobs in this place so I was lucky to have it. But alas I would not join the rest of the workers today.
I closed my eyes and shut of any of the surrounding sounds. I brought my thoughts to a near stop. Relaxing was the first step in my training regime. Too many times had I gone on to fighting without clearing my mind and accidents usually tended to happen. I allowed my breathing to slow. I unsheathed my sword and started to dance with a flurry of lightning fast movements. I lunged and sparred against my imaginary opponent, dodging and tumbling in graceful movements which had took me a time period of eight years to perfect. You had to be graceful to fight with this sword due to the lightweight, you could easily be impaled. I had to be taught to dance first as did my brother.
CLANG! My eyes snapped open at the jolt running up my arm as the sound of two pieces of metal intercepted each other. My brother: Yuriko. I rolled my eyes and smiled up at him. Even with just a 2 year age gap he towered above me. We sparred against each other for a while, trading feints,
thrusts and parries with lightning speed. I had no trouble matching my brother and as the sun fully started to rise we collapsed on to the sand laughing. We lay like that for a while watching the rising sun. We didn't speak, we didn't need to. I knew that in my brother's head he was silently holding on to few precious moments we may have as he had already figured out my plan to volunteer this year. I has thought of this deep into the night and was determined that a life would not be wasted this year. At least there would be a chance I would come out alive. It was if we both silently agreed that it was needed of me to be picked at the reaping. I breathed in the salty air, and sighed I pushed myself up of the ground dragging a complaining Yuriko with me. I giggled at his disdain of being disturbed from his rest as we ran up a narrow path which led to our house.
Our house was probably the more simple houses in our district. A plain, White Sea Cabin with a small overgrown garden, I smiled at the sight of the peeling paint and the over grown grass, home. I kicked the sand off my feet before walking inside to my awaiting father.
