It's been a while. I've already explained a lot of my excuses, and at this point it's just getting old and any promises I make to upload more frequently are not followed through. I'm sure most of you expected this story was over and probably won't even bother reading this chapter with the expectation I'll never finish this, and I would understand that. However, I've said before and I'll say it again - I have no intention of discontinuing this story. I'm still invested in this, and I'm still enjoying coming up with ideas for later in the story. I've just been busy lately, with an increase in schoolwork, new hobbies, and other stuff that has taken up a lot of time I would usually devote to this.
I am hoping that I'll update more frequently at some point, but until then I'll just be churning out chapters at this ridiculously slow rate. If you want to stop reading for now, that's fine, but hopefully you'll tune back in when I'm moving at a quicker pace again (which WILL happen at some point, though it likely won't be until after the Reapings).
Someone requested I add ages with the POV headers, so I added those in.
District 4
Arty Hackson, 18
The morning is too early for the beach to be crowded, despite it being a popular location, especially for the youth in our District. At the moment, only a few teenagers lurk around the shore, most of them drunk from the night before. I believe there was a Reaping celebration party last night, likely at one of the ocean-side mansions, but I didn't receive an invitation. I usually would have, I'm quite popular here, but I'm guessing some of the guests were academy trainees bitter that I beat them for the coveted position of Volunteer.
Selena and Caldwell tried to console me despite me repeatedly reminding them that I did not, in fact, care. Selena even chose not to go despite receiving an invitation in order to… make me feel better? Rebel against the hosts? I don't care. I don't even know what goes on in her head half the time anyways.
I suppose it's a good thing I didn't go. It's important to get a good night's sleep before introducing yourself to all of Panem. I need to make a good impression on the viewers in order to achieve many sponsors. It shouldn't be hard; I have a lot of charm. But it would be difficult to fix a mistake as big as Volunteering whilst hungover, no matter how many handsome smiles I flash at the Capitolians.
The waves look good today, and I can't help but wish I was surfing. This is a good time to catch waves, but I've already decided to get in some last-minute practice for the Hunger Games. I have my trident with me, but it's been mostly unused thus far as I've simply been doing some strength training while watching the sun rise.
I suppose I should work with the trident a bit, but after ten years of training, what's a few more hours? Besides, I should probably head back home soon, anyways. My parents would be upset if I was late to the Reaping, even if I was only late because I was getting in extra hours of training. Mom really likes it when I train because she's terrified that I'll die in the Hunger Games. I've told her hundreds of times that my dying is unlikely. The trainers at the Academy don't choose tributes unless they believe they have a very good chance of winning.
If you heard Mom at dinner every night, you'd think the female Volunteer was some invincible goddess. The girl, Elissa Rhodrick, isn't as competent as Mom believes she is. After training with her for ten years, I can say that she'll be easy to take out. She's one of those girls who's tough until you flash a pretty smile at her then she gets all weak. After years of disarming her with charm, I know that taking her out will be no problem. I've told Mom that, but her response was "pretty smiles only get you so far, Arty."
I'll prove her wrong in that regard. My pretty smiles get me everywhere.
In District 4, we are placed with a partner at the age of ten. We enroll in the Academy at the age of eight, and after two years of watching our potential, they place us with a District partner. The whole concept is to build trust between the two, and the system has been in place for almost thirty years now. The Academy owners are very proud of the concept, and they're always boasting about how well their tributes work together. What they don't talk about is how the bond they develop tends to ruin the tributes when their partner dies. I've watched a bunch of Games, and the tributes from District 4 are far more likely than any other District to break down when their District partner dies. Even tributes from non-Career Districts aren't as affected as the District 4 tributes when their District partner dies.
Luckily, I have never gotten attached to my District partner. Elissa and I train together, but we never hang out outside of the Academy. She's suggested it a few times, but I've always declined. With the knowledge that one of us will eventually die, I've never cared to become close to her.
"Arty!" I hear someone shout. "Is that you?"
I look up, hoping to see one of my friends, but instead it's one of the teenagers wandering around the beach. All of them have conglomerated on one area by the shore. It looks as though they're looking down at something.
"Yes," I say cautiously, standing up. "What do you want?"
"Come over here!" he shouts, waving me over. I consider whether or not to obey him for a moment, then sigh and walk over with my trident in my grasp.
"What?" I ask. As I approach, the group splits apart, revealing a beached dolphin.
"Don't your parents have the business where they save sea creatures and stuff?" someone asks.
"It's not really a business," I explain. I look down at the dolphin, trying to hide the disgust in my gaze. I don't care about wildlife. I don't see the point in worrying about anybody but myself and maybe my family and Caldwell. But everyone's looking at me, expecting me to do something, as if I have all the wildlife-rescue knowledge my parents do. I don't want them to think I'm anything but kind and wonderful, so I kneel down next to the dolphin.
