Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you all for the tributes!
Kivuta Seiswen, 15
Today is the reaping. It is the day I am going to volunteer. I'm volunteering because I need to win. No more deaths for this family. I can not let that trend continue.
Since I was 6 years old, I started making a scrapbook of my family and everyone important to me. I started training then, because I had nothing better to do. I think I will volunteer in 2 or 3 years. I look at the scrapbook everyday, to remind myself of my loved ones. Not like I could ever forget them.
I flip through the pages, and before I even see the face in the picture, I feel a tear strolling down my cheek. Through my blurry eyes, I see him. He was my best friend. My boyfriend. We loved each other, even before we were dating. I remember when I met him. We were four, and I was picking flowers with my mom in our frontyard. Then, we see a boy who looked my age riding his bike. He waved to us, and all of a sudden, he fell off. You could tell he was trying really hard to fight back the tears. My mother and I nursed him, and I was holding his hand and stood by his side the whole time. When, my mother and I walked him home, we both made a promise to each other that we would be best friends forever. And we are.
Thinking about Patrick makes me remember his death. We were dating when he volunteered last year. His brother was reaped at the age of 12, and surprisingly, no one was volunteering. That was one of the first times in District 2 history. So, of course, Patrick volunteered. He almost won. I was sure he was going to. But then, the District 4 boy, out of nowhere, knocked him down with an axe. The year before, my sister and cousin died. They both made it to the top 8, my sister made it to the top 4. My cousin, he was 16, and my sister was 15. They were allies the whole time.
Now, I have a new best friend. Her name is Moniqua. She is my only friend. She is the only person who really understands me. After my mom died when I was 6, I became a lonely person. I didn't talk to anyone, and no one talked to me. Well, except for Patrick and Moniqua. When my dad remarried, they were the only ones who I was truly myself around. They would tell me I am happy, bubbly, and never in a bad mood. I guess it was rue, the ore I think about it.
"Kiva Seiswen! Get down here this minute!" There she is again. My evil stepmother.
"Shut up! You don't need to tell me what to do!" I yell back.
"Kivuta! You do not talk to me this way! I am your mother! I will tell you what to do!"
"No! You are not my mother! My mother is much kinder than you will ever be! You know what, I wasn't thinking about volunteering until I was 17 or 18, but I think 15 seems like a better choice!" I say and slam the door shut and head to the reaping.
Fame Regnuh, 17
"Hey Fame! Over here!" One of my friends, Derek, shouts as I walk across the field.
"Hey Derek. Nervous?" I ask.
"Nah. Why would I be? It's not like I'm going to volunteer this year." He replies.
"Okay. I was just making sure." I say.
"Wait, making sure? You're not gonna volunteer, are you?" He says nervously.
"Well, actually, I think I am. I feel prepared, and, well, I really think I can win this thing." I say casually. Or, I at least try to.
"Did you tell anyone else?" He asks.
"No, but I think I should. You know, at least say goodbye to some of the others."
"Cardin and the others are over there playing ball, we can go over there. Actually, I think I have a better idea. Follow me." He says.
We end up at the tree where we first met. We were twelve, and he was climbing the tree. I was walking near there, and he called me up saying to climb with him. I was hesitant at first for two reasons. One, I was big, so I thought the branch would break, but then after I tried anyway, I was proven wrong. I was also hesitant because this boy was part of the popular group, and he never really talked to outsiders like me. But, he turned out to be a really nice person. And that is how we became really good friends. I do not think I would be trained enough to enter the games without all the support he and all the other guys have given me over the years.
The Reaping
Outsider's POV
There she goes, Villo getting ready to pluck the first name. Everyone knows there will be a volunteer. I just hope that there won't be a fight over who gets to volunteer again this year.
"Chalin Setter" Villo announces after plucking a girls name. And right then, I see a 15 year old girl, Kiva, I think her name is, volunteer. This makes me nervous, seeing a girl so young volunteer.
"I volunteer as tribute!" She says, and runs up to the stage. I see her stare at someone in the distance, but then she turns her head and announces in the microphone her name.
"Kivuta Seiswen." So it is young Kiva.
"And now, for the boys! Lance Trufts!"
"I volunteer!" A boy yells and makes his way up to the stage.
"Now dear, what is your name?" Villo asks.
"Fame Regnuh." He says confidently. Regnuh. He's her sister. The ugly one who tried volunteering, but got knocked out by the other girl that actually volunteered.
The only thing I have to say about this year, is that it is going to be very interesting.
