Tribute Intros Part V
Eddie, Dario, Squirrel, Rose
Eddie Hyde, 14
District Three
"I … I d-d-don't think I c-can do this." Eddie's voice was barely above a whisper as his parents helped him out of his straitjacket. "W-w-what if … what if s-s-something happens? What if I h-hurt someone? What if h-h-h-h-he t-takes over?"
"It's only for a little while." His father's voice was soothing, but firm. "We'll be right there with you the whole time. You pick a spot on the side, and we'll stand right next to you, on the other side of the line. It's going to be fine."
"Besides, you haven't had an episode in days," his mother said gently. "Maybe the last treatment actually worked. We won't know unless—"
"Until it g-g-goes wrong," Eddie mumbled. Just like all the others. Nothing had worked. And the worst part was, it was all his fault.
He'd always been good at science. Biology, chemistry, anatomy – it all came easily to him. People, on the other hand … people were different. Almost a year ago now, he'd been trying to work up the courage to talk to Beatrice, ask if she wanted to hang out, maybe even if she wanted to be his girlfriend. But he'd been too scared.
So he'd gone to work in the lab instead, trying to create an elixir that would boost his confidence, lower his inhibitions, give him the courage to just talk to the girl he liked. But it had all gone wrong. The elixir had done more than give him confidence. It had released him. Some sort of … creature, one who wore his face and used his body, but who wasn't him. Wasn't even part of him. He could never do the things that monster did, never want the things that creature wanted.
It had been nearly a year now. He had tried everything. His parents had tried everything. But every time they thought they were getting somewhere, he would reappear, ready to wreak havoc if he ever got loose. So Eddie and his parents had taken precautions to make sure that he never would. He hadn't left the house in months. Only his parents came to visit him in his room.
But he couldn't avoid the reaping.
Eddie took a deep breath. His parents would be there. It would be all right. He could come right back here afterwards, as long as…
No. No, he couldn't even let himself think about that possibility. It was too horrible to even consider. He couldn't let that happen. If they called his name, he would have to come up with something. Some way to stop it from happening. Whatever happened, he couldn't let Hyde into the Hunger Games.
Dario Baretti, 18
District Five
"Dario? Are you all right?" Petunia's voice was shaking as she took a few hesitant steps into the room.
Damn. He'd thought he'd been quiet enough. Too late, Dario tried to hide the blood. "I'm fine, sis. Go back to your room."
"It's not your blood, is it."
"No."
Petunia looked away. "Is he…"
"He's still alive." The shopkeeper might spend a few days wishing Dario had killed him, instead, but he would recover. Mostly. And in the future, he would know better than to step out of line. "We were just … sending a message."
Petunia managed a smile. "You could always write a note instead."
"Yeah, that would go over well with the boss." Mr. Baretti wasn't usually an unreasonable man, but he didn't tolerate disloyalty, and he had no patience for mistakes. That was why he had sent Dario this time, after all. The sight of Mr. Baretti's right-hand man and adopted son would whip most people into shape. But sometimes they needed a little reminder.
His sister disappeared into the next room for a moment, then reappeared with a bowl of water and a towel. "Come on, let's get this cleaned up. You don't want to look like this for the reaping."
Dario smiled fondly and started washing the blood off his hands. That was Petunia all over – down to business. She might be a little squeamish, but deep down, she knew that he was doing this for her. To put a roof over their heads, food on their tables, to keep her from having to live the sort of life he did.
She deserved better. She deserved more. More than a brother who came home with blood on his hands. She deserved someone better. And he wanted to be someone better. But…
But he was in too deep. Mr. Baretti had found him as a baby, abandoned on the streets. He had taken Dario in, raised him, taught him the family business. It was all he knew. And even if he wanted to, no one just left the business.
Not standing upright, anyway.
Dario shook his head, drying his hands. Folks were always talking about how their beloved little Victor was making things better in Five, was taking care of the orphans, was making life on the streets safer. But it was a big district. Too big a district for one person to be able to fix it. There would always be people like Mr. Baretti. And as long as there were, there would always be people like him.
