Chapter 1: The Actual Beginning

The alarm from my District Super alarm clock went off; I reached over towards my wooden night stand and pressed the off button on my clock. When the alarm shut off I flipped my red blanket off me and sat on the left side of my bed. I looked up to my left wall and saw the wooden plack hanging on my wall that had that name carved on it, that name that caused me years of humiliation and bad luck, "Sparkle." Yes, my name is Sparkle, and no I'm not a girl, I'm a sixteen year old white kid with a decent but small build along with short, curly, blonde hair. I also have bright baby blue eyes and a round hole located in the upper center part of my tongue, near the tip. I'm referred to as a Hero because of my district and I also have blonde eye brows and a lot of people find me cute. Maybe it's because of my short height, or maybe it's because my Hunger requires a sword in order for my better abilities to come into play. I stood up on the floor and stretched my small, puny, muscles, "I've got to work out more," I muttered quietly. I lifted my left arm and sniffed my armpits, "Man, I smell so good…..I should take a shower." I said to myself quietly.

After I took a shower I put on my generic white t-shirt along with my generic white pants and I tied a short sleeve black jacket around my waist. I didn't carry my sword or my sword sheath with me because I didn't need it. I wasn't planning on fighting anything today. If you didn't read the previous chapter then let me inform you of something important. Today's the 100th annually reaping for the 100th annually Hunger Games. This years Hunger game is the fourth Quarterly Quell, and this year is supposed to be the biggest and best Hunger Games yet. I just hope I don't have to be one of those sheep heading to the slaughter. I sat down on one of my comfortable chairs and used the remote to turn on my television and then turned to the Good Mourning News. A few weeks ago there was an announcement sent out to all the Districts from some of the big men in charge concerning the enforced rule for this years Quarter Quell. They stated that they were going to announce the enforced rule in this years shitty Hunger Games on the Good Mourning News today. My Mom sat on the sofa cutting up onions for some odd reason. My mom always confused with her strange hobbies and shenanigans. This one time I asked my Mom was she smoking weed when she named me, I was actually joking when she said "No, I was smoking crystal meth when I named you Sparkle, you silly goose." Yay…..I was disturbed to.

The news finally came on, after the Good Mourning News intro did its job, the camera cut to the president of Panem, Scrubby Noobs, standing behind the news anchor desk with his hands down on the desk. I would go into detail about his appears, but you're not missing anything. Trust me. "Good Mourning citizens of Panem, this your president Scrubby Noobs, here to tell you the fabulous, news about this years Hunger Games along with instructions for today's reaping." My Mom dropped her half chopped up onions and her onion cutting knife on the floor. "Sparkle turn up the volume." She instructed. I did has I was told. "First I want to announce that today is the 100th anniversary of the Hunger Games and the forth Quarter Quell…" he took a short pause to scratch his jolly white beard, "…Well in special celebration of this great achievement, starting from this years Quarter Quell every Quarter Quell will have two enforced rules instead of one." I dropped the remote, I couldn't believe this and neither could my Mom. "The first rule is very important, because it has something to do with the Reaping". My Mom was on her feet, the anticipation was killing her, she dropped to her knees, and eyes set dead on the screen. "Traditionally citizens from ages 12-18 were eligible to have a crack at the Hunger Games, but this year for the first time ever only citizens of the age of six teen can be drawn into the Hunger Games!" He said that last word with such excitement, you would've thought his bright red hat would have fallen off, but it didn't. I dropped to my knees, looking down in shock. "I'm sixteen..." I couldn't complete my sentence. "When the Reaping starts, only citizens of the age of sixteen can attend, no one else can attend, not even family." He repeated those lines again, but slower, he didn't have to tell anybody the punishment for breaking the rules, everyone already knew. "That will be all, have a nice day." The news program went into a commercial break after that.

The Reaping

I stood in the middle of a short crowd made of sixteen teens, eight boys and eight girls. All of us were sixteen. How convenient. I didn't have my sword with me because the peace controllers would not allow weapons during the reaping. The peace controllers surrounded all of us; they were all wearing the traditional skull armor that peace controllers wore. The skulls were those of people that disobeyed the law. In front of us was a large stage, on top of that stage were two peace controllers, the two big glass balls and the District Super escort Jake Roberts. Jake Roberts had a microphone in her hand, she had been talking through it this entire time I've narrating, but it wasn't that important, it's the same things she said every year for the past few years I've been at these Reapings.

Eventfully, she started to draw out of the glass ball labeled 'B0Y'. The O was replaced by a zero this year. What have people been smoking now a days? When she pulled out a slip with one of the guys names on it, everyone was on edge, even the girls. "This year's lucky male Tribute is Sparkle!...wait his name is Sparkle?" she frowned. "We'll there goes my future" I said quietly to myself. I was escorted, by the Peace Controllers and told to stand in front of the other sixteen year olds. All the guys relaxed, all the fear left them. "Hey, any of you want to switch?" I asked loud enough for everyone to hear. All the guys looked at me and then turned their backs to me. "I understand" I said to them. "Anyway….now its time to see our second Tribute for this years special anniversary" Jake Roberts spun the glass ball labeled 'GIRL' and pulled out a name after it finished spinning. "This years lucky female tribute is…..Glue?...WHAT THE FUCK! HER NAME IS GLUE! WHAT DO THESE PARENTS SMOKE IN THIS DISTICT!" Jake Roberts yelled aloud into the microphone. "We'll my mom doesn't smoke, she huffs paint!" of the sixteen boys said aloud to Jake Roberts. "And what did she name you?" she replied, "My names Ginger!" Ginger replied back. "Kill his parents" Jake Roberts ordered the Peace Controllers, "NOOOOOOOO!" Ginger yelled aloud. Ginger was then forcefully escorted from the crowd and was never heard from again.

Glue was immediately escorted out of the crowd and placed beside me in front of the other teenagers. Jake Roberts gained her composure back, "Well anyway, this year's tributes for District Super are Sparkles and Glue!" No one cheered, but the crowd did salute Glue and I when the Peace Controllers took us to the Tribute Train.

This years Reaping was horrible for several reasons. 1: Only sixteen year olds are eligible for the Reaping lottery, how random is that? 2: Not only am I attending my first Hunger Games, but I don't even have a sword to carrying with me, that's bullshit. 3: They replaced the O in boy with a 0, who does that? The only good thing about this whole ordeal is that I've finally meet someone with a more ridicules name then me.

[Next time you will get to me the other Tributes and learn more about the challenges Sparkle will have to face during the games]

[Next time Chapter 2: The Tribute despute]