Intros, Pt. 4:


The District 12 chess club did not stop their routines for frivolous things such as the Reaping. When they called a meeting, everyone went. And today was a very special meeting indeed; they were hosting a big winner-takes-all tournament with a $100 cash prize on the line.

Todd stared down Kohl, his latest opponent. Kohl was well known for being a pretty cocky guy who had the tendency to underestimate his opponents, so how he made it to the finals was beyond Todd. Ah well.

Todd just smiled as the other members of the chess club leaned in and whispered to each other. "Checkmate."

"No way!" Kohl stared down at the chessboard in horror, hands curling into fists that beat against the table. "Damn it! Todd, how are you so good at this?"

"Just practice," Todd said nonchalantly, as if winning chess tournaments was an everyday occasion for him. He collected his winnings and stuffed them into his pocket, trying his hardest not to smile too much.

Todd's younger brother Rodd was waiting for him at the entrance to the chess club hangout. "Hi Todd! Did you win?"

"Of course I did!" Todd ruffled Rodd's hair and sighed with relief. "You and I will finally be eating breakfast today. You can pick where we get to go?"
"Can we get rolls from Mellark's bakery?"

The two brothers made the trek through the merchant side of District 12. They stopped at Mellark's bakery and Todd used some of his hard-earned cash to buy some cinnamon rolls. Watching Rodd bite into the freshly baked pastry that was still warm, Todd just had to smile.

See, this was what made his life worth it. What made winning tournaments at the chess club worth it. Rodd was Todd's entire world and he'd do anything to make the young boy happy. Life could be tough, especially when you were a nerdy orphan in a coal mining district tasked with keeping a 12 year-old brother safe. But Todd would make it work. He'd come too far to give up, after all.

They wandered back home to get ready for the Reaping, still munching on rolls. From his tiny closet, Todd pulled out his chosen outfit: a black and white T-shirt that read "Notre Dame" on it, blue jeans, and his nicest pair of shoes. Maybe that was a bit too casual for the Reaping, but Todd often had bigger fish to fry than worrying about how formal his clothes were.

He then checked on Rodd. "Almost dressed, buddy?"
"Yeah!" Rodd squeaked out, suddenly sounding very nervous. Todd gently eased Rodd into a sitting position on the bed and sat down next to him.

"Hey. It's okay to be worried. But I want you to know that you have nothing to worry about. You have one slip out of thousands, there's no way the odds will be rigged enough for you to get picked. So, chin up! You'll make it through, and then we can go play some more chess after!"

Rodd sniffed. "You're not telling me little lies, are you?"
"Rodd, I'd never lie to you. And if the game is rigged and you do get picked, I promise that I'll volunteer for you. You're my world and I'll do everything to keep you safe."

Rodd began to smile as he hugged his brother one last time. The Reaping would be starting soon and now they finally had to get a move on. Todd saw Rodd off to the 12 year-old section, then made his way over to the 18 year-old section at the front by the stage.

After Mayor Undersee read the Treaty of Treason, the video of remembrance played and a drunken Haymitch Abernathy made his appearance, good old Effie Trinket appeared onstage. "Welcome to the 69th Hunger Games! As we all know, today is a big, big, big day! I shall not waste anymore time!"

She crossed the stage to one of the two large glass bowls filled with slips of the eligible. "How about we start with the ladies first?"

Effie stuck her hand inside and rummaged around until she had picked out a slip of paper she was satisfied with. She opened up the paper and read the name out loud in her clipped Capitol tone. "Beth Esda!"

A few feet away from Todd, a skinny and clearly malnourished girl slowly began to move towards the aisle. Beth had stringy black hair and her skin was very pale. Like Todd, her Seam heritage was obvious in her appearance. She must've been one of the kids from the Community Home; Todd had heard the horrors about the conditions in there and was beyond grateful he and Rodd got to live in their own home.

Beth somberly climbed the stairs to the state, seemingly in a daze. She barely appeared to notice Effie's rambling. "Wonderful to meet you, dear! Now, as is tradition, I'm going to ask for volunteers. Will anyone volunteer for Beth?"

The crowd was quiet. Beth sighed and lowered her head as Effie moved on. "Maybe next time! And now for our lucky gentleman!"

Again, Effie took her sweet time picking out the slip of paper she wanted. She opened it, paused for the dramatic effect, and read out the second name. "Rodney Howard!"

And at once, it was as if Todd's entire world had stopped.

Rodney Howard. That was Rodd. That was his little brother. The one boy he would do anything for. And Rodd was never supposed to have been chosen.

Had the game been rigged from the start?

Todd couldn't ponder that thought for much longer. He knew what he had to do. So he pushed through the crowd, stepped out into the aisle, and raised his hand. "I volunteer as tribute!"

At once, all eyes fell on Todd and everybody stared at him in shock. People began to whisper to each other and even the Peacekeepers appeared dumbfounded. A volunteer? In District 12? That never happened, hadn't happened in decades! Nobody was ever crazy enough to volunteer before! Who was this brave and slightly foolish young man?

The crowd took in the volunteer. He was rather tall, easily towering over 6 feet. He had wavy brown hair, a sharp jawline, and bright blue eyes that darted from side to side with curiosity. He was clearly more capable.

And Effie was certainly impressed. "A volunteer! Tell us your name, dear."
"I am Todd Howard." He refused to let his voice waver and betray the fear he felt. "I'm volunteering for my little brother. I stand a better chance in the Games than he does."

"How courageous!" Effie gushed. "District 12, I present to you your male tribute for the 69th Games: Todd Howard!"

There was a small smattering of polite applause. And then it grew. And grew. And then it felt like the whole district was clapping for him. Todd couldn't help but smile at the attention. The district did believe he stood a chance in the Games, perhaps the best chance they had in a long time. Maybe he could win and come back home.

Maybe he could have the last laugh.


And here is the last Fallout intro! That's right, good old Todd Howard is gonna be a tribute in our Games. It's almost heaven.

Next chapter will have a Reaping recap and a tribute list posted at the end so stay tuned for that!

-Vr