Raised to Fight, Born to Die: The District 2 Tributes
Hi! I don't think a lot of people are reading this, but I'm going to continue it anyway. Keep in mind that this is my first story! Comments, reviews and feedback are appreciated! Thank you and hope you like this chapter!
(Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or its characters.)
Chapter 2: Born to Die
Clove
Today is a good day.
I have been waiting for this day my entire life.
Today is the day of the reaping.
I get up from bed and fix it nicely, even though no one is here to see it. Before my mother passed away, she showed me a stash of dresses in her closet; she said she was saving them for me to wear to my reapings. I pick out a strapless emerald green dress, put it on, and look into my mirror. The dress brings out my brown-hazel eyes. I search my room for my silver necklace that I always save for special occasions and put that on too.
I walk to my bedroom window, open the shutters, and look outside. I can see specks of dust in the air, flying under the sun's rays. I see a few of my friends, including my best friend Saffron, and their families walking down the road toward the Main Square, and I wave to them. They wave back.
I leave my house and walk. My house is in the better part of the district, the wealthier one. Here the houses are made of sturdy stone. I do not know much about the poorer neighborhoods of the district, but I've seen enough to know that their houses are a lot smaller, the neighborhoods more crowded, and the homes themselves made of old wood. The people there in general are different than the people in, for example, my neighborhood.
I see more kids with their parents walking. For a quick moment I feel jealous, seeing as both my parents died in an accident. They were working on the statue that now dominates District Two's Main Square when part of the statue collapsed, sending more than forty workers to their deaths. The last time I saw my parents was before they left for work that morning, when we were in the middle of a big fight. The last words I said to them were, "I wish you were dead."
Yeah. Bad, right? I've been killing myself over it ever since, and whenever people mention my parents and how they were good people, I break down. Every time. The memory of our fight from that morning is still raw in my brain.
And it's not like my sister Lavender is ever around either. Ever since she got married, it's like I don't exist. I never see her and I never talk to her. I've never even met her kids. Which sucks, because we used to be super close. Ever since Mom and Dad died, she never so much as gave me a second glance. That's why I live alone in my parents' big house, dreading visits from Peacekeepers because they might find out there is no parent or guardian in the house. So much for family ties.
By the time I get to the town square, the reaping will start in a few minutes. I hurry to my section near the front and stand there. The sections are roped off and each section is arranged by age and gender, with the oldest in front, so right now I am standing with other fifteen-year-old girls. Most of my friends are older, so I don't really know anyone in my section too well except for Saffron. She stands next to me. I look in the boys' sixteen-year-old section in front of me and I see Ronan. We walk up to each other and hug.
"Ronan," I say in greeting.
"Clove," he replies.
"Saffron," Saffron says with a soft laugh.
"Hopefully one of us will get chosen," I say to Ronan. Not both, because then one of us will have to kill the other. Not good.
"Hopefully it's me," he says with a sly smile. I laugh.
A boy comes up to us. I don't recognize him at first but I see it is Cato, the boy who sat with us at lunch the other day after training. The one I kneed in his balls. Ha ha. That must have hurt.
"'Sup Ronan," he says. He nods at me and Saffron.
"Are you going to volunteer?" I say.
"I'm going to be the first one," he replies.
"So am I," I say.
He looks at me. "Well that sucks," he says. "Hopefully I won't have to kill you."
"Same."
I am thinking about what he said when I hear a loud voice boom through the air.
"Welcome, welcome, welcome," says a Capitol woman in a thick accent. "Today is the reaping for the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hunger Games! Today we will see one tribute boy and one tribute girl from the beloved District Two to go to the Capitol!"
Saffron and I share a look.
"My name is Anitah Kellet and I am here to escort District Two's victors! So, shall we get started?" Her voice booms through the square. "First, we will remember the rich history of our wonderful country of Panem."
And, like every year, we watch the history of a rebellion by the districts against the Capitol. After the rebellion, the Capitol held the Annual Hunger Games to remind everyone that the Capitol is in charge no matter what. Boring.
"Alright, everyone, as always, ladies first!" Anitah Kellet states after it is over.
Two Peacekeepers bring the girls' reaping ball forward. My name is in there forty-two times. Why so many? Let's just say a lot of kids here order tessarae in exchange for a bigger chance of getting picked on purpose.
Anitah reaches in and picks up a slip of paper.
She doesn't hesitate. "Waverly Perelle."
I speak so fast I do not even realize the words come out of my mouth.
"I volunteer!" My heart beats double overtime. Even though my words are followed by other girls' voices, I know everyone heard me yell first. Too bad for Waverly Perelle.
Anitah smiled a huge smile so big it must hurt her checks. "Oh, how I just love it when people show enthusiasm! Thank you for volunteering! Please step forward to face your district!"
