QUarter Quell: A Hunger Games Story

by ICantComeUpWithAName23

Twenty-five years ago, a rebellion against the Capitol was crushed. A new tradition was established: The Hunger Games. Each year, a male and female between 12 and 18 would be randomly selected to fight to the death in the arena. Or so Joseph thought. During a normal day in District 6, President Snow makes a broadcast announcement that changes everything...

Quarter Quell: A Hunger Games Story

District 6, Panem

Class 03

1:00 PM

Two Days until the Reaping

Another boring day at school. The teachers are cramming tons of information about our district's industry, transportation, into our heads, since we'll have a few days off to watch the 25th annual Hunger Games unfold. A woman with greying hair steps in front of the class. Principal Green. "A special announcement from President Snow." she says. The class erupts into a buzz of conversation. "A broadcast? Now?' "I thought those were in the evening!" "What's it about?" She slams a ruler on her desk. "SILENCE!" she yells. The screen in our classroom is wiped of the train routes and replaced by a young man with white hair, a white rose on his chest, and piercing blue eyes. "Greetings, people of Panem! As you all know, the 25th Hunger Games are nearly upon us. I have a message regarding it."

"Regarding the Games? What does that mean?" a girl named Melinda behind me blurts out. I turn and shush her. "After the rebellion, the districts and Capitol signed a treaty, establishing the Hunger Games and their rules. They also decreed that every twenty-five years, a special Games would be held. One with a twist to remind the new generations of Panem of the worst aspects of war. These special events are known as Quarter Quells."

He is handed a small golden envelope, and he reads the worst message the Capitol has ever delivered. "As a reminder to the districts that the war started because of their choice to initiate violence, they are to hold elections and vote for their own Tributes All citizens who are eighteen and older will head to their district's Justice Building to cast their votes." Principal Green pauses for a moment, and then declares the class dismissed. As I'm walking home, a scumbag named Charlie throws a pebble at me and yells "You've got my vote!" I just ignore him and continue my walk home. I tried fighting back once. He immediately started crying. I wasn't exactly popular after that. But Melinda was the only one who saw it all, and still supports me.

I walk past the rail manufacturing plant my father works at just as he's getting off of work for the day. "Did you get the news about the 'Quarter Quell'?" he asks. "Yeah. They played the message out at school. I can't believe it! Forcing us to vote for our own Tributes? It's so-" My dad cuts me off and warns me about the passing Peacekeepers. Those guys love to beat up anyone who dares speak a word against the Capitol. I just walk home and collapse into bed. The elections will be tomorrow.

7:30 AM

Election Day

I walk downstairs and eat a small breakfast. I put on a simple white shirt and jeans. I'm not going to be able to vote, seeing as I'm only fourteen. But Charlie will. I wait out the next few hours in complete boredom. School was cancelled for the elections to take place. My parents have already gone off to cast their own votes. I walk around empty streets, just trying to avoid the other kids. I glance at the Justice Building, with lines of adults waiting to condemn 2 kids to death in the arena.

Realizing the possibility I might be chosen; I head into the woods and try to build some strength and train with makeshift wooden weapons. I'm deep in the woods now, the only place where Peacekeepers won't catch me. In some districts, they go into the woods to catch poachers. We're not the richest, but we're not that desperate. Training for the Hunger Games is considered illegal. If I got caught, I would be executed, or worse, have my tongue cut out and become an Avox, a mute slave in the Capitol.

As the sun sets, I quickly navigate the thicket back to my house. I eat a small dinner and watch the nightly broadcast from the Capitol. "Thank you all for casting your votes. We will tally the results overnight, and we will announce the Tributes at 9:00 sharp tomorrow morning, Capitol time." I do the math in my head. That's about 11:00 for us. A few hours to get ready.

10:45

Reaping Day

I comb my dark brown hair, get the last smudges off my glasses, and head down the road to the Justice Building. My mother is in tears. We reach the gates and I file in with the other fourteen-year-olds. "Thank you all for coming!" a man dressed in rainbow clothing says. That's Romeo. It's his job to conduct the Reapings and take the Tributes to the Capitol. "Let's just get right down to business. The results of your election are in, and here they are. He walks over to one pedestal, picks up a silver envelope, and reads it out loud. "The female tribute from District 6 is Melinda Thompson!" I see her walk up to the platform, her black hair flowing through the breeze, and stand up on the stage behind Romeo. "Now for the male tribute: Joseph Smith!"

