How's it going, dudes and bros? Here's District 8! We're now two thirds through the Reapings.
Also, if you haven't already, check out the new SYOT I've posted. There are only a few spots left, so if you want to submit to it, hurry hurry!
P.S. So, while I was talking about how many victors each District had, I realized that I had made more victors than I had games, so just ignore everything I said about that.
Tom
"Hey, you."
I jerk my head up. A huge boy is standing above me, his short hair shining in the light and his blue eyes sparkling with malice. He has dirty fingernails and his skin is as pale as the moon. His muscles bulge under his torn and dirty shirt. He gives me a savage grin. I know him all too well.
"What do you want, Layden?" I growl.
"You know what I want." Layden responds. "I need half of your meal, right now. Hand it over." He holds his hand out expectantly.
I give him the fiercest glare I can muster, but he holds my gaze without flinching. We both know if we were to get into a fight, he could easily beat me up. I guess there's no point in struggling.
After a quick hesitation, I let out a sigh and give him a roll and part of my porridge. He gives me a curt nod and leaves. I stare after him as he walks away, boiling with anger. I wish I could just be a little bit stronger. Than I wouldn't have to deal with that idiot anymore. If it weren't for him, maybe I wouldn't have to go to bed every night with such an empty stomach.
Your parents were the one who got you into this mess. I remind myself. If anyone's to blame for this mess, it's them. Thinking about my parents just makes me even madder. I grit my teeth and glare into my remaining porridge.
"Hey." Someone says. I Iook up, startled. A frail little girl with mousy blond hair smiles at me. I think her name's Tina. She talks to me from time to time. She's nice, I guess, but I don't really want to talk to her right now.
"Can I sit here?" Tina requests. I want to tell her no, but I feel bad about rejecting her, so I give a small nod. She beams and sits down on the hard bench next to me. Things are quiet for a moment while we both eat our skimpy meals. Then Tina speaks up. "So, how are things going?" She asks. I shrug. "Okay." There's an awkward silence. "Are you nervous for the Reaping?" Tina prompts. I just shake my head. "Not really." I say simply. I can tell she's trying to get me to open up and talk to her, but I really don't feel like speaking right now. I wish she would just go away.
"Really? Not the least bit nervous?" Tina inquires. That does it. My patience has run out. "Look, could you leave? I don't want to talk." I say gruffly. The hurt in her eyes makes me guilty immediately. I consider apologizing, but Tina scurries away before I can. I let out a breath as I watch her leave. I wonder if I would have a few more friends at the orphanage if I would just be a little more friendly.
I take a quick glance at the clock and grimace. It's already 2:15. The Reaping's at 3:00, which means that I have about 45 minutes to get dressed, comb my hair, and make it to the Town Square on time for the name drawing. I can see that some of the orphans are already leaving the cafeteria to get ready.
I get up and begin walking to the long set of stairs that lead upstairs, where all the orphans' beds are. I've lived in an orphanage ever since I was born. I've been told that I was left outside the Justice Building a few days after my birth. The orphanage took me in and cared for me. Conditions here are bad, to say the least. We eat small meals and get little to no treatment when we're sick. We're given lots of chores, and if we don't complete them, we're severely punished.
I reach the top of the steps and make my way over to the hard cot I sleep on every night. Under my bed is a small box where I keep all my clothes. I rummage through the box, finally finding a simple white t shirt and pants. I don't have any nice clothes. I pull them on and grab a brush that's also lying under the cot and brush out my thick, messy black hair. The orphanage doesn't provide mirrors, so I'm not entirely sure how I look, but I figure I seem presentable enough, so I set my comb back down and begin to follow the long line of kids making their way to the Reaping. While I walk, a few kids shove past me. "Hey!" I protest. However, they ignore me like I don't exist.
Such is the life of an orphan.
xxx
"Good morning, District 8, and welcome to the Reaping of the 48th Hunger Games." Our mayor rasps. Honestly, I'm surprised he hasn't died yet. He's 84 years old and has had at least two heart attacks at this point. Somehow he manages to hang on to life, though.
After a quick speech about Panem, the mayor announces our victors. Then, our escort, Miavi Laxia bounces onstage. "WELCOME!" She screams. I can't help but laugh at her hideous outfit. She wears a dress that looks to be the color of vomit and is so poofy that she seems to be a balloon. She also wears her shiny yellow hair in a huge bun and has on orange high heels. Her face has been painted with so much makeup that I can barely even tell that she's human.
