I promise to deviate from the book soon. And I feel like I'm not writing Lovina well enough…
So here is Chapter 2 of Hetalia Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor!
I warn you that there is some explicit language in here. And a sneaky Germania reference. Can you figure out who? Hint: he has a strange-sounding name.
Chapter 2
I am positively stunned, unable to draw breath.
There must have been some mistake. Feliciana was one fucking slip among thousands! The odds had been entirely in her favor. But it hadn't mattered.
I can hear murmurs of discomfort, because a twelve-year-old has been picked. And I see Feliciana, shaking, tucking in her ducktails, leaving the crowd. It's the ducktails that brings me back to myself.
"Feli!" I scream, lunging. Guards appear out of nowhere, trying to restrain me. I can hear Feliciana yelling for me, can see the guards pulling her to the front of the Square. "Feli! Feli, no!"
But the guards are forcing me back, separating me from the only thing I really love: my sister. I break free for a moment.
"I volunteer! I volunteer!" I scream, and the guards stop blocking my way. Everything has gone still. There is silence.
"Excellent!" Effie Trinket says. "Come up here, darling!"
In the background, I can hear Feliciana screaming hysterically. "No, Lovi! You can't go!"
I see Antonio lifting Feliciana off the ground. "Go on, Lovina." I can tell he's fighting to keep his voice steady. He carries Feliciana off to my mother, and I walk the distance to the stage. Effie leans over as I near the top, precariously balancing on her heels, and ushers me to the front of the stage.
"Well, bravo!" she gushes, smiling her magenta smile. "What's your name?"
"Lovina Vargas," I mumble.
"Well, I bet my buttons that was your sister!"
"Yes."
Effie is still beaming. "Everyone, let's hear a big round of applause for District 12's first volunteer!"
Not one person claps. Then something unexpected happens. At least, I'm not expecting it because I'm pretty sure no one in District 12, aside from my family and Antonio, really gives a damn about me. Gradually, everyone in the Square touches their three middle fingers to their lips and holds it out to me. This is a rarely used gesture in our district, and it means thanks, good-bye, admiration for someone you love.
I feel the tears coming, and mentally swear at myself for being a weakling. Fortunately, at that moment Sadiq decides to stumble up and throw an arm around my shoulder. "Look at her. Look at this one! I like her!" His mask is slipping a little. "Lots of character!" He releases me and starts going towards the front of the stage. "More than you! More than you!" And now he's pointing to the cameras, clearly addressing the Capitol.
Then he falls right off the edge of the stage and into the waiting crowd, knocking himself unconscious and, somehow, righting his mask. His red hat, thought, goes skittering away, and a little boy runs off to retrieve it. I see Antonio rejoin the mass of boys his age, trying hard to suppress a snicker.
Sadiq is whisked away on a stretcher, and Effie is trying to get the show back under control. Her hair must be a wig, because it lists severely to the right. "Now, it's time to choose our boy tribute!" She grabs the first slip she encounters, and reads the name clearly. "Antonio Fernandez Carriedo."
Oh, God, no. Not Antonio. The odds are not in my favor today. Everyone I care about is in danger today, and while I was able to save Feliciana, there is no way in hell to save Antonio.
I watch as Antonio makes his way to the stage, and he seems shaken, something that I have never seen him look before, not even when his father died alongside my own in the mine explosion. He doesn't look at me as he stands next to Effie on the other side of the podium. No volunteers step forward, even though I know that many of the girls in District 12 have a crush on Antonio, and would surely want someone to take his place.
Why him? I think. Why does it have to be Antonio?
While the mayor reads the Treaty of Treason, an old memory comes unbidden to my head. It was shortly after the mine accident, and my mother was a wreck. She barely moved, never responded to anything we said, only stirring to eat a little or use the bathroom. Feliciana and I were slowly starving to death, and my mother did nothing about it. That's about the time I began hunting.
My father had shown me how to use a bow, and had made one for me himself. But I was still learning, and often I missed my target completely. One day, after almost a week without a catch, I collapsed in the woods. That could easily have been the end of me. Lucky for me, Antonio had been hunting, too, and far more successfully. When he found me, he shared his catch with me, and agreed to help me improve my hunting skills and feed my family, as long as when I was able, I contributed to feeding his much larger family. I was so hungry I readily agreed, but Antonio never asked me to make good on my promise, always letting me have the bigger portions of out spoils. So I still felt like I owed him something, and I hate owing people.
