Trent Kasady, 18
district 4 male
Cody and Kai visited Trent the week before the reaping.
They sat silently in the crowd, shoulder pressed together as Trent made his way victorious from the arena. His spot in the Games were secured, and with that victory was within reach and he could finally, finally take his brothers out of the hell hole that is the foster system. He would have enough money to support his family, and they could stop living in the shadow of their parents' death.
"You looked like you almost didn't make it there," Cody teased, and Trent scowled. "One more second and I swore we would have to bury you next to mom and dad."
"You get no say, considering you got kicked out," Trent started to walk away, but Cody ran after him and grabbed his arms, Kai grabbing his other one with a pout, and Trent melted. His brothers meant the world to him, they were all he had left, and if it means giving up everything so that they could live a better life, then so be it. "Let's eat at the local fishery. My treat."
"Yay!" Kai cheered, and Cody whooped and pressed himself against Trent's body.
"You're the best."
Trent ruffled Cody's hair as they started to walk away from the arena. There was never a doubt that he would win, he was after all ranked first in the Academy's daily training program. But when fighting against the other four top five male opponent, there was moments in which he wondered if-
Not that it mattered, he won, and that was that. Next week he would be off to the capitol, and by the end of the week, he would've entered the arena and in five days or less, he would either die fighting or bring home safety and wealth. He would give his brothers the life he never got as a child, and they would all live happily.
There was no fear of either Cody or Kai being reaped as district four was well known for their volunteers, so they would be safe and out of the system. Trent would still need to go back to the capitol every year for the games, but it would be fine. All that would matter is that he got his brothers out. He would've kept his final promises to his parents, and maybe he wouldn't live with the weight of responsibility for the rest of his life.
"How's the new home?" Trent questioned as they sat down around a table, overlooking the ocean. Cody shrugged, and Kai perked up.
"Mr. and Mrs. Jasmine are really nice. They bought us new clothes and we each got our own rooms!" Kai wove his arms around excitedly and Trent found his heart sinking.
"That's great, Kai," Trent forced a smile, and turned to Cody.
"I mean they're okay. At least they're not buried six feet underground," the fifteen years old shrugged again and turned down to his lap as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. "Kai doesn't remember."
Kai frowned at the statement. "What don't I remember? My memories are far more superior than yours!"
"Keep telling yourself that," Cody rolled his eyes while Kai tried to climb across the table to punch Cody. Trent pulled him back while Cody stuck his tongue out victorious.
"Trent, Cody is being mean to me again," Kai crossed his arms across his chest and pouted.
Cody growled and Trent gave him a pointed look. "Trent, Kai is being a bitch again."
His voice was mocking, and Trent sighed. "Will you two stop fighting for once so we can have a nice family meal? The next time I see you we will have a better life, okay?"
"Or you might be dead and in a coffin, right next to mom and dad," Cody looked away, and Trent sighed again. He hated the uncertainties of the games, but he knew that he had the skills and the drive. So what if everyone was stronger? He would outlive them. They all wanted glory, he just wanted his family back. He will live, and then everything will be okay.
"Do you have to make everything about death?" Trent leaned back as the waiter served their food, and watched as Kai dug right in. Cody met Trent's green eyes with his own.
"I will stop talking about death when you stop acting like a fool," he took his fork and stabbed into his salmon with more force than necessary. "You shouldn't have fought so hard to be the goddamn tribute. I've watched the games, I've seen even the strongest die from natural causes like dehydration. The world isn't on our side, Trent. They hadn't been on our side since the day they decided to kill mom and dad. So grow the fuck up and realized that we'll never be a family again, not without them."
Words hurt more than any sword did, and Trent bit his lips desperately to avoid tearing up.
"You didn't mean that. The three of us here, we're family," Trent gestured desperately around the table. "We don't need mom and dad."
