Cade Asher
Would you look at that, the sun is rising, bringing its yellow arms over houses. I wonder how I could use its power for myself. Maybe cover a building with light reflecting paper? Or use mirrors and burn clothing? So many possibilities, yet so little time…
I wonder what Haze has in mind. He is the smarter one…book smart-vise. He has a little sister, Marionette. She and Haze are like a cat and a dog. Marionette claims to hate Haze, but even the blind can see that the two care for each other.
Anyway, it is Reaping day, the one day that everyone watches with eager eyes and all the important people are there; namely the Escort and all the kids that can be the highlights of the Hunger Games. I'm so excited; I wonder who will be damned in the Games.
My door particularly breaks in, and I notice I am still in my pajamas.
Haze Wintre, the intruder and my bro steps into my room.
"Excuse you?" I jump from my bed. "Privacy?"
"With a friend like me, you have no 'privacy.'"
"I want to change into my regular clothing," I tell him.
"You've got nothing to be ashamed, but whatever," he says and he shrugs, his curly black hair bouncing, and leaves the room and closed the door.
I was exaggerating about my door exploding; it is fine, but sounded like an explosion.
Black jeans, a dark shirt and sneakers, you know, the usual outfit for a hot mess like myself.
Tara, my lovely older sister is gone to her work, as a librarian. I swear that job fits her; she is calm as a dead cow. The good thing is that she always gets me a book or something fun. She let her silky dark hair grow to her thighs, and sometimes she makes a scarf out of her hair.
My younger sister, Jewel, she's only thirteen, and she likes anything valuable and shining. She even stole my mom's diamond bracelet, but that little waste of skin got away just by smiling sweetly! And when I lost my shirt, don't ask why, I got a good old beating. I don't hate her, it is just…she is copying my awesomeness.
Haze waits by the door with two papers.
"Okay, so what do you want to do?" He shakes his right hand. "Sabotage the weekly meat package to the supermarket, or," he shakes his left hand, "prank Mr. Deluge."
Mr. Deluge is one of the richest old farts in District Two, a perfect target.
"I don't know, something different now? Since it is the Reapings."
"You and your 'something different now.' Jesus christ. Come on."
He walks down the stairs and I follow him. There is a note on the fridge from mom, saying that Jewel is with Tara, and she is away for today.
Great, and what if I get reaped?
We walk to the square, the place where the Reapings will happen. People are working diligently on it, and our District Escort, Hannah, is screaming at the workers about symmetry and order. Sheesh, how come someone didn't cut her neck yet?
And then it hit me. The perfect prank.
Sabotage the Hunger Games. Or not, that is too big, I don't want to loose my head in it, let's just make it the Reapings.
The stage exploding? No, too much work. Make it collapsing, and that would be fun.
Haze stopped by a shop. "Yo Haze," I tapped his shoulder.
"What?" He is watching a game console worth three hundred dollars.
"What if we'd sabotage the Reapings?" He slams his hand on my mouth.
"Ssh! Stupid, don't say that loud."
I lick his hand. So what if people hear it? I don't care. As a response, he pets my cheek and rubbed his hand on my shirt.
"I'm listening."
So I tell him my plan. It is really nothing special, just steal some that, do some this et voila, we got a really good prank on our hands. We just need to buy the materials.
Haze gets the materials as I hang around a cinema. Since I got the plan, he buys the necessities.
The cinema is playing some droopy romantic movie with some fags, what is it called? Midnight? Moonlight? Something with the –light prefix, the third episode or something.
My girlfriend wants me to go with her, Alize, that's her name I believe. She is nothing special, not at least for me.
She is bubbly, chatty, can't shut up and loves them stupid romantic movies that are not a bit like real life.
The lights fade, and the movie starts.
I yawn after five minutes of the movie.
"Ssh!" Alize squirms. "This is the best part!" She says and then squeals when this guy takes of his shirt.
"Kill me now…"
What the movie was about for me is this, there is this slutty girl who loves this fag guy who sparkles in the sunlight, but she also wants to sleep with this nudist guy transforming into a hairy wolf. So then there are the vampires who dislike the sparkly one, and want to kill him, and there are the other wolf nudists and all the time the girl doesn't do anything but crap. Then at the end, the vampire doesn't want to do her. Oh, and I got a rich girl's necklace, earrings, and bracelets. That would be a good way to get money.
"Oh my god! This was the best movie ever! All the action and romance, and the guys…aaah! I wish the werewolf was my boyfriend…"
"Hey Alize, I have something important to tell you," I begin with my charming voice.
"Yees?" She turns around.
"It's over." And I walked away.
That was a great feeling if you ask me. Dumping a rich girl, and she didn't even notice her material losses. Stupid stupid blonde.
I meet up at lunch with Haze and prepare for our prank. It will be enormous and the best, believe me.
