Authors Note: Hope you guys like it!
Between now and Monday I'm going to have a contest. Who ever writes the best review will guarantee one of their tributes a spot in the final 8. You can even tell me who :) A good review consists of both positive and negative (constructive) feedback. It should be multiple sentences. Bonus points if you tell me what you think of the 9 tributes you've met so far, who you think should be in alliances/romances (I know you guys haven't "met" a lot of the tributes yet), and what you think the additional "twist"will be! Can't wait to read your reviews!
Bellona Alcyone Decumis. Age 15. District 2.
I think the sun is about to rise; I'm behind schedule. Even though today may be the Reaping I still need to train. Training is the only way to win the games. Well I guess that's not completely true, being halfway intelligent is also pretty important and extremely rare. People are pretty stupid. I'm going to be the one to show everyone how to win, the right way. In my opinion way too many people win by sheer dumb luck while those who should have won make idiotic errors that lead to their demise. Last year the girl from my District tried to desert the Careers without killing them first. How stupid can you get! They were all asleep and such easy kills. Her mistake was good for me though. I've spent years coming up with numerous strategies to win the game and that stupid girl gave me my brightest one yet.
Team up with the Careers (I'm from District 2 so that's kind of a duh), gain their trust (that's going to be so freaking easy), offer to take watch while they sleep, and then murder them. Plain and simple. Those kills will make people realize how smart I am so I'll have more Sponsors. I'll have more supplies then a girl could ever need. Then I'll go hunt down the weaklings while avoiding traps. The only challenge will be not becoming too cocky. I've seen countless tributes let their kill score get to their heads. They usually end up dead within a day. I know I'm smart and I've trained hard but I can be cocky once I win but not before then.
I've spent my whole life training for the games and today is my day. I'm going to change the games forever and make my family realize what I can do. I'm sick of being ignored and overlooked. I am going to be Bellona Alcyone Decumis: Victor of the 175th Hunger Games.
Aeon Maverick. Age 17. District 2.
The last time I let my mom wake me up in the morning was the day of my tenth birthday. I remember that day pretty well. She let me sleep in until 10 and then woke me up with breakfast in bed. She'd spent all morning baking my favorite things: bacon, pancakes with just a few chocolate chips baked in, cinnamon apples, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. That morning I felt like a King, well until I noticed my father. He was shaking his head in disapproval in the corner. Apparently "real" men don't have their mother's wake them up; I was too old. Ever since that day I either get awoken by my dad barking up the stairs about how my lazy butt needs to get out of bed or the alarm clock on the side table. I secretly prefer my mother's way of waking me up. She would always stroke my hair softly and whisper words of encouragement into my ear.
I guess today is a very special day because today my mother's waking me up, even more surprising then that is my father grinning in the corner. I can't help but grin at him in return: today I'm going to volunteer for the 175th Hunger Games.
This year is going to be my year. I have spent years training for the game. I can throw spears with 95% accuracy and am better at hand-to-hand combat then anyone in my year. I have also held the record for the 100 yd dash, mile run, and hurdles for 5 years in a row. Despite my strength I don't look extremely buff and I'm going to use this for my advantage. No one is going to expect the "nice" career to cause all the trouble. I've got the looks, the smarts, the talent, and the strength to be a Victor. What else could I need?
Silveria Ella Harriott. Age 10. District 2
My Mom has always liked classic things. Whether it's the arts, jewelry, or appearance she always goes the classic route. She also has a taste for the finer things in life. That's why I'm always surprised by my name. Silveria is not exactly an out-there sorta name but it's definitely not a classic. According to my Mom she did not get to name me. After my birth my Papa took one look at me and my silver eyes and that was that. Growing up he always used to call me his shining little Silver. When he died I was too young to be sad but old enough to still have memories of him. I guess I'm luckier then Marvel. She has no memories of Papa at all. He got to name her too: Marvelina. He said he picked her name because he was in awe of her. She doesn't have shocking silver eyes like me but boy she was a pretty baby! As we've gotten older a lot of people mistake us for twins since we're only a year a part. I guess it doesn't help that our personalities are pretty similar too. All-in-all I'm pretty lucky to have Marvel. She is a pretty good little sister and good company considering how different we are from our reserved Mom. We like too talk!
I guess I'm pretty lucky. Besides my sister I've got lots of other friends. I guess you could say I'm kinda popular. I also have a BFF. Her name is Rain which is kinda funny. Rain is nothing like her name makes people think she'd be like. She has a very sunny personality. I guess Rain is the only reason why I'm excited for today. After the reaping we're going to hangout and plan my birthday party. I'm going to be 11 soon! Rain is 11 and it is considered a very lucky age here in District 2. I cannot wait!
Bellona Alcyone Decumis. Age 15. District 2.
I can see myself on the giant screen. I look fierce despite the fact I couldn't care less about appearances. My short choppy bronze hair has never been long. It would just get in my way during training and I've never bothered with make-up. On my cheek is a jagged scar. Throughout years of training I've received countless scares. I may be good but I am not perfect. I also look like I'm glaring at the crowd. I am not exactly trying to glare at them I just kind of naturally look that way. Our District usually has volunteers so I found it pretty funny how shocked our escort looked when I bounded on stage. I guess she probably got promoted from a lesser District.
