Divided
A Hunger Games Story
By luluthefox
Jennifer Cali – District Four
The wind blew softly in the graveyard, making Jennifer's curly blonde hair lift up in the breeze. It cooled off the hot air surrounding her, making the tears on her face feel frozen, like they were made of ice. The sky was crystal clear, revealing the sun that was once heating the world around her. Weather like this would have made Jennifer happy, not too hot, or cold, not too bright, but not too dark either. It was just right, as her friends would put it.
It didn't feel that way to her.
She looked up into the sky, staring at what she once thought was the domain of heaven. She used to believe in god, she used to think that the world was full of good and justice. She cursed herself for even believing in it for a second, she cursed herself for thinking that a force that tore her family apart was good.
Still silently crying, she placed the roses on her brother's tombstone. She was careful not upset the other gifts that people have left there, worrying that if they fell, some reminder of her brother would fall out with it, and her soul would be crushed again. She was surprised that she was not collapsing right now, sobbing right above where her brother's body laid, maybe she stayed strong for her mother for so long, that it didn't faze her anymore to cry.
It only happened a year ago, and Jennifer still woke up screaming to volunteer in his place. She knew at the time that it wasn't even allowed, a girl volunteering for a boy, but she thought if she showed enough desperation, enough sadness, that they might have taken pity on her and let her go up, but it didn't happen. She watched instead as her brother climbed up the steps to take his place in the one hundredth and thirtieth hunger games.
Sometimes, she dared herself to remember how she felt during that time, what went through her head as her brother was selected to participate in an event of certain doom, but nothing came to her mind. She could only remember how she reacted, how she lunged out of the seventeen-year-old section and ran up to the stage, only for the butt of a rifle to hit her in the head. She was so close, she was so close to ramming into the escort with such rage, that she was sure that her fake wig would fall off.
Jennifer, with more tears in her eyes now, carefully arranged the roses in silence, not saying a word, even though it didn't matter, no one else was here to watch her cry. She considered screaming into a psychotic rage, wanting to curse out the capitol right now, only to decide that it would be disrespectful to her brother, and the spirits that seemed to wander the graveyard. It made her mad though, it made her want to storm the capitol and shove a gun down President Hestia's throat.
Jennifer finished arranging the roses, and stood up, looking down on her brother's tombstone. She knew she had to hurry home, that the reapings would be starting soon. She felt a small side of her, the normal, logical part of her, cursing at herself, for leaving her mother to worry at home, all alone, for her to be wasting her time like this. Jennifer decided to tell that part of her to shut up.
Jennifer looked at the many tombstones that dotted the graveyard, all of them with their own flowers and gifts. There were many graveyards in district four, but her family was not wealthy, so her brother got sent into one of the poorer ones, where the tombstones were scattered instead of lined up, and the place looked dead instead of peaceful. She wondered how many of the tombstones she saw were victims of the hunger games, and how many of them had their own brothers and sister coming to mourn their loss. Jennifer felt guilty, even though she took no part of the games that killed them.
Somewhere in the distance, she heard a huge crowd of people walk by, not even noticing her. She knew that they must have been heading to district four's square, where the reapings would take place. She wiped the tears quickly from her face, now hating herself for wasting so much time, she wasn't even dressed yet, all she was wearing was a white tunic and blue shorts. She looked at her brother's tomb one last time, watching the roses sway with the wind.
"Wish me luck…" She whispered.
And then she took off towards home, not even stopping to admire the ocean that shined in the sun.
Eve Dahlia – District Ten
The sky was cloudy and gloomy, and many people were getting ready for the reaping during this time, but not Eve. Instead, she threw her tennis ball as hard as she could toward the old barn wall, making sure it zoomed toward Sean, her dog. She was hoping her throw would surprise him and get the ball to pass right by him, but she didn't expect him to jump high into the air and catch it right in his mouth. It always amazed her how dogs were able to catch balls that fast.
Doesn't it hurt their mouths to catch it? She wondered.
