Yo, yo, yo! This is NOT a Reaping. I decided that both me and you needed a break from them, so I decided to make a quick little POV in the eyes of a District 13 citizen. This will be the first (and probably last) time you see him. I have plans to make some other POVs with a Capitol citizen. Anyway, I thought this would just be a nice little "bonus chapter". It's short, but I hope you like it anyway!
Gordon Atris, District 13 (formally District 5), 32
I lie back in my small cot. My wife, Leah, lies next to me, coughing. The room is cold, and I wrap my arms around my legs to keep from freezing. I can hear the faint cry of a child a few rooms over. I think back to my life in District 5. Even in the worst of times, the conditions there weren't nearly as bad as they are here in District 13.
Six years ago, I escaped from District 5 with a group of sixteen other people. We thought that there was more to life than Panem and planned to join District 13, which we believed still existed. However, things went downhill ever since we left. By the time we had reached District 13, only me and three other people were still alive. Soon after we entered District 13, a deadly disease began to spread, killing many of the citizens. Not only that, but many of the crops began to die, leaving only a small amount of food.
The only good thing that came out of life in 13 was Leah. She's the only reason I've stayed here for all these years. I met her about a year after I came here. We fell in love immediately, and about one year later, we got married. We were lucky for a while. Neither of us got sick, and we managed to keep from starving. Then Leah became ill. At first, it was only a small cold, but her condition just got worse and worse. Now, she can barely manage to even get out of bed.
An announcement comes on in our room. It says that all who are able must come to the center of our district in one hour. There's some sort of mandatory viewing. I sit up, intrigued. What could it be?
Leah groans next to me. She begins to sit up, but I gently push her back down. "What's going on?" She murmers groggily. "Nothing." I whisper. "I'm going to leave, but I'll be back in a little while. Just rest." She nods and flops back onto our bed. I step onto our hard tile floor and quietly push open the door. Then I begin to walk to the assembly. Other people have also begun to come out of their rooms. They walk down the halls. Some are covered in red spots. Others are so skinny they seem to look like skeletons. A few carry infants. Some have large bouts of sneezing. I even spot one or two that have a fake arm or leg.
I join the crowd and begin to walk to the center of District 13, the place where the viewing will be held. The people I walk with seem to move in a zombie-like way, like they have no control over their bodies. Their eyes are lifeless. After years of death and sadness, we have no hope left.
Finally, we reach the center, a huge cavern. I scan over the crowd and realize with alarm that it's incredibly small. There are only about a hundred of us left. If we can't get this district back to normal, we'll all die.
The president, Dee Manathe, walks up to the podium at the front of the cavern. She herself has become seriously ill and looks to be made of nothing but skin and bone.
"Good morning." She wheezes. "The reason I have called you here today is because back in the districts, the Reapings are happening."
The Reapings. I had forgotten about the Reapings. But why show them now? President Dee has never shown us any of the Reapings in the past.
A giant TV is rolled to the front of the cavern. The President clicks a button, and the Reapings begin to play.
The crowd watches as the escort from each district chooses two innocent children to compete in the Hunger Games. My heart breaks when I see District 5. The poor girl that's chosen tries to act brave, but I can see the terror in her eyes. The boy volunteers, which confuses me. He looks scrawny and weak, in no shape to be a tribute in the Hunger Games.
Maybe the Reaped boy was a family member. I think. The thought makes me seethe with rage.
As the video plays, President Dee begins to speak. "Twenty three of these children will not leave these games alive." She says. She pauses, letting the crowd think over this.
"Twenty three children will not be able to grow up." She continues. "Twenty three children will never get married, have kids, live life to the fullest. Twenty three children will never see their families again. All for the Capitol's entertainment."
"Some of you may want to give up, to stop trying. Some of you may think that life would be better if we did nothing to stop the Capitol. Well, this-" President Dee gestures to the screen, where the District 6 Reaping is now taking place- "This is why we don't give up. This is why we keep surviving. This is why we resist the Capitol, no matter the cost." As she speaks, the crowd begins to stir. Their dead eyes regain a little bit of life. A few even begin to cheer.
President Dee's voice grows louder, echoing across the cavern. "And to whoever thinks that it's pointless to keep going on, think again. Because this right here, this cruelty that the Capitol serves us, year after year, it has to stop. And we're the only ones with the power to stop it."
"This is why we fight!"
And that's it! I have two opinion questions for you, but they're only worth half of the usual points.
Questions:
1. Out of all the tributes you've seen so far, which one was your favorite (not including yours)?
2. Out of all the tributes you've seen so far, who do you think will go the farthest (you can put your own tribute for this one)?
