Authors Note: You guys are extra lucky this week :) Hope you guys like this chapter! As always please review.
Please check out this SYOT: .net/s/7015124/4/SYOT_100th_Hunger_Games It's by XtremeLoungingChamp and it's going to be epic :) There are even a few tribute spots available! So go check it out before they are all gone!
Questions:
1. What do you think the twist will be? If you get this correct there will be an awesome prize! (although I doubt anyone will...) Please PM this to me!
2. Please write one sentence for each of this tributes giving me your opinion of them as well as stereotyping them.
As always please give me your opinions about the chapter/tributes/my writing. Thanks!
PS: Should have an update done by Monday!
Rhys Ackron Newl. Age 12. District 5.
Meowwwww.
Meow.
Mewww.
Meow.
What a way to wake up every morning, always to animal sounds and it is anyone's guess which ones. Yesterday I woke up to mooing, the day before it was quacking, and the day before that well I did not even recognize the animal. I know I need to get up quickly or else I'm going to get pounced on. Despite knowing this, getting up is nearly impossible for me. It was freezing last night even though it is May. I could not fall asleep no matter how hard I tried. Darce was crying from the cold so I gave her all my blankets. I'm mildly regretting that decision now, boy am I tired! At least Darce is well rested; that's all that matters to me really.
All of a sudden I feel a ton of pressure on my stomach. Looks like I got pounced on. At least with an alarm clock like Darce I will never be able to oversleep. I open my eyes, the light seems unnaturally bright today.
"Good morning Darce," I say as I ruffle her hair. "Would you like some breakfast? I think we have some bread."
Darce doesn't really respond but shakes her head back-and-forth then begins to jump up and down. She is smiling so I guess it is safe to assume she is saying yes.
"Go wake up Meme for me," I can't help but laugh as I watch my little sister dart towards our mother's room. Darce can always put me in a good mood.
With Darce entertained for a little while I quickly put on my nicest clothes: simple khaki pants and a white long sleeved shirt. She must have hidden my shoes because I cannot find them anywhere. Oh well, I can look later. I have lots to do before Darce comes back. I know Meme will not leave her bed voluntarily until at least noon but Darce is pretty insistent. She will spend at least 30 minutes trying to rouse Meme before giving up. That should be long enough to tidy our room and put breakfast on the table. Then I need to get Darce dressed and ready because today is the Reaping. I hate Reaping Days.
Marika Valla. Age 15. District 5.
Picking out what to wear can be such a chore at times! I want to look mildly decent incase I get reaped but not too good. I don't like the fact that we're supposed to pretend this is some party. I guess that means all my dresses are out. I only own two and I haven't worn them in ages. I think it's about time to get rid of them, all they do is bring back bad memories.
I finally settle on my favorite light blue shirt. I love the way the material feels on my body: soft and silky. It's quite pilly from multiple washings but it's not stained at all like the majority of my shirts. Finding pants is harder. Most of my pants are torn or stained from spending hours out in the woods. I feel like I may just end up in my underwear! Finally my hand brushes a pair of dark blue leggings I'd overlooked. I don't think I've ever worn them before. They're a little small but they should do. Mom must have gotten them for me before… well there is no point in thinking about that now.
I quickly plait my hair and put on some sandals. I am pleased by my reflection in the mirror. I've always loved my eyes. I got them from my Mom. She'd always tell me how they reminded her of the ocean. She even promised me that one day I'd get to see what the ocean looked like. I guess that'll never happen now. My hair on the other hand was definitely from my Dad. My strawberry blonde hair is polar opposite to my Mom's black. I spin once in front of the mirror before I dash down the stairs; it's breakfast time!
Being sneaky isn't exactly my thing. My brother has been teaching me to hunt for awhile and I've actually gotten pretty good at it when I remember not to scare the game away. I guess this is why I'm not surprise when my brother leaps out at me. Whenever I'm loud he tries to scare me. I think it is his way of trying to teach me to be quiet; so far it has not worked.
"Mari, I have a surprise for you!" he says with a laugh. For everything that's happened my brother has never lost his good nature.
And boy oh boy did he have a surprise for me. Today we are having a feast!
Noliana Ebanthy Von Danco. Age 7. District 5.
Mornings are my least favorite part of the day. The sun is soooo bright I think it's going to burn my eyeballs. I keep asking my Mom to put up shades so I don't go blind but she just tells me I'm being dramatic. She'll think differently when I can't see anymore!
