Hi, everyone! It took me a while to finish this chapter. Sorry, I didn't mean to make you wait too much, but I've been a bit busy recently. Anyway, here's the Reaping of District 9, so only 4 more Reapings are left before moving to the Capitol, where you will be able to intervene in a more significant way (especially submitters). You can still submit SPONSORS for this fanfic (One and Two have already two sponsors, so could you please focus on other districts? If you're interested, of course). Divine Punishment is not yet closed, so you can still submit TRIBUTES (One, Three, Four, Five, and Eleven have already one tribute). Both forms are on my profile, but you can also PM me for any doubt. I gave you some advice about submissions, but feel free to choose the district you want :)

Enjoy your reading!


8 years ago

Pamela Field (10)- Citizen of District 9

A gentle breeze is bringing along the noises and smells of this peaceful, starry night- the intense smell of wheat from the fields, the constant creaking of cicadas, the flow of a stream in the distance. I look up to admire the sky. How vast it is! Sometimes, I wonder…

"Hurry up, Pamela!"

I look down and see that my little sister Rebecca is watching me with her hands on her hips.

"I don't want to be late!" she adds.

"Right," I reply.

We're heading to an old, abandoned barn, where the neighborhood gathers together to listen to my grandfather's tales about the rebellion. Before the second uprising, my family used to be one of the richest and most influential families of District 9. We possessed several acres of cultivated land, but we lost everything we had when the districts were defeated. As a punishment for being rebels, the Field family ended up working as seasonal farmers for "the new rich"- those who took advantage of the districts' defeat. Anyway, my family doesn't want the rebels' beliefs to die, that's why my grandfather keeps on talking about them. But it's a dangerous choice, if peacekeepers found out that he's practically inciting people against the Capitol… I don't want to think of what would happen in that case.

"Oh, here are my girls, the heirs of an important past!" our grandfather greets us, as soon as we step into the barn.

Rebecca runs up and hugs him. "What will you tell us tonight?" she asks him, eager as usual.

"That's a surprise," he answers, smiling.

I look at him. Despite his age- he's in his seventies, he's still vigorous, his light blue eyes are always curious and brimming with life, although time has left its marks on his face.

"And what about you, Pamela? How you doing?" he asks me, interrupting my thoughts.

"I'm fine," I reply, smiling slightly.

"Good. Shall we start?" he offers.

I nod. I sit on the floor beside Rebecca and other kids. My grandfather takes one of the few chairs and sits in the middle. As usual, he begins by emphasizing how cruel and unfair the Hunger Games are. Yeah, I agree with him, the Capitol is cruel and unfair, when it forces twenty-six kids to kill one another for fun, but… but, on the other hand, the Games are our punishment for rebelling. If the districts hadn't rebelled the first time, the Hunger Games wouldn't have existed, right? But I'm well aware that, if I spoke my mind, everyone would glare at me, so I keep silent.

"They take our kids from us, but, by doing so, they kill also their future! Can you understand how insane the Capitol is? That's why we rebelled! We fought for a better future, a future without Hunger Games, without any bloodbath of the sort!" says my grandfather with passion.

"Bloodbath" is a word used to refer to the initial stage in the arena, when all the tributes fight to get supplies from the cornucopia. As a matter of fact, children aren't normally allowed to watch the Games, if they're not yet of Reaping age like me. But, again, my family makes an exception… it's a way of fueling our hatred towards the Capitol, but it doesn't work on me. Watching the Games scares me, that's all. I can't believe that tributes are actually able to kill. Would I find the strength to do it as well, if I ended up in the arena?

Suddenly, a boy runs in the barn, interrupting my grandfather's discourse. "Peacekeepers! They're approaching!" he shouts and then bends forward, panting.

Panic spreads. People start to flee as fast as they can, parents try to find their children to get them to safety… but Rebecca and I are alone, our parents stayed home. The only person who is still calm is our grandfather.

"Don't panic! They want me!" he says, but nobody listens to him.

