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District 8 reapings
Leann Elro 37 Victor of the 81st hunger games
20 years later, and it was still the same.
Her against the world.
20 years later, and she was still the only victor district 8 had had since the rebellion.
The only surviving one since the start of the games, 101 years ago.
She had won at 17, tall, muscled, but no where near as physically skilled as the other girl from her district, and one of the boys.
Both joined a career pack, that, with them, was 12 tributes strong.
Both of them managed a 10 in training.
She got an 8. An 8 after a year of work at the training academy. A year and even then she hadn't wanted to go into the games. She had done it on the off chance she would, and it had paid off.
In the bloodbath, the cornucopia was almost immediately surrounded by careers.
She escaped with a small backpack.
18 died at the bloodbath, including the younger boy from her district.
Later, at night, she killed a boy from 10 with a rock, and stole his supplies, which included an axe.
By day 4, she had still only killed once, but there were only 20 of them left, but still 10 careers.
Then she had met Jack and Maria from 9, and allied with them.
How they had together ambushed 4 careers, including both of her district partners, and killed them all.
Her second kill was the boy from her district.
16 tributes were left, and the next day, a pair of careers and a boy from 3 all died, which left 13.
And then, Maria had been killed by the girl from 11, Jack had screamed, and ran after the girl, deserting Leann.
The girl from 11 died later that day. So did Jack.
10 tributes had been left at that point.
The next day, low on food, injured from her fights, Leann ran into a pair of the 4 remaining careers, both injured, but so was she.
But she emerged alive, killing them both, and bringing them into the top 8 and a feast at the cornucopia.
Her, two careers, the other boy from 9, a boy and a girl from 3, a girl from 7, and finally a boy from 12.
She came late, because she wasn't able to walk well on her left leg, by the time she got there, the boy from 9 and the girl from 7 were both dead.
The boy from 12 attacked her, slicing her stomach, stabbing her in the back, but the need to live kept her on her feet, and she killed the boy from 12.
And then finally, the last tribute, the girl from 1.
And Leann killed her as well.
A victory that had left her scarred, thought Leann, and unable to really coach her tributes to victory.
Because she didn't want them to win.
The real blessing would be to die, die at the bloodbath, die quickly.
A quick death. That was the best you could ask for in the games.
And that's what you wanted, you didn't want to win, because winning only led to more deaths, deaths of your tributes. Deaths of your family from the president, because you didn't do what he asked.
It was best to die fast, but when they died, she still felt responsible.
And so she battled, her first years she had tried, desperately, to bring a victor home, and she had come close, three times her tributes had reached the top 2.
Three times they had failed. The year after her victory, the 82nd hunger games, When Adrianna won, one of her tributes had reached the final two.
But he thought Adrianna was dead. And she wasn't. And she killed him.
Then, in back to back years, the 87th and the 88th, she had tributes reach the finale, both had died by the future victors.
And she had stopped caring, stopped trying, started drinking heavily, losing herself, until three years ago, she quit, and hadn't touched a drop since, hoping to propel herself to find another victor. But still district 8's only victor was her.
But this year, she had kept telling herself, this year would be different.
And they were still all the same.
The district 8 mayor stood up, Hari, and made his typical address in his typical tired way.
30 years on the job had tired him out, here he was 60 years old, almost completely bald except for a ring of wild white hair around the back of his head, and nobody had taken the job.
He spoke, about the hunger games, the rebellions, the capital, mixing up names and getting things wrong as he normally did.
She shook her head.
Then the escort took the stage, a new one this year, in a constant parade of escorts for district 8, the only one staying for more then two years was the one who had escorted her.
This one was young, maybe younger than 20, but it was hard to tell with all the makeup.
She strode over to the girls bowl first.
Different mentors did it differently, but girls often chose girls first, and boys often boys.
The first name she called out in her strange, bubbly voice was Carrie Eastwood.