"We have the Jasmines' now, Trent. And you can't take care of Kai the way they can, he needs a proper mom and a proper dad. And you can't be either," Cody stood up coldly, and reached for Kai's hand, who watched in confusion but took the offered hand. "Let's go."
"You haven't finished your meals yet!" Trent called after their retreating form. But Cody didn't look back, and Kai turned sadly toward Trent before following his other brother out.
So much for a family meal.
They're going to be back though. Once Trent came back as a victor, everything would be better. He would win his brothers back, that would show them that he was more than capable of taking care of them.
Trent would come home victorious.
Sola Ingot, 16
district 5 female
The thing about working in an assembly line was that Sola could easily lose herself in the repetitiveness of the action. The first few months were harshed, getting used to standing for hours on end, and her hands protested doing the same action over and over. But with time, it felt almost like second nature and Sola found her mind wandering more often than not.
The factory closed at nine at night, and Sola walked quietly behind the rest of the children before grabbing her school bag from her locker and heading home.
It wasn't uncommon for children to work in the factories, especially in the part of the district in which Sola's family resides. She hadn't needed to work before, but when her youngest sister was born with down syndrome, she offered up all the free time she could offer to earn extra cash for her family. She dragged her brother, Mo, into it as well. But he seemed more interested in selling illegal substances than anything, not that Mother or Father could complain, as it brought in more cash than working at a factory would.
It's going to get better soon.
That had been Sola's mantra for the last six years, but she wasn't quite sure if she believed in it anymore. But what was the point of accepting the truth when the words wrapped in lies were so much easier to comprehend. Like the time when her friends asked about the beanie that wrapped proudly around her choppy hair, what she wanted to explain was her religion, her faith. But all she managed was a quick "I have hair loss" and that was that.
A brush across her leg brought Sola out of her thoughts and she looked down and saw two saddest bright green eyes looking back at her. She cooed and bent down. "Hi Kitty, are you lost?"
The kitten meows and Sola melted a little on the inside. "Sorry kitty, I won't be able to take you home. But I can walk you to yours!"
The kitten brushed against Sola's legs before walking off, and Sola smiled and started to follow, not before looking around. The dark alleys were nothing to her anymore, as she had walked the path thousands of times every night she got off work. But it doesn't hurt to be sure.
A few blocks before Sola reached her family's apartment, the kitten sprinted off, and she breathed out a sad sigh before continuing on home.
The lights were off when she walked in, and a plate of food was left out on the dining table with Sola's name written on it in elegant print. She smiled at her mother's sweet message before placing her school bag on a dining chair and sliding into another one. Her stomach rumbled at the smell of the food and Sola closed her eyes and muttered a quick prayer before diving in.
Her school books scattered across the dining table as she ate, and she pinched herself a few times to avoid face planting into her diner. The light flickered above the dining table, and Sola glanced up wearily before turning back down to her textbooks, where the words are starting to make less and less sense.
"When did you get home?"
A gentle voice broke through Sola's thoughts and she blinked when she realized that she had fallen asleep atop her textbook, her dinner plate finished and pushed to the side to make room for her notebooks.
Lune took a glance at Sola and took her dinner plate without any words. "I could ask you the same thing."
"Haha," Lune replied dryly, washing the plate as she spoke. "Well I don't have work tomorrow."
Sola frowned. "Why don't you have work tomorrow?"
"You know you don't have school tomorrow, right?" Lune frowned in concern, drying the plate before walking over and placing the back of her hand on Sola's forehead. "Well, no fever. But tomorrow is Saturday."
Sola glanced up at the clock as if to tell her the date (it doesn't, but it felt natural to look at the clock). "Huh, I must have lost track of time, I guess."
"You know, if your family needs money I really don't mind stepping in. It hurts me to see you like this, Sola," Lune sat down beside Sola, who shook her head quickly.
"It's okay. I wouldn't want to ask that of you," Sola tried for a smile, but it turned into a yawn at the end of her sentence. "I just need to wait for three more years, then I'll be out of the reaping age and I would've graduated high school. Then I can get a better paying job and my brothers won't have to go through what I'm going through right now."