"We'd better leave, Rebecca," I tell my sister.

"But we haven't heard the tale yet!" she complains, clearly unaware of what's going on.

"Another time. Now, come with me. Those peacekeepers have to talk to our grandfather, we mustn't interfere," I insist.

"Pamela is right. I'll be okay, don't worry, kid," he says, pinching Rebecca's cheek.

I lead my sister outside. Before leaving, I turn around to watch my grandfather. He nods. Then, I start running in the opposite direction of the barn, holding Rebecca's hand.

"Why are you running?" she asks me.

"I'll tell you later. Now, run!" I answer as tears start flooding from my eyes.

Rebecca notices my tears. "Why are you crying? He's not in danger, is he?"

"No… he… h-he's not in danger," I stammer in response.

Rebecca must have understood that I'm lying, because she stops, leaving my hand. She doesn't say anything, she just stares at me. Suddenly, she starts running towards to barn.

"No! Come back!" I shout, as I'm following her back to barn.

We get there just in time for seeing that the peacekeepers have arrested our grandfather, and they're now taking him away. When he sees us, his eyes widen with terror. But it's just for an instant, he immediately regains his usual cool.

"Gran…" Rebecca is about to call him, but I manage to tape her mouth shut.

"Do you know those kids?" a peacekeeper asks him.

"I've never seen them before," he replies, looking down.

My sister is squirming like crazy to break free. She wants to protest, but I'm holding her tight, so that she cannot neither move nor speak.

"You'd better leave, that's not your business!" a peacekeeper tells us.

"We have to do what he told us," I whisper to Rebecca.

She seems to understand, since she calms down. We both leave without turning around. When we have walked away enough not be heard, my sister starts asking questions again.

"What do they want from him? He didn't do anything wrong!" she protests.

"He did, instead. He shouldn't have told all those stories about the rebellion," I reply.

"They were just stories!"

"You're still too naïve to understand, Rebecca, but you will with time."

"No! I know exactly what happened! Our grandpa is innocent, but you abandoned him like a coward!" she retorts, angry.

"We couldn't do anything to stop the peacekeepers, and you know it. But you don't need to worry, I'm pretty sure they'll forgive him," I say, trying to soothe her anger.

"You're a liar!" she shouts, and then runs home.

She's right, I'm a liar, I know that there's no hope for our grandfather. How can I be taken seriously, after all, if my eyes are full of tears?

…...

Present day

Adam Thorn (18)- Citizen of District 9

I'm standing right outside her house, waiting for her to come out. I'm nervous as a pupil on the first day of school. Oh, how silly I feel in this moment, fidgeting like tomorrow doesn't exist! I try to dispel any negative thought by focusing on the house. It's truly a pity that one of the most important families of District 9- or, rather, one that used to be very important- ended up living in such a shack. But c'est la vie, I suppose. Seasonal farmers live in small villages scattered across the land, but they have no regular contract, so they're paid only when employed, for instance during harvest. For the rest of year, they have to count on tesserae to live, unless they find another job. Other farmers are luckier in the sense that whether they possess a piece of land or work full time for greater landowners, their life is surer. That's the way things are, have always been, and will also be in the future.

In the meantime, she has got out of her house. Finally! She's wearing a striped, knee-long, light blue dress, which would look prettier, if the fabric wasn't worn down. Anyway, the dress is tight to the waist, thus bringing out her slender figure. She has combed her blonde hair in two braids… its golden colour reminds me of ripe wheat, whereas her blue-grey eyes have the same colour of the sky after a tempest. She is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. The freckles she has on her nose make her look younger than she is, but I know that she's pretty mature.

"Rebecca," I greet her.

"What's up?" she replies in a rather annoyed tone.

Here we go… she has broken the spell… again.

"I must tell you something," I go on, ignoring her tone.

"Yeah, yesterday you told me the same," she says, rolling her eyes.