The mayor finishes the reading, and I am jolted out of my own head by the loudspeakers blaring the anthem of Panem. And it finally hits home that I am going to be competing against Antonio in the Hunger Games. I can only hope that one of the other tributes will kill him. It's the only way to survive. I wonder if Antonio is thinking the same thing, and if he is already distancing himself from me. Could our partnership be dissolved so easily? Traitorous bastard.
When the anthem ends, we are herded into separate rooms in the Justice Building and kept there by guards. This is when the tributes are allowed to say their goodbyes. My mother and Feliciana come first.
Feli launches herself into my arms and squeezes. My mother sits on one of the velvet couches and waits.
Instead of saying goodbye to Feli, I instruct her. She is not to take any tessarae, she is to sell her goat milk and cheese and carry on with mother in the apothecary/doctor business. Without Antonio to bring my family game, they will be hard-pressed to make a living, but they might be able to trade at the Hob, and perhaps the people there will be kind.
Then I turn to my mother. "You can't disappear again, mother. You can't fucking disappear."
She nods. "I know. I couldn't help it last time…"
"Well, you have to goddamn help it this time, or Feli isn't going to make it. I'm not here to provide for you anymore, you got it? Take care of her!"
"Lovi, you have to try to win." Feliciana is sobbing. She tries to dry her tears. "Promise me you'll try to win?"
I nod. "There's no way in hell that I'm gonna lose this."
Feliciana unpins the mockingjay from her outfit and hands it to me. "For luck."
I smile and thank her, putting the pin on. I can't help but think that the pin might not be so lucky, because Feli was called up while wearing it, but it would be better for me to have bad luck then Feliciana.
And surely, Feliciana knows I can't win. There are the trained tributes from Districts 1, 2 and 4, and so many other children who are stronger and faster than me. But on the offchance that Feli really thinks I can win, well, I won't spoil her stupid optimism.
The guard comes in to pull my family out of the room, and Feli hangs on to my neck. I have to unclasp her fingers and push her out the door.
Next comes the baker, Alaric. He was a good friend of my father's, but I still can't figure out why he's here.
He clears his throat. "I'll make sure you're family has enough to eat. I owe that much to Romulus." And I understand what he's referring to. On the day of the accident, Alaric should have been in the mines with my father, but a horrible bout of influenza kept him home. After the accident, Alaric inherited his brother's bakery and has avoided the mines ever since. There's no reason why this guy should blame himself, but he's goddamn guilty about it.
The Peacekeepers take him away, and then I'm shuttled to the train station. Reporters are everywhere. I make sure to flip a couple of them off while I'm pushed into the train. Apparently Antonio got here before me.
When the train starts, I'm surprised at the speed. Having never traveled in anything faster than a cart, this train is an anomaly to me. It is clear that in less than a day I will be in the Capitol. During that time, the other districts will have had their Reapings, which are staggered throughout the day so the heartless people in the Capitol can watch them all live.
The train is quite fancy, needlessly so. I see the television in my room and ponder whether or not to watch a couple of reapings, but decide against it. There will be reruns later tonight.
District 10
Toris Laurinitis
I sit in the train to the Capitol across from my fellow tribute and ponder how it came to this. Of course, I knew I might be picked. I had at least 25 slips in the ball. But what really confuses me is my fellow tribute. I'm the male tribute. The person across from me is also male.
If you didn't know Feliks, you might assume he was a girl. Perhaps that's why the Peacekeepers allowed him to volunteer for the little girl they called. It might also have something to do with the fact that Feliks older sister, Felka, is a victor. She's full of spunk and acts more like a boy than her younger brother, and she often offends Peacekeepers. If they think sending Feliks to the Hunger Games is a good form of revenge, they're wrong. Surely she could care less.
Felka is 19 now, a year older than Feliks and I. I grew up next door to the Łukasiewicz family, and yet I'm still not used to the strange children.
"OMG, Liet, this is like, so exciting!" Feliks has a strange habit of giving random nicknames to people he takes a liking to, and apparently, he has decided that Liet fits me. "The Capitol is like, so glamourous! I'm just going to love it!"
I heave a heavy sigh. "Feliks, we're not going to enjoy the riches of the Capitol. We're going to be stuck in an arena with a bunch of other kids in a fight to the death. That means dirt. Sweat. Blood. No clean clothes."
Feliks' eyes grow wide. "OMG, no way! I totally cannot go on without clean clothes! Like, what are they thinking?"
It occurs to me that Feliks is one of two things: stupid enough to tune out the whole point of the Hunger Games in his eternal quest for 'fabulous', or a good enough actor to convince me that he didn't know what he was getting into. For his sake, I hope it's the latter.
