Codie Wilya, District 9
My everyday life is always the same. Nothing special. You could say, I have no colour in my life, but that's okay. It is better than having a horrible life or anything. Besides, when I need some action, I just go and visit Liam.
He is like my brother, since I'm an only child. He is the odd one out from his family. His parents and brothers are calm and normal, compared to him. Liam is reckless, jumping into action without thinking of consequences. Once he almost lost his right hand because he forgot that the device was on.
Though, we somehow fit into each other's life. He is the action, and I am the thinker. He urges me to be more risk taking, I beg him to think once in a while without getting knee deep in trouble.
Like that one time when he got lost in the factory…He found something shiny and went to get it, totally ignoring the group. I noticed his absence, and I was the one finding him. No need to tell that he got in big trouble.
He sometimes invites himself over. Those are the fun times. My mom cooking for three, randomly a fourth person appears. My dad bought tickets for three for the movies, a fourth one appears. We are cleaning the house, he comes in and leaves.
If he wouldn't be around, I'd die of boredness, not kidding.
And now I am following him around.
"So why am I following you around?"
"I don't know. You don't want me to get in trouble?"
"You are the trouble."
"True. So I heard the Mr. Durel sleeps with a pig. I just want to be sure…"
If it is a pig, I'm good, but if it is a boar…
Liam is sometimes…not telling everything. Or generalizing some things. Like once, he told me he found a canine. Turns out it was a rabid Chihuahua. Or that one time he said he found a reptile, it was an adorable gecko. Okay, the last one wasn't bad, but if you have a friend like Liam, it's like having ten enemies that want to help you.
Not fun.
"Look look!" He whispers loudly as he watches the door of Mr. Durel's house. "Watch closely…"
"Go on Mr. Fatty!" He says cheerfully as he lets the pig out. Okay, it was a pig.
There is something weird about Durel. He is fat, all kind looking and all that…like a stereotypical insane men craving for young children's meat.
"Bye bye fatass," he says, more like murmurs and shoots the pig down.
Holy shit! He fucking shot the pig down!
I grabbed Liam and ran like hell.
That bastard! I knew he is an evil sack of maggots!
And I started my sailor talk, barnacles!
Aah shit…
If he saw us, he will come after us.
Let's just hope he is really fat, not just faking it.
"Dude dude, why are we running?"
"He killed a pig."
"Yeah, a pig. Animal, food? You know, we eat pigs?" He asks with sarcasm.
"Some do, but some, because of their culture, cannot eat pigs."
"Oh whatever."
"No, not whatever. If he saw us, he is likely to hunt us down too!"
"Codie, calm down, we are in District 9 you know, we make the food more edible that is sent from 10 and 11."
"I know, but killing the animals is done in 10, and not here."
"Oh whatever, stop worrying that much."
"When I am inside four walls, I will stop worrying. But promise me something, keep this a secret."
"Whatever you say Codie."
"Promise it."
"I promise."
Well we went home, trying to forget the whole piglet thing, but one that was seen cannot be unseen. Except when you die or get a horrible concussion, but I wouldn't risk it.
In my room, I was drawing some landscapes, something I'm actually good at, and Liam was singing and dancing for fun.
"Sugar and spice and everything nice wasn't made for only girls. GI Joe in a panty hose is making way to the one and only… King for a day princess by dawn! King for a day in a leather thong!" He was actually a good singer, and pretty much careless, since he sings like in public, and no, he is not gay despite what I thought the first time. He is just…Liam.
"Do you even know how GI Joe is, you nimrod?"
"Some guy in the past…" he says, not stopping his dancing.
"Sing something else than?"
"Well I've got a fever, a non-believer, I'm in a state of grace," he sings to me, making faces, "for I am the Caesar, I'm gonna seize the day! Well call up the bashee, hey hey, hey hey hey hey hey!"
"Oh Liam, you dunce."
Liana Black
I hate this District.
I hate this town.
I hate this school.
No one in the District has school today, no one, but us.
Our principle said that since the Reapings are after school, we can still have school because knowledge is power.
I'll show her power when I shove her ruler up her ass.
Stupid principle.
And guess what? We are writing a test today. It is about past Hunger Games, which I am home at.
Who were the winners of the past five Games and in what District were they from? Easy.
99th Hunger Games was won by Armando Ire, from District 3.
98th Games was won by Emaralda Glytter from the first District.
97th Games was won by Inda Greene from 11.
96th Games was won by Titus from District 7.
