District Four Male – Gabriel Anderson (15)
I hear laughs around me. It's the sound of a young boy giggling and an older boy laughing his head off, jerking away. I sigh and scrunch my nose just a bit before I open my eyes to find my two brothers, Cooper and James. Cooper is only eight, and my older brother James is eighteen, his last year for the Games. But before, when I was younger, we all had an brother who was much older, but he died in the Games.
I roll my eyes and sit up, making them laugh more. What's so funny? I sit up and glare at them. "What did you do to me?" I hiss, glaring at them. James chuckles and points to me.
"Nothing, we just messed with your face. Now you look like a total idiot," he says between laughs. My eyes go wide when I notice markers in their hands. Realizing what they did, I immediately run to the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. Dammit! Black circles are around my eyes and the word "Idiot" is written across my forehead, along with a black line underneath it and a mustache the shape of a square.
I'm going to kill them, I think. I glare at the mirror and turn on the water. I grab handfuls of water and begin to wash my face. I do this over and over again until my hands go wrinkly. I look at myself in the mirror, only to find that it washed off, but you can see it only a little. It's not that noticeable, so I doubt people will be able to notice the marks, right?
I grab a cloth and dry my face. I sigh and walk out, glaring at my brothers as they smirk, while I make my way down to the kitchen. When I'm in the kitchen, I sit down next to my mum and smile. "How was your morning?" I ask, flashing a grin.
She chuckles and says, "Don't flatter yourself. Now why don't you go train like your brothers? The only way to please us is to do what you're told." My mum is beautiful with her long, curly brown hair and chestnut eyes. My dad has blonde hair with deep-sea blue eyes, which is okay, considering we live in District Four. But I can't keep up with their nagging, saying my brothers are better than me.
I laugh sarcastically and grab a piece of bread wrapped in seaweed off the table. I rip off a chunk and begin to chew on it. "I'll be back in a bit to dress for the reaping. I'm going to train like you want me to," I say. I get my parents' approval and I walk out the door.
Lies. Those were lies.
As I walk along the shoreline, I look to my left to see docks, and a girl with golden-blonde hair sitting on the edge of the docks, with someone approaching from behind. Something clicks with her – I think my younger brother was talking about her once. I shrug my shoulders and continue to walk down the shoreline until I see a girl about the same age as me. I smirk and run in the sand, pushing it all behind me.
"Emily!" I shout. She immediately turns and smiles. I smirk and we both go tumbling in the sand. She giggles and stands up with me. "How's it going?" I ask curiously.
"It's going good. Oh, and how rude of you, you just ruined my hair!" she exclaims.
I glare at her and say, "Now whose fault was that? Certainly it wasn't my fault," I pause, looking everywhere and flailing my arms, "Now, let me help you with that, young lady." We both laugh and I take the pin from her hair and comb it through my fingers. She wipes her hands on her dress just as I'm finished ridding the sand. "Finished."
"Thank you," she says.
"No problem."
"So, Gabriel, I think I have to go now. You should go too, the reaping/s going to begin soon," she says, blushing as she twirls a piece of her hair around her finger.
I smile and pat her on the shoulder. I'm about to reply when I hear a scream. We turn our attention to it, but I look away just as fast. "You're right. Oh, and before I leave, good luck, Emily," I say. I turn on my heels and begin running back home.
When I'm home, I ignore my brothers and go into my room. Since I don't have any dress clothes, I quickly grab a pair of ripped black jeans and a dark blue shirt, something I'd normally wear outside. I take a quick shower and slip on the pair of pants and shirt. I look at myself in the mirror.
My dark, but curly and wavy brown hair hands just above my forehead and my deep-sea blue eyes are the perfect touch with my outfit, including my polished, yet angelic look. I smirk and walk out of the room to be met with the family.
"I'll go early," I say just as I past them. I ignore their calls and walk out of the house. Once I'm finally outside, I jog a bit until I'm a fair distance. From there, I walk. When I'm at the reaping, I sign in and wait in my line. I stand on my tippytoes, looking for Emily.
I'm about to call out for her when suddenly, the mayor does the same thing every year and our escort comes up on stage. "District Four, welcome again to the reaping, but the 1000th Annual Hunger Games, as always, I'm your escort, Laola Ludwig. Now, if you'd like to move on, I'll choose our girl tribute first."