Sean ran over and dropped the ball onto Eve's hand, it was wet and sticky, but she didn't mind it, she didn't mind a lot of things now, all she cared about now was getting the ball past Sean. Ever since Eve got him, they have been playing fetch a lot, and to this day, Sean has not missed a single ball that she's thrown. She waited until Sean trotted over to his position and barked, signaling that he was ready. Eve smiled and threw the tennis ball again. It was a weak throw, so she wasn't surprised when Sean caught it. He ran over to her once more and dropped the ball onto her hand.
"Good dog," Eve said, patting his head.
He barked happily and licked her hand. It made Eve happy and she put her hands between Sean's face and kissed him back. Kids thought she was weird for doing this, but she didn't mind. Whenever she saw Sean, knowing that after a tough day of school, or a hard day at work, he would be there, waiting patiently for her to come home and play, it made her very happy.
She was sad to know that she would be leaving him in a few minutes when she would have to go to the reaping's and witness the children getting picked. Eve knew what the day had in store for her, she knew what today was all about, but she didn't pay any attention to it, she just wanted to play with Sean for as long as she could.
Sean barked again and started to jump around, eagerly waiting for the tennis ball to be thrown again. Eve laughed as his tail wagged, knowing that he was ready for her throw. Eve, now ready, stood up and positioned herself. She looked right into Sean's eyes.
"Okay Sean," she called out, "you ready?!"
Sean barked in excitement.
She took it as a yes,
"Okay! See if you can catch this!"
Sean barked and ran over to his catching spot. Eve stood there, waiting for Sean to drop his guard, but he never did, he stood there, eyes trained on the ball, waiting for the moment it left her hand. Eve threw the ball weakly and watched as Sean ran up and caught it in his mouth. Eve smiled, knowing that Sean had walked into her trap. Sean walked right over and dropped the ball into her hand.
"Touché Sean," Eve said casually, "It looks like you beat me once again."
Sean barked happily, jumping and running around in circles. Eve smiled knowing that Sean was oblivious to what she had planned.
"Although, I'm positive that this next throw will definitely pass you. Want to try one more game, or are you to chicken?"
Sean barked and ran right to his catching position again, staring at the ball. Eve smiled and started to position herself again. She kept her eye on the abandoned house, not on Sean. She would throw the ball toward the house, and it would bounce off and pass him. Eve was not nervous, not even scared, all she cared about was getting the ball to pass her dog.
With all the strength she could muster, she turned and threw the ball toward the house. Sean didn't even expect it, hesitating for a second before running after it. Eve watched as the ball soared through the air and hit the wall of the house. The ball then changed direction and flew right past Sean.
"I did it!" She shouted, "YES! I DID IT!"
The ball sored triumphally above Sean as he ran to catch it, but it was way too fast for him. Before they knew it, it slammed right into the barn wall and dropped to Sean's feet. Eve cheered and ran up to grab the ball, excited that she finally beat Sean. It laid in the tall grass that surrounded the barn, waiting for its owner to collect it. Eve went to snatch it up, but then watched as Sean grabbed it first, resting firmly in his mouth.
"Come on Sean, let me see the ball," Eve said.
Sean still laid there on the grass, sadly whimpering. A twinge of guilt went through Eve's body, but she paid no mind to it and sat next to her friend, having no idea about his sudden change of attitude.
"Sean, is something wrong?"
Sean whined again, still lying on the grass.
"This isn't because I finally beat you, is it?"
Sean whined again, shaking his head, Eve didn't quite understand what he meant until she heard the crowd of people. She looked behind her and saw a huge group of kids and parents, walking down the road toward the square, where the reapings would take place. Eve felt her heart drop, forgetting about the time, her mother and father were probably looking for her, holding her dress in their hands as they called her name.
Eve ran toward the broken wooden gate and opened it, gesturing for Sean to follow her, but he didn't move an inch. Eve ran back at sat next to her dog. What was wrong with him? She thought.
"Sean, we have to go."
He didn't move, he seemed to be frozen in place.
"Are you sad because today's the reaping's?"
Sean's head perked up and started right into Eve's brown eyes. She figured out the reason. Sighing deeply, she started to talk.
"Don't worry about me Sean, I'm only thirteen, I'll never be picked," Eve reassured, "and besides, if I was, I would try my hardest to win and buy you a lifetime supply of dog food and tennis balls!"