And 95th Games was won by Penny Pin from District 9.
Who won the first three Quarter Quells?
The first was one by Sebastian Phantompine.
The secound was won by Haymitch Abernathy.
The third one was won by the Everdeen girl, Peeta Boy, Finnick, and some others.
This was easier than I thought. The sad thing is that some people don't even know these kinds of easy trivia questions. Just memories the winners. Not that hard.
I decide to pass notes with Sealia, my best friend. One of my best friends. The other one is Alima, but she is sick, with some epic one day sickness. Knowing her, she is faking it, that lucky boob.
The test was flipping easy.
Tell me about it.
I bet you cheated.
Sealia looks at me with a cocked eyebrow.
"Me?" she mouths as she acts all dramatic.
"Yes you," I nod and whisper back at her.
"Ms. Black, is there something you want to share?" Our teacher ask me.
"Yes, yes there is," I say and stand up. "This test is full of obvious answers that do not require much thinking but memorizing."
"And why were you talking to Ms. Fei?"
"She was finished too, and actually it was not talking, more like a whisper of two words. She was finished too, and we did not disturb anyone...I hope. But if we did, well, that is life. Suck it up."
"Ms. Black, language please."
"Like people do not use worse at school. I can name at least four people right now that are thinking these kinds of things at this moment."
The bell rings.
"Turn in your papers class, you are dismissed, no homework."
Like finally after school.
Before the Reapings, we decide to have some girl time, you know, going to malls, manicure, pedicure, checking guys out, pumping some iron, watching guys pumping iron, train, beat up people, the usual.
There is a thing going around here. If you are born rich, you stay rich, and that my friend, is true.
Not like we are rich, but we can afford to go to the movies any time we want to.
I wonder what unlucky kid will go to the Games. I always wonder about that and make sure that if I dislike them, record their suffering.
That is one thing no one understands. Why am I so mean all the time?
Well, my first few years of elementary school, where the social time of a child is most important, was fucked up. No one believed me that I'd end up like this, but guess what? I did. So we moved away, but I am still that sarcastic sadistic bitch, and I like it.
"Oh look at Lania," I hear someone whisper, "She's being all posh again."
We were in a shop, looking for a dress.
"I have ears you know," I answer back, not even bothering to turn around.
"And I care because?" Oh, it is Essi, the class whore.
She is that typical Barbie doll. Small, plastic, and basically community use.
"Because someone might just cut your tongue out."
"As if you would," she says, rolling her eyes.
"Bitch don't push me."
"Ooh I am so scared," she mocks me.
I sigh, and shake my head.
Inside a shop isn't really the best place to pluck her eyes out.
"Well, you better be," I tell her and pinch her neck, more precisely a nerve on her back that paralyzes her for a long time. "Call me when you know how to hold your tongue," I say and proceed to the check out where the girls are waiting for me.
Alia bought a light purple dress with a flower head dress, and Sealia bought a pair of white high heels.
"Sup girls," I nod at them as I give the white dress to the saleswoman.
"Nothing much, discussing our love interests," Alia says, shrugging.
"I call Conrad and or Antal," I inform them.
You see, I cannot decide between them.
Conrad is the athletic type of a guy, and Antal is the more artistic type. I'm not saying that their personalities do not bleed over the other, but one of more than the other.
Conrad is just a year older than me but I don't care. He is not the tallest, but still pretty tall, with reddish brown hair and dark eyes, he is more like the runner type, with lean body and large amounts of stamina, but he is strong nonetheless. He does cross country, track and field, basketball, used to do wrestling, he does both American and European footballs, and he does cheer too.
Antal is the muse guy. He paints, draws, and writes poems and stories. He has short spiky brown hair with bronze eyes, or bronzish, I just like to call it bronze eyes, and he wears glasses. He usually wears beige pants and a shirt with semi formal pants. He can talk in two languages perfectly, which is quite a thing since learning a language is only allowed in the Capitol, except when it is in the family. He doesn't do sports that much, but he can be seen in the gym lifting weights or on the field playing soccer.
Now because of the girls I cannot stop thinking about them…
Jodi Archer
Well there are ups and downs in life, the dark and the light side to it, everything. Take us for example. We live on the border between District 9 and 10, and not once mom brings home cow milk. Real cow milk, not the shit people buy from shops.
Ha, I remember the first time little Phillip drank cow milk. He spent his whole day on the toilet, poor thing. Cow milk is much more…filled, than the milk from the shop; much more nutrients and fats and all that good stuff.
