Chapter Two
Hazel Snow
The square bustles with people like a hive full of bees.
Everyone is eager to get a good view of the stage which holds Capitol people, our district's peacekeepers, and Katniss Everdeen herself. The woman who had changed the course of Panem seems surprisingly calm, much to my surprise.
"There's Mellark," I hear Issie hiss to her.
I nod, watching the blonde as he makes his way over to Everdeen.
"Wonder where their kids are," This time it's Jazzy who speaks.
"Well, they probably didn't want them to come along. Think of it in their perspective. What's to stop us from leaping up and killing them?" I say quietly, lost in my own thoughts and staring entently at the stage.
"Yeah…," Dill seems to notice that I'm elsewhere. He followed my gaze to one side of the stage and cleared his throat.
"You see it too?" I murmur, suddenly aware of how many people are pushing against us.
"Yeah," Dill mutters.
I let out a groan under my breath. Sure enough, I am right. There comes the tapping of a microphone and a "test, test". Before we know it, a woman dressed in black pants and a fitted jacket is walking up.
"Greetings, people of District 12," she smiles coldly.
Murmurs of disapproval echoes throughout us.
Jazzy narrows her eyes and Issie grabs my hand. I squeeze her small fingers quickly and scan the crowd, wondering where Ben and Acacia were.
Angelica and Basil had told me I could go off with my friends and they'd take care of the two. Trying not to worry too much, I wonder where they are. They'd said they'd find me when they got there but now as I searched the crowd for familiar faces, I doubted they'd ever find me in this sea of mayhem.
"I'm sure many of you are wondering what this sudden meeting is all about," the woman declares.
A collective nod races through out the crowd quickly.
"Well, I will let Ms. Katniss Everdeen of former District 12 explain," the woman smiles curtly and exits the stage.
My fists tighten and poor Issie lets out a squeal. I murmur an apology but that doesn't stop the hairs on my neck from rising. We kids and teens don't deserve what I'm pretty sure they are going to do or say next.
"Guess she kept her maiden name," I barely hear Dill say. Before I can respond, though, there is a banging sound from the stage and a yell, and then everything goes quiet.
Everdeen walks up onto the stage, dressed in simple yet stylish clothes. Mellark flanks her, looking smart in his business clothes.
Everdeen taps the microphone quickly and then begins.
"Hello."
I can feel the people around me begin to roll their eyes.
"Hello, people of District 12. You all know me as your enemy, the Mockingjay. I was the one who turned things around for us. Things have changed though, and we have passed a new law. This is a law that will change your view of the world; a law that will give you a taste of your own medicine. The idea was debated a long time ago and it was brought up many times. We decided yes on some occasions and on others, no. But today, a final decision has been made. We have decided to re-introduce the Hunger Games. This will be a game that the Capitol people will have to play." Everdeen's expression remains blank but I can see Mellark wincing slightly. I don't blame him. The whole idea is revolting and I'm not surprised. I knew it was coming at some point.
"What?" Jazzy is the first in the crowd to scream. "NO!" She begins pushing through the crowd.
It takes a few seconds before the whole crowd can process it. Then come outcries and yells of protest. Everyone's moving towards the stage, fists clenched, jaws shaking with anger, and foul words coming from their mouth. The people standing closest to the stage have to be restrained by peacekeepers because some of the bravest are attempting to climb it so as to get at Everdeen and Mellark.
I exchange a grim look with Dill. We had both been right. Exactly as predicted, two people walked in with bowls of slips. Except they weren't white slips like my parents had told me about. This time the slips were wrinkled and red. Then I realized what had happened to them. They'd been dipped in blood.
The crowd calms down and turns their attention to the bowls. The eldest can remember what happened in the Hunger Games and the rest of us have heard stories. Only a few are unsuspecting.
"Ew…," Jazzy soon realizes what it is. "They're dipped in blood."
"Yes. And our names are in there nine times. Issie's is only in there once. Acacia…Hers is in there once too." I stare straight forward, my eyes blazing. What if my sister gets picked? Or Issie? She's just as much as my sister as Acacia is. What if Dill and one of us get picked? One of us would have to die… I shake my head furiously.
