I know I haven't updated this in a while. Any nice people out there? No? Oh well. I don't own tHG.
I hurry home, grocery bags clutched in my hand. The market is three blocks away from my house, but we live in the slums of district 1, and you could say that I'm very cautious.
Others say things like wimp, mama's boy, scaredy-cat, teacher's pet, and worse.
Whatever.
They're not poor.
They don't live in a place where there's three rooms, total.
They don't have to take care of their sick mothers.
When I get home, I dump the two bags of groceries on the table, the food for the week. It's lucky I just turned thirteen, so now I'm allowed to work after school.
I quickly throw some vegetables and whatever junk you need for broth and put it on the fire. My mother is in the living/dining room/kitchen where we keep the tiny TV. Somehow, she looks even frailer and skinnier than when I left forty-five minutes ago. Her mouth is gaping in shock. When she sees me, she beckons to me.
"Copper, listen to this!"
A district 4 guy is talking, sounding important, but I notice that he stumbles over the words 'annual' and 'hunger.'
"- to hold an annual Hunger Games! One boy and girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen will be chosen at random from each district, called tributes. An eligible girl may volunteer after another girl has been chosen, as is for the boys. There will be one slip for the twelve-year-olds, two for thirteen-year-olds, and so on. You may sign up for tesserae, which will allow you enough grain for one person. Each time you ask for grain for one person, you will put your name in one more time. Tributes will be taken to the Capitol, and for a week, given extensive training on weapons and survival skills. There will be a parade in which they will have costumes representing their districts. Tributes will also have a three minute interview with Jonah Flickerman. Finally, they will all be put in a large arena, where they will fight and learn to survive on live TV. Sponsors will send gifts when they are most needed. And after weeks in the arena, there will be one left. The winner."
My mother tries to stand up and pace, but her knees buckle and she has to sit back down.
"Can you believe this? They took your grandparents for Peacekeepers. They took your father, aunts, and uncles in the rebellion. Now they're going to take our children. I won't let them! I won't!" She starts coughing. I jump up and put a blanket around her. I take the soup off the stove and give it to her. She's breathing erratically. Panic nags at the corners of my mind.
I can't lose my mother.
Can't.
If I get a review, I'll update. Promise. I already have ten chapters prepared.