Hope you guys enjoyed Chanel's group. Here is Iris'.
Do you tear yourself apart to entertain like me?
Do people whisper about you on the train like me?
Saying that you shouldn't waste a pretty face like me?
Katarina Morellee
Reawakened Tribute #8
Iris Group
Where am I? Why am I not in the arena clothes? Did I win?
I blink my eyes, and with every blink the blinding light that is shining on them gets dimmer and dimmer. No, this can't be the Capitol. I have no idea what this machine is that is next to me, but I certainly don't think that it was around when I was in the games.
"Hello Katarina."
I jump, it's not often people catch me by surprise. However, the red head with the freckles certainly caught me off guard.
"Who are you?" I ask.
"My name is Lena. I am the nurse that brought you back to life."
"Brought me back to what? Freckles, what are you talking about?"
The nurse chuckles to herself, and sits down. It was then that I noticed that she's like me. She's playing a game with me right now. Trying to make me squirm, feel uncomfortable. She's mistaken, I invented this game.
"Brought you back to life. You were dead. You lost the games."
The Origins of Monstrosity. I remember how much they advertised that theme that year. Constantly a commercial on every screen in the Capitol. I couldn't walk by a television without seeing one of us on the screens.
"I was clearly robbed." I say as I take a piece of my dark brown hair and began twirling it in my fingers. "Why am I here though? You said back to life?"
The ladies eyes narrow. She is clearly mad that I am not giving her the reaction that she was hoping for. Her face hardens and she glances over at me with a stern expression.
"You were chosen."
She slaps a bracelet, which I think is a watch onto my wrist, she presses a whole bunch of buttons and then looks at me before pressing a giant red button.
"You have no idea what you're in for." she says with a grin.
I lean in close to her face and grin as I am about an inch apart from her.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with." I say.
She presses the big red button on the watch and a swash of colors fills my eyes. Bright blues, yellows, oranges, and pink. I remember now. I see the games, I see the life that I lived before now. I feel my death. I remember my death.
"Ryella and Leila, you bitc-"
10 Years after Reawakening
Katarina Morellee, 10
Iris' Group
District 5 Female
Five in the morning, and it's the usual start up. Wake up, shower, teeth, and then hair. The whole process takes about two hours, and it drives my sister's crazy. However, beauty is as much as you put into it. I will not look ugly in front of my classmates.
A knock at the door startles me from my routine as mom enters the room. She is wearing a white pair of denim pants, and a yellow tank top.
"Mom, don't you know it's after labor day? You aren't supposed to wear white." I say as I turn back to the mirror and continue brushing my hair.
101, 102, 103, 104…
"Katarina, why do you do this tedious routine everyday?" she ask crossing over to my vanity dresser and sitting on top of it. Her face looks a mix of concern and amusement, mostly concern though. She wouldn't understand. Mom is gorgeous.
"We aren't all natural models, mom." I say continuing to brush my hair.
128, 129, 130….
"Trust me, sweetheart, I'm not a model." she says chuckling as she takes the brush out of my hand and leads me back to the bed area of our rooms. You can tell who lives in what part of the room. Ellie lives in the messiest part, Hazel has everything neat and under control, I would like to think mine is the most normal?
"Talk to me." says Mom.
"Mom, I don't look like the other girls. I have dark skin, and dark eyes, but I don't look like you or Hazel. I'm lighter than you, but darker than Ellie. I don't know why I look so different, but it really bothers me." I say.
She takes me and wraps me in a hug. She squeezes me hard, and I let out a small sigh as she squeezes. She laughs, and I laugh. Mom always knows how to make me feel better.
"Katarina, you're beautiful. The only thing the differences in your skin color brings is beauty. You're unique."
An hour later ands he has the rest of the kids ready for the day and heading out the door.
"How do you get ready so early?" ask Ellie with a shocked tone. "I feel like you never sleep!"
I smile. Ellie is sweet, and honestly, a little dim. She's easy to use for what I need so I keep her around. Of course she's my sister, but I am not friends with Hazel at all. There is a difference between people that you live with and family. Ellie is family...she's just my family that I can play with.
"I just want to look my best." I say with a smile.
"I had the dream again." she says.
