Prologue Part II:
Hero Kane, 18, District One Mentor
It was late morning, the sun still down and yet to rise, when Colette and I boarded the Capitol train. There, waiting, was a middle-aged man, someone who held high value and respect for others, smiling kindly and warmly, offering us anything that we needed.
''Colette, do you want anything?'' I ask, patting her on the head. She looks up at me, her eyes piercing into my soul, and shakes her head. ''Are you sure?'' I ask once again, this time looking at the man, a forced smile on my face. ''I'm sure he wouldn't have a problem getting you anything; he said so himself.''
''No, I'm fine.'' She states, grabbing my hand, her soft palms mixing in with mine, squeezing them as she holds onto me tightly. ''I just want to get to District One right now. I'm very excited, as this is my first time actually going to another District!''
''Right, I forgot,'' I apologize. ''You know, it's just been too long.''
''Yeah, I know,'' she giggles. Now letting go, she runs and hops onto a chair, her legs swinging back and forth as she bounces, trying her best to hold in the excitement but being unable to do so. As I look closer at the furniture, I realize just how different it is on the personal Capitol trains, instead of the District-Oriented ones.
They all looked like they were from the set of a futuristic science fiction movie, with sleek metal frames, black leather seats, smooth lines, and nothing excessive; all mini-malistic with chairs suspended from steel wires that are streamlined and designed to fit into compact spaces.
''Hero!'' Colette's voice catches me off guard, stunning me for just under five seconds. Looking up at her, I give a cheeky smile and nod my head, curious as to what's circulating in that bright mind of hers.
''Yeah, what is it?'' I inquire, placing a hand on my chin while standing up. She starts laughing whole-heartedly, the excitement illuminating on her face. ''Come on, spit it out,'' I now laugh, her laughter being contagious to me.
''Okay, okay, okay!'' She cheers. ''I can't hold this in any longer, but what is District One like? Is it how everyone thought it would be, with the beautiful golden gates to every house, the heavenly water fountains, the sky always being blue, and everyone in the District being beautiful and cheerful and kind and warm and just overall amazing?!''
Staggering backwards, I place my hand up to my heart to stop the wind from being knocked out, but my mouth gapes open and everything comes rushing out like a broken dam with millions of gallons of water inside of it. I literally can't catch my breath and begin to cough, the mucus getting stuck on the roof of my mouth.
Colette leans her head to the side, squinting her eyes in order to enhance her vision and catch why I'm reacting this way, I suppose. ''W-What?!'' She asks, flustered. Her hands were up in the air just a few moments ago, and now she flops them back down to her side. Now pursing her lips, she brings her arms up to her chest and folds them, uttering the words, ''I can't believe you're acting that way to me asking about your home District – can't you just tell me what it's like?''
Now stopping the choked assault on myself, I look at Colette straight into her eyes – the same eyes her mother had – and sigh in an exhausted manner. ''You know what,'' I try to fill her in, wanting to play a little game with her. ''Let's make a deal.''
''A deal?'' She raises her eyebrows, her facial features in an entertaining but also unnerving look on her face. The bleakness of her gaze really set me off, although she can't hold it for long because her adorable, sweet little smile pops right back up on the features of her young face. ''I'm down for a deal, as long as you tell me about District One!''
I roll my eyes playfully and say, ''Alright, here's the deal: we'll play a quick game of cat and mouse, okay? I'll be the mouse, and you can be the cat – I'll go find a place to hide while you count to ten, and if you catch me, I'll tell you everything that you'd like to know about District One, okay?''
Her face lights up even more know, like the sky on a celebrating night – like the night of my Victor's Party. It's like fireworks just set off in her brain, her eyes are observing the surrounding area cautiously, yet her movements show so much more; she's uncontrollably bouncing up and down, her hair flapping all around her face and the joy in her squeal making me laugh out loud in delight.
''Yes, yes, yes!'' She shouts in excitement. ''Okay, go hide! I'm gonna count to ten, so go go go!'' Before I can reply, she already has her eyes closed and is on the count of four.
Quickly taking off on my heels and entering another room – the wrong one, actually, which leads to a bedroom instead of the kitchen – I look for a place to hide. Around, I spot windows, cabinets, closets and bookshelves. The thing is, the closet is gonna be expected way too much because, I mean, who wouldn't hide in the closet?
