Grr at school now there's this thing with me and my friends. They claim that Peeta is gay, HE IS NOT! Ugh they tell me every day and I just tell them to shut up. Then I think about Finnick. Enjoy this chapter!
-Rachel:
Victors? What about us? What do we have to do with these Games?
"These Games will have a twist, as I said before." Snow comments after he reads the card to himself. "The Seventy Fourth Hunger Games will be played with only twelve tributes,"
Okay, so one tribute from each District, but what does it have to do with victors!
"Each tribute will be the youngest victor from th-"
I'm out the door before I even hear him finish the sentence. No, no, no I can't go back in there, I can't no, I won't. I run through town, ignoring peacekeepers as they yell at me to halt. I don't know where I'm going; I don't really care where I'm going right now. I just run, I run and run and when I stop I'm deep in the woods. I don't remember going under the fence, but apparently I did. I can't go back in there and kill victors, kill my friends.
Finnick, I feel my heart start to race. Finnick. Is he in these too! I go through the District Four victors in my head: Mags, Finnick, Annie, Waves, Havet, and there's someone else. So far Annie is the youngest, that's good, Finnick's not in. But there's someone else from Four. Oh right, Skitt, he's the youngest. He's only twenty.
I climb in a tree to figure out who my competition will be. Gloss from One, Lyme from Two, Lyn from Three, Skitt from Four, Dillad from Five, Pren from Six, Johanna from Seven, Brandon from Eight, Cariad from Nine, Tir from Ten, Blight from Eleven, and then me from Twelve. I know all of them; I've spoken to all of them. Gloss won't be hard to kill, I don't like her; Lyme annoys me too. Lyn isn't bad; I'll kill her without hesitation though if I have too. I can see if Skitt wants to make an alliance, we're somewhat friends. Dillad and Pren are best buddies; they'll make an alliance for sure, so I should stay away from them. Johanna, oh god, I can't kill her, not in a million years. We'll make an alliance, than at like the final four we'll split, if we get that far. Brandon is big and strong, snapped the head off of a tribute in his Games, maybe I can ally with him as well. Cariad and Tir aren't that bad, they keep to themselves though. Blight from Eleven is my friend, Chaff's tribute too, so I can't kill him. And then there's me, who I know no matter how much I tell myself otherwise, when it comes down to it. When I'm in there with my life on the line, I'll kill any one of them without thinking twice, that includes Johanna. I have to say, these Games will be interesting, there are no secrets, everyone knows everyone else's strong and weak points. Everyone is an experienced killer, everyone has taken a life before, every one won't hesitate.
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-Finnick:
I go and sit on my couch as the television comes on automatically. I see President Snow come on and he greets the nation. My thoughts drift to Rachel, as they do every day, she'll be watching this now at home with Haymitch.
"The Seventy Fourth Hunger Games will be played with only twelve tributes," I hear Snow say. What? Twelve, that's only one from each District, Awesome, twelve lives saved, a grin spreads across my face. So far this day has been going pretty well, my fishing net didn't get caught in the boat motor again, so that was the first good thing. Now this, it's great.
"Each tribute will be the youngest victor from their District."
My jaw drops open as I widen my eyes at the screen. No! No! Not this, he can't do that! That's the deal if you win once, you don't have to go back in, that's the deal. I feel my face go bone white as I remember who the youngest victor of District Twelve is.
"No! She can't go back in!" I scream.
"The tributes will be reaped next week, if they want to older victors may volunteer for the younger. I assure you these Games will be the best yet!" Snow smiles happily, Capital symbol, program over. Victors may volunteer. Victors may volunteer. It rings over and over again in my head. I can volunteer for Skitt, I can go in there again, and I can protect her. But I need to find out how she is. I go to my phone and dial the number for her house. It rings for a while before someone picks up.
"Whadda you want," Haymitch slurs from the other end, clearly drunk.
"Where is she!" I demand.
"Rachel?" he asks.
"No your cat" I snap back sarcastically.
"I don't have a cat" Haymitch burps after his sentence.
"Ugh of course I meant Rachel you drunkard!"
"Oh of course, I don't know, she ran out right when Snow said youngest victors, she was gone before he finished the sentence."
"Than what are you doing home! Go find her!" I yell.
"Finnick is the line safe?" he asks, suddenly sounding sober.
