Today is Victor's Birthday…
Today is the big day. It's the day when, after the eliminations, the 11 year olds will watch last year's Hunger Games to celebrate their maturity and the beginning of the new class. Victor has decided that it's worth it to have to sit in a desk for even longer in the day if he can watch the Games all the way through at last. It's also the day when each of the remaining 20 eleven year olds will state the weapon that they will use. He's excited to step onto the podium and show everyone that he was strong enough to make it this far. He steps into the hot shower. It feels good on his muscles, sore from handling the heavy swords. Over the curtain he hears the familiar taunting voice of Jasper. "Hey Lover, are you and the lady still going steady?" Oh, if only that horrid boy could be eliminated once and for all! But Victor concentrates on the sound of water running and pretends he can't hear him. Nothing is going to ruin this day. He turns off the water and wraps himself in a towel and then goes to put on his outfit. All the children wear the same thing, navy blue pants with a stripe on the side, showing which year they are in. Victor's stripe is brown. Then they have a tight-fitting short-sleeved black t-shirt and all black running shoes. Victor likes the outfit. It's comfortable. He tugs on his shoes (they're slip on, which is good because Victor is secretly very bad at tying shoes.) The gymnasium is once again filling up with all the parents. "Hi Victor!" Oh no. He wishes he could disappear as Pearl and her dad walk right over to him. He suddenly becomes very conscious of the black stains on the man's face and the dirt beneath his fingernails. The dirty fingernails rest on Pearl's shoulder.
"Victor, Pearl has been telling me so much about you! I understand that you're rather good with swords." Victor nods. The man seems nice enough. Besides, he hugs Pearl and laughs with her, so he can't be that bad. "Well, I'm just so happy my Pearl has a friend like you." Pearl and her dad beam at him before the man heads over to the bleachers. Pearl follows, chatting excitedly about the day's activities. Victor is very excited too. It feels like the ceremony is just for him, even if it's just coincidence that he was born on Reaping Day, which also is Elimination Day. Suddenly, he feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns around, a wave of happiness going through him. He sees the familiar honey-blonde hair and blue-green eyes. Ruby. He hasn't talked to her in such a long time. But she doesn't want to laugh and joke with him. Her eyes look like what Victor can only describe as cold. "I saw you talking to those dirty mining people. I know that little girl is your friend." Victor stares at the ground. Why won't anyone in his family just let them be friends? He thought of all people, Ruby, his favorite person in the whole world, would understand. "Don't you ever pair up with her. She's going to be eliminated soon. Miner's kids never get far. She's not well trained and she's…she's just dirty!" Ruby spits out. Then, seeing the look on Victor's face, she softens her look so she almost looks like the Old Ruby. "What I'm saying is, it would be better for everyone if you paired up with a nice, strong boy in your group." She pats his shoulder. "Train hard, Victor." And with that, she's gone.
As Shimmer Angora, who Victor has finally placed as the cheery lady from his first day, steps onto the podium he tries to forget the exchange. Well, he isn't going to be talking to her in a long time anyway. She's 15 and she has to train hard to avoid being eliminated. Victor shuffles impatiently as the 9 year olds begin. Emory is among them. Maybe he will have to go home. That would be good. Then Victor could bring his family glory, not that little brat. But of course, he isn't. He's staying for another year. Victor lets out a sigh. Maybe next year. Finally, it's time for the 11 year olds. A few names are called, more children in his group who weren't very good at anything. Here is where it gets interesting. One by one, the children go up and choose a weapon. Victor goes up too. He's proud to see his name on the list later.
Champagne Lucian- throwing knives
Mercury Calvert- spears
Flint Locke-daggers
Cornelia Beryl-spiked whips
Onyx Fitch-swords
Jasper Pinot-swords
Jewelia Vesperi- throwing knives
Pearl Harrison-throwing small axes
Victor Sybil-swords
Luster Flavian-machetes
Flint Colvin-crossbow
Gloss Terrence-spears
Luxor Williams-daggers
Virdinia Hart- blow darts
Carenelia Dumont-archery
Jett Tillman-throwing knives
Aloysius Emmerdean-spears
Silk Demmer-crossbow
Perseus Avery- machetes
Cashmerete Shine-daggers
It's right there, under Pearl's now! He glows with excitement and pride as the children file into an empty classroom. They will spend the next two hours in here, watching all the footage they can on last year's Games. Victor knows that the boy from his district won, so he's glad that he won't have to watch people lose. He moves to sit in one of the desks, in the front row facing a screen. Pearl sits next to him, but he's fine with that. No one who really matters can see them. The screen lights up "The 58th Annual Hunger Games." The classroom is filled with excited whispers. "This is so cool." Victor whispers to Pearl. But Pearl just shrugs. "I'm not sure if I really want to watch this. All the kids dying and all that. Some of them are just a year older than us." Victor shakes his head. Oh, this is unbelievable. They're watching this for strategy! And besides, it's a Game and the winners get super rich and are heroes. A tiny voice in the back of his head whispers maybe Pearl isn't victor material. Maybe you shouldn't be her friend. Victor snaps himself out of it. Pearl will get excited about it, once she gets caught up in the Games. It'll be fine. He sits back to watch the Chariot Parade. It's hopelessly boring. It's just a bunch of kids dressed in costumes. Mrs. Angora is showing them the way the District 1 pair is blowing kisses. "See how they're smiling, but its natural? They look calm, like they're comfortable with the audience, right class?" Victor slumps in his seat. How stupid. But he's surprised to find that the girl from District 3 is just a little older than him, maybe. She's the smallest one there. Victor racks his brain trying to find out what they do in District 3. Oh that's right, it's Technology. What a useless thing for the arena. Next are the training scores. Victor, being 11 years old, knows all about that system. It's based on a score of 1-12. The girl from 1, Vibia, gets a 9. Victor hopes his score will be that high one day.