I look at her. That's a very strange dream to be having. She tells me that it always starts the same. She's running in a forest, when a boy and several other boys appear next to her out of nowhere. She is older than ten years old in the dream, and her foot gets suspended on a trap and she flies upwards. She's hanging from a net when a short girl with blonde curls pulls out a knife and cuts her neck.
Then she wakes up.
"Ellie, I don't want to talk about that right now. It makes me uncomfortable. Plus, I'm seeing Ares today. I don't want worry lines."
She smiles and turns away from me and faces the window. She doesn't really understand my liking of boys. She says that they're icky, and one time she saw Ares walk out of the bathroom, and he didn't wash his hands.
Bad hygiene aside though, Ares is still the one that I want to be with. I can tell that this is going to be forever. I can already imagine our wedding! Red colors everywhere, because I look good in red, and white flowers. It'll be beautiful.
"Time to get out, Kat." says Mom. I realize that I'm the only one sitting in the car. Mom looks confused as I snap back into reality after thinking of Ares.
Everyone is staring at me as they chuckle to themselves along the side of the minivan. I will not have them laughing at me.
I start to feel tears well up in my eyes, but it's not something that I am actually feeling. This is totally just to get them all in trouble cause they're being jerks.
"Mommy," I say with tears rolling down my face. "I told you I was different, and people didn't like me."
Mom looks sympathetically towards me, and then turns to my siblings.
"No TV tonight. You won't be rude to your sister."
That shut them up quick. I unbuckle my seatbelt and hop out of the car. My shoes make a tiny impact on the ground, and I begin walking towards the school. Today was going to be a good day. It was something I could feel in my bones.
"Alright kids, remember to pay attention in Aunt Mack's class review. You do have a test later."
"Yes, Ma'am." we say in unison as we enter the classroom of Aunt Mack.
Some legends are told
Some turn to dust or to gold
But you will remember me
Remember me for centuries
And just one mistake
Is all it will take
Keanu Hargrave
Reawakened Tribute #9
Iris' Group
Air, I need air.
Gasping for breath I barely notice that I'm no longer underwater. How did I manage to get out of Jose's grip? I thought for sure I was done for the minute I felt someone kick me into the pond I was trying to drink from.
"Hello?" I call out.
My throat feels as if someone took sandpaper and started sanding away at it. It hurts to talk, and it is drier than the heat we felt back in District 11. A pretty blonde lady comes into the room and smiles.
"I was hoping you'd wake up soon." she says. "Here, have some water."
She pulls a water bottle out of the fridge and hands me it, and I drink it in 4 big gulps. She hands me another one, and I continue to drink until I've gone through three bottles.
"Wow, you were really thirsty." says the nurse as she sits in the chair across from my bed.
"What happened? Did I win? How did I get away from Jose? I can't remember any-"
"Woah there," says the nurse. "One question at a time."
I frown upon her being dismissive of my questions, and then I look at her. She's really overwhelmed right now. She has bags under her eyes that I could probably lay in they're so large. She looks like she hasn't eaten in two days, and I bet she's annoyed being here.
"I-I-I'm sorry." I say deciding that changing from the aggressive behavior to a scared and worried one would be the best suit in dealing with this. "I just am so confused right now, and I-I don't know what my family thinks. It is the third games, and I killed 4 people. I-I-I feel so bad."
She narrows her eyes and stares at me. "We both know you don't." she says.
I widen my eyes as she takes my wrist, which is already handcuffed to the bed I'm noticing, and puts a watch on it. I try to jerk my arm away, but she just continues to press a lot of buttons on my watch. After a minute I feel like I'm being lifted through the bed. Colors surround me, and everything that has ever happened to me flash before my eyes.
The last thing I see is the doctor staring at my mom telling her "It's a boy" when-
10 Years after Reawakening
Keanu Hargrave, 10
Iris' Group
District 11 Male
This class is so boring. We are watching certain hunger games moment and discussing how these people were able to socially outlast the rest. I appreciate what Aunt Mack is trying to show us, but at the same time it seems a little...well...repetitive.
"This is so boring." I say as I put my head down on the table. Ellie laughs from the next table over and throws a wad of paper at my head.
"Get up, stupid. She's looking." she whispers hard.
