Roscoe's Point of View The Reaping
I stare in horror as Mrs. Whithers draws the two names out of the hat. This was my second to last year of my name being put into the drawing to be reaped. Ever since President Rain announced that the twist this year was two tributes, boy or girl or both could be reaped, I have been praying that I wasn't chosen to be in these games. I talked to my best friend Zed everyday about what was going to happen. He is also worried that he will be reaped because he is the only one taking care of his younger brother and sister. His father died in a Rodeo accident, and his mother flipped her lid ever since his death and was put into an insane asylum because of it. Luckily Zed is old enough to take of his siblings without any adult supervision. The age of being an adult was 16 in District 10 and we both were 16. Mrs. Whithers walks out on stage. She was my music teacher and my best friend.
"Welcome to the 114th Annual Reaping of District 10. As you all know, two tributes will be reaped, one gender may offer up two tributes instead of one from each gender. So let's get this started shall we?" she says nervously.
She dips her hand into the giant fish bowl and circles her hand around the bowl. She draws one name and sets it aside. She then dips her hand into the bowl again and pulls out the second slip of paper. She opens the first slip.
"The first tribute to compete in the games will be…..Zed Graves!" she exclaims.
What? No, Zed can't be chosen to be in these games. Who will take care of his siblings? I tremble as Zed slowly walks on stage. Zed looks out into the audience and takes a deep breath. Mrs. Whithers moves Zed to the side and picks up the second slip she placed aside.
"And now our second tribute….." Mrs. Whiters pauses.
"Roscoe Botham…"
What?! No, this can't be happening. Everyone turns to look at me and backs away. I cry out and look around for my mother. Where was she?
"Mom!" I scream.
"MOM!" I run to the center aisle and swirl around taking in all the scared looks on peoples' faces. Suddenly I catch a glimpse of blonde hair. My mother! The woman turns around and walks away to our house. I chase after her screaming her name but she never turns around. I reach the front door as she slams it right in my face. I stop and slowly open the door and walk inside.
"Mother?" I shout.
I hear heavy breathing coming from her bedroom. I quickly make my way to the door. I rip open the door and scream in horror. My mother was laying on the floor in a pile of blood, her blood.
"Mom?" I cry out.
Why is this happening? Who had done this to her? This doesn't make sense, I was right behind her. I look around the room and find a knife in her left hand. Had she stabbed herself? Her eyes meet mine and she slowly raises her right hand. I rush over and grab her hand.
"I'm sorry, but I know you won't win, and I can't live without my baby….." she murmurs.
"No, mom, what if I do come out alive? I will be with Zed and we both know how to fight." I cry out.
She looks at the ceiling and soon releases her grip on my hand.
"NO! Mother! How could you?!" I scream.
Peacekeepers bust down the front door and grab my arms.
"Let me go! I have to be with my mother! Let go of me damn it!" I yell.
A peacekeeper walks around to meet me face to face. I curse at him and he punches me in the face making me black out.
The Hotel
I shriek and fall out of my bed. Zed and Muriel rush into see what happened.
"Roscoe, are you alright?" Zed asks.
"I had another nightmare of that day." I sob.
Zed picks me up and pats me on the back.
"It will be alright. I'm here if you need me." He says.
I nod and Muriel guides me out of my room and into the dining room.
"Let's get you some sweets honey. It will cheer you up." Muriel gives me a fake smile.
I plop down in a chair as Zed pours me a cup of water. He passes it to me and I chug it down in one gulp. Zed and I sit in silence for a few minutes until Muriel returns with some chocolate covered fruit. I wipe my tears from my face and sniffle. I take a few bites of my fruit but leave the rest sitting on my plate.
"You need to eat honey, you need your strength." Muriel says.
"I'm just not hungry right now." I reply.
"Alright well we need to get your mind off of what happened. Let's talk about the tributes. Muriel?" Zed says.
"Sure, why not? Well first on the list are the siblings from District 1, the Gills. They are the dynamic team for these games and will keep each other going for as long as possible. They think they are the hottest things on the block and will most likely be the fan favorites. Your best bet is to stay away from them because neither of you two can take both of them down without getting yourselves killed." Muriel explains.