I roll my eyes to the side as she walks over to the girls' bowl and plucks out a piece of paper. She unfolds it, smiling shyly. "Cecilia Jones."
Cecilia is about to walk onto the stage until someone shouts, "I volunteer!" A young girl with blonde hair runs up onto the stage. Wait – that was the girl I saw at the docks!
"What is your name, young lady?" Laola asks.
The blonde girl smiles brightly and says, "My name is Tess Vickravan."
Laola nods her head and takes a slip from the boys' glass bowl. She reads it out, "Gabriel Anderson."
What did she say? I look around me and take a deep sigh. Bravely, I walk onto the stage, ignoring all the stares. When I'm up there, Tess faces me, smiling.
"What're those marks on your face?" she asks, her finger pointing at my direction.
"What?" I say annoyed. Honestly, these kids are confusing.
"On your face, Gabriel, there are faded marks, and the word "idiot" on your forehead," she says. I close my eyes, sigh, slap my forehead, and curse my brothers. Oh, when I get back, I'm going to kill them.
"Thanks a lot, kid. There's no need to tell me things I already know," I snap. I roll my eyes and walk into the Justice Building without waiting for my partner and escort. I walk into my room and sit down. Surprisingly, I still remember where everything is since the last time I came here to visit my brother.
Suddenly, my family comes in. "I'm so proud you got in, my son!" my mum gushes. I nod my head and my brothers also congratulate me. Weird thing is, my father isn't giving me any nice looks or anything; he's glaring. What did I do? "Marvin, why aren't you congratulating your own son?" my mum asks dad.
He glances at me then back up at mum. "Because, sweetheart, he won't even make it! He barely trains, so do you think he's actually going to survive the bloodbath when it begins? No!" he shouts.
My mum takes a step back and glares at him. "Dad, I do train, and I have enough knowledge to win these Games! I'll prove you wrong when I come back home victor, living in my home and away from you!" I shout.
"Don't talk to your father like that!"
I'm about to shout until mum interrupts us. She pushes my dad away and whispers something I can't hear. Soon, they all leave. I sigh and plop myself onto the couch. Suddenly, James comes back in. He smiles and sits beside me. "Forget about dad, Gabriel. Right now, I believe you can win these Games with this," he says. I look down into his hands to see a pendant with a small knot in it.
"It can't be," I whisper.
James smiles and hands it to me. "It's yours for good luck," he says. He stands up and plays with my hair. I glare at him and he leaves.
District Four Female – Tess Vickravan (12)
I punch the punching bag for the thousandth time. I sigh and collapse onto the ground, breathing heavily as beads of sweat drip down my face. "Can't I take a break?" I ask, looking up to my father. My father is a past victor, and like usual, he trains me every day because he wants me to volunteer at eighteen, to make sure I'm ready and prepared, and able to fight for myself.
But god! I don't think I'll be able to take this. Age doesn't matter to me; I'm going to prove him wrong when the reaping begins. It's too bad, though. Seven years ago when I was five, my parents had a divorce because there was just too many problems. I never knew the problems, and I still don't because my father won't tell me.
"In five minutes, Tess. After your five minutes is up, you can do whatever you want for the while and head to the reaping straight away, okay?" my father says.
I sigh inwardly and stand up on my wobbly knees. I nod my head and think to myself. I'm tired. When I make it to the other side of the room which felt like forever, I grab a pair of knives and toss them into the air. I catch them into the air and glance at my father quickly, so I know he's looking.
I place three knives in each of my hand and pull my arms back. I smirk and whip them forward, so they all hit the red target in the middle. I smile and jump up and down, turning to my father. He gives me a frown and I stop cheering for my small victory. I grab a pair of knives and do it again, adding more little by little.
"You can leave," he says. I turn to him and smile. "I'll meet you at the reaping," he says before I leave. I skip out of the building and out onto the sand. I smile and twirl. Oh, how the ocean breeze feels on my face. I open them and make my way over to the docks that are just a few minutes away if I walk.