"You guys should cheer when I Volunteer," I suggest with a chuckle as I inspect the dolphin. They laugh but agree, and I smile slightly. I don't like to do things without getting things in return. Saving a dolphin will be much more tolerable if I look adored by the District when I Volunteer. I am, of course, but cheering almost never happens in Career Districts. Usually, everyone's too jealous to support the chosen Volunteer.
"Are you gonna put it back in the water or something?" one of them asks curiously, leaning over my shoulder. I'm annoyed by their proximity, but I shove down my irritation.
"No, I think it's injured. We'll have to bring it back to my parents. They'll be able to help it," I inform everyone. "Who wants to help me carry it back to my house?"
There's an awkward silence where it's made clear that no one wants to lug a dolphin around in the streets. I suppose they only care about the dolphin if I'm doing all the work. I roll my eyes.
"Okay, you two," I point at two of the kids. "Help me carry this thing to my house. It's not far."
The kids are clearly uninterested in this task, but neither refuses. I have them lift the dolphin, and they grunt under the weight.
"Dude, this thing is heavy," one of them complains.
"And slippery," the other remarks. "Aren't you going to help us carry it?"
"Sorry, I have to be able to lead us to my house," I say in what I hope is a sympathetic tone.
"Do these things bite?" one of them asks tentatively as I begin leading them along the beach, toward my home. I have no idea if dolphins bite. I suppose they do. They have teeth, don't they?
"No," I say. "You'll be fine. Let's just get to my house so we can save the dolphin." As soon as my back is turned to them, I roll my eyes.
District 4
Varuna Bahari, 18
The day is bleak as the crowd fills with people for the Reaping. Despite the colorful decorations strewn up, the mood around the District is not as festive as it usually is. Despite none of our tributes even scraping the top eight last year, a lot of trainees retained a lot of enthusiasm from Malakai Mavericks' victory, and everyone who wasn't selected as the Volunteer has been very gloomy. I can't blame their dull mood, as I was also quite bitter when I learned my partner and I hadn't been chosen as the selected Volunteers. The honor had instead gone to Arty Hackson and Elissa Rhodrick.
A lot of people have listed grievances with District 4's system of partnering up trainees to go into the Hunger Games together, but my main issue with it is how much one partner can drag the other down. I was partnered up with Jakob, who doesn't have the same passion over training that I do. After a few years of watching him apathetically prance around the training gym, he finally confided to me that he had no interest in going into the Hunger Games. His parents, he said, were Hunger Games fanatics who had forced him into training. He would have dropped out, but he didn't want his parents being very disappointed in him.
I expressed my dismay to him a few times, and each time he said he would try to work harder. However, these changes were temporary and he quickly slipped back into spending his time in the gym daydreaming and taking an unbelievable number of water breaks.
The final team selected to compete in the Hunger Games is determined by totalling each teammate's score and finding the highest. My best solution was to work as hard as possible to get our score high enough to be chosen. If I was good enough, perhaps I could pick up Jakob's slack. In the end, it didn't work. We got a high score, but not enough to surpass Arty and Elissa.
It was only last night when I really realized how stupid District 4's system really is. I scored higher than Elissa, so why should she be going into the Hunger Games instead of me? I shouldn't need to waste all of that time training simply because of some back luck in a partner. All I need to do is raise my hand and Volunteer faster than Elissa. District 4 threatens trainees that unchosen Volunteers will have no support from the District during the Game, which basically means less sponsors. That threat doesn't mean much to me.
The real reason why so few people think of Volunteering after not being chosen is because they just don't think to. From such a young age, the Academy hammers into our heads that the only opportunity we have to Volunteer is if we are chosen. If people aren't selected, most just give up.
When I was four, my parents died and I entered the foster system. I don't have any memory of my parents, but I do remember how alone I felt. I was always an outsider, and I never felt like I had a place. It was only after I was adopted by my moms and enrolled in the Academy that I began to feel like I had a purpose. Why should I throw away my purpose now?
The Reaping is a quick event; or at least, it seems quick for me, as I spend the time preparing myself to Volunteer. I need to Volunteer before Elissa, otherwise this will all be for naught and I actually will face consequences in the form of a fine. I don't want to have to subject my moms to that.
Our escort, Tiernan, goes to the female bowl first and calls out a name that I only register as not being my own. I'm anxiously waiting for him to ask for Volunteers.
Ignoring the usual procedure of waiting for the selected girl to come to the stage first, Tiernan asks, "are there any Volunteers?"
"I Volunteer!" I shout, my voice ringing out only a second before Elissa. Eyes turn to me in shock as Tiernan gestures to me, making it clear that I am the Volunteer.
Both of these characters are some of the most complex I received, and I definitely didn't do them enough justice. This is more of a sneak peek of them, so don't make any lasting impressions.
- Lilah