"We are bound to die anyway." I say.
"Just ignore him Muriel. Please continue on." Zed says.
"Next we have the two girls from District 2, Soap and Fauna. These two are strong and have trained with each other for these games since they were little. They will most likely team up with the Gills and the Harpers." Muriel says.
"The Harpers?" I ask.
"They are brother and sister from District 4. Hudson is a ladies man and is a big schmoozer. He will try to win over the viewers for these games. Him and his little sister will most likely be surviving solely on sponsor gifts." Muriel continues.
"Next are the girls from District 5." Muriel says.
"How is District 5 a threat to us?" I demand.
"The little one, Skai is small, but she is deadly. However, she is not very quiet. Bliss makes up for this in the long run. Be mindful of her because she can sneak up behind you with making a single noise." Muriel says.
"Can I see the pictures of all the tributes?" I ask.
Muriel passes me the pictures. I look through them until I see District 7.
"Who are these two?" I ask.
"That is Almond and Catalpa. They are very good as a team but are a lot nicer than the other teams. They don't like to ally a lot of people though. So if you are considering teaming up with them, forget it." Muriel announces.
"Well who can we team up with Muriel?" Zed snaps.
"District 9 and or District 11 would be a good choice for you guys. District 9 is a good team but you guys are stronger, so if the two girls, Gemma and Zaria, try to betray you, you two can easily take them out. The same goes for the other two girls from District 11, Kalei and Valentine." Muriel exclaims.
I look through the pictures and find the two girls from both districts.
"So you want us to team up with a bunch of girls? Do you think we are weak or something?" Zed shouts.
"No, I am just trying to keep you guys alive for as long as possible. You both know if you make it to the Final 2 you can both go home. I am trying to keep you guys alive. So if you want to stay alive, your best option is to listen to me." Muriel yells.
Zed frowns and rolls his eyes. I continue to look through the pictures until I grow tired.
"Alright well I am heading back to bed guys. I guess we will start training tomorrow?" I ask.
Muriel nods and leads me back to my room. I give her a hug and she hugs me back tightly.
"Do good honey. I will be here if you need me." Mrs. Whithers says.
"I will try." I whisper.
She kisses my forehead and leaves my room. I crawl into bed and close my eyes. My nightmare starts all over again.
The Training
"Welcome to your first day of training. You may train in any station you like. Please do not fight with any of the other tributes; you will have plenty of time doing that in the arena. You may start training now." the head trainer announces.
Zed and I start out at the camouflage station. The girl from District 3 joins us. After we grow tired of the station, we head over to the knife throwing station. We stand and watch Soap and Alli take turns throwing knives. Soap does not miss a single target and she always aimed for the head. Alli missed a few times but was able to sink her knives into a majority of the manikins' chests. I notice Valentine and Kalei to the right in the fire building station. I walk over to them.
"Hey ladies. I'm…."
"Roscoe we know." they both say.
"Ok then. Well I was just wondering if you two maybe wanted to be…"
"In an alliance with you?" they both reply.
"Would you stop that?" I demand.
"Sorry." they both giggle.
"So will you be mine and Zed's ally?" I ask.
Valentine looks at Kalei and raises her eyebrow. Kalei mouths something to Valentine and she laughs. Valentine looks at me.
"Sure why not." Valentine agrees.
"Good! I was hoping you would say that. Do you two care if we ask….."
"District 9? We already asked and they said yes." They both say once again.
"Umm, ok then. Well I guess I will see you around?" I ask.
"Of course!" They both giggle.
I walk back to the knife throwing station and watch Zed attempt to throw knives. He misses all but one. The one he hits lands in the leg. I guess he isn't good at throwing knives. As Zed finishes I walk up to the platform and grab a few knives. I aim and throw them. I manage to hit half of my targets in the neck and one in the eye of my target. I wasn't too bad but I kept getting dirty looks from the career pack.
"Just ignore them Roscoe." Zed whispers.
I nod and move on. We continue training for the next few days and Zed and I soon learn each others strengths and weaknesses. He was good at shooting a bow and arrow, making traps and camouflage. I was good at stealth, knife throwing, and finding edible plants. Neither of us was good at medical treatment. I hope one of our allies is though.