When I arrive at the docks, I sit down on the edge and dip my feet into the cold water. I smile brightly and swing my feet back and forth, splashing it into the air. I do this for a while until I see a boy with slightly curly brown hair. He glances at me and shrugs his shoulders. I continue to watch him and suddenly, he calls out a name and runs over to the girl and tackles her to the ground.
I chuckle and continue to feel the water with my feet. Suddenly, I hear light footsteps. I look to my right to see my best friend, Ghea, but I don't have any time to say anything because she pushes me into the water. I scream until I hit the water with a splash.
Oh, great, I needed that. I guess I can call it my shower or bath, either way it still works. The sweat on me was terrible.
I quickly swim back up to the surface and grab hold of the dock. Being from District Four, I'm supposed to be a great swimmer. But guess what? I'm not very good at it. I cough a bit of water and climb onto the dock, then laying on my back, breathing.
"What was that for?" I ask, looking over at Ghea. She smiles and shrugs her shoulders.
"I wanted to have some fun before the reaping starts. Oh, and I saw you come out of the training centre, so I thought you needed a bath, you know," she responds, smirking. I nod my head. Now I see why she did that. "Now that I think about it, I believe when you came out of the training centre, I think it was twenty minutes before the reaping starts. Now we only have ten minutes."
"What?" I say. I quickly stand up. "Later, Ghea." I run back home and slip into my room. I open my drawer and look frantically for my selection of clothes for the reaping. Where is it? I toss my clothes all over the room, but I can't seem to find it. This is terrible!
"Your clothes are on the bed, Tess," a voice says. I turn to see my grandmother. I smile and turn to it hanging on the edge of my bed. I sigh and pluck it away from it.
"Thanks, grandma," I say. I make my way into the bathroom and begin changing. When I'm finished, I look at myself in the mirror.
I'm wearing a blue skirt that reaches just above my knees and a yellow blouse. I let my wavy golden-brown hair loose, letting it reach my mid-back. A perfect touch to the outfit is my tanned skin and sky blue eyes. I quickly comb my hair and go into the kitchen. I grab a few pieces of fish and toss them into my mouth. After that, I take a gulp of water.
When I'm finished, I quickly put on a pair of blue flip-flops and exit the house, closing the door behind me. I run all the way to the reaping. Well, I'm not sure if I call it running because of that awkward tilt I make my feet do when running. I mean, who can run in flip-flops? They slide off easily.
Once I'm at the reaping, I immediately get signed in and make my way so I'm standing next to Ghea. She flashes me a quick smile and we turn to the mayor on stage. He quickly makes the speech and our escort, Laola Ludwig comes onto stage.
"District Four, welcome again to the reaping, but the 1000th Annual Hunger Games, as always, I'm your escort, Laola Ludwig. Now, if you'd like me to move on, I'll choose our girl tribute first," she says, giggling. After grabbing the piece of paper, she reads it. "Cecilia Jones."
"I volunteer!" I shout, raising my hand. I look back to see a shocked face on my father. I smirk and run onto the stage.
"What is your name, young lady?" Laola asks.
I smile brightly and say, "My name is Tess Vickravan."
Laola nods her head and takes a slip from the boys' glass bowl. She reads it out, "Gabriel Anderson."
A boy with slight marks on his face makes his way up to the stage. Hey, haven't I seen him somewhere? When Gabriel is standing next to me, I look at him and smile.
"What're those marks on your face?" I ask as I hold up my finger to point at the faded black on his face.
"What?" he says confused, facing me with an annoyed expression.
"On your face, Gabriel, there are faded marks, and the word "idiot" on your forehead," I say. Gabriel closes his eyes, sighs and slaps his forehead. I smile slightly and he moves his lips angrily.
"Thanks a lot, kid. There's no need to tell me things I already know," he snaps. He rolls his eyes and walks off. I watch him for a second and begin to follow. By the time I'm in the Justice Building, he's gone. But I'm already being pushed into my room.
When I'm in the room, my father comes bursting through, his face red, fumed with anger. "What were you thinking, Tess?" he snaps.
I shrug my shoulders, my eyes getting watery. "I just wanted to compete, that's all."
He sighs and runs his hand through his hair. He sits beside me and holds my hand tightly with his. "Listen, Tess, when you're out there, I want you to be strong, okay? Although you had very little training, I know you can do it. Just be strong and brave, okay? And to come back home, please, you have to kill."