The cabinets aren't too small, but I think getting trapped inside of them and suffocating, while my head continuously hits the roof, wouldn't be such a great idea. The windows, on the other hand, don't have much for me to do with, and-
''Hero, I'm gonna find you!'' Colette's voice rings in my eyes.
Her voice is so close to the room that I'm in, and I begin to grow determined. This is fun, and it relieves the painful thoughts of my Games. You know how every Victor has some coping method in order to get through the pain? – most of them using some type of drug or alcohol. Well, I guess Colette is my drug, seeing as she's the only part of Isha that I have left, and I don't want to lose her. So, I gotta have as much fun with her as possible.
Looking over the room again, now actually seeing things that I didn't see before, I realize that there was a massive four poster canopy bed with a glass fronted cabinet that has polished cherry wood; chairs with carved backs and splendidly proportioned cabriole legs, and a dignified mahogany writing desk – it's funny how I didn't see any of this before; I must be blind or something.
''I've almost got you!'' She shouts out, the giggles echoing throughout the outside room. There's nowhere I can go to make this last, and I— Wait a minute, the windows! It's been a while since I've pranked someone – the last time I can remember pranking someone was when Asyrin yelled at me in the Arena, after the demon thing, which was a year ago – so why not bring it back?
Picking up one of the polished chairs, I silently tune in on the shaking of the room's door handle. It's now or never, so I chuck the chair as hard as I can, watching as it smashes against the glass and the window shards simultaneously fall at the same time, the sun gleaming down on them. Quickly, I drop to the floor and roll under the giant bed.
Beneath me, the wooden floor felt so soft, not like a firm carpet, but well enough for me to feel comfortable. Finally, after moments of the doorknob shaking, Colette pushes the door open and scurries her feet into the room, twisting her body left and right, trying to catch a glimpse of where I'm at. All of a sudden, it seems as if a rush of realization comes to her face and she moves to the edge of the room, her jeans brushing against the mildewed wall.
''H-Hero?'' She says, bringing her hands up to her mouth. She stares out the window of the moving train, being careful enough not to step on any of the glass shards, and looks outside. ''HERO, WHERE ARE YOU?'' Her questions are answered with the creaking of the door moving lazily in the breeze. Colette suddenly staggers backwards, the expression on her face looking like so many pessimistic thoughts are swirling through her mind, her breathes shallow until she falls in a heap on the floor.
''Gotcha!'' I roll back, catching her off guard, causing her to let out an unexpected shriek. Colette just sits there. She's as white as chalk. Her eyes and mouth are frozen wide open in an expression of stunned surprise, and although she's staring straight at me, she appears to not notice me at all. That is until her shoulders hunch together like she's trying to disappear inside herself, and a hen-pecked look shows up on her face. ''Ha...'' I chuckle nervously. ''G-Gotcha..!''
Grumbling, she quickly shakes herself out of the shock and comes running towards me. I expected her to start attacking, but she only wraps her arms around me like a present. ''Don't ever scare me like that again!'' Instantly, a couple of faces from last year pop up inside my mind – those same words that so many said to me before triggered the memories.
''I-I won't,'' I say, still chuckling. Just as she's about to say something and pout, the train comes to an abrupt stop. It was quiet for a few moments, but Colette and I begin to hear noises from outside – cheering.
''Are we here?!'' She jumps up, showing her teeth in a wide smile. ''Are we really really really here, in District One? I hope all of the things I heard about One are true, because this place sounds awesome! Just listen to the excitement! You guys really are the best District, aren't you?''
Trying not to frown, I gulp and nod my head. She expects so much of District One, and although many of the myths and legends that she's heard might be true, we still have our faults like every other District – not everyone here is rich, or Victor material, or pretty, or friendly. There's a mix here, just like there's a mix in every other District, and sometimes we can be counted out majorly.
If only it were easy to tell someone as ecstatic as her that.
The middle-aged man from before now knocks on the door, catching our attention. ''We're here, and right on time as well. Everyone is waiting for you so that the Reaping can being, so don't keep them waiting,'' he laughs. ''We wouldn't want everyone worrying about their Victor, now, would we?''
