District 8
Simon Vitalee
"Are you ready for the Hunger Games?" my best friend and cousin, Denver, asks me. I shrug my shoulders. No, not exactly.
I despise the Hunger Games. I hate them so much. They took Michael, Denver's brother, away from him last year. Unfortunately, he never made it back home. He was killed right after the Games started. It shocked our entire family. He was seventeen years old, but he had a heart like a kid. He was nice to everyone.
I'm twelve years old. I don't think it would be fair if I got picked to go into the Games. It's cruel to send a kid my age into an arena to fight for my life. I would be fighting against eighteen years old. I wouldn't stand a chance.
I'm so glad Denver is my age. He will be at the reapings with me. I won't be completely alone. Thank goodness for that.
I have a game strategy if I do get picked to compete in the Games. Get a backpack and run for your life! Also, get some allies if they seem willing. I will stay away from people, for the most part. One thing is for sure; I'm not ready to die.
"Simon, are you going to answer my question?" Denver asks again. I snap out of my thoughts and smile.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I was thinking," I say. He smiles and nudges my shoulder.
"Was it about a pretty girl?" he asks. I blush and shake my head.
"No, I was thinking about the Hunger Games. I'm not ready for them. I'm definitely not ready to die," I say. He nods his head.
"I can understand. I disagree with you though. I mean, I'm ready for the Games. I'm not ready to die. I'm not suicidal, but I'm ready to fight. I want revenge. That's all I want," he says. I sigh and look away.
"I know," I whisper. He looks at me and shakes his head. I know he is struggling with his inner emotions. I lightly pat his back.
"They killed my brother. I have to do something about that. I won't give up until the day I die," he says. I shake my head and quickly get changed into my clothes. My mom, Marion, wanted me to look my best. I am wearing a white button-up shirt, black trousers, black shoes and a black blazer. I smile at myself.
"Are you ready?" I ask Denver. He smiles and nods his head.
"We're in this together, Simon. You're my best friend," he says. I smile and shake his hand.
"Thanks," I whisper.
I do admit that if he gets picked, I don't think I could possibly live. He's my best friend. He's also my cousin. If I lose him, I lose a friend and a family member. That sucks…big time.
We quickly exit my house and walk to our district square. Fear pours through me at lightning speed. I'm not ready to do this. I see Ferrari, our escort, and I can hear my heart pound quickly. This is it. This is really happening.
She walks over to the microphone and smiles at us. How can she smile at a time like this?
"Hello and welcome to the 100th Annual Hunger Games! I am very excited about this year's Games. I hope everyone is as excited as I am. Let's get this started by choosing our girl tribute," she says.
She walks over to the girls' name bowl. She smiles as she reaches her perfectly manicured hand into it. She grabs a slip of paper, and walks over to the microphone. She opens the paper and looks at the name.
"Maddie Wilde."
I look over and see a girl in a blue dress stepping out of the crowd. I smile when I see her. I know this girl. I've seen her around a little bit. She's fourteen years old, and she is very charming.
"Maddie Wilde, come on up here," Ferrari says.
Maddie stares at everyone and slowly makes her way up the steps. She walks over to Ferrari and lightly shakes her hand. You can tell that she is shocked and angry. She glares at the crowd and looks down at the ground. My heart goes out to her. This poor, unfortunate soul. {If anyone can guess what Disney movie song that is, you get brownie points from the author? lol}
Maddie Wilde
"Your mother was a very brave mother. She always loved you. She would've wanted to be here. She would want to kiss you good-bye before you went to the reapings. She would tell you that you're going to be okay. You're going to be fine. You're our Angel. Everything is going to be fine," my father, Matthew, says. I smile and nod my head.
I wish my mother was here. She died three years ago from starvation. She left me, my dad and my two twin sisters, Hannah and Laura, to live on our own. It wasn't her choice, obviously. She fought until the last second of her life.
If I have to go into the Hunger Games, I will try to act just like her. I'll be brave, confident, strong and ready to fight. I'll try to use my funny personality to win sponsors. I will put on a good show for the Capitol. That is my main goal.
If I die, I want it to be for a reason. I don't want to die from illness or starvation. I want to die for someone else. I want to save someone else. It's the best reason to die in that arena.
My little sisters are only eight years old. They don't really understand the Hunger Games. They just think I'm their fourteen year old sister, and I have to go to a place for a little bit. If I get picked to compete in the Games, they will just think I'm going on a vacation. I won't tell them the truth. I don't think I could tell them what was going to happen to me. They already lost their mother. I couldn't tell them that they might lose me too.
"Thanks, Dad," I say. I turn around and get changed into my blue dress. It belonged to my mother when she was my age. My dad gave it to me when she died. He told me that she wanted me to have it. The memories of my mother will always stay with me until I die.
"I love you," he whispers. I smile and kiss him on the cheek.
"I love you too," I say. I turn around and head for the front door of our house.
"Maddie!" I hear my sisters shout. I turn around and see them standing in the living room. They're both staring at me.
"Are you going to the place you told us about?" they ask. I nod my head. They just think I'm going to a convention for school. I know it's wrong to lie to my family, especially to my younger sisters, but I couldn't help it. I'm protecting them.