I clear my throat. "I've been waiting till my last Reaping, because I'll be free to do whatever I want after today, and what I want is you, Rebecca."

"What?" she says, almost whispering.

"Will you marry me?" I ask her, taking a gold ring out of my pocket.

It cost me a fortune, since it comes from District 1. On the inside, you can see a little swan engraved *. They told me it has been crafted by one of the best jewelers of District 1, and I think it was worth the cost.

"You're mad!"

I hold her hand. "Rebecca, I know it seems a folly to you, but I've already talked to your parents and…" I try to explain her, but she slaps me with her free hand.

She recoils from me. "Why did you bother asking me, then? You've already bought me, haven't you?" she shouts, beside herself.

I massage my cheek. "'Cause I do care about you. I know our relationship has never been easy due to our families, but this is a great opportunity to reconcile."

"Reconcile!? Your family sabotaged the rebellion from the very beginning, and then it got rich by exploiting the disgrace of its own district!"

"I'm not responsible for what my family did," I point out. "All I know is that we cannot live in the past, it's time to go on with our lives. Think about it… the old and the new that reconcile… your family could finally return to what it once was!" I say, enthusiastic.

"Why don't you ask Pamela? She's your age, and she has never understood the rebellion, she would be a perfect wife," she offers.

"I don't love Pamela," I rebut, shaking my head.

"Well, I don't love you either!"

"But you will."

She glares at me.

I hold my hands up in an act of defense before adding: "Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking you to fall for me with the snap of a finger, I'm just giving you the opportunity to have a better life for you and your family. Believe me, convincing my parents was hard! I hope my efforts weren't vain…"

"Marrying you, Adam, would mean betraying the rebels' beliefs and…"

"Those beliefs could get you killed, as it happened to your grandfather!" I retort, interrupting her.

But I immediately wish I could choke on my last words, when I see a tear on her face. "I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean that… that was a low blow," I apologize.

Rebecca doesn't say anything in response, she just stares at me.

"I want you to be happy, you deserve a better life," I say.

"Yeah, a better life without Reapings and Hunger Games, but there's no way, unfortunately," she replies with a shrug.

Ah, I didn't want to play this card, but you give me no choice, Rebecca.

I get closer to her and gently hold her hands. "If you married me, you wouldn't need any tesserae. After this Reaping, you will be the only one of your family to be still eligible, and I… I don't want you to risk your life…" – I kneel down- "… I love you, Rebecca, why would I ask you otherwise? This marriage would be a challenge for me as well."

She blushes, embarrassed. "Wh-what are you doing? That's mean… I…" she stammers.

"Please, Rebecca, I'd be the happiest man on earth, if you said yes."

She doesn't say a word, but she lets me put the ring on her finger, so I'll take that as a yes.

…...

Present day

Rebecca Field (16)- Citizen of District 9

I stare at the gold ring on my finger. I shake my head, unbelieving. Did I really accept to marry Adam? It can't be true. I wonder what my grandfather would think of it. Would he stand up to this marriage? Or would he be happy for me?

I make back to my house. My family is watching me, then their eyes move to the ring on my finger. They don't say a word, they're waiting for me to break the silence, evidently.

"Traitors!" I shout.

My parents approach me. "Dearie, this is a great opportunity for you," says my mother, putting her hand on my shoulder, but I recoil.

"For us," I correct her, annoyed.

"We couldn't reject such a generous proposal," explains my father.

"And nobody thought of asking my opinion, first. I know I'm still a minor, so he needs your permission, and yet… I… such a low blow… from you…" I add, unable to find the right words to finish my utterance.

"Adam has asked you… or, at least, he told us he would," she says.

"It was all a farce! You had already set the deal up! I had no choice but accept his proposal!" I protest.

"Adam is not a bad guy, and he truly cares about you," she goes on, trying to comfort me… but it doesn't work.

My father chimes in: "Yes, he wouldn't ask you, if he didn't care, he could have chosen to…"

"… marry a rich girl?" I finish his utterance.