To be honest, Feliks gives me a headache. His constant chatter should be endearing, since he rarely talks to strangers, but he never seems to have anything worthwhile to say, and the way he talks is excruciating. It's bad enough that I have to go into the arena with a partner that I know; why does my partner have to be someone who won't force me to fight for my life?
Then again, Feliks is lazy. Most likely he's going to depend on me to save him. Which is stupid, because tributes never work together. And I'm not going to be the one to break the trend.
District 7
Elizaveta Héderváry
I stand next to Roderich Edelstein, and I'm hoping beyond hope that he won't be called. It may seem stupid, but it's all I want.
I've had a crush on Roderich for years, and now he's finally become my boyfriend. He still doesn't say much to me, but I know that after a while he'll come around.
Our escort reaches into the girls' ball. I'm so busy hoping that Roderich won't be called that I don't hear the name. Only when it is repeated five times does it finally register.
"Elizaveta Héderváry?"
It's me. I'm the female tribute for District 7.
It's a shock, but I'm nothing if not strong. I look at Roderich, trying to gauge his reaction. I see no pain, no sadness. Surely it is just Roderich being stoic. But then he pushes me towards the stage.
Roderich is the son of a Peacekeeper, so naturally he would want to make sure his girlfriend follows the rules. And I have as good a chance as any, if not more, at winning the Hunger Games. Still, it hurts a bit.
I walk proudly up to the podium. I watch as the escort roots around in the boys' ball and pulls out a slip of paper. She reads it out in a clear voice:
"Gilbert Beilschmidt!"
There are a few good-hearted bro hugs over in the corner of the Square, and then Gilbert Beilschmidt emerges from the crowd, a cocky grin on his face.
Crap. Not him.
Because I remember him. When I was younger, I lost my mother, and my father became a political prisoner. I was all alone, and was barely getting by on the animals I was able to snare.
One day, I was sick of eating nothing but meat. I was hungry for fruit, which I hadn't had since my father was taken away. When I saw some blueberries, I grabbed as many as I could and stuffed them in my mouth.
I walked back into town, marginally satisfied. I was passing the Justice Building when my vision blurred and my stomach turned. I began to vomit blood. I was crying uncontrollably, realizing too late that the berries had not been blueberries, but I was too weak to move or call for help. I passed out right where the podium is now standing.
When I came to, there was a bucket of red vomit in the corner of the room. I was lying in a bed, and a silver-haired, red-eyed boy was staring at me. He had a little yellow bird in his hair. And when he saw that I was okay, he had the same cocky grin that he now wears as he climbs the steps to the stage.
Damn fate. It gave me what I wanted at the price of my life and pride.
District 5
Erik Steillson
There are so few girls of Reaping age in District 5 that the Peacekeepers made it a habit to put all the names in one big bowl and pull any random slip. Always it was either a boy and girl or two boys, never two girls. Great for the girls, not so good for the boys.
It doubles the risk of losing my brother Lukas. But there's no way I'm saying that out loud.
On my right, Mathias Køhler is bouncing on the balls of his feet. He gets unnaturally excited on Reaping Days, as if he's taking in all the negative tension around us and converting it into pure energy. I swear he looks like he could run a 2-minute mile.
Our escort is also our Head Peacekeeper, and he reaches into the bowl and pulls out two slips of paper at the same time. It was probably an accident; it might also be that the Reapings are behind schedule, and District 5 has to rush the ceremony.
"Erik Steillson and Mathias Køhler!"
To my left, I feel Lukas stiffen. This is probably his worst unspoken nightmare: his best friend and his little brother being sent to the Hunger Games. And to make matters worse, I probably have no chance of winning at all. Unless…
But I can't afford to think like that. If anyone is going to win glory for District 5, it's going to be Mathias. And up until now I would have thought that Lukas would want me to win, but now I'm not so sure.
I'm not sure about anything.
Mathias cuts the tension with a whoop of joy. I glance suspiciously at him. Why is he so glad to be a tribute? And then I realize: his name has been called. He's 17. At least now he knows he won't have to guess when his name will be called, if he'll be dead. Now he knows for sure what his fate is.
But I'm just 15. I'm not ready to die. I haven't even had my first crush yet.
Lukas turns to me. "Will you please call me big brother, one last time?" He keeps pushing that. And despite what I know, despite the chances that I'll never see him again, I find myself responding in the usual way:
"Never."