"So, all you District people, are you EXCITED?!" Miavi aks, drawing out the word excited. There's no response from the crowd. She seems disappointed. "Well, excited or not, let's get right to the Reaping. Ladies first!" Miava struts to the girls' bowl, amost tripping over her dress multiple times. Finally, she reaches the bowl and grabs a name. "Alyxandra Lernan!"
A girl comes out of the 16 year old section and begins walking towards the stage. A young boy from the 12 year old section, probably one of her siblings, lets out a shriek and tries to run to her. However, a Peacekeeper holds him back before he gets very far.
Miavi asks for volunteers. None come forward, and the little boy lets out another scream. Miavi is unfazed by this and procedes to grab a name out of the boys' bowl. "Tom Shavel!"
I sigh. I can't say I'm surprised. I mean, it's pretty obvious that the universe hates me, so I guess I should have expected this to happen. I scowl and head towards the stage. "Marvelous, marvelous!" Miavi exclaims. "Would anybody like to volunteer?" I know no one's going to volunteer for me. I don't have any friends or family. Why would somebody want to put their life on the line to save me?
Just as I suspected, nobody steps forward. The Treaty of Treason is read and me and Alyxandra shakes hands. I can see her give me a reassuring smile, but I don't return it. I don't want to make friends in the arena. It'll only make it harder for me to kill them later.
I'm taken into the Justice Building and am thrown into a small room with velvet couches and fancy furniture. I sit on the couch, waiting. I doubt anybody will come to visit me. Like I said before, I don't have anybody close to me. But I can't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, my parents might come to see me. Rumor has it that my parents were killed a few days after I was born in a rebel attack, but I refuse to believe that. They have to be alive. They have to. Sure, I'm super upset with them, but I really miss them.
The door creaks open, and I perk up, a glimmer of hope that I might finally be able to see my parents. To my dismay, however, it's only Tina. I can't help but sigh in disappointment.
"Hey." Tina says. She shuffles her feet nervously. "So… I know that you don't really like me, but-"
"Who said I didn't like you?" I interrupt. TIna shrugs. "I don't know. You just never seem to enjoy talking to me." I realize with some quilt that she's right. Every time she's tried to start up a conversation in the past, I've pushed her away.
"Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I hope you survive. I really want to be your friend, Tom. Please. Live."
I'm a little bit taken aback, but I nod anyway. She gives me a tiny smile and disappears. I stare after her, wishing I could have opened up a little and tried to be friends with her. But it's too late now. All I can do is try to make it back alive. For Tina. For my mom and dad, dead or alive.
The thought sticks with me as I'm taken to the train. I'm not just going to win for me. I'm going to win for everybody.
And I'm going to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal.
Alyxandra
"Hey Alyx, could you give me that syringe?" My dad asks. I nod and hand him the syringe he's pointing to. He carefully takes it with his nimble fingers and expertly inserts it into his patient's arm. The little girl that he's working on lets out a small whimper as the long needles enters her body, but she remains still. After a few seconds, my dad takes it out. He looks over the clipboard in front of him.
"Alright, you can leave now. We'll give you your test results next week." My dad finally announces. The girl beams and jumps up, following her mother out the door. She was brought into the hospital room because she was thought to have diabetes. She's managed to stay positive throughout the entire visit, even though things are looking pretty grim for her. I sigh as I watch her leave. Poor thing.
"You know, we should probably be leaving to get ready for the Reaping." My dad reminds me. I glance at a clock on the wall. It's currently 1:35. The Reaping doesn't start until 3:00, but it's a pretty long walk from the hospital to my house. I'm going to have to hurry if I want to make it to the Reaping on time.
Me and my dad run out of the hospital and down the long street leading to my house. When we finally reach it, I'm completely out of breath. I step inside and am greeted by my little brother, Matteos. He gives me a huge hug, and I stumble backwards a little.
"Alright, alright!" I laugh. Finally, Matteos releases me. I walk into the kitchen, Matteos close behind me. There, I grab a piece of bread from the shelf and place it on a plate. Then I sit down at the table. Matteos follows suit and sits down next to me.
"So, are you nervous for your very first Reaping?" I ask, trying to strike up a conversation. My brother's eyes widen in terror, and tears begin building up behind his eyes. "Am I going to be picked?" He asks, his voice filled with fear. "Of course not." I assure him quickly, even though I'm not so sure of it myself. His name is only in the bowl once; I wouldn't let him take out any tesserae. Still, twelve year olds have been picked plenty of times before. I'm terrified that he or my other sibling, my younger sister Arabelle, will be Reaped. My own name is in that fateful glass bowl 30 times. I had to take out a lot of tesserae due to my mom. She has a sickness that's made her become seriously ill. She's so sick at this point that she can't even get out of bed. It won't be long before she dies. My entire family is working as hard as they can to save her, but I'm not sure if it'll be enough.