A girl strode out slowly from the 14 year old section, a high forehead, blonde hair that was wavy, floating of around her shoulders, she was dressed in a blindly white dress, with her neck adorned in a golden chain.
She was rich, that was for sure, but money didn't buy you victory in the games.
She walked slowly, in what Leann realized were several inch high high heels, to the stage, and then tripped trying to climb the stairs.
Leann leapt forward and helped her to her feet, trying to brush of the now dirty white dress.
"I can do it myself" said Carrie Eastwood, in a bossy, condescending voice, "I don't need your help."
It was a voice that was used to making people listen.
Leann wanted to reply, fine, get yourself through the games then, but held her tongue, and just nodded her head.
No use starting out on the wrong foot.
The escort shook her head at Carrie, accusingly, Leann hoped it was about her attitude toward her mentor, But she had a feeling it was more like 'Keep you dress clean girl, and learn to walk in those shoes.'
Leann sat back down as he escort moved over to the boys bowl.
"Ryan Ferris" She called out.
Another 14 year old, The boy was small, black hair that was messy and kept falling into his face as he walked, a 12 year old boy leapt forward and tried to pull him back, but the boy shook his head and kept walking, head down, towards the stairs.
He plodded up it and then took his place next to Carrie, not saying a thing.
The escort almost ran towards the girls bowl, hoping, Leann thought, to get a tribute to replace these two before her.
"Lizbeth Joe" she called out
And the 14 year old section parted again.
Leann saw the escort throw her hands up into the sky.
The girl walked out, she had dark hair, and very pale skin, but slightly taller than both Ryan and Carrie, Carrie who had let out a gasp when the girl was reaped.
Maybe there was some history there.
Lizbeth Joe climbed the stairs, and stumbled forward toward Carrie, pulling her into a tight hug.
Friends maybe, though Leann, that wouldn't be good, even with the rule where two tributes could win, friends in the games were not good.
But at least they had an ally.
But three 14 years old, that was not good.
The last name was called out. "Chris Feral."
This one, was, luckily enough, not 14, but two years older, at 16.
Like his last name, This boy looked rather feral, long, messy blonde hair, ripped jeans, a rather dirty white tank top, that showed off a thin, but muscled upper body, on his head was a red Aviators cap.
He took two slow steps forward, looked around as if he was going to run, then shrugged his shoulders and kept walking forward.
Nonchalant, was the word the described him, he didn't care he was dressed in ripped clothes, or wearing a fur hat in almost 60 degree weather.
He reached the stage, and then, on his own accord, shook the hands of each of the tributes, patting Ryan's shoulder, even pulling Lizbeth into a hug, though it looked like they didn't know each other.
The rest of the tributes shook hands, and they were all lead off as the crowd dispersed.
And Leann walked toward the train.
Chris Feral 16 district 8
Nobody.
Nobody was here.
He hadn't expected his parents, after they threw him and his little brother, who like his new district partner, was named Ryan, Hs brother Ryan would be 14 right now as well, if he was still alive.
He and his brother had been thrown out, due to the fact that they were the eldest children, and there were simply too many mouths to feed.
He had been 12 then.
And they had survived, building around them a group of other outcasts, orphans, and street rats.
They had grown together, stealing to life, and then selling the items, after a while, some of them even took jobs, though their primary source of food was theft.
It had been a good 4 years, until they were found.
Found by the peacekeepers.
He had ran, trying to pull Ryan with him, but they had caught him. His little brother may have gotten away, but he had no idea.
There had been 12 of them there.
He and two others, Fen and Christi, had been caught, and held in jail.
Fne and Christi were too be held in jail for a period of 2 years.
But, expecting him to be the leader, the peacekeepers, they had forced him into the games.
Making sure he was to be reaped.
But he didn't know what had happened to the others.
He had seen bodies, at least 4, but he had not determined whether his brother was among them.
And know he would never know.
He could say goodbye of course, during his interview, or even when he was in the games.
But he couldn't be sure whether his brother could even hear.