Squirrel Tail, 18
District Nine
It was still strange eating something she hadn't gathered or caught herself. Squirrel nibbled at the bit of food her captors had brought. They'd called it 'bread' when she'd asked, but it wasn't very good – all hard and black and charred on the ends. Still, food was food, and it was more than she'd had since they'd caught her.
She hadn't meant to get caught. She'd been chasing a squirrel, of all things, and had gotten too close. The older members of WolfClan had always told her to stay away from anything that looked built rather than natural, but she'd been so close. She'd been sure she would be able to sneak in, grab her prey, and make it out before anyone saw her. She'd never imagined there would be that many people.
Or that they would be so angry. She'd answered all their questions, just like they'd wanted, but they hadn't seemed to believe her answers. They'd made fun of her name. They'd refused to believe that there were other people like her, living out beyond what they called the 'districts.' And then they had brought her here, where it was dark and cold and damp. She'd caught the only rat in sight, and then had nothing to eat until this 'bread' they'd brought. She was so hungry now, even that was starting to taste good.
Suddenly, the door opened, and light streamed in. Squirrel blinked, trying to get a better look. One of the men hauled her to her feet. "Come on, then. You said you were eighteen, which means you're eligible?"
"What?" Her voice was hoarse and dry. "Eligible?"
"For the reaping?"
Squirrel said nothing as they dragged her down the hall and out into the sunlight. Maybe it was better not to ask, if the explanation wasn't going to make any sense anyway. She would find out soon enough. And at least she was outside again. Maybe she would be able to get away…
But now there were even more people than before, all packed together in one place. Most of them looked around her age or a bit younger. Squirrel let out a sigh of relief. Maybe the younger ones would be more reasonable. She smiled and gave a little wave, but no one waved back. Most of them didn't even look at her.
They looked … afraid. But what were they afraid of? Whatever it was, why didn't they just leave? There were so many of them. There were only a few of the people who seemed to be in charge. Squirrel glanced from face to face, looking for any hint of what might be bothering them. Nothing. They seemed to assume that everyone just knew what to be scared of. She would just have to wait and see.
Rose Thornton, 12
District Eleven
Rose gave her friend Summer's hand a squeeze, trying her best to smile as the pair of them headed to the district square. "Got any plans for after the reaping?"
Summer shook her head. "It's … a bit different this year, I guess. My family was all real quiet this morning – even the little ones. It's like even they know this year I'm actually part of the reaping, rather than just watching."
Rose nodded. Summer was the oldest child in her family – and quite a large family at that. Rose occasionally wished she had a brother or sister or two, but right now, she was grateful. Summer was only twelve, but she already had nine slips in the reaping bowl. Rose only had four – once for her age, and tesserae for herself and her parents. Only four slips.
But there was still a chance. For the first time, there was a chance that she might be chosen for the Games, just like there was a chance that Summer might be reaped. The fact that those chances weren't exactly the same … well, that was just how the tesserae system worked. It wasn't as if either of them had a say in how it was set up.
Rose forced a smile for her friend's sake. "Hey, look on the bright side. You're the first one to be eligible for the reaping, but that also means you'll be the first one to get through it. Just seven years – that's it." She gave Summer's arm a playful punch. "And the first one's almost over."
Summer finally managed a smile. "Thanks. How about you? Any plans for later?"
Rose shrugged. "Enjoy a day of not having to work, I guess. My parents and I usually play some games after the reaping. Nothing fancy."
Nothing fancy. Right. Like anything fancy happened in District Eleven, anyway. Oh, she did her best not to complain, to spice things up on her own. A bit of color here, a song there, a harmless joke or prank. But that didn't change the fact that life in Eleven was, on average … well, average. Nothing exciting really happened. There was school, then her job in the fields, and if she was lucky, some time to spend with her friends. It wasn't a bad life, but there was a part of her that couldn't help wishing for something more, something different, something new.
Rose shook the thought from her head as she and Summer neared the district square. There would be time for that. They were only twelve, after all. They had plenty of time ahead of them. Plenty of time to make their own futures new and different, even here. She just hoped they would get the chance.
All right, I've almost got a full list! Just one spot left, and we can get this thing rolling. :)