I can see my family out in the crowd. They look pretty indifferent to everything. My family and I have never exactly gotten along. My sisters are spoiled brats who only care about looks and boys. While my brothers consider the games to be like a sport. They've never even bothered to see all the strategy involved. Although my family pretty much ignores me, they would have to be incredibly blind to not see how hard I've trained for the games so I guess me volunteering wasn't some huge shocker.
Aeon Maverick. Age 17. District 2.
I arrive at the Reapings barely on time. I got a bit carried away lifting weights. The mayor is already blabbering on about The Treaty of Treason. Our mayor is a squat man who you can tell has always had the finer things in life; he could stand to loose a few pounds. I don't know how this guy got elected though he always sounds like he's speaking through his nose. I can't stand to listen to him. I guess that's why I'm mildly happy when our escort starts speaking. I can tell she's new. We definitely didn't have her last year and she looks way too excited to be here and a little bit nervous. I think I recognize her from District 7, maybe? If so this is a big promotion. Congratulations to her.
"Ladies first! Our female tribute is… "
Well I guess we're never going to find out who the original girl was supposed to be because the ugliest girl I've ever seen runs towards the stage. She's wearing sweatpants and her hair looks like it was cut with a dull knife. If she wasn't from my District I'd peg her as an easy kill but it looks bad to kill your own. Our escort looks shocked. I'm not sure if it's because the girl volunteered or her appearance.
"Well now onto our boy!" the escort says with a nervous laugh. She never even asked the girl for her name.
I decide not to let her reveal the original boy tribute either. Volunteering in my District is pretty competitive. It's kind of a first come first served type of thing! Unlike the girl I walk calmly to the stage, give the escort my cockiest smile, and face the crowd beaming. This is my year.
Silveria Ella Harriott. Age 10. District 2
I've always thought about being in the games but not for many many years. I've been training since I was little but I'm no where near ready. It was my Papa's idea when I was five; it was originally "our thing" but after he died it became my obsession. I was going to win the games for my Papa. Now my life consists of training and hanging out with friends. I don't have time for much else. When I heard that I could be reaped this year I was pretty shocked. I mean my odds are pretty good but still… I'm only 10! They're basically sentencing kids to death. Rain isn't eligible so she's been trying to keep my mind off the games but now that we're at the reaping I'm secretly a wreck. Part of me is concerned that the Reapings aren't always random and well I've already killed a man. It was an accident but still…
What if it is me? But it can't be me. I'm one in thousands. It's so unlikely. But what if…?
Separating from Rain is the worst part but after this is over I can go plan my party. The mayor is reciting The Treaty of Treason. I wish he'd hurry up already. We all know the Treaty by heart; we're required too. Instead of listening to him I hop quietly from side-to-side. It's a new little trick our trainer taught us. He said it's a great way to train in any situation. Apparently it works a bunch of muscles. I'm so busy hopping and focusing on my balance I don't even hear my name.
The girl next to me nudges me and I look up. Everyone's staring at me. Then it hits me. They called my name, my name out of thousands. I can't help myself. I begin to cry. I may be strong but all I feel right now is sad.
Bellona Alcyone Decumis. Age 15. District 2.
I only want one visitor, Pax. In general I do not really care for people. All they manage to do is annoy me but for some reason Pax is different. He has a sarcastic sense of humor that I can tolerate and that often manages to calm me down. He also doesn't make stupid comments. He's an alright guy.
My family tried so come see me but I told the Peacekeepers absolutely not. They've never cared to even acknowledge me, why start now? It's pretty safe to assume that when I leave they'll be waiting outside for me and I have a little surprise for them. I don't think they'll every question how I feel about them again.
Silveria Ella Harriott. Age 10. District 2
"At least you have training" my mother says with a curt grin that I can tell is forced. No one thinks I'm going to come out of this alive.
My sister just keeps blabbering on about how I need to get in with the careers and what I need to remember to do. I can't help myself seeing her so distressed makes me begin to sob. We spend the remainder of our time locked together. I'm going to miss Marvel so much.
By the time Rain comes I'm a mess. My eyes are puffy, my hair is disheveled, and I have snot running down my face. She immediately starts sobbing. I can't tell if it's because of my awful appearance or this terrible situation. I guess probably a mix of both.
"I want to give you something," she manages to say in between sobs. I watch in awe as she slips the most beautiful bracelet around my wrist. It is blue and grey. Engraved on the back is 'Rain always ends with a rainbow. Love you Silver.'
"I was going to give it to you for your birthday," she chokes out. "But…" She doesn't need to say more. I may never even turn 11.
Aeon Maverick. Age 17. District 2.
Saying goodbye was harder then I thought it would be. I could tell my family was proud of me but my mother looked like she was ready to burst into tears. I was also surprised that my brother didn't have some jerky comment for me. He is known for his sarcasm and his ability to drive me crazy but of course deep down I love the guy. We're brothers. The only person who didn't surprise me was my sister; Amerinne. She's always been the most logical in the family and spent a good five minutes speaking a mile-a-minute with last minute tips. I'm going to miss my family.
Unfortunately my family visit took pretty long so I barely managed to see my friends. I managed to fit in a cocky see you guys in a few weeks with my signature grin so I think that reassured the group. They're a pretty great group of guys so I'm going to miss them. It'll be weird not having them to train with during the training time. In a way I'm glad my goodbyes are over; now all I have to focus on is the games.
As I'm leaving my room I can see Bellona saying goodbye to her family in the hallway. This better not get sappy. What she does next is anything but sentimental; that girl is crazy.