Beyond The Pale
Author's Note: I do not own The Hunger Games
Chapter 1
Horsa Georges, 17, District 10, 4th July A:D:D 4
Looking at the herd of cattle on the plains, I climbed onto my horse, laughing at the sheer absurdity of it all. It's ironic, that my name, Horsa, means horse in an ancient language, and I am riding a horse as I went my business of rounding up the cattle. Living on a ranch also means horse riding every day. Of course, today is the Reaping for the Fourth Hunger Games. District 10 has been quite unlucky in the Games so far, with our highest finish to date being 3rd in the First Hunger Games, with a girl named Anita Bedford. Most of the Tributes from District 10 are either killed, starved or froze to death. Anyway, after I rounded up the cattle into their pens, I entered my house and decided to change into my best clothes, which consists of a light blue shirt, a pair of denim trousers, a pair of black shoes and a set of suspenders, which I slung over the shirt, before putting on a jacket. Looking in the mirror, I smirked. Dark brown hair, brown eyes, lightly tanned skin, freckles. I look like an outdoorsman, I thought to myself as I turned to my twelve-year-old sister, Bessie. "Bess, I'm going to be fine", I told her as we walked to the centre, where I gave the Peacekeepers my name and age, and went to the 17-year-old boys section. Glancing at the stage, I saw our Mayor, standing with our Escort. Since the First Hunger Games, each District has been given an Escort to draw out the names from the Reaping Bowl; my name is in there four times. Bessie, as this is her first year of Reaping, is only in the Girl's Bowl once, so the chances of her being picked is slim. After a speech by the Mayor, about the Dark Days, the failed Rebellion and the Treaty of Treason, it was time for the Reaping. The Escort, who introduced herself as Bluebell, walked over to the Girl's Bowl and drew out a slip. "Barbara Cantwell" She announced as a tall, blonde haired girl with green eyes walked onto the stage from amongst the 15-year-old girls' section. Barbara. The name was familiar to me, and I remembered that she was a milkmaid who I often have seen around the farms carrying buckets of milk to the local shops.
"Mummy, where is Barbara going?" said the voice of an eleven-year-old girl standing outside the Butcher's Shop.
"Hush Brandy, she's going to the Capitol"
"Why can't I go?" Brandy huffed as a boy, Tanner, went over. Moments later both children were running towards the fields. Bluebell watched them before going over to the Boy's Reaping Bowl. Ducking her hand in, she pulled out a slip of paper and as she carefully unfolded the slip, my heart was hammering in my chest. Pull yourself together Horsa, I thought to myself as the tension rose around me.
"The male Tribute for District 10 is Horsa Georges"
I gasped, stunned by what I have heard. In two weeks I'll be dead, I thought as I walked up to the stage. Shaking hands with Barbara, I cannot get the feeling of dread that I would return to District 10 in a box. But I will have to try to survive.
So this is a new story, and one I have been thinking about since 2018. Of course, since the release of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes the entire storyline changed; instead of the meadow-and-forest Arena that was in the original, now lost first draft, the Arena is instead the City Arena. Moreover, as established in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the early Hunger Games was very spartan. From the original draft, I planned the story to be told through the eyes of a young farmhand from District 10. Sorry if this chapter is short, but I promise you, it will get longer.