I slowly walk home from school, taking in the sweet scent of the early spring air. It's that time of year again, the time of year when the announcements of the next Hunger Games would begin. But this wasn't just another Hunger Games. This was a Quarter Quell. As if the Hunger Games were not bad enough, some genius decided to add some sort of twist to the Hunger Games every twenty five years. I try to take my time, I don't want to get back home. It was announced in school that there was going to be a mandatory viewing on tonight, and although the subject was not announced, everyone knows what it is. President Snow is going to tell the rest of Panem what the twist is. And I'm not looking forward to it. So, I continue to dawdle. Stopping to smell the flowers, listening to the bird calls, and observing the streets as they slowly begin to empty.
But one can only stay hidden for so long before they reach their destination. It was already amazing that I had turned what was normally a ten minute walk into two hours. As much as I hate to admit it, I have to get home before the announcement starts to air, or else the Capitol will have a problem. So, I reluctantly take the key to my house out of my pocket, and undo the lock. I slowly turn the knob, as if there is a monster waiting to grab me on the other side, and, metaphorically, there is.
Before I can step inside, Cato's in front of me, standing between the doorway and me. Cato's my older brother, and the only living relative I have, and he won the Seventy Fourth Hunger Games, so it is practically a law that I respect him. This I do naturally, because he could twist me like a pretzel, rib my limbs off one by one. He used to always remind me, but the Games made him softer. Almost pleasant to be around at times. He has major mood swings, like every teenager does, but they're more servere. And I know what it's like to get stuck in one of them. I don't want that to happen again. So it almost comforts me to know that Clove is living with us. She and Cato won together, and since Victor's Village is getting really crowded, we have to share a house. But like I said before, I don't mind.
And, like I predicted, Clove is up behind me, and gives Cato a deadly glare. It's always been a talent of hers to be able to communicate simply with her eyes, as she is demonstrating at the moment. That's all it takes to get Cato out of my way. I know he has a soft spot for her, but he never admits it out loud. My thoughts are interrupted as Cato begins to speak.
"What took you so long?" He asks, almost scolding me. I look up at him, and do my best to look innocent. I can't show fear in front of him. Most do it because of sibling rivalry, I do it for my safety.
"I was..." I scrape my brain, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse, which doesn't come easily for me. I'm a terrible liar. "I was helping Angelica with her garden." Angelica is the victor from the Sixty Seventh Hunger Games. As her talent, she decided to garden. This she does quite well. Angelica's young too, still only in twenties. She was fourteen when she won. Cato rolls his eyes at this, but one look from Clove and he lets it go.
"Fine, but you need to watch the program." He says. Cato grabs my arm and almost drags me into the room. This is one of the few things Clove can't help me with. He and Clove sit on the couch, and I take the chair. That's how it's always been. We still have ten minutes before the program starts, so Cato and Clove start to argue about what we should watch until then. I struggle not to roll my eyes, and quickly grab the remote from between them. This stops them.
"What?" Clove asks, almost annoyed. It takes all I have not to burst out laughing. The least I can manage is a smile.
"I was wondering if we could watch a rerun of the Feast." I say. This settles their arguement. The Hunger Games have not made them completely soft, they still think of the Feast as their biggest victory. I hate watching it, but am still paranoid of getting reaped. If that is the case, it would pay to start strategizing. So, I turn it on.
It starts with showing the table rise from the ground, almost out of nowhere. The four backpacks sit there, each with a district number on it. District 2's is one of the bigger ones. After about five seconds of this, the action starts. The camera darts back to show the inside of the Cornucopia. The girl from District Five is in there, and the viewer is given the impression that she's been in the Cornucopia for a long time, just waiting for this. She races out and grabs a medium sized backpack, and is out of the scene as quickly as she came in.
Everyone in the room knows exactly what happens next. The girl from District 12 goes, after realizing that it is obvious that she must make the next move. Was her name Katniss? Clove, who has been hiding in the trees until this point, runs out and throws the first knife right at her head. It's a sharp one, probably one of the best ones she had, but Katniss is able to turn around and deflect it with her bow. Still, it was close. Really close. Now, realizing that it's her turn to attack, Katniss shoots an arrow at Clove's heart. But she turns at the last second, and it just punctures her arm. It slows Clove down, but only for a few seconds.
