When Stars Fall: A hunger games fanfiction

Chapter 2

I returned home quickly to find my little sister, Delilah, waiting at the door for me.

"Ally come on let's go get our pretty dresses on so mommy could do our hair," she squealed. Delilah is the only one I let use that nickname for me. When she was little, she couldn't pronounce Althea so she shortened it and called me Ally.

"Mommy said I had to wait until you get back to get changed." Being only four, her name wouldn't be entered into the reaping so she had no reason to be scared. My brother, Rey, on the other hand had just turned twelve and his name would go in for the first time.

Delilah grabbed my hand and rushed up the stairs to see what dress my mother had brought her this year. I walked into my room to see a beautiful forest green dress laid out for me on my bed. I put it on and the green fabric fell just below my knees and it had a tie around my middle There was a pair of black buckled shoes that I slipped on. I then flattened out my hair for my mother to do and went downstairs. I found my brother, Rey, picking at his collared shirt and Delilah bouncing around in a pale pink dress.

"Ally! Ally, look how mommy did my hair!" She grinned and hopped around the room excitedly.

"Ok you little frog hold still so I can see." I saw that my mother had carefully placed a pink bow at the ends of Delilah's braids. She has my same blue eyes but my mothers blond hair.

"Very pretty," said smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress. My mother stepped forward with a golden hair pin with a lily attached to it. I couldn't help but think of Glenn and the lilies. She took two pieces of hair that framed my face and tied them up into a little bun in the back of my head. She clipped the hair pin in and held up a mirror for me to look in. I quickly glanced at my reflection and then put the mirror down.

"Thanks mom but we better go. We don't want to be late." We just started towards the Justice building in the center of our district when the bells started tolling, signaling the start of the reaping. Rey, who was walking next to me, stopped walking and just stared forward, his hand clenched into a fist. His face had gone as white as a sheet. It was his first reaping with his name in the reaping ball.

"It's ok Rey. You won't be chosen." I said, trying to comfort him. He kept walking but his fist kept clenching and unclenching.

When we arrived to the reaping area, they were beginning to rope off the kids between the ages of 12 and 18 and separating them from their parents and siblings who weren't eligible to be reaped.

I was pushed into a line where they pricked my finger to verify who I am. I felt the sharp pinch of the needle as it poked my skin and they pressed my bloody finger print to the paper.

"Althea Viotto?" They asked. I nodded. "Next."

I was then shoved into the area with the seventeen year old girls. We were placed closer to the front because we were more likely to be reaped.

I glanced behind me to the twelve year olds and caught Rey's eye. I tried to give him an understanding smile but his eyes were still wide open with fear. I couldn't stand to watch him look so scared so I searched the crowds for Glenn. I spotted him on the other side and couldn't help but think about the time we first met.

It was the first day of school and I stood outside the tall building swinging my brand new blue lunch box. I was just standing there, too scared to go inside when a big group of boys sprinted pass me. Glenn was with them. They pushed past me, eager to get inside and I dropped my lunch box. It burst open and my sandwich, juice box, and apple scattered onto the concrete. The boys then laughed and ran inside. Except for one. It was Glenn. He helped me pick up the spilled contents of my lunch and walked with me inside. Ever since that day, we had been best friends. And now it was like seeing him in that crowd of boys.

A silence swept over the crowd, as District 6's escort, Lucinda Kross, stepped onto the rickety stage. She was wearing a neon pink leotard with animal print and these huge black boots that went up past her knees. She looked like a bright pink giraffe. Her fire red hair stuck straight up which made her look even crazier. Standing in a crowd of drab district kids she looks so eccentric whereas in the Capitol, she fits right in.

"Hello District 6 and welcome to the annual 63 Hunger Games Reaping ceremony," she purred in her high pitched Capitol voice.

"May the odds be very in your favor. Now, ladies first." She said to the crowd of anxious citizens. I stood there waiting. I didn't have to worry about it being my name. There was no chance that my name is reaped. There are so many slips in there it is probably going to be some random district kid I have never met. I didn't even blink when she scurried back onto the podium, a slip clutched between her long sharp fingernails.

She unfolded the slip with care and I didn't have to ready myself to hear the name of the unlucky eighteen year old who would be sent to the Hunger Games. But the name she read out wasn't one of the eighteen year olds.

"Althea Viotto," she called out to the crowds. I swayed, suddenly very dizzy. Unable to comprehend what she just said. There was a ringing in my ears that wouldn't go away. My heart beat quickened and I felt my breath come in sharp gasps.

"Althea Viotto. Please come up dearie. Unless there is a volunteer," she repeated again. But of course there were no volunteers. Who would choose to be in a tournament to kill children.

I must not have heard right. How could it be me. There were only six slips in there. Six! Six out of over a thousand. I was nudged forward by every one around me and I didn't even register I was on the stage until I saw my siblings and my mother crying. When I saw their tears I knew I had to stay strong for them. My hands were shaking and I was focusing so hard on not crying that I jumped when Lucinda  squealed:

"And now for the male tribute!"

I crossed my fingers and prayed that it wasn't Glenn. I couldn't kill him and I knew he couldn't kill me. And we can't have our happy life together if one or both of us are dead. Please don't be Glenn. Please. Please. I begged god silently.

I watched Lucinda walk over to the other bowl of names and kept praying until she stood back in front of the microphone. She delicately opened the slip and called out a name.

"Atlas Crenlow."

I breathed a sigh of relief but felt immensely sad. I knew this boy. He turned twelve a few weeks ago and had a bad limp. He was a small boy, half my weight. He wouldn't last 10 seconds. At least I didn't have to worry about Glenn.

"Do we have any volunteers," she asked when Atlas reached the stage which took down time because of his limp.

There was silence for a few seconds and the there was a voice.

"I volunteer as tribute."

Oh no. That voice. I know that voice . It was Glenn. Glenn had volunteered. Glenn was going into the Hunger Games with me.

A/N
Thank you for still reading it means so much to me because I have worked so hard on this. As always leave critiques and comments and have a nice day.