District 7

Vincent Elm

The repetitive thunking of axes as they hit the tree trunks fills the air. All of the birds that were tweeting when we first entered this chunk of the first are long gone, having flown away after hearing the first tree crash to the ground. Now the only noises are the thunk of the axes and the grunts of all of the lumberjacks as they swing their tools.

The day is really hot, proving once again that it's no longer spring. I think it's the hottest day yet, this year. It was even warm when we entered the forest in the early morning when the air is usually refreshingly crisp. I feel the sun burning the back of my neck, but I ignore it. I'll probably have a pretty painful sunburn by the end of the workday, but it will be less painful than getting whipped for taking a break.

The Peacekeepers in District 7 are very strict. I don't know if they're this bad in other Districts, but they're terrible here. Every day, someone new is publicly punished quite brutally, whether it be whipping, getting beaten up, or being publicly executed. We have a large population, so I suppose they figure it wouldn't be too bad if they kill some of us.

I swing my heavy axe into the tree trunk again, and this time it cuts through.

"Careful!" I yell out as the tree totters, then begins falling fast. The few people underneath run out, and the tree crashes to the ground. Several people rush over to load the tree onto the trunk. Meanwhile, I head over to the nearest tree to cut down a new one. I begin swinging my axe, my shoulders aching.

"Back to work!" a Peacekeeper demands as he walks by. I look over at the guy next to me and realize that he hadn't be cutting down his tree. He leans against the trunk, his round face red and sweaty.

"Are you okay?" I ask him in a whisper. He nods, but weakly swings his axe at the tree, not really doing anything. "Do you need some water?" I offer. He nods gratefully, and I hand him my canteen.

I only take one swing at the tree before a truck comes racing through the forest, narrowly missing trees. We have a path for transporting trucks, but the ground is uneven and the path is very narrow. Everyone stops working to watch it approach - new cars never come in the middle of the day. The only trucks are for transporting the logs, and they stay parked until the end of the work day. No new ones ever arrive.

The truck slams to a halt in front of us. A Peacekeeper steps out of the truck, self-importantly.

"All twelve to eighteen-year-old males must head back to Town Square immediately. President's orders," the Peacekeeper announces. He climbs back inside and drives off without further explanation. Everyone looks around, confused. This is very unusual, but we obviously have to comply.

My group consists of mostly middle-aged men, so only half a dozen children, including me, set down our tools and begin the trek back to the Town Square. A lot of confusing things are happening today. What could they possibly want with us?

All of District 7's male teenagers filter into Town Square; all of them seem just has confused as I am. What could be going on?

I stop in my path when I see the setup that has been constructed in front of the Justice Building. There are ropes creating a pen inside Town Square, and the only entrance is past tables with Peacekeepers seated at them. Atop buildings and in the sidelines are people with cameras pointed toward the Justice Building. The stage in front of the Justice Building holds a microphone and one glass bowl.

It's the Reaping setup.

"What's going on?" I hear someone ask, but no one responds. I"m not exactly sure what's happening, but I think I get the gist. Basically, someone else is going into the arena.

"Hurry up!" I hear a Peacekeeper shout behind me, and I run toward the pen before they can find a reason to flog me. The check-in line isn't as long as it was on the actual Reaping day when the other kid Volunteered, but it's still longer than any line I'd want to wait in.

We get our blood taken and ushered in one by one; the Peacekeepers seem really rushed. I don't think this event is supposed to be as fancy as the Hunger Games. They don't have any Victors up on stage. Even the escort, Leon Parshener, is up there. He must still be in the Capitol. Instead, there's a Peacekeeper with her helmet under one arm, standing at the microphone. She looks really bored, as though she'd rather be anywhere else.

I'm too busy looking around to notice the Peacekeeper at the check-in desk roughly grab my hand and jam the needle into my finger. I wince, surprised at the sudden pain. The Peacekeeper makes sure to mark my blood in her pamphlet and wave me past.

I walk on by, glaring at her. I think she sunk the needle in especially hard on purpose, just because I wasn't paying attention. I definitely wouldn't put it past her or any other Peacekeepers. They couldn't care less about our comfort. I think some of them actually like seeing us in pain.

I stand in the eighteen-year-old section, all of the way at the front. I try to keep my head down so no one comes over here to talk to me. I'm pretty popular in our District, which I don't like very much. I'd rather just live a quiet life with my family and girlfriend. I don't care about all of these random people walking up to me and trying to have a conversation.

Luckily, everyone has somewhat figured out what's going on by now and are too nervous to bother talking to me. I watch as the rest of the boys filter in, all taking their places in their respective sections.

"Sprucen Willes is dead, so one of you boys will be his replacement. Okay, let's begin," the Peacekeeper up on stage says. Sprucen Willes is dead? How? She doesn't go into any more detail. She doesn't introduce herself or show us the video (thank God, I couldn't handle watching that twice in a week), she just immediately snatches a slip of paper from inside the bowl. It happens so fast, I barely have time to register her reading, "Vincent Elm."

The shock holds me in place as the people around me part, giving me room to walk out into the aisle. I can't find the use of my legs. My heart is speeding up. I don't want this… I just want a quiet life!

"We don't have all day, get up here!" the Peacekeeper demands, looking down at me. I nod, finally stepping out of my daze. Not wanting to reveal how terrified I am, I contort my face into a stoic expression. I walk up to the stage. She doesn't introduce me as the new tribute or anything, just steers me into the Justice Building. "Hurry up," she hisses when I hesitate. "We want to get you to the Capitol in time for the Interviews."

I hurry up, even though I definitely don't want to make it to the Interviews. This is all happening so fast… it's so overwhelming. I don't think I'll even get to say goodbye to my girlfriend, or my parents. I can't believe this is happening. I was supposed to be safe and immune from the Hunger Games for the rest of my life. I thought I escaped them…

But, apparently, you can never escape anything in Panem.

So, this is our new District 7 male! Thank you to TheNoobyBoy for Vincent, I'm really excited for him. We didn't get to look too much into his life this chapter, but I'll add more in his next POV. Next is the interviews, when everyone else meets Vincent for the first time.

I was originally going to add two more POVs, where we checked in with the rebels and Alexandros, but I realized that nothing really interesting would be happening in either so I decided to just stick with Vincent.

Bloodbath Countdown: 3 chapters!

If all goes well, we'll be in the Games in a week.

- Lilah