"Don't talk like that!"

"I'd rather starve to death than accept his charity! His family has betrayed us all!"

"Rebecca!"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to ruin your great deal, but I won't forgive you, remember that!" I say, and then leave the house.

"Rebecca! Come back!" shouts my mother, worried, while she's following me outside.

I turn around. "We have to go to the Reaping, you'd better hurry up, I'll be there," I say.

On Reaping days, there's a bus service to bring the farmers who live in the villages scattered here and there to the main square, but I won't take a bus, I need to walk on my own. I know that Adam isn't a bad guy, but all this stuff about marriage has shocked me. What should I do? It's not too late to say no, right? I look at the ring again. How would he react, if I said no? It would certainly sadden him. No, I cannot do it to him, can I? I don't want to get married, but the situation is not as bad as it seems, right? Maybe… maybe I could ask him to wait, he would understand, wouldn't he? Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking you to fall for me with the snap of a finger, I'm just giving you the opportunity of having a better life for you and your family … he spoke so, after all.

In the meantime, I've got to the main square. I show up to the peacekeepers, then reach my section. Some girls are chatting animatedly to ease their tension, I suppose, but I'm not in the right mood to talk. The mayor makes his usual boring speech, then the escort from the Capitol- a man in a ridiculous costume that seems to be made of popcorns- mounts the stage to pick up the names of the reaped tributes. I wonder how he can do his job so lightly. The lives of two people are about to be ruined forever by him, but he doesn't care at all, he just stands on the stage, grinning as if the Reaping was funny… and the worst part of it is that it might be so to him.

"Our female tribute is… Rebecca Field!"

It can't be true, the escort has just called my name! Yeah, I've lost count of how many tesserae I've taken out to help my family, but I've never thought I would get reaped. I move towards the stage, trying to look unbothered, but, deeper down, all I want is punching the escort in the face to make that hateful grin of his disappear. But I can't, I've got no choice but calm down. Looks like today I have always to give up.

"Does anyone want to volunteer?"

Dead silence, just for a change. No one would ever volunteer for a rebel, not even my own sister.

"Very well, then! Let's move on to boys! Our male tribute is…"

"I volunteer as tribute!" someone shouts, interrupting the escort.

A boy emerges from the eighteen-year-old section. It's Adam! What's the hell is he doing? It's his last Reaping! Did he volunteer for me? No, it can't be. Yeah, he said he loves me, but he cannot be that mad to risk his life in the Games!

"Oh, a volunteer from an outer district, that's really a surprise!" comments the escort, excited.

"My name is Adam Thorn," he says.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the tributes of District 9, Rebecca Field and Adam Thorn! As always, happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!" says the escort, then he addresses Adam and me: "Shake hands, you two!"

I shake hands with him. He's staring at me, but I cannot understand how he feels in this moment… he just looks… I don't know, kind of sad, I suppose. But I've got no time to speak to him now, since we're immediately led inside the Justice Building, where we're assigned a separate waiting room to say goodbye to our families and friends. My parents and Pamela are the only people who come to visit me before I leave. It doesn't surprise me, thought… the Capitol is certainly aware of the rebellious past of my family, therefore being associated with me is inconvenient. District 9 is a den of cowards! As if they had never wanted to rebel…

"Rebecca!" says my mother, trying to hug me, but I avoid her.

"I'm still angry," I explain, but my tone doesn't sound convinced, I know that I'm about to cry.

"We'll make it up as soon as you come back. Now, let us tell you goodbye," rebuts my father calmly.

That said, he hugs me, and I don't resist this time.

My mother joins our hug. "You're such a brave girl, Rebecca, your grandfather would be proud of you," she says, teary.

She knows my weak point. In fact, I start crying as soon as she names my grandfather. I was so fond of him! My parents hug me tighter, trying to comfort me.

"He'll protect you, but you'll need to do your best to survive! You're a fighter, Rebecca, we know that you can make it!" says my father.

