Kbgoalie31 alerted my story, but no reviews. THAT'S WHY THIS ONE IS LATE. I want to give a virtual hug to Kbgoalie31! *Gives hug* NOW. GOOD FF FANS. REVIEW. NOW. I just want to know what you think of the story, and as punishment, you get this long lecture! JK. Let's get to the point:
Disclaimer: I don't own the fantastilastically awesome Hunger Games or Percy Jackson!
Camp slowly goes back to normal, or as normal as it can be. There's still that shock in the air and the feeling that one of us might be picked to die, which we just might be. Still, we go on with our regular classes, capture the flag every once in a while, but something seems different. Chiron seems to be drilling us more on survival tactics. At first I just think that it's just in case one of us gets picked for the Games, but there's a look in his face that tells me that he knows something I don't know.
"Uh, Chiron, can I talk with you a moment?" I ask one day after archery class (Which I happen to be terrible at.)
"Of course, young one. Is there something the matter?" he asks.
"Oh, it's nothing. I guess it seems like you've been training us more on survival tactics. . . Like stuff we'd need if we ever entered the Hunger Games," I say. I take a deep breath. "It just seems like we're going to be picked or something. The odds are really slim, you know."
"Yes, I know. You can never be too sure, can you?" he says. I see his face twitch for a split second and I know he's hiding something, but I decide not to grill him on it. "Now, shouldn't you be off to Drakon Fighting class?"
I sigh. I don't think that Drakon Fighting class is very practical. Chiron says, "You know, there once was a daughter of Ares who defeated a Drakon. She knew how to because of all the training she did in class. Her name was . . . wasn't it Clarisse? Yes, but that was a very long time ago, before the Capitol was even around," he explains.
"Now, go along," he says.
I head off to Drakon fighting class with a good spirit, but some of my questions are still unanswered.
A few days later, Chiron calls all the 12 to 18 year olds to the big house for a meeting. "We need to enter you all in the reapings for the Games this summer," he says. "If you are twelve, then you enter your name in once. Thirteen, twice, and fourteen, 3 times. So on and so forth," he explains.
"You can also enter in your name for extra grain and oil," Chiron says.
"How much?" asks Avril.
"Enough grain and oil for one person for one year," he says.
Since I'm fourteen, I have to enter in my name 3 times. I come from a wealthier district than some other people, but we're sometimes really tight on money, so I got enough for my family and I enough grain for about a year, and I had my mom enter me about 7 times, even though she was very reluctant. "Elijah is not to take ANY tesserae!" I tell her over the phone.
Chiron brought us to camp early because the Dark Days were ending and he wanted us to be safe if anything happened. The end of June is coming, I dread the day that I have to go back home to District 2, sweet District 2. I worry that I could get killed in the process, because I'm not necessarily supposed to be outside my district.
Time flies by, and before I know it, it is the day before the reapings. We all have to get back on our stupid District 13 helicopters to sneak us back into our different districts. There is one helicopter for three districts, and unfortunately, 2 and 11 aren't in the same helicopter, so I have to say goodbye to Lana.
"Bye," I say. I go in to hug her. "I'll miss you."
"I will too. Look," she says. and looks me straight in the eye. "Don't sweat it. You'll be fine. There's like 10,000 of you." She gives me another hug and then runs off to be taken away for another 10 months.
I slowly step up the ladder to the helicopter that is going to smuggle me back in. I look down and see the hot and sweet-smelling strawberry fields. The glistening water on the beach. The cabins that are totally unique to one another. I'm going to miss this place.
"Go ahead. Take forever," Caleb says. He's right below me on the rope ladder. I hurry up and climb in.
I'm one of the four people in District 2 that's a demigod. We're all siblings: all children of Ares. Also in here are the three Aphrodite kids, and the only Hephaestus kid we know living: Aphrodite is from District 1, and Hephaestus is from District 3.
Due to the placement of the Districts, District 2 is scheduled to go last on our magical journey back to our districts. After sitting around for about six hours, the Hephaestus kid is dropped down into a field about five miles from where he lives. It's sunset by now, and we can't drop him off into the small town where he lives because the peacekeepers would probably notice!
Next stop: District 1. By now, it is probably around 10 at night. District 1 is North of the Capitol, and while looking out of the window, I can see glimpses of light coming from far off in the distance. This must be the Capitol. The party city. Where everything is open 24/7.
After dropping off the three District 1 Aphrodite kids, It is probably almost midnight. The moon is up in the sky and it's a miracle the pilots of this helicopter can see where they're going, much less stay awake.
Unfortunately, I get the news that I will be dropped off last. And I live on the western side of District 2, so It'll take a while for me to be dropped off.