Fen and Christi, they were alive, them he could say goodbye too, during his interview.
But the others, at the most 5 of them, they still could be out there.
Waiting, Waiting for him, or the others too come back.
Including him. But by now they would know.
He wasn't coming back.
Lizbeth Joe 14 district 8
Everybody was here. Her parents, Her brother Sam, Her friends Fra and Ti.
All here to say goodbye.
And none of them pretended it wasn't goodbye, because what chance did a small, poor, thin 14 year old girl have in the games?
None. None at all.
And the pain was doubled because her best friend, Her best friend in all of district 8, was in the games too.
She had an ally, that much was for sure, but, Carrie didn't have any more experience than she herself did, less even because of how rich Carrie was, she didn't even know how to scrounge for food.
That was one advantage Lizbeth had, she knew how to scrounge for food, except, scrounging for food in a city was very different from scrounging food in nature.
And nature is what district 8 lacked.
Sure some of the richer people had gardens, Carrie for example, had shown Lizbeth her garden, but in secret, without telling her parents, who didn't approve of the poor thin girl who would give influence there rich perfect girl the wrong way.
And that was the only time she had been in nature.
A garden for a few seconds. What chance did she have in surviving in the woods for two weeks?
And the answer, like always was none.
Fra hugged her, Ti said it would be ok, Her brother patted her back, Her parents spoke soothing words, but none of it replaced the reality that she was living.
The reality that she would never see them again. .
And so she smiled and hugged them , telling them it would be ok, but deep down she knew, they all knew.
She wasn't coming back.
Ryan Ferris 14 district 8
He didn't care that they were here.
His family.
8 of them.
His parents, then his 5 siblings.
Simon, the oldest at 18, Kerrs, a year younger then Simon, but just as big as him.
Both of them could have volunteered for him.
Neither of them did.
Then the two girls, 16 year old twins Risel and Rachel.
Both of them were still taller then him, at 14.
Then finally, his only sibling he actually loved, and to be honest, he thought, the only one that actually loved him.
Brince, 12 years old, just under 5 feet.
He would miss Brince, he would miss his parents.
But the rest of his siblings, all they had done was overshadow him.
Simon, he won the wrestling competition at his school.
The day after, Ryan had won the sprinting contest, at 14, up against both Kerrs and Simon, and both of his sisters.
They all went to the same school, but nobody cared.
All they would say was how lucky it was that he won the first event of the day, before everybody was warmed up.
Nobody had cared but Brince, who bragged to all his friends that Ryan was the youngest but the fastest kid in the whole school.
He had been overshadowed all his life by his older siblings, but here was one thing they couldn't beat him at.
He would be famous, Winner of the 101st hunger games.
Then they couldn't overshadow him.
Thats what he would do he thought.
And so he hugged goodbye to Brince and his parents, nodded goodbye to the rest.
But it couldn't be goodbye, he told himself.
It wouldn't be goodbye.
Carrie Eastwood 14 district 8
She wished they didn't come.
Her parents, her two older sisters.
It would just make it harder, harder to say the goodbye they all knew was inevitable.
They all knew she wouldn't be coming back.
In fact, Carrie thought wryly, it was because of how her parents had taken care of her that she had no chance.
She had never wanted anything, food warmth, shelter, clothing, all of it had been provided in abundance.
Which put her at a disadvantage now, because she would need all of those things in the arena.
And she would have to find them herself.
And she knew she wouldn't be able to. She knew that now. Hence why she wasn't coming back.
Sure, she could survive for awhile, run away from the bloodbath, with Lizbeth as her ally, because she was sure they would ally, they could hide, survive for a little.
But it wouldnt last long, they would starve, or die of dehydration, get killed by a fellow tribute, or worse get killed by a mutt.
Or by the gamemakers, a flood, a tornado, a earthquake.
Anything really.
"Carrie" Her sister said.
Carrie looked at her for a second, and then burst into tears.
it wouldn't be goodbye she kept saying.
It wouldn't be goodbye.