New Era: A Hunger Games Story

Chapter Two

The entire morning of the next day was spent preparing for the Announcement that would come at midday. Staging was set up in the market square outside the JusticeBuilding, along with colossal plasma screens on which the broadcast would be shown.

Cordy was part of the team assigned to building the staging. By 11 o'clock she was drenched in sweat and was engrossed in her work when she was tapped on the shoulder. She looked behind her, and saw Joel stood before her, grinning.

"Aren't you supposed to be inside?" She asked.

"Well," He said, "I wanted to see you, since you never came last night."

Guilt filled her heart as she stood up, lowering her hammer. She had been so engrossed in her father's stories that time had completely passed her by, and she realised that it was too late for her to go to Joel's once he was finished talking.

"I'm so sorry," She said, "I got held up with Dad and me- "

"I got in."

Cordy finished her part of the staging and took Joel home while she changed out of her work clothes once more. Once dressed, the two headed out into the yard, knowing that it would be deserted, and they would have plenty of time to talk before the Announcement was made.

"So, you start tomorrow?" Cordy clarified.

"Yeah, and you'll never guess where."

"Go on."

"Right here, with you."

"That's incredible, you have to tell Katie."

"I will, when I next see her."

Joel wandered around in front of her, and for the first time she could really see how much he had grown. When they had first met, she had taken him under her wing and tried to teach him how to work her trade, but he was more interested in drawing patterns on the wood than cutting it up for kindling. Over time they had grown close, becoming almost like siblings. It didn't matter that she was two years older than him; they got along as if age was irrelevant.

He was tall and thin, a stark contrast to her broad-shouldered torso. His hair was mousey brown, almost blond, and suited his blue eyes and pale face perfectly. At times he looked like a delicate doll plucked from the streets of the Capitol, and then he spoke, and it was clear where he came from.

                                                               ---

Cordy listened to the silence once the conversation ended. She heard the Capitol anthem playing and realised that they were late for the Announcement. She grabbed Joel's hand and dragged him to the square, where he split off to find his family. She slid through the crowd and joined her father, who flashed a small smile as she stood beside him.

"You're late." He whispered.

"Lost track of time." She whispered back.

All eyes were on the screen as the anthem ended, and the President appeared, stood behind his pedestal as he did every year, although something seemed different this time. He began to speak, and his voice boomed across the silent square.

"Good afternoon, citizens of Panem." He began, "As you all know, today marks 21 years since Katniss Everdeen and the Rebellion overthrew President Snow and saved us all from his tyranny. Usually I would invite you all to reflect on their heroism and be thankful for your freedom, but not today. Today I realised that my actions in breaking boundaries and allowing you all extra liberties have been taken for granted."

There was a collective murmur of confusion that rippled over the crowd. Cordy looked to her father, who simply shook his head in shock. Silence resumed as the President continued his speech.

"Crime is at an all-time high; regularly I hear stories of Victors being victimised and even murdered in their old age, so today I make an announcement that has been years in the making. Today, I take the first step in restoring the order that President Snow maintained for 25 years, because today, I, President Jordan Foster, son of a Gamemaker, am reinstating the Hunger Games."

There was a slight pause in the speech, and nobody dared to breathe as the President made his closing statement.

"The Reaping will take place in three days. May the odds be ever in your favour."

                                                           ---

Time stopped. Women grabbed their young children and pulled them close. Screams could be heard from the elderly residents, and Cordy felt her father tense up beside her. Her head was spinning. Everything her father had told her and everything she had learned at school about the Hunger Games came flooding back in one swift wave. In that one moment she remembered the brutality, the pageantry, the knowledge that only one person came home out of 24 who were chosen to die. The thought made her sick, and she fought to hold her vomit in until she returned home.

Once home, she vomited. She could hear her parents talking in the kitchen, but her head still stayed by the toilet, ready for another wave. She was eighteen; this was her last year of eligibility. Questions and doubts circulated in her fuzzy head. Logically, she should be safe, but if not her, then who? What if Joel was picked? Being sixteen, he still had two years of eligibility left, and if not this year, then what about next year? If he was picked, she couldn't volunteer for him because he's a boy and she's not.

Three days. That was all the time she had before the Reaping. The next two days were college days. Thankfully Katie and Joel attended the same school as her, so they would get to see each other before the Reaping. Relief washed over her, just as another wave of vomit left her.