Sean barked happily and finally stood up, licking Eve in the face. She laughed, and held his face in her hands, kissing him on the nose.
"I'll be okay, I promise."
Austin Corel – District Four
Austin Corel was chatting with his girlfriend on reaping day. They were discussing their plans for what they should do at Nelson's upcoming party. Austin had no intentions of attending, but his girlfriend, Abby, was good friends with Nelson and wanted Austin to come and support him.
"It's his last reaping Austin, after today, he never has to worry about being selected!"
That was the reason Nelson was planning the party since today was his last reaping. Austin had to respect Nelson for his bravery, if anything else, he still had the same odds of getting selected as Austin, they both were eighteen after all.
"I guess," Austin replied, "I just don't see what all the excitement is."
Abby gasped in disbelief and punched Austin's shoulder, lightly.
"Austin! Don't you know what that means for people?! No more games for them, ever!"
Austin chuckled silently at his girlfriend's comment, she always had a way to make him laugh and lose his cool.
"I'm just saying, I don't know if it deserves a huge celebration."
Abby started to twirl her brown hair with her finger, looking at Austin, romantically.
"So, are you saying, that if someone like me, were to go through their last reaping and never have to worry about getting sent to certain death again, that it wouldn't deserve a huge party?"
Austin laughed at Abby trying to copy a flirty face that she probably seen a hot girl at school do. She always liked Abby since she was not like the other girls at his school, she even mocked them behind their back, which made Austin laugh. She never tried to romantically approach Austin or write him a note about how much they love him, he was still surprised that girls still did that to him, probably in hope that he would dump Abby and go after them, but he made up his mind a long time ago.
"Are you kidding? I would throw in a few beers and wine for extra effect."
Abby laughed and held Austin's hand, which made him freeze before clutching her tighter. He was still getting used to holding people's hand, he hadn't done it in a long time, and since then, it felt weird to do it. His father never hugged him, or encouraged him with kind words like Abby, he ruthlessly yelled at him to do succeed at the next test or punished him when he lost in a contest. His mother used to hold his hand, but she died a long time ago from some unknown illness, his friends were funny and kind to him, but they never showed true respect toward him, they never truly helped him out.
No wonder he chose Abby out of all the other girls at school, she was the only person who made life worthwhile. She was always kind and honest with him, there was no awkwardness in their conversations, it seemed they knew exactly what to say to each other. He looked over at Abby, expecting to see her smiling, but she wasn't. She looked sad, even tired.
They held each other's hand for a long time before Abby let go and stood up. Austin didn't move as he watched Abby take a few steps back toward the edge of the dock. He didn't stand up until Abby gestured over to where she was standing.
Austin got up, realizing that the air was now cooler, and it wasn't so hot out. He walked over to Abby, who was now looking out toward the sea, her brown hair was flapped up and down with the wind. Austin stood at the edge, taking a deep breath of the salty air, it smelled fantastic to him, it made everything around him feel clearer, and smoother then it was.
Abby breathed in as well, closing her eyes as she did. They both breathed in, taking in the smell of their district, of their world. Austin knew other places existed, the nuclear district five, the strict district two, and the dirty district twelve, but no place was like district four to him.
Abby opened her eyes, smiling, Austin was as well. Both of them looked at each other and then at the ocean beneath them, swirling and then crashing onto the dock.
"There's still some time left before we have to go," Austin said.
Abby nodded, smiling.
"Care for a quick swim?"
They both still had their clothes on, but it didn't bother him, lots of people swam with their clothes. They would have a quick swim in the ocean, then go change and head to the reaping together, where Austin would be able to have his last year in peace, with all the good memories floating in his mind.
They took each other's hand and jumped.
Chris Brites – District Five
This sucks.
Those were Chris's first thoughts on reaping day, and it was true. Chris was stuck in the timeout closet, but most kids called it the hell hall, which Chirs disagreed with, if anything, it was a haven away from the guardians that punished him. It wasn't even a closet like the guardians said it was, it was an empty classroom with only one wooden desk and one wooden seat. There was a huge chalkboard in the front of the classroom, with writing from other children that were stuck here before him, all the windows were boarded up by the guardians, allowing no one to see outside, but Chris knew things that other kids didn't, he was smart, and always explored, even when it looked like there was nothing there. Chris tried to remember why he was sent in here, but it seemed like kids were sent here for any reason, so he didn't even acknowledge it.
