Valerian Ashwagandha, 18 years old, District 13 Male
96 AD
It's the evening. The colors fill the sky with fiery orange, yellow, and red. I have a nice view of the sunset from the stairs of my porch, which I like to sit on every other day to watch the sun go down. This is one of the many reasons I am happy to live in a village on the outskirts of District 13, the city lights don't tune out the stars, and it's easy to see the sunset when tall and depressing buildings don't block out the sky.
I look up into the sky as I take another hit of my blunt. Weed is a commodity in District 13, which is frowned upon by the government. Something about it causing less productivity or whatever. I think it's honestly a stupid take by the government since it can increase productivity by treating anxiety, joint pain, and depression. President Vincent needs to smoke a few blunts because he looks like he has something up his ass every time I see him on television.
Thankfully due to my family living on the outskirts of District 13, Peacekeeper presence isn't typical. They do mainly routine checks throughout the year, and sometimes they catch us by surprise, but we have always been one step ahead and hid the recreational weed before they could find it, so they haven't been able to prove anything.
I take another hit of my blunt and watch as a tall boy walks over to Zywie, a younger and miniature boy who is one of my friends. Despite Zywie's age, we get along pretty well. My family helped his single mother get medical care for Zywie when he got a bad case of measles that spread like wildfire in our village a few years ago when I was just 15. We were quarantined before it could spread any further, and several people died before a vaccine was given to everyone. Children first, old people 2nd, and then healthy young adults.
The taller boy gives Zywie a look that could kill and picks him up by his shirt, making him drop the lizard toy he was playing with onto the grass. "I know you stole from me, you little jackass." The boy yells as he exhales deeply. Zywie gives him a look of pure fear as he squirms around before locking eyes with me, almost like he is pleading for help.
I jump off the stairs as quickly as possible, which predictably feels slow with the amount of pot I just smoked. I cough as I walk over to the colossal asshole and narrow my eyes at him. Zywie is like a little brother from another mother, and I won't let some bully beat him up in front of me. "Hey… leave him the fuck alone. He isn't a thief!" I defend Zywie as I point at the bully.
The bully throws Zywie to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Zywie coughs as he rolls onto the grass in pain. I can't help him right now with this guy standing between us, so I focus on the guy. I have to figure out how to diffuse this situation because I can't be bothered to fight this kid. I smoked to relax, not to have a boxing match with some random ass dude I've never seen before in my life.
"Hey, man, I understand that you're pissed. I'm pissed too. I have a blunt calling my name right now, and I don't want to fight." I say lazily as I use hand motions to get my point across.
The guy blinks at me and looks confused without saying anything. I think I caught him off guard with my methods. He is probably expecting me to continue to cuss at him and threaten him. After staying silent for a few seconds, he starts to speak up. "He stole money from me that I was going to use to get my little sister a birthday present. I think that is a fair reason to kick his ass." He says with hurt building up in his voice, masking the anger.
I soften up at the guy's words and feel disappointed in Zywie. I don't want to believe that Zywie would do such a thing, but I also don't want to assume that this kid would beat him up for no reason. People aren't so irrational to act that way out of thin air. "Okay, I'm sorry, man… I'll give you some money, okay?" I hand the boy a handful of coins, forcing it into his rough hands as I look him in the eyes, blinking slowly as I do so.
The boy's dark brown eyes soften as he looks down at me. He raises his eyebrow and slowly puts the coins in his back pocket as he tilts his head. "Uhm, thank you.." He says in a confused but thankful tone before he walks away, leaving Zywie and me alone in the village. I look over at Zywie, who has now stopped rolling on the ground and is slowly standing up. He avoids eye contact with me as he stares at the grass below.
"That wasn't cool, Zywie." I sigh and turn around, walking towards my house and grabbing my blunt off the stairs from where I left it. I don't have the energy to scold Zywie for stealing from someone, and at this point, I just want to go inside and take a nap. The best naps are after smoking a blunt. I always end up sleeping like a baby.
A good nap and a fresh bread roll is the only thing that can make me feel less like an idiot for initially defending Zywie.
Annalise Plenna, 14 years old, District 13 Female
96 AD
The reaping is in a week, and I can sense that everyone is on edge. Everyone hopes that it is someone they don't know, and it's like a looming shadow that won't go away in the back of everyone's minds. I don't think I'll get picked because I've never taken tesserae, so it is unlikely, but I can't help but feel uneasy.
"Anna, are you okay?" My friend snaps me out of my thoughts and I immediately nod in response.
"Mhm, I'm okay. I'm just thinking about the games." I whisper to my friend as we pass around a big pink ball in the courtyard. I am not super athletic, but we are forced to do an hour of physical activity daily in school. I don't like PE that much, and the only good thing about it is that I get to talk to my friends without getting in trouble.
"I think everyone is. My mom has been extra nice to me lately." Bliant jokes as she rolls the ball over to me.
"That's true… I don't think I'd do well in the games. I hate the thought of hurting people." The thought makes me shudder as the ball rolls in between my legs. I remember how I would get nightmares every year when the games would be broadcasted. I didn't want to watch it, but the punishment is death, so I am forced to watch at least some of it yearly. Thankfully they don't require us to watch the re-runs, or I'd have nightmares all year around. My mom and dad never talk about the Mockingjay Rebellion, but I wish the Districts won so I could live in peace. All I want to do is play with my friends and become a doctor when I grow up, not be forced to watch a death match and be afraid that I will be unlucky enough to become a tribute. I've never spoken those words to anyone. I don't want to jeopardize anyone I know, but I can't help but think about it.
"Yeah, I guess so. I think I would be able to kill someone, though. But I want to start training just in case when I turn 15… You should be my partner!" Bliant exclaims as she quickly stands up with a smile on her face.
I feel uneasy at the thought of training. It would take away my time from volunteering in hospitals to help sick patients, and I know I would hate every minute of it. Also, I doubt my parents would even spend money to get me into the training programs. "Eh… I don't think that's a good idea." I try to say nicely as I stand up, grabbing the pink bouncy ball as I do so. I don't want to upset my friend, but I want to get the point across that I won't be her training partner.
"Times up, kids!" I hear one of the teachers yell from the school building.
My friend and I walk back into the building, switching the subject to a less gruesome topic about who is the cutest 14 year old boy in school.
A/N: WOOHOO! I am excited to be done with the intros. A long process, but I am glad that everyone got their time to shine. Speaking of time to shine, I want to talk about how I will be doing POV's for this story.
For the two reaping chapters, I will be looking through the eyes of each District's respective mentors. After that, each tribute will likely get 2 more POV's before the Games begin. Maybe three, but not every tribute will get that many. So expect 2 more for each kiddo, maybe one more if it is needed. The tributes' POV placements will be picked based on what I think best suits their personality and the story.