Authors Note: Okay I'd love to reach 100 reviews before I post the next chapter. It would make me super happy : )
Thanks for all the birthday wishes! I had a great time.
Fun fact: Did you know in Iowa you have to be 21 to by scratch off lotto tickets? Well I didn't but I do now… (FYI: I don't live in Iowa! Just visiting!)
I've finally figured out how to pick the bloodbaths. I have a few that were submitted, so thanks to their creators! But I unfortunately need to kill off a few more… Muahaha!
So I'm going to draw them from a hat!
Each tribute will get at least one slip for being submitted.
Each tribute can receive up too five slips for their submission. This will be based on quality of the form as well as how much I love your tribute.
A second slip for each review their creator writes.
Depending on the quality of the review your tribute can get up too five slips. (In order to get five you need to answer the review question completely as well as write a through review).
I will draw the slips from the hat. Each tribute I draw will get their name written down. After I've drawn between 20-30 tributes I will start planning the deaths for those not drawn!
So the more slips = a greater chance of survival!
Make sense? I hope so!
I'm going to do this the day I post District 10's Reaping. So go catch up on those reviews! If you feel like you submitted a bad review you can always pm me a better one!
May the odds be ever in your favor!
Mara Jenine Mason. Age 6. District 9.
"Push me Mama, push me! Higher! I wants to touch the treetops!" I squeal with glee.
I love swinging. It is one of my favorite things. I also like running, and reading, and experimatating, and playing hide and go seeks, and making my sisters clean our room.
"Hun, I'm wiped out! You may be a skinny little thing but I've been pushing you for almost an hour. I'm old!" My mother says with her piggy laugh. She is so silly. She is not old at all!
"Bridger. Bridger. BRIDGER!" I scream. "Come push me! Pretty pretty pwease?" My brother always pushes me when Momma and Daddy get tired. He also pushes me really really super high.
"We only have a few more minutes kids. Then we need to get home. Can't be late to the Reaping." My dad sounds kinda sad. I hear him and Momma talk about how scared they are for the Reapings. I'm scared too. Especially since I could get picked this year, but I think I maybe might win. I am only six but my teacher says I am the smartest in my grade and make more inventions that work then some of the big kids. I also am able to hide really well. I've never been founds during hide and seek!
Our few minutes went by really fast because all of a sudden my swing stops swinging and I'm lifted into the air by my Papa.
"Time to get ready princess!" He says as he tosses me in the air.
Forest "Nuke" Talcone. Age 16. District 9.
"I think we can be done for the day," my trainer Grando whispers. Well whispers isn't exactly the right word. There really is no way to explain how Grando speaks while in the woods. I can hear him loud and clear but his voice never scares game away. It seems to just blend right in. Just like he does.
I don't really want to go home but Grando is probably right. He always is. I can tell by looking at the sun we've been hunting for a few hours. We generally head out an hour before sunrise and it looks to be around nineish now. The Reaping starts around 11 and under no circumstance can we miss them.
Even though we've only had a few hours to hunt, today has been a good day. Grando managed to take down a deer and I shot a few birds. I also killed three rabbits with one arrow but that's nothing special for me. The first time Grando took me out hunting I was only 13 (he was 17) I managed to kill three bunnies in one shot. Ever since that day he has called me Nuke, which means three kill streak. For whatever reason the nickname spread. Only my family calls me Forest now. At first it felt kind of weird but now I like it. It makes me different.
Angel May Black. Age 16. District 9.
"Can we get some bananas?" my little sister Hope asks with a big smile.
"Sure we can!" I say while grabbing her hand and racing towards the market.
Bananas are generally pretty expensive (even for a family like mine) but since it's Reaping Day we can splurge.
"Two bananas," I say to the girl at the counter. Her dress is torn in numerous places and she looks like she hasn't taken a bath in days. How disgusting. People like her should not be working around food. Especially not food I am about to eat.
"Here you go Ma'am," she says with a smile. Her two front teeth are missing, gross.
I watch with amusement as Hope devours her banana. She sure does love those things!
"Come on Hope, I'll race you to the square. Last one there is a rotten egg!" Hope is only seven so she loves to race. Since I love Hope more then anything I try to turn everything into a race. I love to see her smile.
She wins, just like she always does! It would make me a terrible older sister to win. Plus I love seeing her do her winners dance. She jumps up and down, twirls around, and then shakes her booty. It make me laugh every time.
I hear a chuckle behind me and turn around quickly to see Mariana laughing her head off. Mariana is my only friend. I can be pretty shy and I prefer learning to being social. Mariana is different then everyone else I know. She is intelligent and able to manipulate people to get what she wants. I admire her for that. I love being friends with her because only around her can I let the real me show. The Angel that has a temper and was wronged. Only around Mariana do my plans for revenge towards my father sound like they could turn into reality.
Two wrongs may not make a right, but… revenge is sweet!
Forest "Nuke" Talcone. Age 16. District 9.
As always Grando had been right. It took us nearly an hour to make it back to District 9. We'd gone further out then I'd thought. Thankfully we still had time to deliver the rabbits and part of the deer to the children's home. All the orphaned children are crammed into a small house and barely fed. It makes my heart break and it makes me so angry. They treat our children like nuisances; it is not right. Grando and I are pretty well off so we always try to make things right. If we see something that needs to be fixed we do our best to do so.
We live by the motto that we can be the change we want to see in the world. I guess it's a nice way of saying if we don't do it no one else will.