Smiling, I shake my head and grab Colette's hand. ''Thank you for the ride,'' I say, and Colette follows along and says the same thing.
Exiting the train, Colette and I make our way across the Justice Building. She takes everything in, from the portraits on the walls, to the gem-spotted door that opens up to District One. To her, it's probably like a dreamland. Somewhere she can just run around and float in, and I can't even begin to describe how adorable that seems to me.
We reach the door and I open it for her – and she immediately runs out. Not even ten steps in, she stops abruptly and stands there, frozen in shock at what she sees. District One is full of excitement this year, with two Victors coming in back-to-back, so I wouldn't be surprised if they expected for yet another tribute to come back – they want a three-peat.
The crowd moves like a multi-headed beast that only shared one brain and had a large opening to its center. There was the male side of trainees, and the female side of trainees. Everyone else, including the elderly, stayed all the way in back and cheered as well, the excitement here erupting unlike any other type of enthusiasm that I've ever seen in my life before.
They were all just so jubilant. Everyone is rubbing shoulders, never minding that their toes are often trodden on or that they are in closer proximity to random strangers than they usually are to friends or even family. The atmosphere was one of elation, the warm summer air occasionally punctured by whoops and hollers.
''HEY!'' A familiar voice shouts, and I feel a hand touch my shoulder. Staring up, I see Gari – the Victor before me – standing in front of me and giving me a stern look. ''It's your first year as mentor, kid. Make it count, and remember one thing: don't let the thoughts of those dead ''allies'' of yours stop you from giving these other kids good advice, okay?''
''Jeez, thanks for the warm welcoming,'' I shrug my shoulder and slide his hand away. He gives me a cocky smile and turns to look at Colette. From the look on his face, I see how hard he's trying not to grimace.
''That's Isha's daughter?'' He points with his thumb. I nod. ''Looks like her; she has the same eyes, nose, and everything else. Treat her well, Hero. Don't want her turning out just like her mother and end up throwing her life away to the Games. After all, not everyone is a born star like me, you know? Anyway, I'll see you on the train after the volunteers mount the stage. They're supposed to be twins this year. Interesting, right?''
Colette stares up at me and says, ''Damn, that guy's a jerk.'' I end up shrugging and tell her that she'll get used to him, but she always has a smart remark by her side. ''Get used to what? His confidence, how cocky he is, and how annoying he is? No wonder why he's barely starring in any Capitol interviews on television anymore. The guy's a real dick, you know.''
I would usually tell her to watch her language at a moment like this, but I can't deny that her words are very true. Giggling together, I quickly pick her up and sit on the chair all the way to the left – every Victor lines up from order of Victory, and newest takes the last one. Right next to Gari is Reese – my mentor from last year – and she catches my eye, so she returns me a kind look, with a radiating smile that spells out the unspoken words ''good luck.''
Placing Colette on my lap, I mouth, ''Thank you,'' and stare at the rest of the Victors. Most of them are older now, seeing as our District went on a Victory drought. But maybe we'll get back to it? I don't condone the Hunger Games, but what can I do about it?
''Hey, look forward!'' Gari urges. ''You missed the Treaty of Treason!''
Turning my head back towards the audience, I stare as Colette gasps and says, ''Hero, look!'' The words that everyone was waiting to hear – the words that always start the Reaping off with a bang, invariably with District One:
''I volunteer!''
Hey! Bet you thought you were slick, huh, scrolling all the way down to the bottom to see if your tribute made the list, right? Ha ha... No. Go back up to the top and read the chapter, please. I'm basically begging you here. C'mon, you know you wanna read the chapter to find out what's going on... Please! ( ಥـْـِـِـِـْಥ)
A/N: For those of you who did read the chapter, I'd just like to say thank you! Unlike those of you who skipped the to bottom. Yeah, you! You know who you are... Asshole :I First of all, all I have to say is that, yes, I know, these first two chapters were probably meaningless to some of you, and you're probably wondering why didn't I fill those of you who are new on anything? Well, my dear readers, the thing is that... I don't know, actually. I just felt like having Hero and Colette time, because I wanna make these two dear characters last, you feel? Secondly, I just want to let you guys know that before we see who these tributes are, I had such a hard time choosing them. Seriously, I got stressed over who I was gonna choose and who I wasn't, which sucks.
