Seven years old everything was fine.
Table for four on a Friday night.
Didn't see any sign on a dead end road.
Sailor Atkinson, 17
District 4 Female
People look at Careers and they see what the want to see. They see entitled rich kids that live off of their daddy's money who just throw their lives away. But Careers don't see it that way. For as long as they can remember they've grown up around the Hunger Games, and in a District like mine where we are honored and hold a celebrity status, it's all anyone wants.
Then there was me, I'm just a girl who sought approval in all the wrong places and before I knew it I was in too deep. My father was a Victor. He won the 4th Hunger Games, he really kicked off what the District saw as the Hunger Games being a chance for glory. Shores Atkinson, the first Victor that Four has ever known. Unfortunately for me, Shores Atkinson also had a problem with keeping it in his pants.
A drunken night, and nine months later and out pops me. Being born out of wedlock is such a shameful thing here in District Four. I wasn't just any child, though, no,I was the child of a Victor. Constantly known as the girl who had the famous dad. He stayed around for as long as he could, but finally, he couldn't do it anymore. Something clicked, and he decided we weren't worth it anymore. I joined the academy in hopes that he would see something in me, and maybe he would come home with Mom and me, but all it's brought me so far was the disappointment of him continuing to not care.
Which brings me to the present day. I'm really nothing special in the academy, I'm at the point in the career where if I back out now there won't be any decent job for me, and I really don't know where I go from here. I do know, that I want to be so much more than just my dad's bastard kid.
I feel so cliche, like the protagonist in every movie where they come to age and find themselves, but at the end of those movies, isn't there always a happy ending? The problem with trying to compare me to the movies is, my dad isn't someone that can be swayed in any given direction. When he makes up his mind, it's done, and there is no turning back from there. My mother gets the alimony check once a week, and my dad pays for my academy training. Other than that, I'm nothing to him.
It's funny, because, without Shores, I wouldn't even be here. I don't see how someone can physically come from you, you can hold your creation in your arms, and then you just leave it. How you can just throw it out like there was nothing there. Like you weren't my hero for the first seven years of my life.
"You're the daughter of the first Victor! What an awesome dad you have!"
A smile here, a nod there, and every now and then a polite greeting from him when he sees me at the academy. Even though my dad sucks, the absolute most sickening thing is, if he wanted to rebuild a relationship with me I'd do it in an instant.
So don't you call my name
I will take you down
Should've known that you've been dancing with a wolf
Andrew Coubisou, 17
District 4 Male
It's broad day out. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I'm going to burn down the academy.
I'll show them. I'll literally show them all just how much I can do. They think they can deny me my right to get into the Games? They think they can take away my only thing that I'm good at. I'll show them, I and these matches will show them.
These people don't understand who they're messing with. I'm a strong, athletic, socially advanced intelligent tribute. District 4 would be lucky to have a good guy like me running the show on the Hunger Games, but instead, they decide to not advertise me as the one they want.
"These idiots can burn," I whisper to myself as I take one match out of the box and strike it. The flame erupts at the top and I can't help but smile, I'm going to make a name for myself. I'm going to be known right now.
"This is because I hate you all!" I say as I throw the first match at the steps of the academy. The flame continues to go, and then it trickles out and the ashes of the match just lay there on the ground in front of me. I look at the ground in complete horror when I take another match and do the same as before.
"Are these things defective?!" I shout.
People are starting to stare, and I continue to light and try to strike the matches to get them to burn, until finally, I have a glimmer of hope when the step looks like it's going to catch on fire, only to be stepped on by none other than Shores Atkinson.
"Son, have you lost your mind trying to set this place on fire?!"
"No, I know exactly what I'm doing! I'm the best damn tribute in this building, and YOU," I say poking at his chest, "are one of the people who voted against me being the District representative. Well, the jokes on you!" I scream as I start to light the matches in a frenzy throwing them down, one by one.
Victor Atkinson grabs the matchbox out of my hand and pockets them for himself.
"Go home, Andrew," he says angrily.
"You're going to pay for this," I say as I walk back towards the other direction.
I was a little too young and a little too dumb
To ever think the day would come that dad would drive away
And take his love with him.
So I grew up fast in a whole new world,
Waved goodbye to that little girl.
I can see her now, innocent and seven.
Sailor Atkinson, 17
District 4 Female
Carol, the normal sparring instructor, would have called in on the last day before the reapings. And of course, instead of canceling class, we just HAD to get a sub. Can you imagine who that sub is?
"Arms, Sailor." says my father as the other trainee I'm fighting is punching at me.
It's really distracting having to fight in front of the person that you worked so hard for with little to no recognition. He keeps making snide little insults at me, and I'm getting to the point where I just can't deal with this anymore.
The girl that I am fighting throws another punch that hits me in the head. I see stars for a minute but recover quickly. "God, Sailor!" says my dad angrily. "Are you ever going to be good enough!?"
"Excuse me?!" I say as I turn towards the girl and punch her two quick times in the mouth. She falls to the ground and is out cold as I turn towards my dad. He looks surprised that I just took down one of the top girls in the class, and the rest of the trainees stand slack-jawed at my attitude that I'm presenting. I'm normally not disrespectful to the trainers.
