Author's Note: Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games, though I wish I did. *sigh* Suzanne Collins has me there. If you have or haven't noticed, yes, this author's note is so long I added sections. Read the whole thing because there are some very important notices.
Updates: I have decided to go back through all the chapters and change some things to improve my story. Please reread it for the things I altered. This will affect the rest of the story. We're onto the next reaping! YAY!
Shoutouts: Hey, BellaBiz2003, can you tell me how Akina is related to Wiress? And, can Matildaday02 fill out the whole tribute submission form? Thanks.
Tribute Information: Okay, so I still need male tributes for Districts 1, 2, 3, and 8, and I need both male and female tributes for Districts 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11. I also need bloodbath tributes. Please submit one. If you have already submitted a tribute and plan on submitting another, make it a bloodbath tribute. From now forward, if you have already submitted a tribute, either that tribute or the other one you submit in the future will go down in the bloodbath. If you submit one and don't want him/her to die in the bloodbath, submit a bloodbath tribute as well. If you submit a bloodbath tribute, you get an additional 25 sponsor points. Tributes don't have to be of reaping age. Thanks for reading. BTW, NO Mary-Sues, Gary-Sues, or Katnisses. For advice on how to create a good SYOT tribute, see Annabeth-TheTributeThatLived's story called How to Make a Tribute For My(Or Really Any) SYOTs. Also, tributes you have submitted are mine to change as I see fit. You can reserve tribute slots, but only for 2 days. Tributes can be ANY age, not just 12-18.
Sponsorship Points: I have a question that MUST be answered in a review or it will not be considered: What weapons and supplies should wait at the Cornucopia? The people who submitted the ideas that I use will get 70 sponsor points per person, and an additional 30 for advice on how to make my story better with the ideas wanted above in the SAME review. If multiple people have the same answer, I will give the sponsorship points to whoever posted it first. Now that I got that out of the way, the sponsorship standings are now: BellaBiz2003 with 70 points, Kayla Delana with 150 points, PrinceOfCorinth with 75 points, Xx-Katerina-xX with 75 points, and msilver1223 with 75 points. . If you are wondering why you have less sponsorship points even though you submitted a tribute, it is because you did something wrong in your submission form. For more info about what you did wrong(you know who you are) see the Shoutouts section of this author's note. I feel really bad for taking so long to update, especially because it's thanksgiving break, but I was having a ton of writer's block. Sorry for the long author's note, but to make up for it, I wrote a super long chapter. My goal for the rest of the reapings is to make them each at least 2000 words.
District 7
Ash Merwin
Age 16
I jumped up as someone began to bang on the door. Alder was already talking to whoever was at the door.
"Hey," came a voice I knew well. Cousin Blight. Victor of the 58th Hunger Games. "Did you guys hear the Quarter Quell announcement?" His voice was grim. Oh yeah. Either my brother, or I could be going into the games. There are others, like Cassea Dovina's brother, who might be going into the games too. I don't want to go into the games because it's most likely that I won't make it out alive. I also know that Cassea Dovina has a sister-in-law and 2 nieces. Blight isn't very close to our family, though Alder always welcomes him whenever he comes over, which isn't very often. I don't know why he bothers. He doesn't do much except mentors a kid every year that usually ends up dying. Blight does try to help by bringing over money or food when he does make the trek over to our house. We don't need it since Alder and I bring in enough on our own to survive. Dad, however, uses any money he earns to drink at a bar. Drinking helps him was away any memories of her. She was the best mother a boy could have, but then she died. Now, each one of us copes in a different way. I drown my emotions in my work, working as often as I can. Soon, I became one of the strongest and most efficient workers. My brother chooses to bottle up inside and every couple months or so, have a emotional breakdown. He's getting better at controlling it though. Dad, he just drinks and drinks and drinks. Then, we're hit with this shock that one of us is going into the games and has a 1 in 24 shot at coming back alive. I feel like I should be worried, but I really don't care about the reaping. Blight will try to make sure whoever goes into the games in our family will come back alive. We have tonight to ourselves and tomorrow is the reaping. Which will decide which one of us will go into the games.
"Yeah. We did." Alder answered after a short pause.
"I'll get going, then." Blight decided before walking out.
I headed over to Jordan's house, which was right next door. He opened the door immediately and gave me a goofy smirk. We join Gerard in the living room.
"Hey, aren't you related to Blight?" Gerard asks.
"Yeah. It means I could be going into the games." I answered.
"Don't worry," Jordan reassures me. "If you get reaped, we will use all our available money to sponsor you. And we'll visit you for the goodbyes." I groan inwardly. That's reassuring. If I go into the games, I have practically no chance of coming home alive, while my friends waste their money trying to save me. Great.
Spectra Dovina
Age 18
"What do you think the quell twist will be?" Ansel questioned as we walked home from the lumber yard we worked at.
"Maybe… I don't know," I replied.
"Something to think about," He pondered. "We'll find out tonight, at least. What do you think of your chances at being reaped are?"
"I've taken out a lot of tesserae, so it will definitely be high, but there is so much tesserae that this district takes out, I don't know." We walked the rest of the way home in silence.
Dinner was a quiet event. Mom asked Lorna about her day, while Dad and I munched on tesserae grain bread and stew made from the edible plants that grow outside. Lorna went upstairs and I was tasked with the job of cleaning the dishes. Once that was done, I cleaned the rest of the house because of my mother's instructions.
