Okay, so don't get mad, but…I forgot what happens in District 6. By that I mean, do they farm? Are the good with electronics? Are they coal miners? I honestly have no idea. So here's what I kind of made up for them…I feel like they should have southern accents, haha. I hope you enjoy it! Please review!
-ArianaWeasly
p.s. I just noticed a huge mistake on my part. This whole time, I've been calling the person who I co-write the story TWINS with KatnissTheGirlWhoWasOnFire19 . Turns out, her username is actually KatnissTheGirlOnFire19. Sorry if I caused you any confusion. I went back and fixed it in my summary, author's note, and profile page though, so it should be good. PM me if you have any questions/comments!
Hesper's POV
-District 6-
I'm in a field, covered in daisies. I run around in the sunshine, grabbing as many as I can. I just feel so…happy here! I could almost fly with all of the joy that's filling me up. I take a running start, and jump into the air…
"OOF!" I grunt as I hit the ground.
I groan and roll onto my back. There are grass stains on the knees of my pajamas. Shoot. Did I sleep walk again? I look around and notice that I'm in the meadow. Again. Ever since I was 10, I've slept walked almost every night. I also come to this meadow almost every time.
Usually though, I sleep walk back home. This is only the 3rd time I've actually woken up in the meadow. It really is pretty though, in the sunshine. I wonder what time it is. After looking around, I slap my forehead. I can use the sun to tell time. After a quick glance at the sun, I realize that it's about 8:00. Wow, with brains like this I would not survive the first night in the Arena.
That reminds me; today is the day of the Reaping. It's also a Quarter Quell this year, which means that the Arena will be extra special. I find myself wishing I could just stay in this meadow forever, and not have to worry about the Reaping. It's just so peaceful and happy here.
I sigh though, knowing that I'll be severely punished if I don't show up to the Reaping. They might even turn me into an Avox! That would fit me well though, with my red hair and all. For some reason, it seems like most Avoxes have red hair. Us tricky redheads, I think to myself with a smile.
With a second sigh, I pick up the daisies that I picked in my sleep. I begin to head home. Even though it's the day of the Reaping, I shouldn't be upset. I think of all the happy things in life, like rainbows, meadows, and bunnies. Those are my three favorite things. I tuck some of the daisies behind my ear and begin to skip home, happily.
The dirt road is long. It's weird how I can make it to the meadow and back in just one night, not to mention I'm doing it while I'm sleeping. It is nice though, I don't have to exercise much during the day since I'm getting so much exercise at night. This thought makes me even happier, and I begin to hum quietly. I finally make it to my house.
"Mama? Dad? I'm home!" I call through the screen door.
Mama runs up to the door and scoops me up into a big hug.
"Thank goodness you're home! Your father and I were worried that you had tried to sneak away before the Reaping! No? Were you sleep walking again?" Mama said all in one breath.
"Relax mama," I said happily, "I was just sleep walking. I went to the meadow again. I brought you back these!"
I hand the daises to mama.
"Thank you!" she says, as she hurries off to put them in a vase.
"Hesper!" My dad says, running into the room. "I'm so glad you're okay!"
"I'm fine dad. Honestly, you and mom shouldn't worry so much. Just be happy!" I reply.
My dad smiled. "How about some breakfast?" he asked.
"That sounds wonderful."
I start to hum again as I grab a broom and sweep the kitchen. There's flour all over the floor. That could only mean one thing…
"Jenny, have you been cooking again?" I holler into the house.
My younger sister Jenny appears in the doorway with a sheepish grin on her face.
"Have you?" I repeat.
Jenny nodded.
"You need to just sit back and let Mama cook sometime!" I scold her.
Jenny is 12, and possibly the worst cook in the world. Even Danny, my 8 year old little brother can cook better than her. I shouldn't be too hard on her though, because this is her first Reaping today.
"Go clean yourself up for the Reaping!" I tell her as I finish up my sweeping.
Jenny scampers away, and Danny comes into the room.
"What's for breakfast?" he whines. "Is it donuts?"
Danny had a donut once, when he was 5. Ever since then, he's whined for a donut at least three times a day. We finally had to explain to him that we don't have enough money for another donut, and that that was a special birthday treat from Auntie Sue. Auntie Sue was kind of rich, and she was always buying treats for us. She died last year though.
However, did that stop Danny's whining? Obviously not.
"No you cannot have a donut, have a waffle!" I say to him, as he sits down at the kitchen table.
My dad finished up making the waffles, and set a large plate in the middle of the table. At least 20 waffles were piled on top of it.
"Come and eat!" he shouted into the house.
Jenny and Mama came in a flash.
"I got some syrup," Mama said, holding up a large jug.
We all cheered and sat down. Each of us got to soak our waffles in syrup before eating them. It was such a treat.
"Yum," I mumbled through a mouthful of waffle.
We all finished our food in record time.
"Okay kids," dad began. "Today is a Reaping day. Both Hesper and Jenny have a couple of names in the Reaping bowl. We just want you guys to know that we love you no matter what, and we'll be cheering you on if you are Reaped. It might be sad, but remember to stay positive. I know that either of you guys could win the Games," my dad finished with a beam.