Chris peeked through one of the broken cracks of one of the planks that covered the third window, which was hidden by a sheet a kid long before he had placed. Outside, he could see nuclear power plants looming in the distance, their huge size casts shadows over some of the neighborhoods near it. He looked down toward the courtyard, where some of the children played with chalk and balls, smiling, and a few of them even laughed as they ran around.
He scowled at them for being so stupid, aren't any of them disgusted that they have to live here until their eighteen? That they've been taken away from their homes forever? Knowing that their parents are dead? Chris wondered, how do any of the children enjoy living here, especially in a place where the hell hall existed. He knew that the children he saw were twelve and thirteen, kids too young to be harmed or punished so ruthlessly, that's why the older kids suffered more, even though they did more work than the guardians did themselves.
Chris pulled the sheet back down into its position, so other kids like him can look out into the real world again. He walked over to the desk and sat down, staring at the ruined chalkboard, there were millions of words that were written on it, by millions of other kids. Most of the writing was written and signed by Zachery Bolt, one of the most famous victors in hunger games history, and one of the most loved figures in the orphanage, by the kids of course. Everyone knew that Zachery was an orphan before he won his games, but what people didn't know was that he used to go to this orphanage and that he was punished daily, sent into the hell hall, whipped with a belt, sent into closets without dinner.
Chris cringed, knowing that the orphanage he was in was much eviler back in the day, a day that Zachery was unlucky enough to be in. After years of abuse and torture, he had enough, and when he turned seventeen, he volunteered to be a part of the one hundredth and twentieth hunger games. Biggest mistake of his life, the arena was set in a volcanic mountain, with hundreds of dead trees around them, the career tributes were stronger than peacekeepers, and there was almost no food or water.
Out of some miracle though, the game maker made the mistake of killing off many tributes early on, and the careers had no way to eat and stay hydrated, and because of countless nights without food or sleep before the games, Zachery was able to adapt easily. That didn't stop Zachery from getting four kills though, two of them being the careers. Chris doesn't know what happened to the game maker, whoever it was must have been executed.
Chris felt a strong sense of bravery seeing Zachery's drawings and writings on the board. Zachery was just like him, he was smart, he had courage, and he was sneaky. Chris wondered if, at one point, Zachery sat in this seat, staring at the board, full of his writing, making his decision to volunteer. He wondered if he was scared, or if he was totally confident in his choice. Chris wished he was where Zachery must have been now, in victor's village in a grand house.
He heard the sound of children's laughter die down, and he looked over to the window with the sheet. Chris quickly got up and ran over to the window, where he pulled the sheet off and looked through the crack of the planks. He saw that the kids who were playing were now being led inside by one of the guardians.
Chris instantly realized that they were being led inside to get ready for the reaping, which meant someone would come to collect him soon. He quickly put the sheet over the window and ran to his seat. He saw the door open before he could even sit down. It slammed into the wall and he watched as Ms. Kaila approached him, with a belt of course.
"CHRIS!" She shouted, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF YOUR SEAT!"
Her voice was so loud that it hurt Chris to even hear her. He had to quickly think of a solution.
"Umm, I was," Chris started, "I heard you coming up the stairs, so I got out of my seat since I thought we were leaving."
Ms. Kaila didn't look happy.
"OH, SO YOU KNOW THAT TODAY IS REAPING DAY!"
"Yeah, it a mandatory event to participate in."
Ms. Kalia stared at Chris, then at the belt, she had in her hand. Chris hoped that she wouldn't use it. After a few seconds, she sighed and put her belt in her bag. Then grabbed Chris roughly by his arm and dragged him out of the door. Chris watched as Zachery Bolt's writing vanished from sight as he was ripped away from the peaceful land. She continued to drag him all the way to his small bedroom, which only contained a bed, lamb, and drawer, with a small boarded up window.
"When we get back, you're going to be punished, but for now," and she paused before she said this, "GET DRESSED!"