Having four brothers, and not necessarily the generous ones, I had to learn how to cause pain with minimal force. Also, you know how much girl stuff I have, zero. Or minimal.
Phillip, the youngest one, he was a bundle of surprise. This is his first year of the games, and he is very jumpy. He even shrieks when someone calls him by his full name, a habit I am used to. He is a very quiet person, keeping things to him, but he has a special way of showing his feelings. He seems to be fond of flowers and vegetation, so it is not rare to see vase full of flowers.
Greg and Faranell, our twins, are the fun ones. They look the same, since they are monozygotic, but their personalities…ying and are the exact opposite of each other. Greg is like my mom, kind and caring, mostly generous but likes to be mean for the fun of it. He usually keeps things organized and does all the math things.
Faranell is like my dad, tall, robust, towering above me and Phillip, and then spits on us. He did only once, but I made sure he understood not to do that again. He is fun loving, sometimes overly protective, but also one of the wild ones.
Those two always treat Phillip and I like babies, and sometimes it is quite annoying, but you know, what are brother's for? This is their last Reapings.
Then there is my eldest brother Matt. Last year was his last Reapings, and he was quite revealed it was him, but filled with sorrow when the girl he loved was Reaped. Sad, but he learnt to move on. Since then, or should I say, since the world is round, he was kind of the heartless one. Sorry, not heartless, but he has his emotions under control, total control. He can tell you off with the straightest face that just sends shivers up your spine. He takes virtually everything seriously, but unfortunately for him I know all his tickle spots.
The fun thing about living on the border is that we can go to the farms in 10 without problem and do whatever a citizen there could do.
That is how Amanda and Sorell comes into the picture.
Amanda is a border-liner, the term we made up for people living on borders, and she was my first friend. She is a petite girl with dark dreadlocks and large brown eyes, and with a booming voice. She is a little dark skinned girl with dark hard hair, and a personality that you cannot not like. And then she goes bipolar and screams at people to move away and all that, but she very nice.
Sorell reminds of the sun dried wheat. She is tanned, tall, with hazel eyes and sun dried blonde hair. She is the one always smiling and dancing and or singing. I never saw her crying, well, from sadness, she always cries of laughter. She is very to make laugh…and to tickle. She is ticklish everywhere, even her forehead.
So here I am, with four brothers and two girlfriends. Heh, funny.
Oh well.
Did you ever ride a cow? I bet not.
My mother did that all the time according to her, and she taught me how to do it. It is actually not that fun, but once you are lying on the ground, and a three thousand pound monster is coming at you with at least twenty five miles per hour, it is pretty scary.
I roll sideways and get on all fours and squish myself through the fences into safe place.
"Sorell, next time try not to kill me?" I ask, shaking mud from my arm. Yes, I shake my arm. Problem?
"Sorry, Nessie can be a bit stubborn," She says after Nessie stopped her mad charge.
"Let's get her back to her place," I tell her as I open the gate. We made a large pen where we ride cows; it works for most of the time.
Greg comes out of the cow living place…thing, whatever you call it, shirtless, with mud all over him.
"What happened to you?" I ask him as I sit on the fence. Nessie and Sorell came out of and were next to me.
"You can guess twice."
"Fell in mud?" Sorell asks. It is not hard to notice her crush on my brother. Kind of disgusting, but well… that is her life. At least it is only a fan-girl crush, not a real one, thank god.
"Fell in shit," he says drily. "Dorothy was being a boon and pushed me with her head into a pile of dung," he said, upset.
I couldn't resist my urge to laugh, and as I was laughing, I fell on the ground, but no matter what, I couldn't stop laughing like a madman.
"Not funny," Greg grunts.
"For you it may not be, for me…PHA!" I managed to say before having a laugh attack again.
The next thing I knew was that a warm and solidy something slammed into my face with a horrible smell, I answered with a shriek and stopped laughing.
"What was this?" I demand an answer.
"Haha, you know exactly what that is…" He says, grinning.
"Oh no you didn't…"
"Oh yes I did," he says.
"You better run! I will catch you and make you swim in that shit!" I scream at him, jump over the fence and start chasing him.
That is when I remembered Nessie was there, because she tripped me.
Codie Wilya
Well, Reapings ain't fun. Every kid is one place, packed like sardines, terrified to be reaped.
Our Escort, Scott is a gun nut. He is paranoid, needs to take pills, but if it comes to weapons, he knows more than a Distinct 2 clergy.
