No Second Chances
Part One: The Reaping
(A/N: I have only read the first Hunger Games book, so I am either basing my info from that book or making it up. Plus, I'm not worrying about what year this is or who has won in the past)
It's not like me to be scared of anything. In District 12, where I'm from, I break the law every day. There is a fence near the outskirts of our district that meets District 11. The fence is an electric fence, and the voltage is so high that it is supposed to paralyze any intruders. Luckily, there's a boulder-sized hole in that fence, where I meet my best friend, Renee, every day.
We became instant friends when I was in a fight with a wolf (By the way, never leave home empty-handed. I learned the hard way, of course.). I was about to become dead meat, literally. Renee shot an arrow at the wolf and killed it. She told me which parts of the wolf were the best to eat, and we shared lunch.
Entering another district without Capitol permission is punishable by death, but we've never gotten caught. Plus, she saved my life, so I thought keeping us together was the least I could do. So, I thought today would be a good day as any to visit Renee.
"Hey, Aphrodite," she greeted me when we reached the fence. She slipped through the opening with ease, and we sat in a bed of green grass.
"Why did my father name me Aphrodite? That sounds more like a District One child's name. I've asked him, but he'll never tell me." I wondered out loud as I split a goose leg with Renee.
"I don't know, but I like your name. Aphrodite Sherwood. It sounds… well, fancy," she laughed as she took a bite out of her share of goose.
"But I'm not fancy. I'm not worthy of such an elegant name." I looked at the clouds as they danced across the baby blue sky.
"Maybe you'll win the Hunger Games and win fame and fortune," Renee half-joked.
"Renee! How many times have I told you not to remind me about… you know what," I shuddered. I was an only child, so I could begin to think of how lonely my father would be if he lost me. She left Dad for a Capitol man. I was only two, and my dad was thirty-nine. Kind of old for my dad, but my mom was four years younger. She only wanted him because he gave her all she wanted, until the Capitol man gave her more. So, I never met my mother, and was good company for my father for the time being.
"I was just kidding, but…" she continued. I prayed that she wouldn't make any comments that were too harsh.
"May the odds be ever in your favor!" Renee finished, complete with her imitation of the ridiculous, almost famous Capitol accent.
"Okay, but I have to get ready for the... Reaping," I groaned. I loathed the Reaping almost as much as watching the actual Games. Renee and I embraced for longer than normal, than parted ways. I couldn't help but think that our conversation might be the last one. What if I was chosen for the Games? After all, I was fourteen, plus I provided tesserae for me and my father. There were plenty of twelve-year-olds in District 12 whose siblings provided tesserae. I felt like I didn't stand a chance. Anyway, the Reaping was soon, so I might as well get ready.
When I arrived home, I could tell that my father anticipated my arrival, because I found a biscuit drizzled in honey waiting on a porcelain plate. The plate was one of the last vestiges of Mom and Dad's relationship, which Dad valued (both the plate and his relationship). I began to tear up as I savored the sweet and slightly salty taste of the biscuit. I immediately found him in the kitchen with a blue button-up dress and a white bow.
"This was Laura's," he told me with the happiest expression on his face that I have seen in a long time. Laura was his twin sister, who died in the Hunger Games when they were fifteen years old. Dad loved her more than anyone, and he told me that I looked like her. Maybe that's the reason that he's so affectionate about me. I gave my father a long, tearful hug, and then ran to my room to get dressed.
My father greeted me with another embrace as soon as I met him at the door.
"You look beautiful," he cried.
"Daddy," I said. I felt like the only fourteen-year-old girl I know who still calls my father Daddy.
"Yes?" he replied, temporarily pulling me away from him so he could hear me.
"I want to win. For you. For us," I sobbed. This is what I wanted. I wanted to make my dad happy.
"Sweetie, I don't want to lose you. You're all I have," he wept.
"Well, the Reaping is soon," I said. "I love you."
"I love you too," he responded, then began to walk to the Reaping. To what could soon be torture. To what could end a loved child's life. I hated thinking about it, but it had to happen.
When the Reaping started, and we all got past the banal video from the Capitol, Effie Trinket began to select the tributes. "Ladies first!" She trilled as she crossed over to a glass orb. She picked the slip on the very top and read it to the hundreds of us District 12 citizens.
"Aphrodite Sherwood!" she read.
I have never detested my name so much before. My father began to break down in tears, then give me a short hug before the Peacekeepers took us from each other. They guided me onstage, with my frizzy hair and tearstains on my cheeks. After a long pause of silence, Effie announced that she would read off the male tribute. When, out of the blue…
"I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" a boy yelled at the top of his lungs. He sprinted onstage, ignoring the young girls who tried to run after him. He looked slightly older than me. He had black hair and brown eyes, and he was tall and in shape.
Effie, who was apparently overjoyed, dropped the slip. I discreetly picked up the slip and stuck it in my pocket.
"What's your name, son?" she asked, shoving the microphone in his direction.
"Austin Shields," he panted. We made eye contact, then I looked away and pulled the slip out of my pocket. In black script, the paper read: Austin Shields.
What are the odds, I thought, then dismissed the sudden coincidence. There were other things to worry about, like what would happen to Dad. And why in the world this boy would practically ask for a death sentence.
(A/N: Please review and comment! Stay tuned for Part 2!)