Authors Note:
This is a very disturbing chapter. It made me question my rating... It definately gives you a taste of whats to come.
Please review. I write better when I have feedback plus it allows your lovely tributes to live just a little longer (insert evil laughter here muahaha). Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I loved writing it!
Potential Arena Ideas:
An abandoned suburban area- There would be many empty houses (and some occupied ones...), a farm, a pond, and a forest.
A three level arena- hell, earth & heaven.
The Garden of Eden.
An icy wonderland. As the Games go on Spring would come and so would the water...
Please give me your opinions!
Catherine Jean Worthington. Age 8. District 1.
Today I get to go outside; I get to see the sun and feel the wind through my purty hair. I haven't been out of the crazy-azy-azy house in so long. I can't wait. I grab Melli's hand and twirl her around. Today I'm going to be free!
"We get to leave the crazy-azy-azy house. The crazy house, the crazy house. We get to leave the crazy-azy-azy house today!" I can't help but sing. I'm soooo happy. "Come on Melli, lets get pretty!
It's very important that I look pretty today because I am going to be a volunteer! I am so happy. Mrs. M, our asylum mommy, told us all about the Reapings yesterday. She told us what a big honor being in the games is but that we'd have to kill people in order to live. I don't think that's a problem; I think it's great! I love killing people. The way the blood oozes out of a person's body makes me all giddy inside and blood is perfect for finger-painting. When I slashed my sissy's throat she had so much blood it created a puddle. I got to splash in it! I'm so lucky. I was sad because my baby bruder barely had any blood at all. I probably shoulda waited until he was older to slash his throat then I coulda had more blood to play with.
Some days I miss my siblings. They were sometimes good friends. Hana, my sister, was fun to prick with mom's sewing pins and Harold made an awesome dolly. Harold was only a few months old when I killed him but he was getting too heavy to drag around! I was so sad when Mommy found me playing with their blood and took me away. I threw a temper tantrum; how dare she take me away from my hard earned blood. Then mommy dropped me off here. Most days I like the crazy-azy-azy house. I share a room with Melli. She can be nice but also has some issue. I hate listening to her complain and whine. I don't care about her or her life. I just like the fact she's scared of me.
We don't have a mirror in our dorm because when Mirror's break they're sharp and you can use sharp things to slash people's throats. Instead of a mirror we have a shiny piece of paper glued to the wall. The paper shows our reflection pretty well. Sometimes our faces have a funny shape to them though. I guess shiny paper isn't a great mirror. I can stare at myself in the shiny paper for hours. I love combing my purty hair. It is just the perfect shade of gray and in certain lighting you can see a touch of pink. I also love staring at my eyes. They are turquoise. They are small and almost circular. I don't know anyone who is lucky enough to have eyes like mine. Melli looks boring. She has blonde hair and emerald eyes just like everyone else in District 1. A lot of boys stare at Melli and say she's pretty. I think those boys are stupid. I think everyone is pretty stupid though.
After I'm done getting ready I hope I'll have time to read. I love books especially ones about how the human body works. Mrs. M says that knowledge is power.
She's right—knowledge makes me much smarter. Books have taught me abouts where blood comes from and how to make people bleed lots before they die!
Lars Mandell. Age 17. District 1.
I am ready.
The next time I wake-up in District 1 it'll be from my home in Victor's Village. I've been training my whole life for the games and today's the day I'll volunteer. I'm pumped.
Since I was little I've spent every morning training with Dad. We have anything but a typical father-son relationship. As long as I do well in training he's happy. He doesn't care about my grades, friends, or about giving me a curfew unless I don't perform well the next morning. My mom's the same way. Some days it seems like she had children purely to create Victors. She's going to be very proud of me today; I've fulfilled my purpose. I'm going to volunteer, give it my all, and win. When I put my mind to something I never back down. I'll occasionally accidently hurt someone I love but I always reach my goal. Winning is my only option. In my world losing doesn't exist. Well… except for my little brother. Donovan doesn't seem to give a f*** about training or anything else for that matter. He always acts like a spoiled brat. When I come back a Victor I'm not giving him squat until he starts working harder in training. Just like my parent's I expect us to have two Victors in the family. Even though Donovan is a loser he still needs to win the games or at the very least volunteer. If he doesn't it'll reflect badly on us and we can't have that. We're Mandells.