Marionette Wintre
There is an unspoken rule of life that the siblings have to hate each other. Haze and I are no exceptions.
We've been teasing each other since the start of eternity. Not being mean, just teasing. I never really hated him, just enjoyed teasing him.
Pull his curly hair, switch his shampoo with toothpaste, sew his clothes together, maybe ruin his computer and homework, but nothing major or anything, at least I hope.
Not like he wasn't mean to me.
People told us that we were like a cat and a dog. It is true though.
We are fighting, but from time to time, we are kind to each other.
Like now.
I love playing thief, but of course, I don't only play it. If I need something, I take it. It is ten dollars now, from my brother's room.
Peace of cake. He always locks his door, but with a credit card, it is easy to open it. He is a deep sleeper, so the danger of him waking up is pretty low, but do not underestimate your enemy, even if he is your brother.
Haze is pathetic and amazing at the same time, but I try to have our relationship like cats and dogs. He has golden brown, curly sheep hair and hazy brown eyes, with boyish features. I resist the temptation to do something to him while he's sleeping.
Focus on your goal.
He left fifteen dollars on his desk.
"Thank you," I say quietly and take ten bucks.
"You're welcome," he says between snorts.
What time is it? I look at his wall clock. Nine in the morning.
I quickly take a shower and dress in my usual clothing. Something nice, something comfy, but not too fancy and take a walk.
Haze has his birthday three days from now, and I found this really cool leather jacket for a hundred bucks, and Haze likes it too, so I thought 'What the hell, I'll buy it for him,' so now I'm going to buy it. I hope he'll like it, because this may be the last time I buy him something so pricey, but you don't turn eighteen every day.
I walk downstairs and find my dad making a sandwich for himself.
My mom died at childbirth, the doctor's fault. She used the wrong liquid and ruined my mom's internal system. My father though, believes it is all my fault. He is all fine and all, but sometimes he has this all-your-fault times and I usually just sleep at Serena.
"Good morning dad," I greet him and hope he had a good night's sleep.
"Good morning honey," he says smiling and he hugs me. "Want some breakfast?"
"Yeah, thanks." I go and make myself some cereal. So far so good.
"Do you know what to get for Haze?" He asks.
"I'm getting him a jacket that he wants."
"From your money? Wow, that is kind of you."
"Well, you know, he is my brother."
We had a nice talk after that, nothing going wrong.
Serena, my natural red head blonde, is my best friend. I knew her since we were five, when she fell of a tree, but nothing happened fortunately.
I walk to the shop with that jacket, Capitol Fashion for Gents, not a really well known shop as it looks like, but it has some fine material in it.
"Good morning," the saleswoman smiles at me. "Can I help you?"
"Hey, uhm, no thanks, I got this." Okay, so I have the money, I know Haze's jacket size, basically everything I'd need to know to buy a jacket.
Just one thing.
It's not here.
It's not on the Paris doll, or the rack, I cannot find it.
"Are you sure you do not need help?" She asks.
I sigh as I give up. "I'm looking for a leather jacket, worth a hundred dollars? It was on that mannequin just two days ago."
"Oh, Charlie Brown?"
"What?"
"That is the nickname of the jacket. It is limited to twenty pieces. We were lucky to get two. One was bought by a gentleman for his father, and the last one is kept safe and clean."
I slam the money on the table. "I want that." I just hope it is XL, the right size.
"It is extra large, if it is good for you." Victory is mine!
"I'll take it."
I go to Serena until the Reapings start.
She is a lovely person, a little too blond inside, but she would give her life for people she likes. I tell her about my morning, my father and my jacket.
She has a baby brother, and he is adorable!
"Hey Serena, is your brother sleeping?"
"No, no he's not. Why ask?"
"Can we dress him up?"
Serena's brother, Malik is three years old, and loves being dressed. He is actually quite girly. He has long baggy light hair that curls into inward hooks by his neck. He has glinting brown eyes and a never fading smile on his face.
Though he can be a bit moody sometimes.
"Hey Mayonette," he says. He has a problem with the 'r' sound.
"Hey Malik," I pet his head. "Ready for a makeover?"
He starts to jump up and down. Malik can get really excited for the randomest reasons.
We do his hair, his nails, make up and everything, but not too much, just barely. I feel kind of guilty, dressing a guy in a girl's dress, but he enjoys it, I enjoy it, what's the matter than?
When we are finished, Malik is in a white fluffy dress with blue contacts and light blue nails, with minimal glitter on his skin. He spins.
"I'm an angle! I'm an angle!" He sing-songs.
"Angel Malik, angel. Not angle," I correct him.
"Oh whateveh," he pouts.
I smile at him. "Let's get ourselves ready."