No! No, no, no, no, no! How could they do this? The other boys clear a path for me to reach the stage. I take one last look at my friends, family, and neighbors. Over the next few minutes, my friends come to say their goodbyes. District 6 doesn't have any victors, so my chances of coming home are pretty low. Before I know it, I'm being hauled away to a train station and am on my way to the Capitol.

12:00

Train

"Forget everything you think you know about the Hunger Games. The Gamemakers will have planned an especially dangerous arena for you." a young woman with long blue hair says. She said her name was Petronia, and she's going to be our mentor and help train us for the arena. "Now, when you first enter, you'll see a massive amount of supplies. When the countdown reaches zero, DO NOT go there. It's a trap. Up to half the tributes die trying to get their weapons. Run far away. Forage for food."

Nothing we don't already know. We've watched the battle there unfold every year. Soon, Melinda jumps up and stares out the window. It's a massive city surrounded by mountains and a waterfall. The Capitol. Looks like a pretty nice place to spend my last couple days.

Capitol

5:00 PM

The Tribute Parade

Me and Melinda are dressed in sleek silver outfits, which are designed to look somewhat like the hovercraft we make in our district. Two strange pods sit on our shoulders. My stylist hands me a small switch and tells me to flip it once we start moving. We board a chariot and start moving out. The citizens of the Capitol are cheering and practically shoving each other aside. I flip the switch.

Suddenly, the pods on our shoulders take off into the sky, and I realize they're fireworks. I see the words DISTRICT 6 cast into the sky, followed by a ring with a depiction of a speeding train, the emblem of our district. They love it. Soon we reach the end of the road, and our chariot stops. President Snow stands and signals for everyone to quiet down. He begins his address. "Happy Hunger Games! Tributes, we welcome you, and may the odds be ever in your favor. As you all know, this is the First Quarter Quell. These tributes you see before you were elected by their districts to participate in the most exciting Hunger Games yet!"

Training Center

There are racks full of weapons. Robots for us to train against. A place to practice fire making. If there's a skill we need for the arena, we'll find it here. The boy from 1 shows off his skills with a curved sword. The girl from 2 throws small bladed weapons three at a time and each one strikes the training dummy. One thing's for sure: These guys know their weapons.

I try to memorize edible berries as much as I can and learn about this super deadly one known as nightlock, that can kill you in a matter of seconds. But I need weapon training. I find one weapon labelled "boomerang". I grab it and start swinging it at the training dummies. The girl from District 10 laughs and says, "You're supposed to throw it." I do, and it spins through the air, circles back, and clobbers the boy from 4 in the back of the head. Oops. He runs toward me, but trips and falls. He doesn't look as strong as the other kids from his district. In fact, a lot of the Careers, as Petronia called them, don't look as powerful as usual. Guess the elections tripped up their process.

I head up to the sixth floor and pick up a remote by the side of my bed. I tap it, and what I thought was a window is actually a screen. I continue to flip through the pictures it can show. A meadow, a forest, and, for some reason, a busy street. Who would want to wake up to that? I settle on an ocean scene. I'm so tired I just collapse on to bed.

Evaluation

"Joseph Smith, please report to the training center for your evaluation." This is it. Over the past few days, I've improved with the boomerang. I've learned to catch it, and I've even been trying to make it go in a spiral pattern. Time to show it all off to the Gamemakers.

I walk into the training center and introduce myself. I pick up my boomerang and throw it at a training dummy. They don't even look up. Guess I've got to try harder, then. I let the dummies begin moving, then I let the boomerang fly. It spins through the air, slicing down dummy after dummy. Then it keeps going and snags a bottle of soda from a table. I've screwed up this time. The boomerang comes back with the bottle, and I catch it and wait for the sponsors' reaction. I did almost kill them, after all. Then they start- applauding? I simply bow to them and say "Thank you for your time. Do you want this bottle back?" "Keep it." the Gamemaker says. I head back to my room and wait for evaluations to be finished.

"Thank you for your patience. Now, it's time to reveal the Training Scores on a scale of one to twelve. for each tribute." Most of the scores are 7s and 8s. Even for the Careers. The kids from 5 only score 6s, then it's time for my score. "Joseph Smith of District 6, has received a score of… 10." A ten? Guess they like boomerang tricks. I get in a last bit of survival training over the final day of practice.

