I knew I would never be chosen for the hunger games, I'm from district one and in district one people are trained for the hunger games from a young age and when the reaping's come they always volunteer they are called career tributes because they make a job out of killing the innocent, so even if I am chosen I wont have to go, you see when I was growing up I didn't have to go to these killing schools, my dad could use his influence to get me out and instead get me a private tutor, I grew up reading hundreds of books, I was always inside reading when the other children went of to learn how to cut throats, stab and slit, the capital had their hands all over district one, forcing children to learn to love to kill their fellow man, I hated the violence and the gore, I read up on past hunger games winners like woof who survived without killing a single person, now that's what shows a good champion, I was a scholar not a fighter and with all the blood hungry glammer stars around me I was going to live a normal life without the fighting and death my dad and sister had to deal with.
The day finally came, I woke up and went downstairs for breakfast, I loved our house, we lived in victors village in the richest district so we had a nice house, stone columns and beautifully plastered walls with paintings and everywhere was cleaned to a mirror shine, the food was just like normal, I was used to the richer foods as I had lived all my life in district one, I knew of how hard life was for the other districts like 12, 11 etc. but there was nothing I could do so I just eat my rich food and tried to forget of the other districts, after all I would be staying here for years this was one of my final years to be entered into the hunger games, the president doesn't kill the older men and women from the districts, in public at least, I would go their like any other time and come back and carry on reading like always.
I finished my breakfast and got ready, when I was about to leave my brain wasn't even on the games, more of the next book I could read and when I waited for my mum and dad to come with me my dad came down and said my mother wasn't coming, this was dangerous as anything to do with defying the president was but we could use the excuse of illness and I doubt they would care of a non participant missing out, me and my dad walked out the door and started talking on the way to the centre of district one.
"So are you ready" my dad said to me sounding worried
"I'll be fine, the careers will take over and volunteer like normal" I reassured him
"They didn't take over when your sister was chosen" dad said harshly
"Well" I had no answer because it was true
"The government hate us and they will not let you go without a fight" dad warned
"That's what mum said and ill be fine, I'm a member of society now and they wont kill such a bright kid" I fained a weak smile but my dad just looked more worried.
When we got to the centre my dad left for the far side of the centre were the non participants are supposed to stand, I get in line, I get my blood signature and I walk over to the gathering of the other teens who are up for death, I'm still not worried of cause, I still know I wont be chosen, I begin to laugh in my head about all the worried conversations going on around me, "what if its me", "I don't want to die" "please don't let them take me", its hilarious in a depressing sort of way.
As I stand in the gathering crowd of tightly done up posh kids, surrounded my diamonds and rubies and blond hair, so much blond hair, I start to count how many of the diamonds these people are wearing are from my place, I'm sad like that, but as I count 30 the announcer comes on stage, he's a tall man, blond and diamonded up like everyone else but he has a different fell to him, while all the children around me act rich, he feels rich, like really rich , so rich he doesn't have to show it but he does anyway because he's from the capital, smug pricks.
"Welcome to the reaping for the 44th annual hunger games, may the odds always be in your favour" a confident sadistic voice echoes
"Today we will choose which lucky people will represent district 1 in the hunger games" the announcer moves drastically towards the bowls that have the names of every single female teen in district one, he picks out a piece of paper, the paper looks nice, its one of the only things in district one not overdone, its plain white and generally a nice piece of paper for sure, the announcer arrives back at his pedestal and reads out the name of the female tribute
"Juniper Pyrmont" the announcer smile an even more sadistic smile then before
The announcer calls her name and a plain looking girl walks out of the crowd and up the stage, I waited for someone to volunteer like they always do but nothing, I waited longer and longer but still nothing, before I know it the announcer is moving towards the next bowl, I brushed it off as maybe there was no girls ready this year but the boys, of cause they will be a male volunteer, I weakly rationed to myself as my parents warnings began to run true.
"Everyone give a round of applause to Juniper" he said halfway in-between the pedestal and the bowl, not even waiting long enough to show any respect to her, the girl herself looked as I said plain but for district one that was unbelievably rare, she had even stranger black hair, it seemed it was just us two who still had black hair in district one, she had a smile on her face that anyone could see was a frown in disguise, the name sounded familiar to me but I couldn't remember what from, the announcer by this point had the paper in his hands and was back at the pedestal.
"Balthar Hayfitt!" the announcer bellowed, the name shot through me like an arrow to the chest, I stood their looking distraught, my mouth gaping in confusion and fear for a stagnant moment before the announcer bellowed a slightly more annoyed croon, "Balthar Hayfitt", I stood their speechless until a boy behind be nudged be and I began to lumber out the crowd and towards the looming stage, I got to the white, cold steel stair made to look fantastical with quickly done decorations with blue diamonds seeming from my business again and golden trinkets, as I stumbled up the stairs I looked back onto the crowd and saw their let down faces, like they wanted to go and be killed, I stared as well at my dad who was looking jaded and cynical, his black gaze chilling to behold and then I turned and carried on up the stairs, I stood next to Juniper and looked into her eyes, she looked just as shocked and desperate as I did, we shook hands like expected and then the peace keepers lead us into the building, the crowds clapping like a swarm of bees to the brain.