We didn't have time to get ready for the Reapings, but I probably wouldn't have anyways. I am pretty comfortable in my hunting clothes. Plus getting ready would have been following the Capital. Rebellion is pretty much a death sentence but they can't kill me for not getting dressed up. It's kind of my personal f-you to the Capital.
We managed to make it to the Reapings just in time. Being late is frowned upon but not a huge deal. Missing the Reapings is a completely different story. If you don't show up, and you aren't on your death bed, the Peacekeepers make sure you never have the 'opportunity' to see another Games.
"Come on up to the stage Forest Talcone! You lucky, lucky boy!"
I don't feel lucky at all. This cannot be happening to me. I take a deep breath and head towards the stage. Even though I feel like collapsing inside my image on the screen shows a different story.
I look deadly.
Angel May Black. Age 16. District 9.
They decided to do the Reapings differently this year. Apparently our Escort wanted to be unique and break tradition by doing boys first. News flash to the stupid Capital lady that is nearly more unoriginal then doing ladies first!
I hated last years Escort due to her shiny gold teeth but at least she looked semi-normal. This year our Escort is purple. This would normally put a smile on my face because Hope's favorite color is purple, but… this lady just looks so ridiculous. I'm embarrassed for her.
The boy tribute is uglyyyyy. He has longish hair that is pulled back into a wolf tail. His hair is a mix of black and brown that looks like poop in my opinion. He is also covered in dirt. He looks about my age but I've never seen him around before. He is probably a drop out. The only redeeming factor about him is his muscles. He has a pretty decent body.
"Our lovely lady is… Angel May Black! Congrats Girly!"
Well shoot that'd be me. I do my best to look sullen and I hang my head trying to feign sadness, but I'm not either of these things.
I am ecstatic! This is the opportunity I have been waiting for. I can finally release all my anger and show my dad that I am worth something. His beatings did not ruin me.
I am Angel May Black and I'm going to win these games, but first I need to learn how to fake cry.
Mara Jenine Mason. Age 6. District 9.
I look extra pretty today. My crazy, wavy, blonde hair looks much more nice in braids. It took nearly an hour to do it, but I only needed a little bits of help! I even convinced my sister Willow to let me borrow some ribbon. She tied scraps of black ribbon into tinsey bows just for me. The bows match my special blue dress. It is blue like the sky on a really sunny day and it has a black ribbon around the middle that I tied into a huge bow. I even got to borrow some of Willow's eye shadow. It really makes my eyes look big and hazel.
I just wish today wasn't a Reaping day. I don't like only getting pretty for something that makes Mama cry.
Even though we left the park early we are late to the Reaping. A big boy and girl are already on stage. I can see a small smile on Daddy's face because that means Bridger and Willow are okay.
"Now onto our little," I hear the escort say but I can't see the stage, "Come on up Miss. Mara Jenine Mason!"
That is my name but… me? I only had one slip. Just one but… even though I'm little I could win.
Maybe.
Forest "Nuke" Talcone. Age 16. District 9.
My good-bye room is insanely crowded. My mother and father arrived first with my sobbing sister, Talica, in tow. Seeing Tali nearly breaks my heart. She means more then anyone to me. I feel a twinge of guilt when I remember that I was supposed to take her out hunting next week. I was going to train her. I want so badly to protect her from this, but for the first time in my life there is nothing I can do. No matter who returns home a victor the Capital still wins. No one ever returns home the same.
I cannot bear the thought of Talica watching me kill in the arena. I'd never kill someone innocent, only someone who deserved it, but still…
I just cannot believe this is happening to me.
By the time my friends arrive I have finally caved. For the first time in my life I am sobbing and boy do I feel embarrassed.
Grando takes one look at me and cracks up. In response my sister glares at him. Seeing Tali glare is so unlike her I completely loose it. My sobs are quickly replaced by laughs.
"That is the Nuke I know," my best friend Hazel says as she hugs me tightly. I almost begin to cry again as I watch a single tear trickle down her face. I manage to pull it together though.
The time for crying has passed.
Mara Jenine Mason. Age 6. District 9.
I can't help but feel prouds of myself. I made it up to the stage without crying and I even smiled and waved at the crowd. I wanted to cry when I saw my Mama and Willow. They were crying lots but I can't cry. Crying makes tributes die early and I don't want to die.
We are all in the good-bye room now. Mama and Willow are still crying and hugging each other. Bridger and Dad just look all white. Bridger keeps holding my hand and telling me how smart I am. He keeps telling me strategies to use.
I don't need any more strategies I already has one. I am going to hide.
Angel May Black. Age 16. District 9.
I am not really in the mood to see anyone right now. I am too happy for words. I cannot believe today I am leaving District 9 and no matter what the outcome I'll never have to deal with my dad again.
The only regret I have is Hope. I love her so much and the thought of leaving her with our dad is heartbreaking. I've been protecting her for so long and now there is nothing I can do.
I asked the Peacekeepers to only let Hope in and restrict her visit to only a few minutes. All I want to do is hug her. I don't want to make this harder then it needs to be.
After a quick hug she is gone and I saunter out of my room. Directly outside the door is my dad. This is too good of an opportunity to pass by.
"If you lay one finger on her while I'm gone I will kill you. I will slice your throat and watch with glee as all the blood drains from your pathetic body."
I can't help but laugh at his face. He is white as a sheet. I am going to have so much fun with him when I return.