The boy got a 10! Victor finds himself clapping. The rest of the class joins in. He feels a surge of pride in his district. The other scores are predictable. The kids from 2 and 4 get high ones. "Those are our allies class. They are powerful and very helpful. You should never hesitate to team up with them." Victor almost groans at Mrs. Angora's voice. They know that! It's not like they're idiots or anything. But his attention is drawn back to the screen. The girl from 5 has somehow gotten an 8, the same score as two of the Careers. Victor shoots his hand up and Mrs. Angora pauses the show. "Yes, Victor?"
"I thought the outer kids were weak, especially the small ones. How come a small kid from the outer districts got the same score as a Career?" He asks.
"Well, sometimes those from outer districts do get a high score, even the small ones. The Careers will sometimes take those with unusually high scores into their pack, because they can help. But they are soon…eliminated." Victor nods, but as the Interviews come on, he can't really pay attention to Mrs. Angora's excited lesson on poise. He sees the girl's interview and finds out that her name is Astatine, and she likes to be called Asti. She has a little brother at home who is very sick. She wants the money when she wins so she can get him medicine. And she loves him very much. Now he can't stop thinking about that word Mrs. Angora said. Eliminated? Does someone just go into the arena and tell the girl that she has to go home with no glory, like at the Training Center? He thought they all had to die before you became the winner. But then he feels another small thought in the back of head. In the way back of his brain, deep down inside, he doesn't want Asti to die. Then her brother can die to. And he would die for no reason. Asti will die so the two from 1 can win, but that boy will have no reason to die. And that means he wants Asti to make it home. Snap out of it Victor! She can't win because your home needs the glory, not hers. She's just a savage district kid. She won't win. That girl is just too weak. She needs to be….eliminated.
Finally, it's time for the Games. All the kids are lined up on raised circles looking at a structure filled with weapons. Victor remembers that it's called the Cornucopia. They are in the strangest landscape he's ever seen. Yellow powdery stuff, sand he remembers it's called, surrounds them as far as Victor can see. A muddy looking river snakes between three huge triangle buildings. What an odd shape for buildings! "It's a desert!" Virdinia shouts out. Victor sighs. Virdinia is a bit of a know-it-all. But yes, it's a desert. The sand slows everyone down as they run for weapons. Suddenly, the room erupts in cheers, likely started by Jasper. All the boys and some of the girls are chanting for the District 1 pair. Victor finds himself joining them. This is way better than movies! But some of the girls are staring at the screen looking like they're going to be sick. Pearl is one of them. Even Victor has to admit that it's a little gross. The sand is covered in blood, and even skin! He vaguely hears Cashmerete leaving the room. Probably running to the bathroom. By the time she gets back, forced in by some instructors, the screen shows nightfall and half the kids are dead. The next few days are the same. Some kids die from heat stroke or thirst, and some die from bites of some strange insect. Two kids, the pair from 7, die in a booby trapped room in one of the triangle buildings. The girl from 1 dies of a snakebite. It was pretty gross. Finally, there are only three left, the boy from 2, Emory, the boy from 1 (Victor will never hear the end of that) and…Asti. She's made it this far by hiding out in one of the few un-booby trapped rooms in a building. She was really quick and smart, escaping from the ones in the hallway. She goes out to hunt little rabbits and things at night, when Mrs. Angora says its cooler. She has a wicked aim with a bow and arrow. But it's not good enough. Emory and the other boy jump her, and slit her throat. At least it was fast. The ending battle is fast too. While the boy from 2 is killing Asti, Emory drives his machete into his back. The children get up to leave the room. Suddenly, Victor turns around and notices Pearl. She sits, staring at the blank screen, a single tear going down her face. Pearl, whose first words to Victor were that crying was weak, Pearl who is the strongest person Victor knows, is crying.