What if district 13 didn't get blown up? And what if there was a 14th district hidden from everyone?
District 14 wasn't known to the public, it was kept hidden due to the lack of people. They were told that as soon as their population increased than...
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Everyone was quiet, not one word was spoken unless you were told to by a peacekeeper. We were terrified, to say the least. We lined up in groups depending on the ages. I eyed the suited people as they pricked everyone's finger and pressed it to a paper. No one knew what was happening. Based on the small talk that had been going around I was left to assume that the only reason for this gathering was to do with the Hunger Games and my bet was it wasn't anything good.
After allowing them to prick my finger, drawing a small drop of metallic blood, I went to look for Mateo. It didn't take me long to find the suited boy who had anything but his usual warming smile on his face. I could see the fear in his eyes as he frantically searched around, stopping once his vision landed on me. I walked quickly towards him and brought him in for a hug. "Everything's going to be okay, you hear me. Go stand with the other boys your age and don't worry." It hurt me to see his happy demeanor being replaced with a curtain of sadness. I did everything to see this boy smile, but now there was not much I could do. I hadn't had a clue what was to come, but it was obvious that it wouldn't be good.
My gaze stayed on Mateo as he walked over to a group of boys who were whispering between each other. I presumed these boys were his friends or at least acquaintances. Once I knew he wasn't alone I walked over to the group of girls that were aged 16 and waited.
We all gathered around the stage, looking as confused as ever. A lady walked through the double doors. Vibrant was an understatement. Her hair was bright pink, although it looked awfully knotty like it hadn't been brushed in god knows how many years. Her dress was a dark purple and quite frankly I didn't think her outfit matched the rest of her. Her face was caked with makeup and it made her face look almost white at how much powder was stuck to her skin. "Welcome all!" Her high-pitched voice echoed through the microphone as she sent us all a large grin. She gazed around at all the children standing around a look of amusement lingered on her face, although it was barely noticeable. The adults were pushed all the way to the back and were guarded by the men in white suits, leaving us front and center. "Today we will be discussing the Hunger Games." Everyone appeared to be left in an even more state of shock as they whispered between each other. "I have a very special film to play you all. Please, enjoy yourselves." Her smile never once faltered, and it began to freak me out.
The music boomed through the speakers and I was concerned for my hearing after this. "One young man, and one young woman. To fight to the death." My eyes directed towards Mateo. He was rocking back and forth and nervously fiddling with his hands. The film spoke about how we were to battle in honor of our district, but I was quite unsure about that. The most gruesome clip of all was seeing a young boy getting his head bashed in with a brick and I couldn't look anymore. "This is how we safeguard our future." The film ended and then it was silent, no one had anything to say as they registered what was going to happen. We were to be put to war, to kill others in order to return home to our families. My heart throbbed at the thought of my 12-year-old brother being put in an arena with people who were prepared for this to happen.
"Now, the time has come for us to choose one young participant for the honor of representing District 14 in the 74th annual Hunger Games." The lady who stood in front of us entered her hand into a large bowl. "Due to the small population, we have here, there shall only be one person picked." Her voice was filled with excitement as she spoke, but that just made things worse. Images flashed of Mateo being all alone as he attempted to survive the long nights filled with nothing but torture. My emotions got to the best of me as I felt tears welling up. I couldn't live with myself knowing I wouldn't be able to protect my brother from such a cruel thing. It wasn't fair.
The lady in purple rummaged around the bowl smiling evilly at all the potential victims for her entertainment. Finally at last she had plucked a small envelope and my nerves kicked in. My body felt heated as I stood there, waiting impatiently to hear whether or not I was going to have to suffer from never being able to see such an innocent soul ever again.
It felt like hours as she slowly unfolded the miniature-sized envelope and then she looked up.