"Yeah, I got a friend who works on them, any calls to me are private." I say casually, it's true though; no peacekeepers can tap into my phone, made that arrangement a couple weeks ago.
"Okay good, cause we're going to get those victors out. And don't you dare volunteer, it'll kill her. I'm part of a rebel council, so are some gamemakers, we can break them out of the arena, than take them safe to District Thirteen, from there we start a rebellion."
What the hell? Rebel council? With gamemakers on it? Breaking them out of the arena, and District Thirteen, they were destroyed years ago right at the end of the Dark Days, right before the Games.
"That makes no sense, there is no Thirteen." I grumble.
Over the next hour Haymitch explains how that he's been attending meetings when he is mentoring, they're late at night, so no one notices he's gone. Only he, Chaff, Seeder, Beetee, and a most other victors know, because they're on the council. They've been planning to start a rebellion with the help of District Thirteen, which was destroyed, on the outside. I'm told they live underground now, they have a civilization, they will help us bring down the Capital. He tells me of upset in each District, how people want the Capital gone.
Okay, I've heard talk on some of the fishing boats of rebellion, but never actually action. I guess that makes sense.
"Will you tell Rachel this?" I ask.
"No, no one will, if she knows, she may act differently, we can't have that, someone may get suspicious. But most of the other victors know of it, all that are in these Games know, except my daughter. Everyone will try and keep her alive, so you don't need to go in Finnick, they'll try and get her out. She will be the face of this, the whole rebellion, because she has a natural hatred towards the Capital, she proved that already."
I remember how she spoke out and blamed the Capital for the Games, for murdering children.
"Okay, I'm joining this council thing though. Is she back yet?" I ask.
"No, I'll ask her friends to check the woods, it's getting dark. I have to go Finnick. I'll see you soon." Haymitch grumbles.
"Okay bye future father-in-law" I joke, I do plan on marrying Rachel hopefully one day.
"Don't push it you asshole" he spits than hangs up. I manage a little laugh.
We'll get them out, we can, and we have too. Then it's down with the Capital, down with this hellish government.
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-Rachel:
It's around midnight when I finally climb out of my tree. Haymitch will be worried, especially when he sent Katniss out to find me. I saw her, I heard her call my name, looking for me. I ignored her than, I didn't feel like talking than. She gave up about two hours ago. I let myself drop the ten feet down to the dirt, I land with a thud. I take off running back to the fence, wow, I went really far out.
It must be almost two when I finally make my way up the steps to the front door. I swing open the front door and wipe off my feet. Their covered in dirt since I didn't put shoes on before I left. Haymitch is out like a light on the table, dead to the world, as always. I go and pry the halfway empty/halfway full bottle in his hand out and take a seat across from him. I tip the bottle back and let it burn down my throat. I don't care anymore if he sees me drinking. I'll be dead soon anyways.
Soon, I'm drunk, and soon, Haymitch wakes up. I know he's up when I feel myself get smacked upside the head and he's trying to take away the bottle. I sit up quickly and chug the remainder of the white liquor.
"Ha!" I laugh at my father.
"What are you doing!" He demands, I go and toss the bottle across the room, it shatters against the wall.
"I was drinking, but now I'm out." I push back and stand up from my chair. Too fast, I move too fast, and soon I'm vomiting onto the living room floor. It burns my throat coming up, and tastes horrible. I gag when I'm finished.
"Not too fun is it!" Haymitch sneers. I glare at him.
"I done it before, a lot actually, that why your liquor keep disappearing when you gone." I can't talk strait either now.
"You've been drinking!" he bellows. I sit on the floor against a wall; I raise my hand and give him thumbs up. "Why the hell would you!" I simply point at him. I don't see his expression, since I'm hanging my throbbing head between my knees, trying to black out the world. But I can hear he's hurt when he speaks again. "Oh, right." I feel him start to rub my back, no longer angry at me.
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-Rachel:
I don't get why I have to stand here, and wait for Effie to read my name. Why do they even have a reaping ball? It looks ridiculous with only one slip of paper in it, and that one has my name on it. Still, the square is packed tight all around me with people. I wait up front; in my own little roped off area. I rub the side of my throbbing head; I drank last night, a lot. I still have a hangover too, ugh I hate them. I wait patiently as the Mayor of District Twelve reads the Treaty of Treason, to remind us all why we're here. It's stupid, but everything that has to do with the Capital is stupid. Than Effie is introduced as she comes up.