We all cheered for his speech.
"Now go get ready!" Mama said.
We all raced up the stairs. Danny ran into his room to get ready, and Jenny and I went into our room. As Jenny was pulling on her dress, she spoke up.
"What will you do if you're Reaped? And what about if you are in the Arena? I don't have the guts to kill anybody, and I know you don't either," she whispered.
I went over and hugged Jenny.
"You'll just have to do your best, Jen. If you don't kill anybody, it means that you will die. If you can accept that, like I can, you won't care what happens. Why do you think I'm always so happy? It's because I need to live my life while I can, and make the best of what I have, so when the time comes, I can die without any regrets," I whisper to her.
Jenny gave me a small smile and continued to get ready.
I went over to my closet and pulled out a green dress. It was a little paler than the bright color of my eyes, but it was still green. It was sleeveless, and had a low neckline. There was a ribbon around the waist that was a green slightly darker than the green of the dress. The dress went down to my knees.
I put on a pair of green flats to go with it. My red hair was long, and super curly. After about 10 minutes of brushing, it finally got untangled. I left it down, not wanting it to get snarly again. It was a lot smoother and shinier than usual. Finally, I brushed some powder onto my face, to hide my freckles. I hated my freckles.
"Are you ready?" I asked Jenny.
"Yes," she said in a quivery voice. Clearing her throat, she said "Yes," again, this time in a much stronger voice.
Good, it looks like my speech had some effect on her after all. I'm glad my words aren't useless. I loved writing in fact, especially poems. I was pretty good at poetry too, at least for a girl who had gone to a small school.
Jenny and I headed downstairs, where we met Danny, mama, and dad. They had all gotten ready in at least half the time we had. I decided not to mention this, knowing that it would be met with disparaging remark from mama.
"Ready to go?" My mom asked.
A chorus of scared "Uhuh"s and "Yeah"s answered her.
"All right," she said, clapping her hands, "Let's go!"
We walked outside, and the sun beat down on our necks. The sun, and the fact of how nervous I was made me decide to recite some of my poetry.
"The sun shines brightly down
How could that make you frown?
Why is your face filled with fright,
As the day turns into night?
Are you scared of the promise of light,
As the day turns into night?
In the dark the moon glows in the black,
Are you afraid of the things that might attack?
Are you scared you'll have to pay,
As the night turns into day?
Are you mad at the sun's rays,
As the night turns into day?
Why does the light from space
Cause such anguish on your face?"
"More of your poetry?" I voice next to me said, causing me to jump.
I looked over, and saw my best friend, Adam, walking right next to me.
"When did you get here?!" I asked, surprised.
"What do you mean by 'get here'?" he asked with a laugh. "I saw you walking ahead of me on the road, and I decided to catch up with you. I arrived just in time to hear your poem."
"Oh. Well…was it good?" I asked, blushing.
"Wonderful," he said. I searched his face for any trace of a lie, but it was all open honesty.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Adam said, noticing me staring at his face. "Do I have something stuck in my teeth? Do I look okay?"
"No, you look great," I said.
He did too, his dark brown hair was neater than usual, his face smooth and unmarked, and his brown eyes like pools of dark chocola-
"Hesp, you're staring again," he said, shaking me out of my thoughts. "Are you sure there's nothing in my teeth?"
I blushed again. "No, like I said, you look great. How do I look?"
I twirled around for him a bit, and then stumbled. It was hard to spin while walking.
"How do I look?" I repeated.
"Like a Christmas tree that doesn't know how to spin," Adam replied with a grin.
I laughed, and punched his shoulder. "Come on, how can you joke on a day like today?"
"I'm not joking, see? The dress is the tree, your arms are the branches, your legs are the stump, and your red hair is the ornaments!"
I punched his shoulder as he laughed.
"Besides," he continued in a quiet voice, "How can you be so happy on a day like today?"
"You know me, I'm always happy," I said uneasily.
"Really, how can you?" he asked.
I stopped, and he stopped with me. Staring into his eyes, I said, "I told Jenny this earlier, but I'm going to say it again. I'm happy because I've lived life with no regrets so far. I've been happy every single day of my life, knowing that if I was chosen I would die. There's no way I'd survive the Games if I was Reaped, and you know it. Because of that, I've decided that if the time comes, I'm ready to die."
"Wow," Adam breathed. "Wow…you're much braver than I could ever be."
I smiled and said nothing, as we continued to walk down the dirt road. After all of our playing around and talking, my family had managed to get really far ahead of us. They were now just small specks in the distance. I counted 7 specks; that must mean that Adam's family was up there too.
"Race you to our parents!" I challenged him before running off.
"Hey, you got a head start!" Adam shouted after me, before running himself.
Adam, being all muscly and athletic, caught up to my un-athletic self with ease.
"You run slowly," he said.
"Hey, I'm wearing flats," I said, pointing at my feet.
"We'll never catch up to them with those," he said. "Get on my back."
I gave him a funny look.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" he said with a grin.
"Okay," I said, jumping onto his back, piggyback style.