As Katniss reaches for her backpack, Clove nails her forehead with another knife. The look on her face is unforgiving, and would send chills down even the most seasoned warrior's spine. Katniss attempts to return the attack, but misses pathetically. Clove slams into her and knocks her down without any problem.
"Where's your boyfriend, District Twelve? Still hanging on?" Clove asks, sounding poisonously sweet. She is really putting all actors to shame.
"He's out there now. Hunting Cato," Katniss snarls back. She screams his name, but obviously, Peeta does not answer. Clove jams her fist into Katniss's windpipe, making her breathing sound more painful, but she still looks around, just to make sure that Peeta isn't up on her.
"Liar," She grins, still pulling the sadistic act. "He's nearly dead. Cato knows where he cut him. You've probably got him strapped up in some tree while you try to keep his heart going."
Now Clove jesters towards Katniss's backpack, which is still wrapped around her arm, showing false interest. "What's in that pretty little backpack? That medicine for Lover Boy? Too bad he'll never get it."
Clove unzips her jacket, which reveals an amazing gallery of knives. Anyone can tell by the look on Katniss's face that she's horrified, but she does a good job hiding it. Clove carefully takes out a knife that looks almost fragile, but has cruel, curved blade at the end, almost like it's the most precious thing in the world.
"I promised Cato that if he let me have you, I'd give the audience a good show." Katniss is struggling now, but she will soon realize that it is hopeless. Clove's on her too tight, and has her perfectly restrained.
"Forget it, District Twelve. We're going to kill you. Just like we killed your pathetic little ally... what was her name? The one who hopped around in the trees? Rue? Well, first Rue, then you, and then I think we'll just let nature take care of Lover Boy. How does that sound?" Clove says as if she's offering to sing her to sleep. "Now, where to start?" She carelessly wipes the blood off Katniss's wound with her sleeve. Then, she delicately takes a hold of Katniss's chin, and pretends to view each angle, as if she's considering the pros and cons of starting at a certain place. After a couple seconds of this, Katniss loses control, and tries to bite her hand. This sets Clove off. She grab's Katniss's hair and forces her back down, making sure it is a painful for her as possible.
"I think..." she purrs. It reminds me of Angelica's cat Snowy. "I think we'll start with your mouth." Katniss closes her mouth as tightly as she can as Clove jokingly traces the outline of her lips with the blade. I imagine Cato laughing at this as he waits in the trees. I have to give Katniss credit though, as hopeless as the situation is, she doesn't close her eyes for a reason I can't explain. Her boldness surprised even Cato when he first saw this.
"Yes, I don't think you'll have much use for your lips anymore. Want to blow Lover Boy one last kiss?" She teases. Katniss spits a mouthful of blood and saliva in Clove's face, which makes her turn red with rage. "All right then, let's get started." As Clove begins to cut Katniss's lips, pretending to try and get the outline perfectly, Cato goes to the table and gets both District 2's and 11's backpacks, making Thresh follow him. Now one's going to save Katniss now.
After five minutes of tracing around Katniss's face, Clove begins to draw circles on her neck. When she's done circling the perimeter about six times, she lets out a devious smile, and cruelly stabs a point that she's made right in the center. "Have a nice rest." Clove says happily. She sits up and leaves Katniss to drown in her own blood. Ironically, that's exactly what happened to Marvel. I bet it makes Katniss think that she was there when Rue died. Her last comment, leaving her to drown in her own blood. This might have been Katniss's dying thought. The cannon fires, and she is gone.
I look over to see Cato and Clove still smiling about this. It sickens me, but if this is the only way I can keep them from arguing, then this is how I'll do it. The screen begins to show the fight between Cato and Thresh, but its quickly interupted with the news from the Capitol.
The anthem plays. After it ends, President Snow steps out from behind a set of curtains. He smiles so big, it kind of scares me.
"As you all know," He begins. "This is the year of the Third Quarter Quell. That means that there will be a twist in this years Hunger Games. As a reminder of the families that were torn apart in the Dark Ages, only closely related family members of past victors will be put in the reaping bowl. And also, to make it family size, there will be six tributes from each district. Have a happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor." President Snow smiles again and the screen goes blank. I can imagine millions of people sighing in relief, knowing they wouldn't get reaped. But at this same moment, there are a couple hundred fearful faces. And three of those people are in the same room I am...