Ms. Kalia shoved Chris into his room and slammed the door shut. He rubbed his arm and stared angrily at the door, he wanted to punish all of the so-called "guardians" here, but he didn't know how. He stared at his bed, which contained a simple a long-sleeved white shirt and blue jeans. He eyed them, wondering if his mother would have put this down for him on reaping day.
His heart hurt to even think of his dead family, it broke him in two, it turned his hard shell into a jelly that anyone could take a bite out of. His mother and father died a long time ago before Chris could even form words. He was told that they died an unknown illness that spread around the districts, but he knew that was all crap, he saw the pictures, the reports, they were murdered. They lived in one of the poorest parts of the districts, where the crime was high, and murder was committed often.
Chris started dressing himself up, and then, after he was done, he sat quietly on his bed, waiting to be collected, but the more he sat there, the more memories of his mother and father collected into him. He never knew them, but he knew that they loved everyone, that they never treated anyone like trash. Maybe it wasn't true, he was only going off what people said, but he chose to believe that they would never treat another human being this disgustingly.
He looked at the window, boarded up so he couldn't look outside, he looked at the door, locked so he couldn't get out. He was trapped here, and he knew it, for so many years he was stuck here in this hell hole and hasn't done anything about. He wanted to get out, he had to get out now.
I have to get out…
He said that it in his head, loudly. It filled his body with strength, it made him braver now.
I have to get out…
He repeated it in his head over and over until it became and chant, screamed so loudly in his head that he thought someone was actually telling him in the real world.
I have to get out!
Ms. Kalia then entered the room, without her belt, but he knew it was near her, somewhere.
"Come you piece of trash, were losing valuable time."
Chirs stood up and walked out of the room without Ms. Kalia's permission. She shouted down the hall at him, screaming at him, but he didn't even turn around, it wasn't like he was coming back here ever again. His next thought filled him with excitement, he was ready for the reaping now, and he would be remembered.
I'm going to be the next Zachery Bolt…
President Hestia – The Capitol
She was escorted by a pair of peacekeepers to the stage, where all of Panem would be waiting for her. They both wore the same armor, and carried the same weapons, in the same position. It was so efficient, and yet, so charming to her. She didn't know their names, but it wasn't like they had one, they simply followed under her rule. She knew what would be waiting for her, a crowd of angry people, furious at how boring the last two games had been, but she knew that they wouldn't try anything. Even though the last two games have been a failure, no one dared tried to overthrow or impeach President Hestia, she knew that.
She made the point clear when she executed the head game maker, Folio Corten, in public, along with his entire family. What a horrible name, what horrible talent, she was so shocked at how she allowed such a piece of filth to control the games. Maybe it was because of his enthusiasm to work on the arena, or how childish he seemed. He was so easy to manipulate, but it didn't pay off. In the end, the last two games had ended in boring, bloodless deaths, and it made Hestia angry.
Right now, Hestia was anything but angry, she was actually excited to announce the new head game maker to the public. She knew she struck gold when the game maker showed her plans of the new arenas, it almost brought a tear to her eye. So, she walked with confidence down the hall, she could already hear the cameras, seeing them flashing in the distance.
The peacekeepers walked up the stairs first, where they vanished from her sight. She could hear people screaming up on the stage. It wasn't until she heard the announcement that she climbed up the steps.
"And, without further ado, your president, President Hestia!"
It was bright and sunny out, banners with the symbol of Panem proudly flapped in the wind, and she saw the adoring crowd, who were not as angry as she thought, in fact, they looked as excited as she did. She smiled brightly, her white teeth shined, her red lips glowed, her blue eyes twinkled. She was standing in the spotlight, just like she always wanted when she was a little girl. She remembered kids at school laughing at her, saying that she would never become president, and even if she did, she would never be as perfect as Snow.
President Snow…
It disgusted her to hear his name, it disgusted all of Panem to hear his name now. He used to shine as brightly as her, he used to show his rule, his order, but then it all fell apart in the second rebellion, where a young seam girl, Katniss Everdeen, tried to end the games. Luckily, it was put out before it could even get started. Peeta was brutally executed in public when the war ended, his screams still echoed in Hestia's ears. The rebels were executed, district thirteen was acquired by the capitol, and all of the districts were punished.