Today is the first morning in my memory I'm not training. Instead I'm lounging in bed. I never lounge. It feels wrong. Free time makes me think and I hate thinking about the games. It's not that I'm scared or anything but I'm not looking forward to killing other kids. I have the tools and skills to kill but it just feels wrong. I may be hot tempered and a bit of a jerk most of the time but I'm not a killer. I've spent the last year working on accepting the fact that volunteering means I'm going to have to kill. I've accepted my fate but I am only going to kill when I have too.
The only person I've ever told how hesitant I am to kill is Cynthia. She's my best friend and when I return I hope to make her more then that. I've always had a crush on her but I've never found the opportunity to tell her.
When I return a Victor the greatest prize of all will hopefully be Cynthia. I am ready.
Catherine Jean Worthington. Age 8. District 1.
Melli likes to hold my hand. Usually I don't let her but today I'm so happy I don't mind. I managed to make myself look really extra special pretty today. Mrs. M even let me put a flower in my hair. I picked a grey flower to match my jumpsuit. All the kids at the crazy house have to wear matching grey jumpsuits and bracelets with all our info on them. I really like mine. It's my favorite thing. It lets everyone know that I'm a murderer. I like that word a lot. The mayor is in the middle of a very, very, very, long speech. Melli and I are bored so we start playing tag. A few people give us disapproving looks but once they realize we're from the crazy house those looks change to pity. Since we live in the crazy-azy-azy house no one expects anything from us. I use this to my full advantage.
Once our escort takes over I know it's time to pay attention since I'm going to be a volunteer! Our escort this year looks ridiculous. She's died her skin a buncha colors and is practically jumping up and down with excitement. I bet she'd bleed a lot if I slit her throat. It's too bad she won't be in the arena.
"Our lovely lady tribute is… Glitz Diamond Rays" the peppy lady says way too happily.
I watch as a little girl who barely looks a day older then 6 but must be at least twelve walk towards the stage. She's crying. She doesn't look like any fun. Boringgg. But today is my lucky day, before the girl even makes it to the steps a girl dashes from the crowd screaming "I'll volunteer!" Looks like today is going to get a little more interesting for me. I love drama. This girl looks equally as boring as the first one but at least there is some fight in her. The volunteer has long blonde hair that is braided around her head. I can hear Melli whispering to me about how pretty the tribute looks but I chose to ignore her. I don't think the girl is pretty at all. She looks like all the other girls in our District. It turns out her name is Magnolia. How ugly, Cathy is much prettier.
"Now onto the boys we go!" Gosh this escort is annoying! "Our boy tribute is… Tassel Warren!"
Tassel doesn't even make it to the stage before a huge boy volunteers. The boy has hulking muscles, spiky brown hair, and a silver earring. He is someone I'm going to make an ally out of.
"Is everyone ready for the awesome twist for this Quell? It's time to pick our little one!" Before the escort even says a name I rush towards the stage. "I volunteer. Me! Me! Me!"
"Well, well, well looks like we have a little fighter here! What's your name sweetheart?"
"Catherine Jean Worthington. I can't wait to kill again." I look out towards the crowd and watch as they all gasp. Well I guess I've made an impression.
Magnolia Silk. Age 12. District 1.
