Reapings

District Two

Olympia Rush (17) D2F

"Spirit!" I called out. She was hiding somewhere, I knew it, but I just didn't know where. Apparently, she was testing whether I could find opponents in the Games if they were hiding. We had trained together since we were young and sometimes our methods got a little… imaginative. Playing hide-and-seek was definitely one of them.

"Spirit!" I called out again. My house was small but she had still managed to conceal herself well. There had to be something…

Closing my eyes, I let other senses gain power over my sight. There was no sound I heard. Of course, Spirit was a very cautious person. As soon as I was about to give up, my nose picked on the smell of lavenders. Spirit's perfume.

Grinning to myself, I opened my eyes and looked in the direction of the smell. Slowly, I started moving towards the table, next to which there was a closet. On further inspection I saw that the closet was slightly ajar. I opened it, not really expecting to find Spirit there. And she wasn't. So, I sneaked up behind the closet where there was another small table and crouched under it was friend Spirit.

"I got you girl."

"Very well," she said, crawling out from under the table. Without a warning, her fist moved towards me at a really impressive pace. But that was expected. I ducked down and her fist missed my face by a centimetre. Swinging my leg, I hit her in the torso. Breath exploded out of her and I grabbed her arm and forced her down. She kicked me in the shin and then brought her elbow to my jaw. The salty and metallic taste of blood filled my mouth and I spit it out, simultaneously kneeing her in the gut.

It soon turned into a wrestling match.

Neither of us knew who was beating whom now, it was always this way. We'd start training and then suddenly the training would turn into a real fight.

"STOP IT GIRLS!"

Both of us stopped right where we were. It was a good thing that mom decided to interfere because this match wouldn't have ended otherwise. Spirit let out a light laugh, and I couldn't help but join in too.

"You have to volunteer today Olympia! Look at you; you're a mess!"

"I'll clean up mom," I replied, "Don't worry, I wouldn't volunteer without making sure that I look presentable."

Volunteering was not something that the Training Academy had told me to do. That was a place for rich children to go. I was from a lower working class family and each one of us had to work tirelessly to even feed ourselves. Spirit's position was almost the same and so we trained together. At work in the quarries, we used numerous pipes as swords. We raced each other home. We wrestled. We fought. We played. That's how both of us trained ourselves. Sure, we didn't have professional training but this was good enough. At least the two of us had enough muscle, enough strength and enough pride to manage well.

"I know," mom replied with a small smile on her face. She knew I could die and I knew it too. But I had to do it. I had a point to prove.

"Cheer up mom!" I said, "People will soon know you as the mother of a victor! That's an honour, right?"

"Yes it is. But I don't know whether I am ready to let you take such a big risk."

"Mrs. Rush," Spirit spoke up, "Both of us have trained very hard for this day. It's her turn to shine. Please don't worry, she'll win and then mentor me next year."

I smiled gratefully at her and then hugged my mom reassuringly, seeing that she did not really look convinced at Spirit's words.

"Just- just don't make May work, okay?" I requested.

May was my little sister, the sweetest girl in the world who deserved the best. Clavius, my brother, and I worked day and night to make sure that she didn't have to work to earn money. The thought of little May working in the quarry was an unbearable one. I just hoped that nobody would make her work in my absence.

"I won't," mom replied with a smile, "And now go and get ready you two."

With that she gave me a gentle shove and I went to the bathroom. There was no shower and there wasn't enough time for one anyway. Cleaning up the bruises and the dirt, I tied my blond hair in a bun. I had grey-green eyes, tanned skin and was quite muscular for a girl. I liked it.

Rummaging through my closet, I found a silver coloured dress falling to my knees. I didn't like dresses as such but with a sigh, I put it on. It didn't matter anyway. Volunteering was what mattered.

Glory and honour were definitely the reason for this decision. However, I just wanted to prove to the children from lower classes that with determination, they could also pursue their goals. It wasn't important for one to be from the Academy to volunteer. Even they could do so if they wanted to.

And I would do it. Nobody could stop me. Not the chosen volunteer. Not the Academy. Not even myself.

Amaranthine "Amaranth" Carteret (16) D2M

Galatea leaned into my shoulder and smiled. Wrapping my arm around her, I returned it. She was a couple of years elder than me but had trained me during my time in the Academy. Now, she meant a lot to me. She was my best friend. And more.

The Academy was deserted then and I was glad about it. A bit of quiet wouldn't be bad. Not when Galatea was with me.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

I shut my eyes at that. The thought of volunteering made me nervous, very nervous. But I had trained for a decade. I couldn't let my nervousness get in the way.

"Yes, I am," I replied calmly. I usually talked in a calm way and people could not understand sometimes why it was so. I didn't blame them. Not everyone was similar, they had different perspectives. I was fine by it.

"You better be," she said sternly, "I have mentored you. You can't let me down."

Mentoring me was something for which I would be grateful to her always. Had she not been there I wouldn't have been able to do anything. Her presence made me feel strong. Safe. It brought down my nervousness. It felt good to be with someone close. Someone reliable.

Abruptly, she was on her feet. She raised her brow at me and I stood up. We walked to the exit of the academy where I held open the door for her.

