Rose Debutante volunteers for the Hunger Games a year early.
She's wanted to volunteer for a while. She has been training for the Games ever since the idea of it floated in whispers down the streets of her District. And Rose hopes that Career training, as it's called, catches on in One sooner rather than later. She thinks that if District 1 can get its Tributes prepared for the Hunger Games, there will be less fear. Rose has taken things one step further. When the tenth Games roll around, when she is eighteen years old and trained as can be, she is going to volunteer.
Rose's decision has been met with mixed reactions. Training for the deadly Games is a good thing, her father says, but to volunteer only for the small chance at winning the paltry reward of some sort of pride? But Rose is adamant. She is aware that she might die even with all her training, but she reckons that even if she does die, going into the Hunger Games is a hell of an adventure.
When the Reaping for the Ninth Annual Hunger Games begins and the chosen girl makes a run for it, Rose watches from the section of seventeen-year-olds. The Reaped girl, Eleanor Bubble, is so tiny, the Peacekeepers effortlessly carry her to the stage despite her struggles. Eleanor screams louder, and one of the Peacekeepers harshly pins her to the stage. Oh shit, Rose thinks, they're going to hurt her if they keep this up. Why isn't somebody doing something?
Wait. I am somebody!
Rose Debutante steps forward and raises her hand high. "I volunteer as tribute!" she yells.
Heads turn to Rose. She continues walking as several people murmur "Is that allowed?"
Eleanor Bubble will be fine. Rose Debutante, on the other hand…
Her District Partner is a short but muscular fifteen-year-old boy named Pius Americius, someone she recognizes from her training sessions, though they've never really talked. Rose promises to talk to him later as she's marched into a small room and informed that her loved ones have an hour to say their goodbyes to her. Her best friends, Luxury and Lavish, say that she'd better win so that she can come home and help with the Academy.
So Rose Debutante has a lot to fight for.
Rose stays silent during the transport to the Capitol. The Tributes all study each other with varying degrees of fear. Rose tries not to think about them too much, knowing that she'll have to outlast all of them to survive.
When the Tributes arrive at the Arena, Peacekeepers swarm them and lead them to their starting positions. As Rose stands on her spot and the Peacekeepers retreat, she makes eye contact with Pius and nods. She studies the Cornucopia and her eyes pass over a pair of large knives. Perfect.
The countdown starts and Rose gets ready to run, confident that she'll get to the knives first thanks to her training back in District 1. She knows she's fast and strong; now she just needs to put that to the test.
With the ring of a gong, the Arena bursts into motion. Rose sprints to the pair of knives she saw earlier and is the first one to reach them. Quick footsteps behind her indicate that someone is in hot pursuit; she grabs the knives, turns around, and slashes in front of her. The other Tribute coughs up blood into Rose's face, grasping at her chest wound and hobbling backwards. Rose gains on her, driving her other knife into her foe's neck.
There's blood everywhere. Rose pants, feeling dizzy. But she can't rest now because more Tributes are arriving at the Cornucopia. She spots Pius nearby and tries to get his attention, but a noise next to her forces her to turn away and attack another Tribute. This one is armed with a sword and almost lands an attack, but Rose makes use of her training and dodges before landing an attack of her own, then another, then another.
There's so much blood. When Rose spots a young girl sprinting away with a pocket knife, she lets her go. She just needs some time to catch her breath-
Rose notices a whistling blur coming towards her, and she ducks just in time to avoid a thrown knife. So much for time to catch her breath. She continues fighting the oncoming Tributes, though most of them are at the edges of the Arena, dueling each other with the weapons they obtained or cowering in terror trying to avoid getting killed. When Rose's fourth opponent slumps to the ground, dead, she notices that Pius is no longer on his feet.
Shit, she thinks. Her head pounds as she looks around. She's the only Tribute at the Cornucopia - the remaining Tributes are all prowling around the edges of the Arena. She desperately needs some water, but she knows that she will be attacked if she were to go find some. So she stands in a defensive stance at the mouth of the Cornucopia, daring anyone to come closer.
In the end, the only Tributes left in the Arena are Rose and a small girl, the one who Rose let get away. The girl isn't going to come to her, Rose realizes. The only way for Rose Debutante to leave this Arena alive is for her to hunt down and kill a young girl.
Rose takes a shaky breath as she tries to steel herself. This is why you volunteered, remember? she reminds herself. Because you have what it takes to come out alive.
So Rose Debutante hunts down and kills the young girl. She is announced as the Victor of the 9th Annual Hunger Games.
That was indeed one hell of an adventure, but not one she wants to go on again.