"Yes, I am," I say. They smile and wave good-bye to me.
"Have fun! We love you!" they shout. Since they think I'm going to a convention for school, they won't know if I get reaped. If I do get reaped, they won't be there to tell me good-bye. This might be the last moment I see them. I shake my head to avoid the tears. I sniff and rub my eyes.
"I will try to have fun. I love you too," I say. I turn around and quickly run out of my house.
"Maddie!" I hear two people shout. I glance up and see my two best friends in the whole world, Adam and Sylvia. I smile and run over to them. I hug them both and sigh.
"Hi, guys," I say. I look at them both and smile. They look perfect, especially Adam. We've been friends for eight years now. Over the years, I've developed a crush on him. I couldn't help it. He's my best friend. My mom always told me to marry my best friend. That's what she did with my dad, and it seemed to work out for them.
"You look like you've been crying," Adam says. I blush and shrug my shoulders.
"You must not be wearing any shoes and the scent is just burning my eyes," I joke. He smiles and playfully shoves my shoulder.
"Oh, you're so funny," he says. Sylvia stands between us and puts her hands on her hips.
"Hey, now! No fighting! This might be the last time we're all together as friends. Let's not fight!" she exclaims. I smile and we walk to the district square.
"Why do you say stuff like that? We're not going to get reaped. We're going to be safe and sound. Before you know it, we will be back at school and doing stupid math problems," I say. Adam laughs and messes up my hair.
"And you'll be cheating off of me too," he says. I gasp and shake my head.
"I never cheated off of you! You tell lies!" I shout. Sylvia laughs and stops walking. She stares straight ahead. Then, she looks at us. I see the crowd of people standing in front of us. I turn to my best friends and smile.
"We've been here two times now. We survived both times. We will survive again," I say. Adam nods his head and smiles.
"I guess you're right," he says. Sylvia nods her head and looks at us.
"Well, I guess we have to separate now. Adam, you have to go to the boys' side. Maddie and I have to go to the girls' side," she says. I shake my head and roll my eyes. I hate how they separate the boys from the girls. We're a district. We should all stand together as one huge family.
Adam looks at me and smiles. He reaches out and touches my cheek slightly. I blush and look into his eyes. He smiles with his cute grin.
"You're going to be okay," he says. I nod my head and smile.
"Thanks," I say. He turns and touches Sylvia's cheek slightly. He looks into her eyes and smiles. I look away and frown. I thought he liked me. I thought it was a sign. He was just doing this to both of us. He doesn't really like me. Get over yourself.
"You're going to be okay too," he tells her. She smiles and nods her head.
"Thanks," she says. She grabs my hand and we walk to the girls' section. I stand there and wait for the reaping to begin.
I see our district escort, Ferrari, walk over to the microphone. She talks a little bit about her excitement for the Games. How can anyone be excited to watch people die? She walks over to the girls' name bowl. I smile to myself.
"It's not going to be me. It's not going to be me. I'm fine. I will survive. I will survive," I think to myself.
"Maddie Wilde."
I gasp and look up at Ferrari. What?
I step out of the crowd and stare at Ferrari.
"Maddie Wilde, come on up here," she says.
I stare at everyone and slowly make my way up the step. I walk over to Ferrari and lightly shake her hand. I'm ready for this. I might be thin and frail, but I'm ready to put on a good show. I'm not ready to die, but I am ready to put up a fight.
I turn and glare at the crowd. Then, I look down at the ground and keep my eyes focused on my shoes. This is it.
"This is for you, Mom," I say.
Simon Vitalee
"Let's choose our boy tribute now," Ferrari says. She walks over to the glass bowl and grabs a slip of paper. She walks over to the microphone and smiles.
"Simon Vitalee."
I gasp and look at everyone. What?
"Simon Vitalee."
I heard you the first time! My legs can't seem to move. I stand there in complete shock.
"Simon? It's okay. Guards, find him," she says. I start to freak out. They're coming to get me. They're going to get me!
I can't believe this happened. I'm only twelve. Why are they doing this to me? I feel tears forming in my eyes. No, I am not going to cry.
I feel someone grabbing my arm. I look and see a guard tugging on my right arm. I pull back and shake my head. I whimper and dig my feet into the ground.
"No!" I shout.
"Simon, please come up here," Ferrari says. The guard glares at me and tugs harder on my arm. I cry out and feel tears streaming down my face. I quickly wipe them away. I am not going to cry in front of everyone!
"No!" I shout.
The guards grab me and pull me out of the crowd. I scream and shout for my parents. They drag me onto the stage. They place me next to Maddie. I sigh and stand there, completely motionless.
"Well, let's welcome our tributes for District Eight," Ferrari says. She waits for the crowd to cheer. She is met with complete silence. She sighs and turns to us.
"Well, shake hands," she says.
I look at Maddie. She turns and looks into my eyes. I catch a glimpse of her beautiful dark brown eyes that have flecks of light brown in them. They are hidden behind black glasses, but they make her look intelligent. I smile and extend my hand. She's cute. I feel like I can trust her. She stares at me and slowly extends her hand. We shake hands and she smiles slightly. I have a good feeling about this now – now that I have Maddie. The girl of my dreams.