"After you," I said with a smile and she returned it after which she walked out. I followed her out onto the street. The people looked quite excited today. Of course, they would be. We had a victor last year in Hermes Tyler.

"This year, it'll be you," Galatea said.

She towered over me. I was pretty short for a boy, only five feet four, and had a much feminine structure, petite and was on a smaller side on all aspects. But I had muscles too and with my hazel eyes and neat black hair, I might not be termed as handsome but definitely as cute in a childish way. It was good enough for me.

Walking back home, I saw that people were getting more excited by the second. Some people waved at me to which I replied with a polite smile. I saw a bunch of children running on the street in a much carefree fashion. They were laughing and talking aloud and it just made me wish that Galatea had not gone on her own way.

"She wouldn't be there with you in the Games," I said softly, looking down at the ground.

But her support will.

"Aahh!"

Looking up I saw one of the boys on the ground. It seemed as if he had hit his head. There was a gash on his forehead and blood was oozing out of it. It was not a pretty sight for me and I cringed. But I had to help him out…

Making my way hastily to him, I knelt beside him and grabbed his shoulders gently. He seemed to be in too much pain… And the blood. The blood.

Forcing myself not to focus on the scarlet fluid, I tried for an easy smile.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Y-yeah. Please. S-stop the blood…"

"Sure."

Tearing off a piece of my shirt, I wrapped it tightly on his forehead. His head was in my lap and I stroked his hair gently.

"I think you need rest. Perhaps I can help you with that? A long rest would be good, maybe?"

His eyes flew open and he stared at me in fear. Thrashing out of my grasp, he pulled himself to his feet and glared at me even as his friends came back looking for him.

"Are you- are you crazy?!" the boy yelled.

I tilted my head to the side and looked up at him in concern. I only wanted to put him out of his pain. Whether a wound was fatal or not, I just couldn't bear to see someone in physical pain. Putting them to eternal rest seemed to be a much kinder thing to do. I was not a fan of killing. I had blood phobia anyway.

"No," I said, "I'm sorry if my behaviour came out to be that way."

Looking fearfully at me, the boys all fled as soon as they could. I sighed.

People thought I was crazy because of this. They just didn't understand. I didn't want to kill them; death was my own worst fear. How could I do that to anyone else? But people just didn't understand. Not their fault though, I had been told my words could scare them.

I needed to change my shirt now. Nobody was home. Of course, my parents were both busy people. They were both involved in the military department and were rarely home. Putting on a navy blue shirt, I headed out. Today was the day to make everyone proud. My efforts would pay off. A decade of training would pay off.

The stroll to the Square was quite easy. Most of the streets were deserted now. I wondered who the female volunteer would be. There were quite a lot of worthy girls in the Academy but competition was tough because the Academy had been unable to choose the perfect volunteer.

I didn't want to get my finger pricked. It was painful. It drew blood. Closing my eyes tightly, I brought forward my finger. There was a sharp stinging in my finger. Slowly opening my eyes, I smiled at the Peacekeeper.

"Thank you," I said and then walked off to my section. The other boys were chatting eagerly among themselves. I saw Galatea among the elder girls and grinned at her. She waved back at me, mouthing the words 'good luck'.

"Hello District Two! Are you all excited to know who will represent you in the Seventy Ninth Annual Hunger Games?!"

"YES!"

It was a deafening sound. The crowd cheered and applauded and whistled. Our escort, Sheena, looked quite pleased with the response.

"Good to know that. And without further ado, let's choose our female tribute!"

The cheers were still loud when she got back to the podium. Flashing a smile at the camera, Sheena read out the name 'Athena Reiss'.

Numerous number of 'I volunteer as tribute!' rang out in the air and I saw seven girls rush towards the stage. They pushed, elbowed and even tripped each other. But then I saw a really pretty girl, who was definitely not from the Academy, run onto the stage in a rather subtle manner. Impressive.

"Wow! A volunteer! What's your name dear?"

The girl held the microphone tightly and said, "I, Olympia Rush, will bring honour and glory to District Two, which it rightfully deserves. I have worked hard to earn this day, and anyone who wishes to gain victory should do as I have; work and believe."

I clapped politely. There was a spark in her and what she said was quite true and beautiful. Just like her.

"And now, for the males! Dallas Pantheons!"

Olympia Rush (17) D2F

"I volunteer as tribute."

The voice was extraordinarily calm and somewhat… sedating. There was something about it that was unnerving and yet extremely soothing at the same time. The boy had not yelled out; he had merely spoken.

I saw a rather short yet cute boy walking out of the sixteen-year-old section with confidence. His eyes had a determination yet a nervousness. I knew he would make a good ally.

"Your name, young man?"

"Amaranthine Carteret," he replied in that calm voice of his.

We shook hands and he smiled very politely me. His etiquettes were too polished. The way he shook my hand, the way he smiled. It was quite charming though…

"District Two, your tributes, Olympia Rush and Amaranthine Carteret!"

I am tired right now so I'll keep it short. Who did you like better? Who is your favourite till now? Any predictions?

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Have a great day!