Marionette Wintre
Having friends with bonuses is good. Serena has the most beautiful dresses in all of District 2, and I am not over-exaggerating. She has a very good sense of style, and she can work magic with make-up.
"So Mrs. Wintre, what do you wish to wear?" She asks me.
"Oh I do not know Mrs. Gomez," I answer.
"A long white dress maybe?"
"That is too cliché, milady."
"Then surprise me, of Goddess of Beauty."
Surprise it was; a knee low cashmere red dress and darker red high heels. She made my hair wavy and pulled it up into a bun with two pins crossing each other. She applied minimal makeup, some manicure and pedicure, and I was ready.
She was dressed in a pale purple dress with darker make up. She looked gothic, and knowing her, it didn't really suit her. But, she was beautiful nonetheless.
We take the quick and fun way to the square, and that is skateboard.
I'm getting good at it, well, let's say I do not fall, but Serena…she is a natural! She is zooming about, doing tricks, not falling, all in heels!
Hehe, we are a lovely sight. Girls ready for prom on skateboards.
Anyways. We take our seats and wait for about five, six minutes until the Reapings start.
I quickly and easily locate my brother and Cade.
"Well hello District 2," Hanna greets us. I have nothing against her. She is a bit OCD about being perfect, but that is normal. "This year's twist is this. In the honour of the fourth Quarter Quell, the tributes friends, family, and other acquaintances also will be the part of the Games, as a prize. Without further ado, the female tribute is Marionette Wintre!"
I'm sorry what? I zoned out.
"Mari, Mari you are Reaped," Serena nudges me, not so happy.
"Sorry, what? I seem to have loss of focus." I start to speak like this when I know something bad happens.
"You are Reaped," she emphasizes each and every word.
Bitch please.
Then Hanna makes an absurd eye connection with me. Absurd because how would she know where I sit?
Then it turns out that people just…disappeared around me, so it is only Serena and me inside a large circle of empty chairs.
My legs tremble as I make my way to the stage, holding onto chairs so I will not faint.
There is only one thing I can think of. Okay, maybe two. Or three.
But in order they are.
I haven't given Haze his present.
Thank god it was not Serena.
All the girls are acting so hot, why aren't they volunteering for me then?
I walk up the stage, starting to think about the games, the years of insane training coming back. Aim for the heart, the head. How to make people suffer and scream, enjoying the sound of their whining. That joy…
Cade Asher
To my discontent, I've found out that the Capitol workers use the cheapest materials to work. They used wood to make the stage, and covered with some D rank, dark covering material. They even worked sloppy! I believe that my work is not needed here to sabotage the Reapings.
I nod at Haze, a sign to start the disruption. I just need a secound to get under the stage and cut the wooden plank with my saw.
Haze is wearing a mask, so the people will not know it was him who did the prank, and will not get punished.
"Hey scumbags!" Haze yells at them, and all the workers and Hanna looks at him. "Yeah you, you ugly ones! My grandfather can make a better job…and he's dead!"
"What are you doing here?" Hanna shrieks at him, and I disappear under the stage.
"I want to play a game…" I saw to myself as I grin mischievously and start to cut the beams. I don't really need to fully cut them, just four fifths. Gravity will do the rest. I hear people running towards the stage, and I freeze what if they run on the stage? I'll be crushed! Fortunately, the steps quickly moved towards another direction.
After finishing the beams, I walked away, but made sure that Haze saw me.
He then threw a smoke bomb and disappeared. Just like a professional ninja.
Returning to our site of evil…it feels me with joy.
Haze and I are among the first one to go to the square. Being good little lads, we greet Hanna, who is dressed in white skin tight pants and a black shirt, with black shoes. She has white hair, so she looks like a black-and-white monster would've puked on her.
She smiles back at us, and takes a closer look at Haze.
"Haven't I seen you before young man?"
"Me?" Haze asks with his normal voice, but then he changed it to a deeper one. "Me? No. Definitely not."
"But I'm sure I did see you somewhere."
Oh hell to the no.
"I remember," she snaps her fingers. "You were the boy who asked the price for the leather jacket a week ago."
"Really, that's right. Wow, small world, don't you think?" And of course Haze starts to flirt right now.
We take our seats and I elbow jab him.
"Why did I get that?"
"Why, can't I jab my friends for fun?"
"No, not really."
Over time more people come, and in less than an hour.
The escort comes in a rather normal appearance. Greets and us damns the family and friends of the tributes.
I never thought I'd be one of them to be doomed.
Marionette walks up the stage, emotions changing from depressed to maniac, and once she is on stage, she is grinning like a psychopath.
"The male tribute is Haze Wintre!"
Lovely, two siblings…wait a secound.
I grab Haze and push him down, using the momentum to jump on the chair and run on them. Well, running on people's shoulders, not really on chairs.