Interview

"So, Joseph, are you nervous at all? Do you think you're prepared to go into the Quarter Quell?"

This is my last chance to make an impression. I can't show fear. I need to seem as confident as possible. "Well, I am a bit scared, but I think I've trained well and am ready for whatever the arena can throw at me."

"I bet you are. Now, I need to know, how did it feel when you found out that you had been selected by your district?"

"Well, to be honest, it hurt at first. But then I realized that they think I'm strong enough to win this for District 6. And to all of you watching there, I will not fail."

None of that is true. I still feel nothing but betrayal. They've sent me to my death. But I can't mention that. If I seem weak, I'll be the first to go.

?

First day of the Hunger Games

I'm in a hovercraft with some of my competition. "Hold out your arm so I can give you your tracker." someone says. I do, and it stings as the small device enters my wrist. Soon, the windows turn dark and the hovercraft begins moving down. I hate travelling. Two Peacekeepers escort me through a labyrinth of hallways and into the launch room. My stylist hands me a T-shirt, some pants, a jacket, some running shoes, and a pair of fingerless gloves. I change into my outfit. "Don't step off your platform too early. There are landmines. Step off, and you explode." I step into my tube and it locks behind me. I begin moving up.

I find myself on a pedestal, and see a golden horn filled with supplies. There are stone walls with some gaps, and I soon realize we're in a maze. The countdown is displayed on a holographic pyramid cast by the cornucopia's tail. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. 0.

The gong sounds, and I rush toward a boomerang I see lying on the ground. As I go to grab it, a shadow is cast over me. But then, I hear a loud THUD as they are hit with a mace and fall to the ground. I take my boomerang and run into the labyrinth, away from the madness. I also manage to snag a couple pouches of berries and a camping bag. Then the first cannons fire. I count fourteen in total. Fourteen tributes already gone? That's got to be a new record.

I continue venturing through the twisting and turning paths. Then I run straight into Melinda. She draws her spear, but once she realizes it's me, she calms down. "Want to team up?" I ask. She says yes. I find a small water source, and I do a quick test to make sure it's not poisoned. It's safe. I take a bottle I found and fill it up.

Then, a small silver parachute floats into the arena. It seems to be headed for me. I catch the capsule, and I open it to find a small golden device with the letters N, S, E, and W printed on it. A needle points to the letter N. It's a compass. Now I can start mapping this place out. I memorize my previous turns and begin creating a map of the maze in my head. Then, Panem's anthem blaring through the arena makes me lose my train of thought. I look up to see who's out. The girl from 1. The boy from 2. The girl from District 3. The boy from District 4. Both from District 5. Both from 7 and 8. The girl from 9. The boy from 11. Both from 12. There are still a few Careers left. But I can deal with them. For now I just try and get some rest.

Day 2

I awake with a jolt as the floor nearly collapses beneath me. I wake Melinda up as thousands of little golden tracker jackers start pouring from the gap. We run around turns, and I fumble with my compass to try to continue mapping this hellhole out. I look behind, and they're still following us. I can't lose them. I trip over a stone, and then Melinda takes a small spherical object out of her pocket and throws it at the cloud of deadly insects. Smoke begins billowing out of it, and the tracker jackers begin falling to the ground. Soon, they're all gone.

All but one. I feel a sharp pain in my shoulder and quickly swat away the last of the engineered wasps. But the damage is done. Immediately, the sting begins to burn. The walls of the maze become discolored, and everything around me starts spinning. I can't go any more. After what feels like hours, I see another parachute enter the arena. I grab the small box and hastily read the note. "Apply to the sting immediately." I take the strange cream and begin rubbing it against my shoulder. Things stop swirling around. "Done tripping?" Melinda asks. She always liked a good joke. "Yeah." I say.

She opens one of the pouches I grabbed and takes out a small black berry. "STOP!" I yell. "What? I'm hungry!" Melinda responds, annoyed. "That was a nightlock berry! It's extremely poisonous! Just chewing it will kill you in seconds! Try these red ones instead. They give you an energy boost." She grabs the red berries and says "You know, I wish I could just do something to stick it to the Capitol. Show them I'm not a pawn in their game." I retort by bringing up the fact that our families would be punished. "So?' she says. "They betrayed us! They sent us here to die!" "They're still our families. They shouldn't have to suffer just because we decided to act out." She falls silent as the anthem begins playing once more. The boy from 3, the girl from 9, and the boy from 10. The Careers are hunting tributes down. But that little incident gives me an idea. I take the poisonous berries and use the bade of my boomerang to mash them up, coating it in the lethal jam.