"Get some sleep, okay?" Lune smiled and patted her shoulder as a method of comfort. "You're a brave kid, Sola. You know, you don't have to take on so much."
Sola watched Lune walk into what used to be her and her sister's room, and looked down at her notes, which became more and more eligible the closer it got to the bottom of the page. Sola took a glance at the textbook once more, before sighing and closing the book, shoving it in her school bag and dragging her feet up to the room she shared with her siblings.
Mo was snoring away on his bed closest to the window, and Surge Jr. laid horizontally across his bed. But two bright eyes stared up at her from Dina's bed and Sola frowned and approached her sister, who smiled timidly at her. "You're back!"
"Have you been awake this whole time?" Sola dropped her bag next to her bed and kneeled down beside Dina, who nodded her head.
"I didn't want to sleep without your goodnight kisses," Dina whispered, and Sola quickly wrapped her arms around her younger sister, and pressed a soft kiss to the crown of her head.
"Sleep well, Dina. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
Dina smiled peacefully and closed her eyes. "Okay. Goodnight, Sola."
"Sweet dreams," Sola smiled before quietly digging into her closet for sleep clothes (which mainly consists of old clothes she no longer wears out of the house).
But even as Sola laid in bed, she found her mind wandering to the reaping, and to her future. There was no guarantee that she wouldn't be reaped next week, but she hoped to Allah that she wouldn't be. Her family needed her in the district, and she was no use to anyone off at the Capitol putting on a show for the citizens of Panem.
Please don't let me be reaped next week.
Sola sent off a silent prayer in her head, just in case.
Vivian Argyle, 18
district 2 female
"Caaaady!" Vivi's sing-song voice rang through the otherwise quiet forest, as she held a strung bow in her left hand. Her footsteps were light as she swiftly made her way from one tree to the next, eyes scanning the surroundings for her fellow academy trainee.
The sound of dry leaves made Vivi turn sharply, eyes narrowing down to the distance, where a flash of black crossed her sight.
"You can't run forever!" Vivi called out. Cady ran, a blur of black dashing across the shadow, and Vivi gave chase. Her arrows were fake, of course, as the Academy wouldn't risk losing any of their potential tribute in this game of cat and mouse, but it didn't stop the feeling of thrill that rushed through her veins. Didn't stop the adrenaline that dosed her body from head to toes as she ran after her target. It was the rush of a wild chase that made Vivi love training days like these so much.
Hitting a dummy was easy, everyone with enough sense could do it. But chasing a life target? Now that was a different story.
Cady was fast, but Vivi was smarter.
Her eyes analyzed the trees ahead as she slowed to a stop, smirking as Cady glanced back with almost a triumphant smile. Vivi placed the arrow back into its sheath, stringing the bow across her back before she started climbing.
It felt like second nature, and she found grips after grips before stopping on a cross section of two large branches, where there was a platform large enough for her to stand comfortably in. It also offered a clear view of her target, who was now spinning around in a circle in confusion, her spear and shield held pitifully in front of her.
Vivi quietly notched an arrow on her bow, and closed her right eye, pulling the strings back with her left hand, aiming her tip at Cady's exposed back.
The girl moved again, but got closer beneath the tree Vivi was hiding on. The unfortunate part was that her shield was now in the way of Vivi's arrow, and Cady doesn't seem to want to move anytime soon.
"I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE!"
Vivi rolled her eyes. No shit, where else will I be?
Vivi re-aimed her arrow and released, feeling a sense of satisfaction as the arrow hit the bush a few distance away, causing Cady to turn her shield the other direction to expose her back to Vivi. She quietly notched another arrow, pulling the string back to her mouth, before releasing.
The arrow hit the small spot just in between her ribcage, where the arrow would've pierced her heart from the back if it was a real one. Alas these were blunt, and all trainees were wearing light armor that prevented any serious injuries.