So I do. I can barely keep myself from running onto the stage. I hear people cheering, and I think I hear Ronan and Saffron but I am probably imagining it. There are so many people yelling I cannot tell.
"Alright, I know you're excited, but we still need a boy tribute!" Anitah tries to calm the crowd down.
The Peacekeepers bring forward the boys' reaping ball. Anitah excitedly reaches in, and after a moment pulls out a slip of paper.
My heart sinks when I hear the name.
"Ronan Lavino."
In front of me, a tall blond boy jumps up and says "I volunteer as tribute!" That grabs Anitah's attention away from a few twelve-year-old boys yelling in the back and to the blond boy himself.
Cato.
Cato
A big smile crosses my face as I step forward. I can't help myself.
I walk forward, toward Anitah Kellet and the Peacekeepers and away from the other kids from my district that wanted so desperately to be a part of the Games. Like I am now.
When I get to the stage, I look out into the crowd. The person I am searching for waves back at me, a huge smile across her face. My mom. I hope she is proud.
"Well done! Now, what are your names?" Anitah Kellet asks.
"Clove Sevina," my fellow district tribute says, a touch of excitement in her voice.
"Cato Larek," I say after her. I hope people can hear the excitement in my voice too.
"Well, a big congratulations to the both of you!" She turns to the massive crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen of District Two, I present you your soon-to-be victors, Clove Sevina and Cato Larek!"
A huge round of applause erupts suddenly and I shake hands with Clove Sevina. Let's just say I can only hope someone else kills her before we are the last two in the arena.
Peacekeepers surround us, separating us from the crowd, and escort Clove and me into the Justice Building behind us. Soon Peacekeepers lead me into a room and shut the door. The room is definitely a room of the Capitol; red and gold carpets with elaborate furniture and richly painted walls stand in front of me.
Now is the time for tributes to say goodbye to their loved ones.
The first person to come in is Ronan. I brace myself, but he only says, "Well, if anyone volunteered for me, I'd have wanted it to be you." He shrugs.
"Thanks, man," I say gratefully. I am glad he is not mad. He understands. Since he got picked he had no chance of fighting in the Games anyway since so many people volunteer. Or maybe he just doesn't want to kill Clove. I know they're close, and for a second I wonder why he chose to visit me instead of her.
"I just wanted to say good luck," he says. "And to give you a warning. Clove is deadly. I mean deadly. She's my friend and everything, but I'm still telling you to be careful. She will do anything to win. Watch your back," he mutters.
I nod in response to this information. "So am I," I reply.
Ronan only shrugs. "Just…good luck. You'll need it if she's in the arena."
The Peacekeepers barge in. With a look on his face, Ronan lets the Peacekeepers march him out of the room, leaving me to mull over his words of warning.
Next comes in my mother. She pulls me into a tight hug. I feel wet spots on my shoulder and I realize she is crying. "I'm so happy for you," she chokes out. We pull apart. "When you come home, we're going to have a huge celebration in your honor. You'll see." She smiles and her eyes glisten. "I'm so proud of you."
My heart swells with happiness. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too."
We hug one more time. "Take this as your district token," she says. The tiny object she gives me is a miniature wooden cube. The corners are dull from years and years of rough play. "I remember this," I say. I got it along with other identical cubes as a gift from my mother when I was little. Memories flash through my mind back when my mother and I used to build tall towers with the blocks in my early childhood. I haven't seen these blocks in years.
I take the cube. With last goodbyes, the Peacekeepers come in and escort my mother out.
Clove
Saffron is my first and only visitor.
"You be careful," she says in a concerned voice. Saffron is not scared of the Games, but she wouldn't volunteer herself to participate. She thinks it is dangerous.
"I will, I will," I say, waving off her concern.
"Seriously! You don't know what could happen and you have no idea what the arena will be this year!" Saffron says quickly. I know what she means. One year, the arena was a desert and most of the tributes died of thirst or hunger. Not good.
"Ok, Saffron. I'll be careful."
"You better be," she says scornfully. "And watch out for that Cato boy, Ronan told me he really wants to win," she adds.
"I will," I say. "I want to win, too. We all do."
"I know."
There is a moment of silence, but it is a comfortable one. I won't see Saffron for a few more weeks. I'll definitely miss her, but it's worth the fun involved in the Games.
The Peacekeepers march in without knocking. "Goodbye, Clove," Saffron says in a weird tone. I say goodbye and she wishes me luck. Then the door slams shut.
And I am left alone.
I have to admit, it hurts that my sister didn't visit. Yes, we don't talk. Yes, she wants nothing to do with me. But I thought the fact that I will be competing for my life against other kids who want to win as well might make her have a change of heart.
I guess I was wrong.
Okay, that took me a while to write. Reviews please! Like I said at the beginning of this chapter, this is my first story so feedback is welcome! I'll try to update at least once a week. Thanks for reading!