Day 3

As the sun rises, Melinda and I continue moving to avoid being caught. As we wander further through the maze, we come across a strange, deep trench. We jump over it and run toward what looks to be the edge of the maze. Then, the walls begin moving. Shifting around. After it stops, a hole opens up in the maze. After a few seconds, a strange green liquid pours from it. Judging by the smell of it, it's extremely toxic. "Get back to the trench!" Melinda yells. If we can make it there, the poison will fill it and we'll be safe. I start running west, the best possible direction to head in. I see a seventeen-year-old girl with a number 10 printed on her shirt. A wave of poison sweeps her away and a cannon fires. I see the Career pack. They're running away from the poison too. The girl from District 2 trips and is washed away by the poison. Boom. I see a pit, and a series of ropes. I grab onto the first one and swing between them, eventually landing on the other side of the pit. Melinda lands just as the poison reaches the trench, burning the ropes. The wall seals behind us.

Suddenly, two figures start running towards us. The boy from District 4 blows into a tube, and a sharp object sticks into my leg. Soon, I feel like I can't stand up. I fall to the ground, and everything turns black.

Day ?

"Joseph, are you okay? That guy hit you with a tranquilizer dart. Probably from a sponsor. You were out for ten whole days. No one's really been killed." Ten days? How powerful is that stuff? "Who's left now?" I ask. That's what I need to know. "Just you, me, the boy from 1 and 4, and I think the girl from 11. That's it." she says. The final five. I grab the last couple red berries to get my strength up for the day. It looks to be either sunrise or sunset. I grab my compass and see the sun is in the west. It's already getting pretty late.

Suddenly, a pillar of smoke erupts in the sky. Someone lit a fire. Melinda and I decide to go investigate it. We ready our weapons and find ourselves in an area with nine pillars in three columns and rows. The girl from District 11 is trying to warm up by a fire. She sees us, and the boy from District 1 runs and stabs her with his sword before we can do anything. The cannon fires. The boy from 4 throws that same trident at me. But he misses and strikes a pillar. It falls, and I hear a cannon fire. "Oops!" he says in a very mocking tone. But little does he know I have the advantage. Boomerangs are meant for curved throws. I let it fly around the corner, and the black-coated blade scrapes his arm before circling back for me to catch an inch away from my head. "You think a little scratch would be able to-" Boom. The nightlock worked.

"What the hell was that? How did one cut kill him?" the boy from District 1 yells. "You know, I really don't care. It's just you and me. I'm going to enjoy slicing you in half!" He runs at me, and he's way faster. But it doesn't matter. I'm the better navigator. I lead him on a chase throughout the maze, and soon I see a small ball lying on the ground, and a pile of dead wasps. I know where I am. I take a secret passage through the nearby wall, and slow down. I've lost him. I find a soft patch of ground to sleep on and await tomorrow's dangers.

Day 14

"Attention, final two tributes of the Quarter Quell. We have restocked the Cornucopia with supplies and encourage you to head there immediately." I don't want to go there. But I have no choice. Neither does the other boy. His sword broke during the chase. I start making my way towards where this whole event started.

When I reach the center of the maze, so does my final opponent. All that's there is a heavy sledgehammer and some food. They want us to fight. I'd have the advantage. I'm more mobile. My weapon has longer range. They've set it all up for me to win. But I won't kill anymore. Not for their amusement. As the boy rushes to grab the hammer obviously meant for him, I throw my boomerang aside and begin running away. He immediately chases after me. We're in a new area of the maze. I run the corners as fast as I can, trying to shake him off like before. But then he corners me. I have nowhere to go. He leaps through the air, ready to claim victory. But I quickly roll underneath him as he leaps. His hammer smashes the wall, and he falls into a pool of green liquid. The final cannons fire. Horns blare out. A hovercraft lowers a rope, and I grab it. I've avoided death in the arena, but now I suffer a far worse fate. The guilt-ridden life of a victor.