I break their embrace, wiping away my tears. "I'll do my best, I won't go down without a fight!" I state with renewed ardour.

"That's our girl!" says my father with a sad smile.

Then, my attention is drawn by my sister, who has stayed aside all the time, trying to hide her tears.

I approach her. "If I don't come back, give this to the Thorns. I don't want them to think that we're opportunists or thieves," I tell her, taking the ring off.

She takes it. "I won't need to do it, cause you're going to win, right?" she says.

"I can't make you any promises, but I'll do my best."

"That's all I need to know."

I look at her, trying to hold back my tears. "Don't worry, I… I'm not going to bear a grudge because you didn't volunteer for me, you're not ready for the arena."

"Who is?" she replies.

"Just… remember that… t-that I… you're my sister, and I don't want to leave without telling you goodbye," I stammer.

She hugs me. "Neither do I. I love you, sis."

…...

Adam Thorn (18)- District 9 male tribute

The waiting room consists of a simple wooden room with some couches and a window at the back. I'm pretty sure some peacekeepers are right outside the window to make sure tributes don't try to escape. As I'm getting closer to the couches, I notice that on the wooden planks on the wall there are some ears of wheat engraved.

I'd like to sit down and relax a bit, but my parents storm into the waiting room, followed by my little brother Abel.

"Why did you volunteer, Adam? It was your last Reaping, you could be safe now!" protests my mother.

Why did I volunteer? To be sincere, when Rebecca was reaped, my first thought was that I couldn't lose her, my lips moved before I could even think of what I was doing.

"It was for that girl, right?" adds my father in an enquiring tone.

"I love her, and you cannot condemn me for it!" I point out.

"This childish crush could get you killed! Can you understand it?" she goes on, angry and desperate at the same time.

"That's not a crush, mom! I wouldn't have asked her to marry me otherwise!" I retort.

"We let you do it, because we want you to be happy, but… but now it's all over, that was the last rash decision we let you make. Listen to me, your life is too important, so don't dare to sacrifice it for that girl! Now, you're in love with her, so you cannot understand, but you will. When you come back- and you will, we'll find a proper bride for you. Is that understood?" he says, putting his hands on my shoulders and watching me right in the eye.

"Rebecca's life is important too!"

He sighs. "But not as yours. Everyone knows what her family did, her name has already condemned her, they cannot let her win."

"That's true, Adam, even allying with her would be inconvenient," adds my mother.

What should I do? I cannot tell them that I do want to ally with Rebecca, and that I do want her to survive. My life was so empty before I met her. Many people envy me because I'm rich, but what's the point of being rich, if you're alone? I've got nothing to fight for except Rebecca… or, at least… my eyes meet those of my little brother, who is trying to hold back his tears. He's only thirteen, but he's clever enough to understand that I might choose Rebecca's life over mine.

I approach him, kneeling down to watch him right in the eye. "Sorry if we spoke up too much… you know, sometimes adults are so noisy!" I apologize, trying to lighten the mood.

"Are… are you going to come back?" he asks me.

"I'll do my best, I promise," I answer, messing up with his hair.

"And Rebecca?"

"She's special to me, that's why I'll try to protect her."

"When she stabs you in the back, you'll see how special she is!" my mother chimes in.

I ignore her comment. "Don't listen to her, Rebecca is a good girl. Sometimes, adults say nasty things, but they don't mean them," I whisper to Abel.

"Be careful, Adam," he says.

"I will."

Yes, my brother Abel is a person for whom I would fight to come back.


So, District 9 gives us a troubled relationship. How do you think Rebecca and Adam will behave during the Games? Will they ally or rival?

Please, leave a review, if you liked this chapter. The more reviews tributes get, the more points they earn. Besides, your feedback is important to me, so let me know your opinion, please. Thank you a lot for reading and reviewing :)

Submissions are still available!


* The Whiteswans' logo. See chapter 3 (D1 Reaping)