Chapter Two
The Reaping for the 100th Hunger Games.
Meeting up at a lamp post on the street were we first met, Hawk, Isra and I head towards the square were the Peacemakers, the Mayor and the District 5 Capitol escort will select the tribute for the 27th Hunger Games. As we are a touch late (thank you Hawk, I do not possibly know why you took 27 and a half minutes to put on clean pants and shirt). Luckily we make it on time, and Isra splits apart from Hawk and I to stand outside the roped off area. Standing in the square next to a bunch of other children, Isra watches on as Hawk and I prepare for the Reaping. The Reaping for the Hunger Games. What are the Hunger Games, you ask? Well, they go like this….
There are 12 Districts, not counting our leaders, the Capitol; all must participate in a game named the Hunger Games. The Games are annual and this is the 27th year that they have done the Games. So, 1 girl and 1 boy from each district are 'reaped', and taken to the Capitol. There they ride in chariots to greet the Capitol residents, do some days of training then perform for the Gamemakers, the, well, game-makers. Then all the 'tributes' have interviews with Julius Olm, the host, then are cast into a vast arena that could hold anything from a boiling desert, to a humid jungle, to a freezing ice cap. There they are made to fight to the death until one victor survives. They have a life of luxury back in there district and their District receives gifts such as sugar, grain and meat all year round. I'm hoping Hawk and I won't be reaped, because then what would we do? So our Mayor, Mayor Smith opens the reaping ceremony, and I think about my first reaping, the one that was several weeks after Isra and I were captured by Hawk's gang.
I still didn't trust Hawk, not fully, even after he betrayed his friends to let us go from the clutches of his former gang. Isra and I had been avoiding everyone else in District 5 and him, until we were forced to go to the annual reaping for the Hunger Games. I knew my name would not be picked, it had only been in there once, and I was right. Isra stood outside the roped of areas and I inside as we waited then for the two names to be called out. Those names were Julia James and Scratch Rowley. Some random girl and one of our captors walked up to the stage and shook hands. I spotted the other members and Hawk in the crowd, all of which looked solemn. That year was particularly dreadful, with the most brutal boy from District 4 killing 11 people and winning the games, plus the Gamemakers cast the tributes into a barren wasteland with no trees or water. Scratch was killed in the bloodbath, and I think his sister Beak committed suicide over it. It was after those games that Hawk approached me and finally helped me to trust him. You see, he taught me how to fight. I think he decided that the way to gain my trust was to teach me something that I needed, and he thought we would bond over it. So he approached me and asked me whether I wanted to learn to fight. I concealed Isra near our home and agreed. So we spent many hours together, with him teaching me how to fight. I learnt how to use ninja stars, knives and whips that we stole using my skills. Hawk also had the idea of using my long hair as a weapon and not as a hindrance, so we attached a ninja star to it. That worked well, and Hawk and I fought off the remainders of his gang together. They may have been older and stronger than me, but we defeated them, though payed for it with numerous injuries. Luckily Isra learned a lot of first aid from our mother, and she fixed us up. After that fight I fully trusted Hawk, and we became firm mates.
"And now we have the list of past District 5 Victors… Sirena Amara, Lachlan Burts, Achan Mace, Khalia Nixon, the victor who will be the female tribute's mentor, Nelia Quin, Neal Quin, Jonathon Kindred, the victor that will be the male tribute's mentor….." it seems like he drone on forever, but soon it is our escort Cosima Jem (a women with bright blue hair, lime nails, magenta eyeliner and a highlighter orange full length gown on) is prepared to pick the name. "Only 24 children will have the honour of representing their districts as always, and I'll pick the two from District 5 immediately!" she places her hand into the single glass bowl, and pulls out a slip with the poor person's name on it. I turn to Hawk, smile reassuringly then almost faint when I hear the name she says. "Nyx Breeze!" Oh no.
I turn and see Hawk near me, and he has panic in his eyes. "Nyx!" Oh no. I know what the fool is going to do. He's going to volunteer as the male tribute. I shake my head and signal to him, and then stride up to the stage. Cosima Jem welcomes me and asks for any volunteers. "Tom Ayx!" I frantically signal Hawk not too volunteer, then I have an idea. I mouth first and he knows I am thinking about when we first met:
"Well, your sister seems like a little abandoner, what is her name?"
"Isra and I told her to run. No use both of us dying."
He nods and Cosima closes the reaping, ending with a very perky "And may the odds be ever in your favour!" (Well, it's easy for her to say, she isn't going into a fight to the death). I am escorted by Peacekeepers to the Justice Building and they lead me to a small room where many hundreds of tributes have said their goodbyes. I fiddle with the velvet lace on the edge of a cushion, intent on destroying it to keep myself calm. Soon Isra is lead in, and she collapses into my arms. We sit in silence for a minute or so, her sobbing and me trying hard not to. After a while Isra has recovered enough to talk. "Nyx! Why do they have to do this? Why do you have to go?" I hug her tightly and sigh. "You know why. Because of the Dark Days…" She frowns and glares at me. "I know all about that, but why you?! It's not fair! Now no one will fight off Hawk's old gang!" Her sadness turns to fear at the thought of Claw, Eagle, Talon, Wing and Owl. "It's okay. Hawk will look after you." She sobs and yelps as the Peacekeepers come to collect her. "Please try to come home!" she cries. "I will! For you!" I yell after her, and I sit quietly waiting for my next visitor. Hawk. He walks into the room, and sits down next to me, obviously trying to control himself. "You'll look after Isra, won't you? They can't get her." He sighs and looks at me, hard. "I will. Oh Nyx, why didn't you want me to volunteer with you?" I look away. "Hawk…. I guess I didn't want you to suffer like I will, and you can protect Isra the best."
"But-"
"But nothing. You have to look after her. And look after yourself."
"Nyx! Promise me that you'll make it back. Please."
"You promise me that nothing will happen to you or Isra, hey?"
"Of course. But it's not that hard to protect myself if I'm not in the Hunger Games. It's you I'll be worrying about."
"Okay." We talk for a little longer, him teaching me a new fighting move and me commanding him on where to stay the night to keep Isra safe. When the Peacekeepers come to take him away, I hand him a small envelope. It has 6 words on it: 'Read this when I am dead.'