I rejected people twice in a row know, those of you who submitted for Second Chance but didn't get in, and I've rejected a couple of friends that I've made on this website, which I feel terrible about. I'm sorry to those of you who now probably hate me and think I'm a jackass, or whatever word you wanna call me, and I'm fine with you guys thinking of me like that. But just know that I could only accept 24 tributes, and you guys submitted 58 tributes in total – 25 males, 33 females – and in all honesty, I never expected to get that many submissions. I was expecting about 28, to be honest, but here you all went and blew my mind and gave me anxiety XD
Now, I had trouble with so many of these spots, while others were just absolute no-brainers. Once again, I'm sorry for those of you who weren't accepted. I feel awful, but trust me, it's not all that bad as it seems. If you thought that my story was good or decent or alright, this is nothing compared to this guy named Jakey121. I don't know him well, and he probably doesn't know me, but I've read some of his stories and I'm sure that you all have, too. He just came out with another SYOT named ''Devil Side,'' I believe, and a good friend of mine told me that he isn't getting as many submissions as he used to back when he was super active. So, if you guys didn't make it, please go over to his story and submit to him. Just tweak the tribute form to his liking, and bam, you're set. Just don't go for the District Eleven Male spot, thanks. ;)
Anyway, I don't have much left to say... Hopefully these first two chapters were appealing? If not, I understand, but it's just the beginning. We got all the introduction crap out of the way, so let's meet our tributes, shall we? Once again (this is like my 400th time apologizing), I'm sorry if your tribute didn't make it. Hopefully you don't hate me, and for my good friends on this website who didn't get in, understand that there was no bias to this, and I just chose the tributes I loved the most and knew I would have a fun time writing. I hope that you understand.
Tribute List
District One:
Male: Adonis DiMae
Female: Blush Belfleur
District Two:
Male: Atlas Aureliano
Female: Sigrid Lapierre
District Three:
Male: Emil Robins
Female: Cathodette Lyte
District Four:
Male: Zeppelin Cross
Female: Clarice Auden
District Five:
Male: Beckett Leighton
Female: Cassia Abbey
District Six:
Male: Poet Monroe
Female: Bree Andersson
District Seven:
Male: Fidan Blanchett
Female: Sawyer Fira
District Eight:
Male: Clarence Loom
Female: Loralei Tenaris
District Nine:
Male: Taisiya Dashnov
Female: Rhea Mandelle
District Ten:
Male: Avery Billings
Female: Vendetta ''Shadow ''Ischyroe
District Eleven:
Male: Kaster Navelle
Female: Ceres Morrisey
District Twelve:
Male: Ocelot Harrien
Female: Ceres Golovin
Wow... I just realized I had two Ceres's. Well, not just, but I kinda forgot about it until I rewrote these names down and now I'm just staring at my screen. Ha... Nice xD But yeah! I just want to let you all know (again, dammit) that this was not easy at all, and I'm once again so sorry for those of you who were not accepted. I will be messaging everyone shortly, and replying to the messages that I never gave an answer to (which I'm incredibly sorry about, because my responding time is terrible). Oh, and for those of you who wondered why I removed the Bloodbath Strategy and Games Strategy and Bloodbath Tribute section of the form, it's because, well, anyone can die in the BB and I don't want to keep the tributes to a certain strategy. Switching it up will be interesting, and I know I'll enjoy doing that. (Also, nobody submits BB tributes anymore)
SecretsInsideHG. Blogspot. com is the link to the blog, so go check it out. As usual, your reviews and feedback are always appreciated, and I would LOVE if you guys could give me a blog review. You know, like when you share your opinions on the tributes and have that list of Mine, Love, Like, Neutral, Dislike, Hate, and so on or however you choose to do it? Yeah, I'd love that from you guys, so please do that XD I'm a bit too buggy, but hey, I gotta try, right? ;)
Anyway, thank you all for reading, and I know the deadline was supposed to be at midnight, but I honestly just couldn't wait anymore. And remember, you now have a tribute to submit to another SYOT that's 10x better than this one will ever be, if you didn't make it, okay? Now go! Run, children, and go submit to Jakey. Thank you, and I hope that you all have a wonderful day/night/evening/noon/whatever time it is for you.
See you all later! ^-^