"Congratulations, Vivian Argyle, our tribute for this year's quarter quell. We will see both back at the Academy for further instruction!"
The voice came from the hovercraft above their head, and Vivi could barely suppress her grin as she swung the bow over her shoulder and started to make her descend down the tree, where Cady waited with a scowl on her face.
"I can't believe you won."
"You better believe it, babe," Vivi strung an arm around the other girl's shoulder, who was just a few inches below her. Cady scowled, but allowed Vivi to lead their way back to the Academy ground. "Hey, at least you realized your skills just aren't fitted for the games before you died for real in there. So I guess you're welcome."
"We don't even know what the Arena is," Cady protested, batting Vivi's hand away from touching the intricate braid she had put her hair into. Vivi raised an eyebrow.
"And what would you know about it? It's not like it matters for you, you loooost."
Cady pushed Vivi's arms away. "I hope you die in that arena."
She started to storm away, and Vivi called out. "The Academy is the other way!"
She turned, storming past Vivi, who just laughed and jogged after the girl. It didn't matter what the other girl thought, she won. And by next week, she would be on a train off to the Capitol, where she would get to participate in what would likely be the most challenging game in her life.
Where she would get to shine in National Spotlight.
If she wins, she would come back victorious.
And if she loses? Well, she would still be out of district two for good, and it wasn't like there was much tying her to the place anyways.
"Guess what?"
Vivi pushed open the dorm she shared with Ellie, a person who had somehow grown to become her closet confidant. Ellie looked up from her desk, spinning her chair around and giving Vivi a look over.
"Did you steal food from the kitchen you want to share with me?"
Vivi frowned. "No. Are all your thoughts driven by food?"
"Food is an essential part of survival," Ellie protested, closing her textbook. "Stop judging me."
"I was not judging you. And besides, you are now looking at this year's district two tribute!"
Ellie squealed, and Vivi giggled and wrapped her arms around the other girl. "I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT! I KNEW IT SINCE THAT FIRST DAY YOU WALKED INTO THE ACADEMY AND I ADOPTED YOU AS MY ROOMIE!"
"Ookay Ellie, I would appreciate to have my full hearing intact for the games, thank you very much," Vivi pulled away, but her face was stretched into a smile. Ellie squealed again.
"Sorry, sorry. But I'm just so excited for you," she twirled around. "You'll get to see the capitol, then you'll get to wear those pretty dresses, and ah, maybe even fall in love with the girl of your dreams."
Ellie signed wistfully, and Vivi laughed.
"Ha! Doubtfully. If I win I'll bring you to the Capitol with me," Vivi vowed, and Ellie nodded in excitement. "Maybe you'll find a boy or girl you fancy over there."
"As long as they don't mind a wife who will join the Peacekeeper Force."
"I'm sure that would be a turn on if anything," Vivi flopped onto her bed, and Ellie laid down beside her. She closed her eyes, and tried to imagine her world as a Victor.
It wasn't hard to imagine. With more money than she could ever possibly use, and a house too big for a single person without any family, maybe she would throw parties everyday, and invite all her friends.
She wasn't worried about the Games, excited yes, but not worried.
Yet the road ahead of her seemed to be more blurred than anything.
"You're going to win this game, Vivi," Ellie muttered from her side. "Kasem is more brute than smart, when it comes down to it, you will win."
Vivi scowled at the thought of Kasem, who had been chosen earlier in the week by the Academy. He had the skills, but he lacked the smarts. He doesn't think, and she had already thought of a hundred and one ways to ditch him. He wasn't going to stand in her way of victory.
"I will win," Vivi repeated. But there was a feeling deep within her chest that she couldn't quite explain.
well... first three tributes are in your hands now
i would love to hear what you think of them
i have finals for all of next weeks so i don't know if i will be able to publish anything but at the moment i am aiming for a "publish every Friday" schedule, so keep a look out for that!
~ kathy