And whatever became of poor Ms. Everdeen? She fled, just like everyone knew she would. Her current whereabouts are unknown, and no one can seem to find her family or Gale's family either, Haymitch vanished as well, no matter what the peacekeepers did, they could not find them. It didn't bother Hestia, she knew Katniss would never come back to Panem, she would never be strong enough to face the capitol again. After the rebellion, people lost faith in President Snow, he was to be impeached, but he died before he could. He was found in his bedroom, blood dribbling out of his mouth.
Hestia shook her head, she didn't want to focus on the past, she wanted to focus on now, where the capitol was taking her pictures. After a few more flashes and excited shouts, Hestia waited until the audience settled down, and then, she spoke.
"Citizens of Panem," she started, "It is an honor to speak to you all today. I am sure you're all very excited about the upcoming games, I know I am, as well as my children and husband."
She paused for dramatic effect.
"Now, before I announce who this year's head game maker will be, I want to say a few personal words," The crowd held their breaths as she spoke now, "After being the president of Panem for ten years, I realized something. Not only, did I share experiences with my family, and with myself, I shared the experience with all of you. We laughed, we cried, we fell in love during these games. It has been so much fun to plan, and run these games,"
"But, I know that all you guys get out of the experience is to watch the things that we plan. You get to watch, and you may even get to give gifts to the tributes, but you don't get to participate. So, in honor of everything we have built, we are announcing the first-ever, interactive games!"
The crowd cheered wildly, so loud that even the peacekeepers couldn't calm them down. An interactive hunger games, unheard of, until now.
"You choose the arena!" Hestia shouted.
The crowd cheered louder.
"You choose the arena events!"
The crowd screamed in excitement.
"THIS IS YOUR GAMES! GO WILD!"
Hestia saw people in the crowd weep tears of joy, thousands of people clapped and screamed. Hestia knew the risk of an interactive game, obviously there would be limitations to how far the audience could go, but for now, she let them have their moment. The crowd couldn't stop, they went insane, an interactive hunger games event, and it's not even quarter quell time.
"The head game maker will announce when your choices will be available! During the games, a word will come on your screen when you can make a choice, and guess what it will say, CHOICE!
She looked around at the adoring faces of her people.
"The first choice, WHAT IS THE ARENA!"
The crowd went insane. Hestia, in preparation for the event, decided to make three different arena's. It was probably a huge waste of resources, and two of them wouldn't even be used, but she was so happy and excited that she didn't even think of any of these things.
"Thank you so much for the applauding, but please, I don't want to take all of the credit. Your new head game maker is to thank for the idea."
Everyone went wild when a young female, no older than 29, stepped onto the stage. She had short blonde hair, with diamond-shaped earrings, and a sparkly blue dress. Her face was not altered in any way, it was clean of tattoos, skin coloring, and surgery. She had gorgeous thin lips and wide eyes that were blue.
"Meet! Clio Lilith, our newest head game maker!"
The crowd adored Clio, she looked pretty, she looked fashionable, and they had her to thank for the idea, but Hestia knew how Clio was on the inside, her dark, evil nature, just like her. It inspired her, and it made her excited to work with her.
"Thank you so much, President Hestia," Clio said, "and thank all of you for inspiring me to make these games the best one we've had in a long time."
Hestia smiled at her, and Clio returned it. She knew that these games were going to be a smash hit, and no one could tell her otherwise.
"LET THE ONE HUNDREDTH AND THIRTY-FIRST GAMES BEGIN!"
luluthefox
Hello everyone! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I worked really hard on it and I'm glad about how it turned out! If you don't know much about me, check my profile. I may update it later. This chapter was just the introduction to the characters and their world, the reapings should be up next, with each tributes reaction! Also, if you don't know already, this will be an interactive game, kind of like telltale. You affect the arena and the story with the choices you make, I have a lot of plans for this kind of system, so yeah! You will know if a chapter will have you choosing something if the chapter title has CHOICE! On it. Also, this is not an SYOC story, but I will allow you guys to give me names for districts and stuff. I'm going to make a website later because I'm just super into making websites, I just love seeing the quotes and the images. Okay, that was all, hope you enjoyed! Leave a review if you like.