Emptiness. That's the only emotion that surged through me. Slowly, all sense of feeling fled from my fingers, followed by arms, head, chest, and at last, my legs; draining through my toes and heels. I felt myself falling to the floor; melting as an ice cube on a searing hot sidewalk in July. I stared at the small sky blue piece of paper in the hands of Ruth Grand. The voices around me were of frightened and devastated citizens of my town; District 7. I was at the back corner of the cordoned off section that was situated in the center of the town square. I felt the fibrous hemp rope gently braced against my lower back. Faces were turned towards the cordoned off area, but my focus just stayed on that paper held in the well groomed, and annoyingly brightly painted, nails of Ruth. She looked this way every year, nearly coming to tears when she pulls those papers from the bowl. I assumed it always made her feel like the Grim Reaper of chance. Each name that was pulled was almost guaranteed death in one of the most horrifyingly deadly and painful ways possible, all at the hands of our nation's government.
Long ago, our government was kinder, and less tyrannical than the present. We used to have much more of a voice in how the government is ran, and also we chose local citizens who would travel between their District and the Capitol to vote on issues upon the behalf of their District. That was, until the Districts became unhappy with how our representatives were hearing only money falling into their bank accounts and not the cries of the suffering families back home. We revolted against the government we had a say in shaping into the ghoulish fiend. We created the monster, and we needed to take it out. We tried, and failed. The monster we created grew too strong before we realized what we had done. There used to be 13 Districts, now there is only 12. 13's nuclear destruction was an example of the power the beast we created held, and how helpless we were but to be its entertainment.
That is how the Hunger Games began 100 years ago. Each year, tributes are selected from each District to represent the rebels that each District formed during the first revolt. These rebels, who symbolically united against the government, are now turned on each other to entertain the Capitol's aristocrats. They hold the strings, and we are merely the meat puppets whose deaths mean little but a way to keep us in line. Our cries of suffering is drowned out by their cries of enjoyment from the games.
The second revolt, which seemed to succeed about 25 years ago, was followed by worse suffering than we had ever imagined. The new president that took over from the resurrected District 13, was assassinated 15 years after everything settled down, and the old status quo was restored under President Quill. Quill is a middle aged man, with jet black hair and a temperament just as dark. He held a high status under President Snow before the 75 Years Revolt, as it as come to be known, since it took place 75 years after the Dark Days Revolution. Quill at the time of the 75 Years revolt was a as a very young man at 30 years old. District 13 has since been completely disposed of since the new reign of President Quill, to avoid past mistakes, like the covert survival of District 13 after the Dark Days Revolution 100 years ago. The rest of the nation's domain has been scoured with heat seeking cameras, satellite watch of suspected rebel bases inside each District's borders, and other tactical precautions. The idea of a rebellion is a punished crime, only if you dare speak it. Only those who remained loyal to District 13, and stayed inside the circle of it's administration were prosecuted, and eventually killed. Two prominent figureheads of District 13 still live on today, as a nearly middle aged couple; Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Slightly prior the 75 Years Revolt, District 12 was all but blown to pieces, due to Katniss and Peeta's home being District 12. President Snow thought it fit to tear apart all but the small Victor's Village of District 12 in response to Katniss' and Peeta's passive attempts to install a rebellion by forcing the hand of the Capitol in announcing 2 victors in the 74th Hunger Games. Both Katniss and Peeta were the victors that year, upon Katniss' idea of simultaneous suicide, to upset the capitol in having no victor. They later regretted that mistake, but became heroes in installing a new government that they thought would save their children from the Hunger Games forever. As they had each played it twice, they wanted to save any new generation from sending away their children to such a game of certain death. Their dream lasted about 15 years, and ended with a bullet through President Paylor's chest. The dream dripped away, as did Paylor's blood and the light in her eyes faded away. 10 years have passed, each resulting in a Hunger Games, as it was re-instated after Quill took power. Katniss and Peeta, as well as any living Victor or prominent rebel has been watched, they have no choice but to follow the new government's laws. District 12 has recovered since Katniss, Peeta and a few others returned to District 12 when President Paylor resided in the Capitol and symbolized safety at last. 10 years of safety came and went. All things must change. However, no one expected the past to return with a vengeance.
Katniss and Peeta did have two children, a girl and a boy. Both as of now are of age to compete in the re-established Hunger Games under President Quill. This year though, is the most dangerous of them all, or is said to be, from leaks from the Capitol. 100 years since the Dark Days Revolution. Every 25 years, the Capitol has held an increasingly dangerous Hunger Games, or Quarter Quells, of which double the tributes would be sent to slaughter. In the case of the 75th Hunger Games, the past Victors from each District were sentenced to relive the Games. In the 100th Hunger Games, also known as a Centennial Calamity, the twist hasn't been announced. We can only be sure that it will be even worse than the 3 Quarter Quell's combined. The number of tributes hasn't increased from an ordinary Hunger Games, however. My heart goes out to the unlucky ones chosen this year. I feel like my heart has already been taken, because the name announced for the male tribute for District 7 of the 100th Hunger Games; the first Centennial Calamity, was Zexion Cimmerian; my name.