"Spectra, get your sister down here," Mom howled even though I was in the same room. "It's time for the Quarter Quell announcement." I groaned and made my way back up the stairs. My parents never cared about me. Instead all their affections were directed toward Lorna. The younger sister with the mental problems. It fueled the fire that separated me from my family. Ansel is the only one who understands me. I finish my ascent, arriving on the second floor.
"Lorna, it's time to go downstairs," I say. She hops up and skips down the stairs. Explaining to Lorna what the hunger games are was very difficult for my parents. She doesn't understand death, or killing, or anything violent in general. I made my way downstairs as the tv began to light up. Panem's symbol flashed across the screen. Then, President Snow was reading the Quarter Quell twist. Ansel came over and we talked and talked, though I could tell he made an effort to avoid the topic of the hunger games and the reaping tomorrow. I fell asleep to the sound of my mother's voice in the other room explaining what the twist meant. And how she could be going into the arena. Or me.
Ash
Dad rouses us in time to get ready for the reaping. I pull on the nicest things I have: a navy blue shirt and black dress pants, with brown boots. After we gulp the hot mush that slightly resembles oatmeal down, we are ready to go. Blight is waiting outside for some reason.
"I… I'm sorry one of you has to go into the arena," he mutters. I don't believe that he's sorry.
We make our way to the town square in silence. The reaping created a stormy cloud that hung over all of us. At the square, everybody waits in the onlookers section at the back except for the eligible few that were up on stage. Blight sits in a chair next to the mayor and Cassea. There is also a empty one for our escort and Johanna sits next to Cassea. The girls wait on one side and the boys on the other. I am directed to the section at the side of the stage by the boys reaping ball.
The boring video about the hunger games plays. Then Hadrian, our escort, walks up to the microphone, and announces in her outrageous capitol accent "Ladies first."
Spectra
"Spectra, you're on breakfast duty," Mom announced. Great. I have to cook breakfast. Hopping out of bed, I pull on a knee-length red dress with long sleeves and use a black ribbon to pull my hair out of my face. I roused Lorna and she follows me down the stairs in a blue dress that falls to her knees. Before I begin to cook, I slip on a pair of simple black flats. Breakfast is some bread that is made from the tesserae grain and butter spread over it. We eat it on the way out the door. Aunt Cassea met us outside our pathetic excuse for a house. We set out for the town square in silence. I contemplate volunteering. It would be interesting. People would finally notice me at least. Cassea would try to get me out alive. I hope. Ansel would want me to live.
In the square, I am herded to one side of the stage with the other eligible females. The video about the dark days and how the hunger games came to be starts and ends.
Hadrian walks forward to the microphone and announces in his outrageous capitol accent "Ladies first." He goes over to the bowl with the female entries and plucks a slip out. Then, he heads back over to the microphone and says "Spectra Dovina." OMG. I was reaped. I'm going into the hunger games. I plaster a calm and happy expression on my face and walk up to the center of the stage. Hadrian moves on to the boys but I don't pay attention until I have to shake hands with the other tribute. We are hustled into the Justice Building for our goodbyes. I pace in the room I was given until Mom walks in.
"I'm sorry honey," Mom reassures me, embracing my body in a hug. I remain solem, ignoring her. Mom holds me until she is forced to go.
Dad slips in. His face was grim as he looks at me. "You can make it back." Dad informs me. I nod. He exits. Lorna doesn't visit.
Ansel is the next to enter. "Hey," I mutter.
"Hey," he answers. "This won't be too hard. You have the strength, temper, and willpower." He stays with me the rest of the time. Once he leaves, my stomach plummets. I'm actually going into the games. Boarding the train was simple. Cassea turns the tv on so we can watch the reaping recaps.
Ash
"Spectra Dovina," Hadrian announces. Oh. That's Cassea Dovina's niece. She walks up behind the microphone confidently and her expression looks like she's actually excited to be reaped.
"And now for the boys," Hadrian added. She plucks a slip out from the reaping bowl and goes up to the microphone. "Ash Merwin." I was reaped. Okay. Breathe, Ash, breathe. My expression has to give away how nervous I was. "Shake hands," Hadrian instructs. We do so, and are separated to say our goodbyes in the Justice Building.
Alder is the first to visit. His face is full of determination. "You can make it out alive, so make it out alive," he manages to croak out. Alder has a habit of saying corny things in emotional situations.
Dad is the next to enter. "I.. You can do it," he reassures me. Then, he makes his leave.
Jordan and Gerard come in. They embrace me one at a time.
"I'll see you in 3 weeks or less," Gerard tells me. This causes us to crack up.
"You can do this," Jordan reassures me. Like I haven't heard that one before. They are ushered out. I am directed to the train station. Blight meets me there and Cassea turns on the reaping recaps.
Author's Note: We now have 3 reapings. YAY! I have decided to go back through all the chapters and change some things to improve my story. Please reread it for the things I altered. This will affect the rest of the story. Please submit tributes! I am biased, the earlier your tribute is submitted, the farther they will get(most likely), but this does NOT mean that the tribute submitted first will win. Review, favorite, follow, submit a(bloodbath, maybe) tribute. I know that there are people who are reading this and they are not reviewing, following, favoriting, or submitting tributes. You know who you are. Now, I want to know:
1. Who do you like better: Spectra or Ash?
2. How can I improve this story? The reapings, ect..?
3. Out of the tributes you have met, who do you think will win?
Thank you guys for reading!