I know it hurts Lukas, but it's a reflex. Then Mathias throws an arm around my neck and drags me to the Justice Building. Whatever I felt, it's too late now.
District 3
Ludwig
The crowd mills about as if it's market day. I stand in the middle of the Square, alone. No one wants to get near me. I'm used to it by now; no one wants to approach a 15-year-old boy they think killed his dad.
He went missing years ago. I never killed anyone.
I feel a tug on my coat sleeve and turn to see Louise. She's my only friend, the only person in District 3 who isn't afraid of me. She seems worried, but I don't know why. Perhaps she is worried for me.
She doesn't know it, but I have gone out of my way to make sure that she stays out of the Reaping. I've been bribing the officials for years, threatening at times. I don't want to lose the only person who cares about me.
I put a hand on her arm. "What's the matter, Louise? Is everything okay at home?"
She nods. "It's just…something feels wrong, Ludwig. I can't explain it, but I know something isn't right."
The escort begins to speak, and the milling stops. There is still a wide circle around Louise and me.
"Our male tribute will be Tino Väinämöinen!"
I know that boy. He's 17. And he might be strong, but he will never make it in the arena.
But the boy who joins the escort is not Tino. It's 18-year-old Berwald Oxenstierna, the one who everyone feels uneasy around. It's a well-known fact that he is gay, and some people believed he might become a political prisoner for it. It should have been expected that he would volunteer to take Tino's place.
It's something of a surprise when Tino starts yelling, "No! I'll do it! I'll go to the Hunger Games!"
But Berwald is only shaking his head. He's not backing down.
The escort ignores Tino as a couple of Peacekeepers haul him from the Square. He reads off the girl's name.
"Louise—"
"STOP!" I bellow. There is only one girl in the District named Louise.
The square goes silent as my voice carries. I storm to the stage, grab a Peacekeeper by the collar and yell, "You said you'd take her out!"
No one speaks. The Peacekeeper is whimpering like a child. "I—I must have missed one…"
I drop him on the ground and turn to the escort. "This should not have happened. I was promised that if I took extra tessera, I could replace her name with mine. I'll go as tribute for District 3!"
And people are cheering. Louise seems shell-shocked, and a little bit angry. I know, though, that the reason everyone else is so happy is that they are sure this will be the last they see of me. And they are probably right.
It's not that I can't win. If I win, if I kill the other tributes, I'll prove that I'm lethal, that I can't be trusted. So if I win, I lose everything.
I'm going to have to lose on purpose.
When Louise comes in to say goodbye, she's furious. She storms into the room and punches me in the gut.
"You idiot! You were bribing the Peacekeepers this whole time? Do you know how embarrassing that is?"
"Why—"
"Everyone has a slip in there. We're all equal, we all have a chance. And you were making the Peacekeepers remove me. It's like I was too good for the Reaping, better than everyone else! I would have been happy to go to the Hunger Games if my name was called. What you did wasn't fair to the other girls!"
She stops, and takes a few deep breaths. Then she hugs me.
"I'm sorry, Ludwig. I'm scared for you, and humiliated."
I hug her back. "I'm sorry. I screwed up."
She pulls away. "You need to try to win, Ludwig. Don't worry about what the other people think about you."
I shake my head. "I'll do my best, but I'm not going to try to win. I'll fight in self-defense, nothing more."
The Peacekeeper comes to take her away, and I'm regretting leaving her with those words. There was so much more to say, but I'm not good with feelings. And there's no reason to say goodbye when the sentiment is implied.
And now we have new characters. Germany's part was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I had it all planned out, but I only remembered certain parts of it. And dialogue is not my strong suit.
The "big brother" thing that Norway does is actually from the show. He really wants Iceland to call him onii-chan, but Iceland refuses. And because I'm undecided in the matter, I've decided that Norway and Denmark are friends but not in love.
Other characters from different districts will be featured at later times. Switzerland and Liechtenstein will be featured very soon, if not at length.
Romulus=Rome
Erik=Iceland
Mathias=Denmark
Lukas=Norway
Louise=Fem Germany
Gilbert=Prussia
Sadiq=Turkey
Toris=Lithuania
Feliks=Poland
Felka=Fem Poland
Feliciana/ Feli= Fem Italy
Lovina=Fem South Italy
Antonio=Spain
Alaric=Germania
Elizaveta=Hungary
Roderich=Austria
Berwald= Sweden (the only character who's sexuality has been confirmed by Himaruya)
Tino=Finland
Ludwig=Germany
Effie Trinket=Effie Trinket