I don't know why I did it. There was no reason too. I didn't know the girl and I'm probably even younger then she is but I volunteered anyways. The girl just looked so hopeless and little. I couldn't help myself and now I'm standing on this stage looking out at everyone. Some people look happy. How could you be happy about something as horrible as the games? A few people are crying but most people look indifferent and maybe a little frightened. I can see my little sister, Amaryllis, she's shaking and crying. A look of shock is plastered on her face. I can see my parents. They look so happy. They've never really cared about Amaryllis or I unless we provide them with a trophy for their imaginary cabinet or do something extra superb in training. They've had me in training for the games since I could walk but I never planned on volunteering. I think the games are cruel and unfair. I can see my friends; they look shocked. Volunteering for something like the games is completely out of character for me. I can see my closest friend, Brill, crying. He never cries. Brill is usually confident, almost cocky, and a huge flirt but he's the most trustworthy person I know. I'm going to miss him.
I don't know what to do on this stage. I feel so awkward and everyone is staring at me. I feel like I should do some flips and put on a show instead I just stand awkwardly readjusting my shirt for the billionth time. This morning my black ruffly shirt and white skinny jeans seemed just perfect for the reaping: fashionable yet conservative. Now it just feels wrong but I guess everything feels wrong. Everything is wrong and nothing will ever be right again.
Lars Mandell. Age 17. District 1.
My goodbyes are easy. Everyone knows I'm going to return. I have the skills and the determination needed to win the games.
My Mom keep gushing over me and telling me how proud she is of me. Apparently I am the perfect son. She keeps blabbering on about how great life will be when I get back and how jealous her friends are of our family. I tune her out. She can be pretty ridiculous at times. I didn't volunteer for the games to make her friends jealous; I could care less what her friends think. I just want my house in Victors Village and to make a name for myself.
Dad on the other hand keeps patting my back and calling me "son". It's strange. He's also beaming with pride. Dad rarely smiles so the whole situation feels kind of awkward.
The only person acting normal is Donovan. He's sulking in the corner looking pissed. I guess he's not too happy about all the attention being on me. Ironically this makes the attention easier to bear. I know it's immature but I get a weird sense of satisfaction from pissing Donovan off.
After a few more minute of my parents gloating and Donovan sulking the Peacekeepers usher them from the room. I guess it's time for my next set of visitors.
Cynthia and Jones enter. Cynthia looks a bit sad but proud at the same time. She knew I was going to volunteer and has been my biggest supporter this past year. Jones on the other hand looks excited but I can see a tiny twinge of jealousy on his face. I've known the kid since childhood. What can I say, he's easy to read. The time with them flies and before I know it their time is up. Jones gives me a slap on the back and tells me how we're going to have a kick-ass party when I get back. Cynthia on the other hand looks heartbroken. She gives me a hug and before I can even register what is going on she kisses me on the lips. Her kiss is so tender. I feel a warmth spreading through me. I watch helplessly as she runs out the door. I've never felt sadness like this. I don't think she has either. I can hear here sobs through the door.
There was a lot of passion in that kiss. I guess she loves me too.
Magnolia Silk. Age 12. District 1.
We've been sitting in this room for nearly twenty minutes and no ones said a word. My parents have never spent much time with me nor showed me any love but they look shocked. Yet a very happy type of shocked. I know they never expected this but it's more then they could have ever hoped for. I either come back a Victor or die in the games. Either way I've given them something to gloat about. They'll be the center of attention until at least the next games. Before the Peacekeepers come to usher them out my mom hugs me and tells me she knows I'll win. She goes on for a few minutes about how proud she is and how she knows my training will help me. It all sounds so fake but at least she's trying. Then they leave.
Amaryllis is a completely different story. She can barely walk into the room because she is shaking so bad. She makes it to me and collapses into my lap. Her body is racked with sobs. She makes me want to cry but I can't cry. I need to be strong. She's crying so hard she can barely breathe. Poor Amaryllis. I rock her and try to comfort her. I whisper into her ear how much I love her and tell her how great life will be when I come back.
I have to come back for her. I'm her big sister. Big sisters are supposed to protect her and keep her safe. If I die whose going to do that for Amaryllis?
"I love you," I whisper into her ear, "please don't cry. I'll be back before you know it. Hush, everythings okay."
I know everything will be okay.