Waterain understands though. He's my cat. When it starts getting light outside he lays across my face. This keeps my eyes from burning and allows me to sleep in. I love him. I was sooo happy when mom let me keep him. When I was five, which was so long ago, he showed up on our porch. He was a tiny little thing, even skinner then I was, and his meow made me so sad. We didn't have a lot of food to eat but I snuck him scraps for a few days. Then one morning Mom was sleeping in and it was really cold outside. I thought Waterain might turn to ice. The only thing to do was let him inside. Leaving him outside would have been mean.
It took Mom weeks to figure out that Waterain was living with us. Mom loves to read and one day he snuck into her lap and started purring. I was expecting her to be mad and scream loud enough to blow out my ear drums but she didn't. I got grounded for a week for lying to her but Waterain got to stay. I guess that's all that matters!
I really love animals. After Waterain got to become part of the family I gave up all meat. I don't think it's right to eat animals; what did they do to deserve to become food?
Waterain does everything with me. He paints with me and goes running with me. He is one of my best friends beside Jill of course! Jill is my closest bestest friend. I've known her since I was a baby. Her Dad died in the games when she was a baby just like my Dad. Her Mom and mine are really close friends. When we're older Jill and I want to be in the games to show everyone how smart we are. We've secretly been training for over a year! We're getting really good.
Jill and I are planning to volunteer for the games when we are much older but we always get extra pretty for the Reapings. We want to give off a good impression of ourselves. That's why I've settled on the flower girl dress I wore to my Aunt Jen's wedding.
I love how it sparkles in the sunlight when I turn. I am the prettiest girl in the world!
Marika Valla. Age 15. District 5.
Breakfast today was wonderful; I can't remember the last time I'd seen so much food in one place. We had pancakes drizzled with berry syrup, ham cooked with maple syrup, and even toast with jam! Seren, my brother, must have spent weeks hunting to get everything needed for the meal. I didn't even notice him being gone any extra. He is such a sneak!
I guess our excellent breakfast is the reason I am skipping to the Reaping. Seren stayed at the house to clean up but we couldn't risk me being late. I usually hate the Reapings. I'm not exactly a fan of people. My Dad used to say I suffered from claustrophobia when I was around lots of people. I'm not even sure what claustrophobia is but I think it's safe to say crowds are not exactly my thing. I'd much rather be alone then with others.
But today I'm in a jolly good mood; I can't wait to tell Tayley and Bailey about our feast. Maybe after the Reaping they can come over for Dinner. We're going to finish the leftovers then. Tayley and Bailey are 8 year old twins. They used to be my sister's friends. My sister was a social butterfly; quite the opposite of me. I always hung around with her and her friends because I was too shy to make my own. Now that she's gone I still hang with Tayley and Bailey. I have yet to make any of my own friends but that's okay by me!
I manage to make it to the Reaping about 10 minutes early. Now that I'm here my good mood is waning. I can't help but pick at my nails and pace. I want out. I feel trapped. I feel like everyone is staring at me.
By the time the mayor takes the stage I am a mess. My nails are completely chewed off and I must be all sweaty. Thirty more minutes and I can leave. I just keep repeating this over and over in my head. Thirty more minutes, that is it.
Through the corner of my eye I see Seren arrive at the Reaping. He gives me a reassuring smile and I instantly feel a little bit better. That is until I hear my name.
"Marika Valla. Congrats you get to be our lucky District 5 Tribute!"
I don't feel lucky at all. I feel like I'm going to faint but I can't faint. I need to be strong. I can't help myself; I continue biting my nails but by some miracle I make it to the stage. I even manage to give the crowd I weak smile. I'm going to be okay. I have to be.
Rhys Ackron Newl. Age 12. District 5.
I could not find my shoes anywhere or Darce's for that matter. The Doctors told us her IQ classified her as extremely mentally retarded but I disagree. Anyone able to hide things as well as Darce can must be pretty smart!
To be honest though this morning was not one of our best. At seven years old Darce only says three words: no, Meme, and well she growls a lot. She can also make just about any animal sound under the sun. This morning she must of said no about 100 times; no she did not want bread, no she didn't want to put her undies on, and no she did not want to go for a walk.
I guess that's why we arrive at the Reaping nearly a half an hour late. I have Darce in my arms upside down. She kept biting me and this was the only way I came up with to restrain her. On the bright side I did manage to get
underwear on her! I guess we must be quite the site because everyone is staring at us despite the fact the girl's name was just called. I couldn't hear it over Darce's screams. I was hoping as we got closer to the Reapings Darce would quite struggling but the opposite is true. Darce usually loves people but I bet she can sense the tension of today; she's smart like that.