"Cade Asher," I announce the new male tribute as I land on the stage not-so-gently.
Crack crack crack!
The stage collapses under us, causing screams.
Marionette Wintre
Mari Mari, crazy Mari, going around killing babies.
Mari Mari, crazy Mari, going around killing babies.
Do you like the song? I just made it up.
I'm getting used to the idea of being Reaped, sent into an arena to end people's lives. And I start to like it. How am I ever gonna use my skills of fighting, if I'm not in the Games?
My brother got reaped and then his friend Haze volunteered, and then the stage collapsed.
With collapsed I mean like it cracked and exploded inwardly in large noises.
I was caught surprised, and I enjoyed the rush of adrenaline, but the fall wasn't anything like falling off from the roof of our house, which I've done once.
December, snowing like crazy. I went up the roof, oh by the way, I was nine. So I went up the roof so I could reach for the stars, but then I failed and fell. Luckily I didn't break a bone, since I fell on snow.
No one's hurt, and looks like only I screamed. The whole thing wasn't anything so major if I think about it. The stage was only about three feet tall. Even falling on your back you wouldn't get damaged.
Cade helps me out.
"What happened?"
"The obvious." I look at him, knowing it was him who did it.
Hanna reaches earth and started yelling at people, mostly the workers who are not here yet. Then she sent us to the Justice Building.
Cade Asher
Hell yeah! The plan worked perfectly! Well, except the part of Haze getting reaped and I volunteering for him. Which sucks.
Then again, there is Marionette, who is pretty badass, besides the fact that she is not good with pranks.
Once she tried to make a minor prank, if I remember right, electrocute the teacher when she grabs the metal door knob, but she ended up shocking herself. She got in big trouble and I bailed her out. Ever since then I always mention it around her.
I believe that we did a good job with the stage. We maximized its capabilities, made the best thing we could do. Now I only hope we will not get in trouble.
"What happened?" I play the innocent part as I help Marionette up.
"The obvious," she says looking seriously into my eye.
After a long time of screaming and yelling, Hanna escorts us to the Justice Building, saying how we have shortened periods to talk to our friends since the prank and all. Lovely.
Marionette Wintre
Well know, to sum the goodbies up, father didn't come which is no surprise. He probably fainted or something.
Then my grandma came. She is delusional, cuckoo, crazy, maybe a bit too insane she got two of her children lost in the games. She talks endless about random things like recipes and childhood memories, videos, the Hunger Games and places with flowers. It all seems random for a sane person, but who says I'm sane?
I'm not kidding when I say that when you are going mad, you start to see the word in a different view. That is, even when talking. I managed to piece together what she was really meant to say before the Peacekeepers dragged her away. She gave me a locket to me that was my mom's.
She was trying to help me.
Anyways, then came Serena and she was pretty depressed, she was sobbing sometimes, but at the end she hugged me and left.
My brother was next, and only one thing was on my mind.
"Haze, I bought you that jacket you wanted, you know, the leather. It is in my room, in my closet. Hope you like it," I say smiling and he just shakes his head.
"You are an idiot. I knew you were in my room, and I knew you will buy that jacket. Thanks. But that is not the thing! Damn it, you are reaped! And there is a chance I won't see you."
"But there is a chance that you will."
"Let's go with the first one. Sorry I was annoying you at times."
"I'm sorry that I was making you go crazy." He hugs me. Oh, when was the last time he hugged me? I don't know, a very long time for sure. I can't help it, I start to cry.
Cry to my older brother.
Cade Asher
Out of the whole Reaping day, I hate the goodbies the most. I just hate them, without reason. Well, maybe since you see your friends all depressed, and that is the last image you'll have when you go the games. Your friends crumpled and depressed.
I imagine mom coming in, crying her eyes out, but she doesn't. She and dad are away, and just as I thought in the morning, they won't be here to say their goodbies.
Instead Haze comes in, and does the obvious, thanks me to volunteer him.
One ought to think about his choices, volunteering. Maybe he had a better chance of volunteering than me.
"Why did you volunteer for me?" He demands an answer, a bit angered.
"The obvious," I use Marionette's answer.
"Idiot. If you let me, less people would be in the games. Ah, stupid." He flicks my forehead.
Typical of him. Just looking at the big picture, not the individuals.
He spends the rest just talking about the Games, all the tricks and traps, and the allies, mostly allies.
Now that I think of it. Where's Dan?
Dan West, my other little notorious person. He was the more evil one, the one who actually makes thing dangerous. He was the fun one. His dark eyes always filled with excitement, and his brain always working. He usually just scratches his head while thinking.
Why isn't he here?
Oh hell! I remember know, he got an accident. Shit!
He got into a car accident and he's in a pretty bad situation…Jesus…
What will happen now? In the Games, where even he'll be used?