My eyes go wide and I narrow them just as quick. "Alright," I whisper.
"That's my girl," he says. For a while, we talk until the Peacekeepers usher him out. I sit in silence for a while until the door opens again, revealing Trevor. I smile and run over to him and hug him. He returns the hug and I can feel him smile. I smile too, happy about his presence.
We pull away and Trevor and I look into each other's eyes when suddenly, he grabs my cheeks, pulls me towards him and kisses me! My eyes are wide. What's happening?
"I'm sorry," he says after he pulls away. "It's just…before you leave, Tess, I need you to know that I like you."
"Huh?" I say, shocked. I look up at him, eyes still bulging.
"Before I leave, I need you to know that you can't trust Ghea, alright?" he says.
"What do you mean? Why can't I trust Ghea?" I ask.
"She's been using you all this time."
"But…she's my best friend," I say. I sit down on the velvet couch with Trevor again. Now I find it a bit awkward, knowing that he kissed me and we're sitting in silence. He rubs me back with his hand until the Peacekeepers come.
"Tess, remember, okay?" he says. I nod my head and the door closes. I sit back down on the couch and hold my legs tightly. I replay the scene of the kiss in my head again. I remember when I was younger, I watched videos of previous Hunger Games. And I think I'm just reliving a scene from it. But it was centuries ago, I believe.
District Five Male – Iagan Dunmore (13)
It repeats in my head. The torture and blood splattering everywhere is…
Her screams are agonizing. Her parents – our parents' screams are just as agonizing as hers. Their eyes focus on me, blood-red veins showing deeply on their white eyes. They scream, but what? They're shouting, they're all shouting my name, telling me to run. But I'm not.
It's time. The time is coming soon, and they cry as I watch the young girl, older than me by a few years scream her heart out, tearing and scratching her own voice. As she screams, she looks at me, pain in her eyes - the pain of dying eyes.
The man in white raises the lash. He whips it and it hits the girl. She screams. She looks at me again and cries. Tears stream down her face as blood whips all around her, painting her parents and the things around her.
This goes on until her head hangs down, swinging back and forth. Next is a man in his late-twenties. His dull grey eyes bore into mine as a whip sounds throughout the whole square. The whipping is continuous with the blood splattering everything in its way. Soon, his head swings along with the young girl. Screams coming from a woman follow soon after. She screams my name, but it's no use; I'm already gone.
I'm not there. I'm back outside of my community home. The blood and everything that man in white has done was just so…gorgeous. Those memories bring me back to the time I tortured someone to death. The boy's blood painted my face with crimson, his arms beating me. But I was stronger. I had something more powerful.
I continued to stab him until his body went limp and his eyes rolled away up into his head, while all the other kids ran away the minute they saw that crimson liquid. Oh, how beautiful it looked. The beauty of his body ripping apart when I cut him open by tearing it widely, letting all his parts fall away, was fascinating. How I miss it – how I miss it so dearly. I just fell in love, and I crave for it again. It just felt so right.
I suddenly hear an announcement and I stand up from the ground. Well, the time has come. My parents were tortured to death in front of my eyes, and I killed someone with my bear hands. It felt so right. But now they're gone. My parents – no, my whole family is gone.
How I wish I made it last year. But that damn kid had to beat me to it. I mentally sigh and begin to walk down the road. This year I'm going in. Oh, how blood and guts will spill everywhere. How beautiful it will be, especially if it's me the one cutting them up.
"Iagan," a voice says. I look up to see a girl, taller than me and her blonde curls. She smiles.
"Hello," I mumble.
Emily giggles and messes with my hair. I close my eyes and open them to look at her. "Iagan, don't be shy. You're always like that, you know," she says.
"Don't to that," I snap. "I'm leaving." I hear her sigh and her footsteps follow me. We walk in silence as thoughts crawl into my head. The blood, bodies, death, and all the dreadful things I'll be able to see. Oh, how it will be amazing.
When we arrive at the reaping, I check in and wait. Hell, I just want this all to be finished so I can be in the Games already. When our escort comes on stage, he smiles. "Welcome, District Five. I'll be your new escort, Jalies Brenn. Now, I believe we should get this along with." He walks over to the bowl, but I have other plans.