"Have you ever thought that maybe it's distracting for me to have the man that disowned me giving me fighting instructions?" I begin. He opens up his mouth to start talking, but I cut him off. "You don't get to talk. You've had seventeen years to talk and nothing! It's my turn to talk." I say. "How can you just walk in here and have the balls to say something like that to me? You think because you give my mom money every week to help us survive and pay for my academy that all the sudden you can talk to me like the trash you've treated me like all these years? You're literally the most disappointing and disgusting human beings I know. I used to dream of the day you would come and talk to me about wanting to go to lunch, or even just a simple asking me how I'm doing as you walked by me in the halls. But for the first time in ten years I see you for what you are Shores," I make a point not to call him dad because he's not my dad. "You're a pathetic excuse for a man, a worthless deadbeat father, and just a rude person overall."
He looks at me with no emotions in his eyes. He stands there with his mouth tightly closed, almost forming a line with the shape of his mouth. He points to the door and says. "Out." as he turns to the other trainees to start the next match.
"Sure, we can have a change of roles. I know how tiring it could be to always be the one leaving me." I say as I flip my long ponytail in his direction. As I leave the rest of the class begins to clap for me.
I know I should be feeling a sense of pride. Maybe even a relief should be on me, but instead, I sink down into the lockers and begin to cry. I can't believe I just said all of that, in front of that many people.
"Well, Sailor," I say to myself as I wipe my eyes and clear my throat. "You really stepped in it this time," I say as I collect myself and walk down the hallway.
There's no love for a liar, no love
So don't you call my name
Andrew Coubisou, 17
District 4 Male
So after the failure that was setting the academy on fire yesterday, I came up with another plan to get noticed enough to get in the games, buy their votes. Now, keep in mind that my family isn't the richest, but if there was one thing that I knew about poor kids, is that we saved money like crazy.
So all my sisters had to have a secret stash, and I took it. By the time they realize it's gone, if things work out correctly, I'll already be in the games. If I win I'll pay them double of what I stole from them, and if I lose, well, I'll never have to face them about it. No harm no foul right?
"Andrew," calls my mom. "Comes down to the kitchen for breakfast."
I live in the attic. I'm the only boy in the family so I didn't have to share the room, but I did have to live in the most undesired one. When I get down to the table, everyone is already sitting there. All of my sisters are in their best clothes for the reaping today. None of them wanted to go into training, so they know they have no shot at going in.
Me on the other hand? I'm ready. I can feel it in my bones, that this is my moment.
"Are you excited for the reapings today?" ask my mother as she sits down at the table next to my father and my eldest sister.
I shrug my shoulders as I pick up my knife, and sat my elbows on the table. Mom clears her throat and gives me a death glare. Liya has always been the manners type. I manage to eat a little bit of my breakfast before it's time to go to the reapings, and I rush out the door.
"This is it," I say to myself. "This is my moment."
When we get through the line and get through the boring-ass speech about why we have to do the games, and the twist this year. The escort finally walks on stage. She is wearing a pink dress that almost makes her look like a real flower herself. Her hair is hidden under a giant hat that she is wearing, and I can smell her perfume all the way from the middle of the crowd.
"District 4 knows the drill at this point right?" she says as she turns around and waddles to the back of the stage to grab the female tribute envelope. "Remember my volunteer happy friends, that this year there was no volunteers." she opens up the envelope and clears her throat. "This year female tribute will be, Sailor Atkinson." there is a gasp that sweeps across the crowd as the pretty blonde haired girl walks up to the front of the stage. She looks confused, not scared or worried, just confused. "Sailor was selected because the people want to see just how much like your father you are." says the escort. It dawns on her, and me, at the same time that this is the daughter of Shores Atkinson. "Oh, my word!" shrieks the escort. "A child of a Victor?! Your dad must be so proud."
"Doubtful." says the girl as the escort walks to the back and grabs the boy's envelope. She's still mumbling on about how excited she is to have Victor's kid in the games as she clears her throat and reads out the name, "Andrew Coubisou."
"YES!" I scream as I do a victory lap around the people, I weave in and out of the crowd and then finally make my way to the stage. "Andrew was selected because..no that can't be right." says the escort looking at me.
"Oh, it is!" I say smiling at my cleverness.
"Andrew was selected because the kid paid me 20$ to vote for him."
Well, I first want to say 100 reviews? What the heck. I'm so surprised and overwhelmed by your response to this story. Your constant support and these kick ass characters make it so much fun to write! I loved these two, thanks to the submitters.
A big apology to the submitter of Vinton. I called him Vincent all through his second POV last chapter. It's fixed now.
Lastly, someone asked how I updated so quickly. I love writing for starters, and I already have a plan of where I want to go with the chapter before I start writing. For the reapings, since let's be honest it's the most boring part of the story, I have been doing four POVs at one page each. While my chapters after the reapings will be 6 POVs at two pages each. Once we reach the fun stuff then my chapters get longer, and will probably start coming out slower. :)
What did you think of these two?
Predictions?
Keep it classy,
Caleb