All of a sudden we were off, Adam sprinting as fast as he could.
"Giddyap!" I shouted, digging my heels into his ribs.
Adam laughed, and sped up even more. He could run so fast it was like riding a real horse. The trees went by in blurs, and the wind blew my hair back. Now that I thought about it, my hair would probably look like a rats nest after this.
We finally caught up to our families, Adam out of breath from the sprint, and me out of breath from laughing so much. They all gave us funny looks, but then resumed their conversation which, ironically, was about horses. Adam and I just walked the rest of the way without speaking.
We finally made it into the suburbs, which were where most people in District 6 lived. The suburbs were right outside the city. We walked past all of the houses, crossed the train tracks, and then got into the city. The sidewalks were crowded with people all heading towards the Justice Building. We joined the crowd, and made our way to the line for finger pricking. This was where our families said goodbye to us, as they left to go stand in their designated spot. Adam and I stood in the line for what seemed like forever. Finally, it was mine turn.
The Peacekeeper roughly grabbed my hand and stabbed it with the needle. I rubbed the blood that was slowly seeping out of it onto a piece of paper. Then I stepped away, and watched Adam get his finger pricked. We both walked quietly, sucking on our fingers.
Finally, I took my finger out of my mouth. I could feel some blood on my lips from it. "Good luck," I said, standing on tiptoe and kissing him on the cheek. The blood on my lips left a mark on his cheek. People around us looked at us kind of funnily. I ignored them; I loved Adam as a brother, not in any other way.
"You too," he said, giving me a sad look.
We hugged, and then walked our separate ways. I stood in the 14 year old girls section, and he in the 14 year old boys section. About half an hour later, the Reaping began. It began with a film. The film itself was boring, but I loved the pictures of the United States ruins. Don't get me wrong, I was sad that the United States had crumbled, but there was just something so…peaceful about the way the land looked. If you didn't look at the rubble, all of the grass and land seemed to go on forever, undisturbed. It looked like freedom.
The video ended with a playing of the Capitol's anthem, and the flash of their seal. After that, our mayor came out and read us the Treaty of Treason. The Treaty of Treason explained about the war and about why we have to Hunger Games. It always bugged me when the mayor read it, because he always said "The United States of America" like it was the most disgusting thing he could imagine.
The mayor walked off the stage and our escort, Julius Grassi, came on to the stage. He looked very weird, as all Capitol people do. The only thing I liked about the Capitol people's style was the colors. The bright colors that they were decked out in looked so cheery, and fun. This year, his skin was sky blue. His suit, wig, and shoes were all matching shades of mint green. I've always wondered why the Capitol people wear wigs; why don't they just dye their hair? One of the many mysteries of life I guess.
"Hello, hello everyone!" He said, greeting us. "This year we have a Quarter Quell!"
A few people groaned quietly at this. Julius ignored them, and pompously took out an envelope. Tugging off the red wax Captiol Seal, he opened up the envelope and took out a letter.
"This year…" he began, as he read the letter. "We'll have only ladies as our tributes!"
Everyone began to whisper, excited and scared by this year's Quarter Quell. As soon as Julius began to walk over to the glass bowl with the girls' names though, everybody was quiet. He mixed around the hundreds of tiny slips, and finally took one out.
I wished with all my might that it wouldn't be me. I knew how to handle it if it was me, I wasn't afraid. I still didn't want to be reaped though.
"Hesper Lisbon!"
It was me.
I smiled, and walked up on to the stage.
"What a happy girl you are!" Julius commented, noticing my smile.
I smiled even bigger in reply.
"Let's get on with the Reaping!" Julius continued. By now he knew better than to ask for volunteers; in the unlikely situation that somebody would volunteer, they would know how to speak up for themselves.
I stared out into the crowd, looking at Adam's face. He had a shocked look on his face. My parents had sad looks on their faces, but they also gave me looks that said you can do this. We both knew I couldn't, but it's always best to give positive reinforcement in these situations. Danny was quietly crying, and when I looked over at Jenny, I saw that she was too. She knew that I was going to die, just as I did.
"Liz Levan!" Julius announced.
I had missed his big show of picking out the second slip of paper. I saw a girl from the 16 year old section come forward on to the stage. She had straight brown hair, and a light blue dress on. She looked terrified.
We shook hands as she arrived on stage. In her eyes I saw even more fear and terror than I had from a distance. Even though I was trying to hide it, there must've been some in my eyes too, for Liz gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. I gave her one back.
"District 6 Quarter Quell Representatives, Hesper Lisbon and Liz Levan!" Julius said.
As I stared out into the crowd, the reality hit me. I was going to die. I had seen this coming, but you don't know how real it is until you're actually standing there, about to die. However, I wasn't too scared to die. I was just scared of how it would happen.
I was almost happy to die. I just wanted to get out of this world that was held up by terror and fear. I wanted to live in a land of freedom, like the United States. I wanted to live in those vast fields they showed in the film. I wanted to die, and go there.
Love it? Hate it? Did you like my poem? I was kind of unsure about whether or not I should use it. Tell me in a review!
-ArianaWeasly