He has short brown hair and dark swamp green eyes with little stubble on his face. He wears semi formal black shoes, pants, tucked in short sleeved shirt. He is a tall man, covered in muscles from head to toe.
In a way, I look up to him, I don't know why.
I guess he is everything I want to be when I grow up, well, maybe except the paranoid part.
This year's twist is that the people the tributes know will be used in the Games.
Like being in the Games isn't bad enough.
"The male tribute Codie Wilya!" He says the name that dooms Liam and my family.
Me.
I will be in the Games, with all those people that can snap my neck in seconds.
Not only that, I have my friends to worry about.
Liana Black
"Girls, come on now, we don't want to be late for the Reapings. Who knows what will happen," I warn Alima and Sealia.
"Oh fine," Alima pouts.
Our Escort, Scott, is definitely someone to look at.
Tall, handsome, muscular. That man is charming times ten. Too bad he has some issues with his fears. Oh I'd definitely make out with him if no one would see us, but oh well, that is life.
He calls up Codie Wilya, some lanky kid working on farms. Nah, he won't last much.
"The female tribute is Eleonor Hanzel!"
Her name is vaguely familiar to me…she is twelve and…Oh my, she is Alima's sister!
"I volunteer!" I echo.
Wait, echo? I don't echo…
There is another girl, standing up.
First who verbally volunteers, goes first. First who physically appear on the stage will go.
Oh it's on.
Jodie Archer
"I volunteer!" Someone yells with me.
Without thinking, my legs started to run up to the stage.
Like win, I screamed my name into the microphone, but the girl did the same thing.
We said our names at the same time.
Now what?
We both stare at Scott who was reading the book.
"According to this…since you volunteered at the same time, both of you will go to the Games."
Great.
Codie Wilya
Shiver me timbers! I don't think that ever happened. Two girls almost got into a fight on who would volunteer for the little girl. That is kind and all, but who wants to be in the Games, with me as a partner?
Now that I think about it…I don't have many usable skills in for fighting, besides running and climbing.
Me mom and dad come in rushing.
Both were crying, surprisingly.
Mother gave me a leather bracelet as my token.
Father tried to talk about the Games, chances and opportunities, and the major things about killing an animal and making it more edible.
After them, Liam comes in, in tears too.
"What will I do without you?" He asks, smiling.
"First we should figure out how you will come back from the Arena, and then we can talk about that, aye?"
"Aye."
Liana Black
"You just had to volunteer, no?" I snap at what's-her-face.
"Oh I'm sorry I don't let a little girl die."
"Well why didn't you sit down?"
"I'd be in the Games either way dumbass."
"Lock your lips peasant!" I scowl at her, and she slaps me. "Bitch!" I grab her and head-butt her.
Two Peacekeepers rush in and separate us.
"You better separate us! I'll kill that bitch!" One of them stabs me with a syringe.
Slowly, I start to feel better, calmer.
Did that ass just drug me?
Oh look, everything is all hazy…
The Peacekeepers leave and Alima storms in and picks me up in a huge hug.
"I don't know what to say," she says and puts me down. "Thank you very, very much."
After her, mom and dad came, but I can't really remember what happened, and then came Sorealla, or whatever her name is.
I can't even remember how I got here, or why am I at the train station…wait, what?
Jodi Archer
I was lucky the Peacekeepers came in and got her off of me. I don't know what she would've done with me.
It is bad enough we have to share the goodbyes with each other, but she looked drugged, so no further bad things happened.
My two girls came in hugging each other, filled with tears. After them came Matt, looking expressionless, and please don't blame me when I say, but for the first time, it irritated me. He put his hands on my shoulders, sighed, and pulled me into a hug.
"Expect the worst and hope the best. Remember the cow ridings. Keep in mind the weak spots of humans. Eyes, nose, Adam's Apple, solar plexus, crotch, back of the knee…make them die slowly, painfully…like salt on open wounds, make them beg…" he whispered and started to hold me stronger and stronger.
Ah, so he started to kill his emotions so he will not go psycho on us.
Still, a tiny bit scary.
After him the twins, Faranell and Greg, looking exactly a like.
"You still reek," I say.
"No I don't!" One of them shrieks, that is Greg.
The three of us talked for a long time, but still too short, and after them, my parents.
My dad was yelling all over me of volunteering, and then not letting the other girl volunteer for her and all that.
So much for good goodbyes, but then he broke down.
Lovely. Just lovely, District 9 where two girls fought of who to go to the Games.