I'm still busy trying to contain Darce when the man next to me shoves me towards the stage. "Hey! What was that for?" I say through my teeth. I think I'm about to loose my temper.
"Kid they called your name. You need to get on stage. I'll hold the little girl for you," I can see the pity on his face.
I walk towards the stage too busy pondering how the man knew my name to let the reality of the situation sink in; I am going to be a tribute.
Noliana Ebanthy Von Danco. Age 7. District 5.
I can see Jill and I up on the screen. We look beautiful! My dress really brings out the green in my eyes. Jill and I arrived nearly an hour early. We wanted to get perfect seats for the Reaping! Unfortunately we were running late this morning so we didn't get to do our hair. So instead of a pretty up do my black hair is just in ringlets around my head but I'm okay with this. I love my curly hair! Waterain followed us to the Reaping, we put a green scrunchie around his neck so he could look handsome for the Reaping.
When my Mom told me that littles where eligible for the Reapings Jill and I freaked out. We are so not ready for the games. Thankfully Jill's Mom calmed us down. She told us the chance of us getting reaped is so minimal we're being silly worrying about it. This was very reassuring. I just started learning how to use weapons.
Once Jill and I got to the Reaping we claimed our seats. They are right behind the 12's section. Since we are so young we are not getting divided into sections. There were a few other kids who got here early so we set up a game of rocks. During rocks we make a circle out of twigs and everyone gets a rock. We have to stand super far away and whoever throws their rock closest to the middle wins! It is a very intense game. We got so into the game we missed the first half of the Reaping. Our Mayor needs to learn how to speak louder.
By the time we turn our attention back towards the Reaping the girl and boy are already on stage. Neither of them look really big. I guess District 5 is not going to have a Victor this year.
I'm excited to see who the little tribute will be. I wonder if it's anyone I know. I hope they're strong! That is until I hear my name. Jill realizes what is going on before I do. She shoves me towards the stage. I manage to climb the stairs then everything goes black.
Marika Valla. Age 15. District 5.
I am going to die just like my family. One day my Mom, Dad, and little sister left to get bread and they never came back. What did we do wrong? Why is this happening to my family? All the resolve and strength I felt at the Reapings is quickly disappearing. I feel so helpless. Where is Seren or Tayley and Bailey? Someone must want to say goodbye to me! But no one comes.
By the time someone does come I am a crying mess. I'm huddled in the corner with my face between my legs. I'm silently rocking back and forth when I feel the hand on my shoulder.
"Mari, it's okay. You're going to be okay. You can hunt and find food. You are the best girl I know with a bow and arrow. You are smart and funny. You're my little sister and I love you. You'll be okay."
Seren's words of encouragement fall on deaf ears. I am not going to be okay. I have no idea what I'm doing.
"Here is a strategy: Act weak. Be girly and sweet. Make an ally and only show them the true you. Everyone from District 5 will sponsor you. I bet all the Capital people will fall in love with you." He says as he wraps me in his arms. Seren always is able to make me feel better, even in the worst of circumstances. After our parent's disappeared he slept with me every night until the nightmares went away.
By the time Tayley and Bailey come to say goodbye I feel much better. Their hugs put a smile on my face. The fight I felt earlier is returning. I had my moment of weakness and now it's time to be strong.
I need to be strong for my family.
Rhys Ackron Newl. Age 12. District 5.
At first no one comes to say goodbye to me and I didn't expect anything different. I know Darce loves me but she has no idea what is even going on. Meme is still asleep or too doped up to realize I've been reaped. By the time reality hits her it will be far too late for her to visit me. I had friends a few years ago but after Darce's diagnosis Meme changed. She started taking drugs and sleeping most of the day. Taking care of Darce was suddenly my responsibility and no one wants to hang around with the retarded girl's brother. So for the past few years it has just been me and Darce, surprisingly I've been okay with this.
I bet my time is almost up. Then it'll be time for the train ride. I've never watched the games too closely but even I have a good idea of how they go and eventually I'll die. I mean I've always known I'm going to die eventually but this all seems so sudden. I'm startled out of my thoughts by the door creaking open. I watch quietly as the man from the Reaping comes in carrying Darce.
"The little girl uhhh wanted to see you. She kept saying Re. I kinda thought she mighta meant uhh you," I can tell the man is very uncomfortable. Yet he is spot on. Darce runs towards me and grabs me around the neck. She lets out a quiet moo before hugging me tightly saying Re over and over again. I guess Darce really does know three words now.