I'm finally relieved when I finally am in the outskirts of the town where I live and I finally get to climb the ladder down, because my dinner is making signs of a possible reappearance.
By now, it's about three in the morning, and I'm also kind of tired. You know, sitting in a helicopter for ten hours, just great, right? I climb down the long, long ladder down. As my feet touch the cold, hard ground, the rope ladder pulls up, and I make the journey to my house. I've lived there ever since I can remember, and I can even navigate my way through almost pitch darkness. I'm just that awesome.
I get home and I creep through the secret side door we have. I call it the secret entrance. I feel so glad that I didn't get caught by and peacekeepers roaming the streets, searching for anyone who got out past lights out: 10 PM. Through the window of the door to my apartment, I see the blinding light of a Peacekeeper truck go by. Boy am I lucky! I think. "I didn't get caught!" I say out loud. I'm exhausted by now. I trudge upstairs and go up to bed for a sleepless night.
Come on. Remember what Lana said. There's 10,000 of you, Elise. It's an almost sleepless night for me.
Reaping day. That's the official term now. The day where if you get picked, it's basically a death sentence. Your soul gets reaped for all eternity. That makes kind of sense. Luckily, my town is only 5 hours away from where they hold the official reapings, so after a lame breakfast of cereal and milk around 9:30 am, my family heads off so we can get there early.
Both my mother and my step-father come to the reaping. Our car is old and busted up, and since my step-dad is some sort of general with the Peacekeeping people, we get the huge luxury of having a car. Only about half the families in our district do, and from what I hear, most people out of our district don't have one.
The whole ride there is totally silent. I look at the window at boring meadows and the occasional town that looks like a military camp and I try and keep telling myself that I'm not going to get picked. I'm not going to get picked. My poor half brother is only 12, so he barely managed to squeeze his name into the reapings once.
Don't you want fame and honor for your District? I think. Of course you do! Just don't die! Most people probably feel the way I do: they want to honor District 2, but don't want to die in the process.
I remind myself that there are about 20,000 boys and girls. I only submitted 7. That's a slim chance, right? I hope so. After our 5 hour long totally silent trip, my family pulls into a pay-by-the-hour parking space, and my step-dad pops quarters in the slot, and a 1:30 is put in big numbers on a screen.
I guess you could call the town that we're in the Capitol of District 2. This place is right next to the border of District 2, and the westernmost city in it. There's an absolutely giant square smack in the middle of it and about 10,000 boys and girls are already milling around in the roped off sections.
I go and sign in, and I find out that this requires a prick and a bit of blood, but that doesn't scare me. It kind of freaks out Elijah, though. "Chill out," I tell him. After getting my finger pricked, some guards lead me and a pack of other 14 year old girls to the fourteen year old girls section of the roped off area, and Elijah goes over to the twelve year old boys section. Poor him. All crammed in the back with about 2,000 other insanely nervous looking boys.
Our district is one of the generally larger ones, so when reaping begins, there's 20,000 twelve-to-eighteen year olds packed together in perfectly straight lines and rows like squirrels, grouped by gender and age.
After about ten minutes of waiting, a bell rings that signifies that it's 3 PM, and then a few moments later, A middle-aged looking man steps up to a microphone. He has curly dark gray hair and is wearing a black suit with a striking blue tie. Before him lies a table with two ginormous glass circular bowls filled three quarters of the way with slips with names of people clearly written out. Seven of the tens of thousands of slips have my name on them. I calm down when I see exactly how big the bowl is.
The man with the blue tie says "I'm so glad that you all are here!" into the microphone. Silence and glares are directed back towards him.
He continues, saying with a cheery smile on his face, "We warmly welcome everyone that's here to witness the very first reapings of the annual Hunger Games!" More silence.
Things get a tad bit awkward, so he continues on and says, "Ladies first!"
The whole entire square goes silent. You could hear a pin drop. Utter silence and tension come from everybody's face. I feel so tense I can't move. He digs his hand deep in the bowl, shuffling papers all throughout the giant bowl, and then takes a slip out, with a pleased smile on his face.
He makes a dramatic effect of opening the paper slowly, smiling as he reads the name. For this one second, only he knows who was picked. More tension. The world feels like it might explode at any second.
He opens the paper and reads the name clearly written on the sheet of paper.
^_^ Your punishment for not reviewing.
YOU GET A CLIFFIE.
Now, I WILL get a new chapter in on Tuesday, but I really need some reviews! A sentence or two is all it takes!
Again, I now give a virtual cookie to Kbgoalie31. Here you go: (::) Thank you! :D
TO BE CONTINUED.