"Why?" I suddenly yell. My voice echoes throughout the square and to my great surprise, it sounds clear and confident. Crisp even.
"Why are you doing this to us? Most of us weren't part of the games. The only ones that had anything to do with the games are the elderly. Even they would rather die a quick death then starve here in this dump!"
To my surprise, peacekeepers stay where they are and don't run up to me with machine guns, hammering me down with bullets.
Everdeen turns to face me. "Because. Because your ancestors are the ones that started this all. We plan to take it out on the ones they left behind before dying."
"That's unfair! What did we ever do to you?" I scream, feeling my face turn red with anger.
"Everything." Everdeen replies smoothly. I know what she's gone through and I don't support my ancestors for what they did but this? This was unbelievable.
"Draw." Mellark speaks for the first time.
Everdeen keeps her eyes on me but before she walks quietly to the girls' bowl, I see her mouth, "Snow," to me. She knows, I think to myself. She knows that Snow's my grandfather. She's going to make it harder for me.
For all I know all the slips in the bowl have my name on them. With the rebels, they'll do anything to get back at anyone related to Snow. That's why they did what they did to my parents.
"For the girls…," Everdeen says cooly and reaches into the bowl.
Up until now, the crowd had been silent, observing my little conversation with Everdeen. Now they all held their breath. I swear, you could hear a pin drop.
I grab Issie's hand even tighter and glance from Dill to Jazzy and then back to Dill.
Everdeen takes the slip carefully and unfolds it quietly and ever so slowly as if she's enjoying us suffer. We're all in pain, wondering who it is going to be.
When the slip is finally unfolded, Everdeen smiles and says, "Perfect. Just perfect."
My forehead furrows. 'Who is it?' I'm dying to scream out loud.
"For the girl tribute, we have…"
The crowd gasps once again.
The silence never ends. Or at least so it seems. Suddenly the crowd is gasping and Angelica who must have spotted me when I was speaking to Everdeen could be seen, pushing through the crowd. Basil is right behind her with Ben in his hands and Acacia tagging after them.
"Who is it?" My voice fills with worry.
"Didn't you hear?" Dill asks, frowning and looking at me like he'd just seen a ghost.
"No. Is it Acacia?" I suddenly ask, my eyes darting frantically.
"No! Did you really not hear?" Jazzy asks.
"Issie? You? Dill?" I cry, realizing the crowd is now staring at me.
"No," Dill says slowly. Then he reaches a gentle hand up to my cheek and brushes away a tear. I hadn't even realized that I'd begin crying when I started panicking.
"It's worse than that.
"It's you." Dill murmurs.
Chapter Three
Hazel Snow
Everything happens too quickly.
The surprise of the situation we are in because of the new Capitol Games. And now I'm the female tribute for District 12.
My face floods with relief at first when I realize it isn't any of my siblings but then I realize it isn't any of my friends either. It's me. Realization strikes me. I was good as sentenced to death.
The crowd parts for me and I walk through it slowly, flanked my peacekeepers. I can hear Dill attempting to calm Jazzy and Issie who are panicking. I'd never thought of Jazzy as the type to panic but then again, she was different from me and Dill.
Angelica and Basil are calming Acacia who is screaming her head off. She keeps on yelling that she volunteers but the peacekeepers have their doubts. They know either way I'll end up as the female tribute. Ben has started to cry and it's all I can do to stop myself from bawling as he is.
"Who's going to take care of them?" I whisper to myself. Up to now, they'd always relied on me and my hunting. The fact that they had to care for themselves now hurt. Basil could sell his stuff in the market but it was never enough. His injured leg always stopped him from full labor, resulting in him taking on the career of selling.
By now I'm up to the stage already. I climb the stairs, my knees feeling like jelly. The adrenalin rush has made my head begin to pound and my stomach has butterflies. Even my heart rate has increased and my chest is thudding, trying to contain it as it tries to soar straight out of me in fear.
"And for our male tribute," Everdeen steps back and lets Mellark walk up slowly.
Mellark reaches into the bowl and slowly unfolds a slip.
"