I sit up and look around at my table. I sit with Baptiste, who hardly ever talks unless it's with Jayanti, and ironically enough he is also at the table. I have lived with Baptiste for years, and I still don't think I've heard him say more than 10 words total. He's such a quiet guy.
The clip ends, and Aunt Mack walks over to the desk and sits down. She is staring at a class who doesn't really pay attention to her, and I can tell it upsets her. She works hard, and it's not her fault that this is boring.
"I don't see how you don't take my class seriously." says Aunt Mack as she doesn't get up from the desk. "You guys know it's how I won the games right?"
The whole class has slack jaw as the kids are shocked. I never imagined my Aunt Mack being in the Hunger Games, however, now that I think about it..it makes sense. She's such a fun person, not that you have to be fun to be in the games, but people just naturally like her. I can see them trying to save her for last, but her outsmarting them in the end.
"You won the games?" ask Katarina with a skeptical tone. "I don't see it."
"I knew it!" says Jinx proudly.
Another round of chaotic talk fills the classroom and suddenly Aunt Mack is standing on the table.
"I was 18 when I went into the games. Just like all of you will be." she begins. "My training score, which you guys have ranks, was a 2. That's the equivalent of being ranked 25th or 26th for you guys. I wormed my way into a solid alliance, and when the time came for it to break, I managed to be the only one who escaped that career bloodshed. Not only that, but I managed to make my way INTO the career alliance. From there I was able to manipulate them, and work them through the final two, where the girl from 4 and the boy from 1 ended up killing each other, completely forgetting about the little girl from 3."
"I still don't believe it." says Baptiste quietly.
The class turns and looks at him, because they aren't used to hearing his voice, but nonetheless they all agree.
"Fine." says Aunt Mack.
She walks over to the closet in her classroom and digs on the movie shelf. She finds the movie she is looking for, and walks back to the tv and movie player. She presses play, and a flash of pictures, just like the ones we've seen on all the other's play through. At the end of the pictures comes words in big white letters.
Mackenzie's Story.
We saw everything. From Aunt Mack being reaped, from the training sessions, and the form of her alliance. The Capitol called it hopeless, but soon was rooting for the underdogs. They split up in the final 12, and by the final 8 Aunt Mack was in the career alliance. She managed to turn them against each other, one by one. We kept waiting for her to kill someone, but she never did. She just maneuvered through them, and let them do the dirty work. Right down to the final three. It played out exactly how she said.
We all stare with wide eyes. This is crazy.
"Tomorrow we will be playing a team game. This game is supposed to show you how important the art of social strategy is in the games. You will be paired into teams, and from there you will be on your way to winning a special prize."
She had everyone at special prize.
"What is it?!" ask Ellie in excitement.
"It's a get out of a test pass." says Aunt Mack.
We all look at her in awe, and each individually decide that we have to win this game.
"How do we play?"
"You'll see tomorrow." she says with a smile. "Class dismissed, my kids stay here, the rest of you find your parents."
All at once everyone runs out of the room, and only myself, and Aunt Mack's children remain. I walk up to the desk and wait for her to acknowledge me.
"Yes, Keanu. What is it?"
"I just, I want to say thanks for sharing that with us." I say. "I know it's not easy to think about the games you were in. I can see it on your face. I just really want you to know that even though I find this class sometimes boring. I don't think you're boring."
She laughs to herself and pulls me in for a hug.
"I appreciate it kid." she says. "Now run off before your mom gets impatient."
I run out of the room, and stop before I round the corner to the hallway, I hear Honora, Katarina, and Ares talking.
"You can't date him." says Honora.
"Shut up, Honra." says Ares. "We can do whatever we want."
"I'll tell mom what really happened to her sunglasses then." says Honora as she glares at him in anger. "So the choice is yours."
She rounds the corner and sees me listening, and glares at me. "Is there a problem, 11?"
"My name is Keanu. You know we aren't supposed to call people by numbers."
"Ask me if I care, 11?" she says putting her finger to her mouth, and acting like she's thinking. "Oh, that's right. I don't."
She walks down the hallway and enters Aunt Chanel's room.
"God, I hate her." I say.
Well I hope you liked these two. Thoughts on them?
Keep it classy,
Caleb