It's quiet as I take steps forward, letting the ground touch my feet. I push through the crowd of people and walk up on stage. Jalies looks at me, his eyes shocked. Maybe because he didn't get a chance to read the paper? I'm on stage right now, and I want to win these Games.
"What's your name, little girl?" he asks.
I look at him, my dull eyes piercing through him. I narrow my eyes and say, "I'm not a girl. My name's Iagan Dunmore."
He chuckles slightly and smiles, then walks over to the girls' bowl. When he plucks the piece of paper out, I look at the cameras and I can see my tiny reflection in it. My short, caramel brown hair, gray full eyes, my pale skin and my freckles stand out. My outfit's like my eyes; dull.
"Jesslyn Reeden," the escort says. I smirk and imagine the pain she'll go through when the Games start and I'll be able to stab through her flesh with my weapons. Or better yet, my teeth. Oh, how they'll sink through her and pierce her heart. Her screams of agony will be the one thing going through me. Oh, the many ways I can murder her.
All my thoughts go down the drain when I see a girl walking up to the stage, her smirk showing no hesitation. When she's standing beside me, we immediately get tossed into the Justice Building. For the short while, I ignore her until I arrive into my room.
No one's coming. No one's coming. No one's –
"Iagan!"
Emily comes running in and hugs me tightly. When she breaks it, she looks at me. "Why'd you volunteer? You're too young! Please, I don't want you to go out there; you're like my younger brother!"
I continue to look at her, my expression not changing. "I didn't volunteer; I want to be in the Games because I want to hear the screams when someone dies and the blood," I whisper.
She narrows her eyes and sighs. "Iagan, how many times have I told you not to think like that? You're young; you're not supposed to be like that. Please, Iagan. Don't leave."
"Well I'm leaving!" I shout.
"Please, Iagan."
"Shut the hell up and leave or do you want to die in here?" I snap.
She sniffles and caresses my cheek. "I'm sorry, Iagan. Please be reasonable. Before I leave, I'd like you to know that you're going to be okay."
I sit back down and look at her. I nod my head and she leaves afterwards. But I soon forget everything once the dreadful thoughts come back to mind.
District Five Female – Jesslyn Reeden (16)
I swing back and forth, pushing my body so I can reach higher into the sky. I giggle and laugh, my eyes tearing. The wind caressing my face feels right, just perfect. When the swing slows, I jump off of it and tumble onto the ground. I smile, but it turns to a frown when I see my dad coming.
"Jesslyn, it's time to practice. You can have fun later," he says sternly. In my opinion, I think my dad is more of a trainer than a father because I train every day. Now I think I see the reason why my mom left with my brother. When I was younger and when my parents were together, my dad would work my brother, Luke to the bone, and I mean seriously. Since my dad's a victor, I think I see why. And so, my mum filed for a divorce and got custody of Luke, but my dad somehow got custody of me and began training me. But before I began training at the age of nine, he would treat me like royalty – like a princess.
Once in a while I got to see my brother. Secretly, of course, or my dad would kill me! While my dad trained me, I wanted to run away. I didn't have a choice because I didn't want to leave him alone. Besides, in two years when I'm eighteen, I'll be determined to win so I can live with my mum and brother.
I sigh and run up to my dad. "Do I have to train right now? I mean, the reaping is going to start in less than an hour!" I exclaim, flailing my arms in circles around me.
He gives me a stern look and I know he wants me to do it. Every morning I have to train. I narrow my eyes and turn on my heels to begin walking to the centre. When I'm in there, I see Brooke, my best friend. Her black curly hair is tied up into a pony tail and her green eyes are covered behind a blindfold.
I smirk and grab a sword. I quietly walk over to her and connect the sword with her stomach. She immediately stops and places the nun chucks in her hand to her side, while her other hand reaches for her blindfold.
I cough and deepen my voice. "Don't take off your blindfold," I say in the best deepest voice I can imitate. She smirks and readies the nun chucks. She pulls them apart, but the chain stays. I grin and pull the sword back, also getting ready. "Go." I whip the sword and it blocks the nun chucks from hitting my stomach. We continue doing this until there's no winner. Surprisingly, Brooke is good with a blindfold.