I shake the thought away and finish up my bread. Then I set my plate in the sink and head up the stairs to my room. I look through my closet for something nice I could wear. I used to have some fancy clothes, but after my mom got ill, I sold a lot of them for money to try and heal her.
Finally, I find a long white dress that I figure looks nice enough. I slip it on and head to the bathroom. There, I take a brush and begin combing out my long, dark brown hair. Arabelle enters the bathroom soon after a does the same.
"Are you ready for today?" I ask her as I try and tackle a particularly large tangle. She gives me a nervous smile and lets out a shaky breath. "I guess so." She says. "Don't worry." I tell her. "You won't be picked."
I hope I'm right.
xxx
"So, all you District people, are you EXCITED?!" Our escort, Miavi, asks. She's met with nothing but an akward silence. "Well, excited or not, let's get right to the Reaping. Ladies first!" Miavi shuffles to the bowl that holds all of the girls' names. "Alyxandra Lernan!"
My eyes widen. Did she… did she just…
Oh, no.
She just called my name.
I hear a scream from the 12 year old section and Matteos comes running towards me, sobbing. However, a Peacekeeper blocks him from reaching me. I gulp. I really want to cry right now, but if I have any hope of surviving the Hunger Games, I have to stay strong. I begin walking towards the stage, keeping my face blank of any and all emotions.
I'm only dimly aware of Miavi asking for volunteers. For a second, I have a tiny flicker of hope that someone will take pity on me. However, the audience is quiet.
"Right." Miavi says. "Boys next!" She plucks a name from the giant pile in the the boys' bowl. I pray that the name is not Matteos. "Tom Shavel!"
I breathe a sigh of relief and crane my neck to see what the boy looks like. I finally spot him among the 14 year olds as he steps towards the stage. He has a mess of shiny black hair that almost completely blocks his eyes and very pale skin. He walks up next to me, a scowl implanted on his face. He looks incredibly skinny and bony, and based on his simple clothes and the dirt encrusted in his nails, I have a feeling that he's from the orphanage.
Miavi announces us as the two tributes from District 8, and Tom and I shake hands. I try to give him a smile, but he avoids my gaze. I shrug and release his hand.
I'm taken into the Justice Building and put into a fancy room. I frown at the antique furniture and soft cushions. I bet if we were able to sell all of it, we'd easily be able to save my mom. The thought makes me seethe with rage.
Soon, my entire family (except for my mom, who was too sick to even come to the Reaping in the first place) rushes through the door. I'm wrapped in a huge hug, and I can't hold myself together anymore. I begin to cry. "Shhh." My dad whispers. "It's all going to be alright."
"Are you going to die, Alyx?" Matteos wails. "You're going to die, aren't you? I don't want you to die!" I blink back my tears and kneel down so that Matteos and I are eye to eye. "I'm not going to die." I promise. I don't really believe that- heck, I don't even think that I'll make it past the bloodbath- but seeing Matteos cry breaks my heart. I have to give him hope. "I will win." I say. "Trust me." My little brother gives me a small nod, and steps away. Then Arabelle comes forward. "Are you sure you can do this?" She asks doubtfully. I want to answer her truthfully, tell her that there's no way I can win, but that'll only make the situation worse. "Of course." I say. "I'll win and take home a ton of money, enough to save mom." At that moment, a Peacekeeper rushes in. "Time's up." He grunts.
"NO!" Matteos shrieks. He grabs onto me and refuses to let go. I clutch him, terrified of leaving him behind. FInally, however, the Peacekeeper manages to pry him off of me and carries him out of the room. "Come on, get out." He orders the rest of my family. They obey, tears in their eyes.
After a few of my friends come and visit me, another Peacekeeper comes to take me to the train station. I close my eyes for a second as I stand at the train station, overwhelmed with everything that's happened. I can't take this anymore. I just can't.
I grit my teeth. No matter how terrible this is, I have to power through it. My life is on the line. I open my eyes and smile at the cameras surrounding me. Everything will be okay. I remind myself.
If only that were true.
And, we're done! Thank you to IciclePower33 for both Alyx and Tom! I hope you enjoyed this. Here are sponsor questions:
What is the name of Alyx's older sister?
What did Tom eat for lunch at the orpanage?
District 9 will hopefully be out soon. See ya!