"Ladies first!" She says, not happily. I get a wonderful idea.
I go and let myself out of the roped area and step past the peacekeepers. "I'll save you some time Effie!" I call so everyone can hear as I stagger up the stage without my name being called. I go and stand before my District and give a smile, I locate Katniss and Gale, Gale gives me thumbs up for my rebel move. Effie doesn't even ask for volunteers, my adopted father is a guy, so he can't volunteer for me. I don't want him to either, it may sound crazy(but I am crazy so it doesn't really matter) but I'm kinda looking forward to going back in, I can be myself, I can be who they created me to be. A killer, I can mock the Capital all I want and I'll go down strong.
Effie takes my hand and raises it high. "I give you, our District Twelve tribute and victor of the Seventy-Second Hunger Games, Rachel Abernathy!" I raise my head higher, no one claps for me. Because we all know the truth, I'm not coming home, not this time.
It doesn't take long for the square to empty after that. I am taken to my train, no goodbye's this year.
Once aboard the train I go to the sitting room and turn on the television to watch the recap of the reapings with Haymitch. He hands me a bottle, it's not full, but it's better than nothing.
"That's your last one for a while" he tells me.
"Okay." I grumble, I understand why, there's no use if I go back in and I'm drunk.
-Finnick:
I sink back into the couch next to Skitt.
"The wheels on the train go round and round, round and round, round and round, the wheels on the train go round and round off to the Capital we go." I muse softly; Skitt rolls his eyes at me.
"One, this isn't really something to be singing about, and two, the train doesn't even have wheels." Skitt grumbles, we don't really care much for each other, since we're exact opposites.
I'm tall, blond, and gorgeously handsome. He's short, black haired, and average in looks. I'm funny but can be serious when it's needed. He's overly serious and can't take a joke. I'm great at talking to girls. Skitt can't really do that to save his life. I'm a trident master (if I may say so myself) and Skitt doesn't even know how to hold one. This is ironic since he's from District Four, but he worked in making the tridents not using them. Everyone wasn't surprised when I won, everyone was totally surprised when Skitt won by proving he's probably the deadest person on the planet with a knife in his hand.
"Shut up Skitt" I groan, turning my attention back to the reapings, they're showing District Ten right now. I watch as Tir takes his place on stage, it shows him shake hands with the mayor of his district and then it goes right into District Eleven. Minutes later it shows Blight take the stage, with much cementation that he may be deadly this year by the broadcasters. They're right, he is one of the youngest out of the young, and he's still fit too. Chaff got lucky with him.
Then it shows District Twelve, just as they mayor finishes the Treaty of Treason. Tears fill my eyes when they show Rachel standing alone in a roped off area. I sit forward though, studying her. She looks, different, like nothing big is happening at all. She doesn't care if anything, she looks amused. A smug little grin crosses her face as I hear Effie announce. "Ladies first!"
The commentators are wondering why she doesn't look baffled or sad or anything like most of the other victors did. The only other tributes to act like this way were Johanna, and well, she's a piece of work all in her own, and Skitt, because he's a creepo anyways and rarely shows emotion.
My mouth falls open and the commentators fall silent as Rachel goes and pushes out of her roped off area, where she is supposed to stay.
"I'll save you some time Effie!" She calls out so everyone can hear as she staggers to the stage. Is she drunk? It sure looks like she is, but she's never had any liquor in her life, well, as far as I know she hasn't. I hope she hasn't. I know her life is hell right now, but she can't turn to a bottle, god I just hope.
I watch as Effie nods and Rachel takes her place. Effie presents her and raises her hand, her District is silent, no one claps. She's so calm, she must think that she won't come out, since she doesn't know about the plan. The Capital seal goes up, the anthem plays, and then the screen goes black.
"Well, I don't think we need to do anything, just do what you did before in the arena, just, keep her safe and alive." I tell Skitt, he knows about the plan to get the victors out too. He plays a big part in it too, he just shrugs at me.
"Yeah, I know, I'll keep your girl live."
"You better Skitt, you better." I say sternly while I glare at him.
Hope you liked it! In the next chapter we fly through training and get scores and stuff, oh and opening ceremonies. If you have any ideas for the story please voice them Maybe I'll use them.