She takes off her blindfold and giggles. "That was fun," she says. "And I knew it was you. You're not very good at imitating a guy, aren't you?"
I blush and giggle, slightly slapping her on the arm. "I'm not," I say. We laugh as we practice for a while. When we're finished, we hug each other. "I'll see you at the reaping, okay?"
"Okay," she says. I smile and walk out of the building. Brooke and I part ways. When I arrive home, I immediately go to my room, ignoring my dad's calls. I open my drawer and pull out a skirt and dress. I take a quick shower and begin to change. When I'm finished, I comb my hair and look at the mirror reflecting my image.
My dress is a tight, cotton white skirt that reaches my mid-thigh. A silver, sequined shirt is tucked into my skirt. The shirt is strapless with a sweetheart neckline. My shoes are black pumps, which I find highly cute, and some hoop earrings. Along with that, my chestnut coloured hair is in thick waves, reaching a few inches past my shoulders. My light makeup brings out my blue eyes and my skin, which is a light ivory.
I smile and skip out of the room, smiling brightly. I walk into the living room where my dad is sitting. "Are you ready?" I ask. He nods his head and follows me out the door. When we're at the reaping, I get checked in and wait with Brooke. We talk a bit and laugh until our escort comes up on stage.
"Welcome, District Five. I'll be your new escort, Jalies Brenn. Now, I believe we should get this along with," he says. He's about to walk over to the boys' bowl until a young, fragile girl walks up onto the stage without waiting for him to read the paper.
Jalies leans down and smiles to the girl. "What's your name, little girl?" he asks her with the microphone.
She looks at him without expression. "I'm not a girl. My name is Iagan Dunmore," Iagan says through the microphone. What? But he looks so small! I don't mean to offend him, but he kind of reminds me of someone like a brother or sister, of some sort.
Our escort chuckles and walks over to the girls' bowl. "Now let's choose our girl tribute." He grabs a slip of paper and unfolds it. "Jesslyn Reeden."
What? I feel my eyes go wide as I repeat the name in my head. Jesslyn Reeden.
I shake my head from left to right and smile. How is this happening? I was planning on volunteering at eighteen, not now. Reaped two years earlier. Oh, well, at least I can go home earlier to my mum and brother!
I walk up onto the stage as I smile at the cameras, showing them I'm proud, because I am. When I look at Iagan, he just has a smirk plastered on his lips as his eyes gaze into space. I smile and walk over to him. I'm about to introduce myself, but we're led into the Justice Building.
I wait until Brooke comes in, her face showing anger. "You weren't supposed to go until you were eighteen!" she whines.
I sigh and walk over to her. "I know, I know. But I was reaped. The bright side is that I can win these Games and live with my mum and brother, right?" I say, smiling. Her frown turns into a smile and she embraces me in a hug. "And we'll get to spend time with each other, have sleepovers and much more!"
She laughs when we begin to tickle each other, having fun. Nonetheless, she leaves and soon my dad comes in. He smiles and walks over to me. "Congratulations," he says, smiling as he hugs me tightly. I jump up and down as he speaks. "I'm proud of you, even if you didn't volunteer."
Thanks, now I can win this and move in with my mum and brother! I think. "Thanks, dad," I say. We pull apart and sit. For a few minutes or so, we talk about the Games and what my strategy should be. He makes the plans, while I disagree and add something else, laughing. When the Peacekeepers come to get him, I sigh and lean back.
The door opens and my mum comes in, followed by my brother. "Mum!" I squeal. I run over to them and I have them both in my grip. "I missed you two."
"We missed you too," they say in unison.
Luke smiles and sits us down on the couch. I grin brightly as he grabs a hold of me and squeezes me. Seriously? "I'm sorry you had to take my place, Jesslyn," he whispers.
I rub his back with my hands and pat him. "It's alright; I'm going to be fine. Either way, I'll make it back alive, okay? And I'll come back home and move in with you two." I look over to my mum, who's smiling as she holds my hand. When Luka breaks the hug, we're in silence but we talk at times, which is actually soothing.
When they leave, I hug them once more and sit back down on the couch. I cuddle into a little ball and hold my hand to my chest, feeling a shard of sea glass that's a shape of a heart.
To Be Continued…