𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝚁𝙾𝙺𝙴𝙽 𝚁𝙰𝚅𝙴𝙽 ~ 𝙲𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚞𝚜 𝚂𝚗𝚘𝚠

❆ PART 2 ❆

"Welcome to the 11th Annual Hunger Games."

7 words that determined everything. It was one simple line to which all the side conversations diminished as people anxiously listened to the mayor.

"The time has come for us to select one courageous young man and young woman for the honor of representing District 11 in this year's Hunger Games."

I memorized every word he uttered. It was the same each year. They didn't give it much thought. We, the people, weren't that important.

"This year we will be picking from the boy's bowl first...to mix it up a little." Pure amusement of the escort's voice filled District 11. After all, it was just a game.

"...Trevor Folksier."

The community went silent. Usually, you would hear screams, shouts, fights. But as the young boy got pushed to walk up the small sets of stairs to the podium, my heart twisted in pain. He couldn't be more than 12; the youngest age to be considered eligible for a tribute. He had pure white hair, and skin pale as snow. I couldn't help move my eyes away from his crystal blue left orb. My throat went dry at the notice that his right eye was gone.

I wanted to scream. To cry. To do something.

Someone volunteer for christ's sake.

This little boy didn't deserve this. However, no one deserved this.

"Congratulations Trevor! Moving on to the girls." The district's escort moved to the pool of names in the center as Trevor anxiously stood by the mayor, trying to look for his family. From the corner of my eye, I noticed his father and mother leaving the reaping ceremony.

As the woman picked another slip of paper, I stopped breathing and so did everyone else around. I can't help but think, what if my name gets picked?

The woman with the long, pink hair and costume that made her look unreal moved back to the microphone. With a loving smile plastered on her lips, she exclaimed, "Alicia Greens."

A horrifying cry escaped from the opposite side of the center of the district. Another little girl, slowly approached the podium. All eyes were on her as she tightly held her bear stuffed animal. Her mother was a couple of feet away, trashing to escape tight grip of the peacekeepers.

However, no one objected. No one volunteered either. No one dared to enter into the Capitol's deadly game.

Her small feet carried her up the stairs as she stood next to the woman and Trevor. The little girl's eyes were filled with all too known fear. People began whispering, concluding that the children were already dead. I looked down at my dirty shoes, guilt washing over me.

I was already going to the Capitol. What would happen if I just volunteered?

If everything went to plan, they wouldn't be able to put one of the Capitol's founding family members in the arena. One less innocent person dead. One less innocent person tortured. A whole innocent family spared from grief.

No one volunteered for my brother either though.

The silence of the crowed indicated the escort to move on. As the mayor began speaking to end the ceremony, my voice echoed, "Wait!"

Everyone turned around to look at me. I wanted to hide from the glares, from empty eyes that were tired of fighting. My eyes landed on the mother of Alicia. She escaped a sob, tightly grabbing onto her husband. Her son that couldn't be more than 4, kept gripping her dress, trying to console her. Their perfect family would be broken.

I thought of my own. Of how happy we were...until everything happened.

I couldn't let another family fall victim to the Capitol. This had to end

"I - I volunteer."

The crowd gasped in shock. My heart was thudding in my chest, ready to explode. I felt hot, the sweat already trickling down my back. I tried to remind myself, this didn't mean anything; I just had to stick to the plan.

"Isabel what are you doing?" I heard Peter's harsh whisper as people made a clear way for me to walk down to the mayor and the escort.

Alicia ran to me, wrapping her skinny arms around me. Even though she was young, she knew what it meant to be in the Hunger Games.

She was thanking me.

Hug her back Isabel.

It happened too fast; I was frozen. My arms dangled by my sides. I didn't know what to do. In a second, she skipped to her family as they all gave me remorseful tight- lip smiles.

My brain couldn't comprehend what I did. I was still in another world, trying to break through the thoughts swarming my vision. My feet subconsciously carried me to the podium.

"Well isn't this a surprise ladies and gentlemen!" The woman's voice I learned to be Elisa exclaimed. Her hazel eyes scanned me up and down in wonder. "The first volunteer of District 11. Please, give her an applause."

Before they could follow her instructions, an old man pointed an accusing finger at me. "She's Isabel Raven." His rough voice boomed through my ears. Why is he saying this now? "She lived in the Capitol once. She doesn't belong here." How did he know? Elisa batted her long eyelashes in surprise, turning to look at me as the old man continued. "Her family was one of the founders. District 11, I want to remind you that once a Capitol, always a Capitol. She probably gets extra rations from them if not more."

Angry shouts escaped from people, as they called me names, wished for me to die. My family kept a low profile; we never told anyone about our life before, knowing this would happen. All people knew was that we were a regular family trying to survive.

I could feel Peter's gaze but I didn't dare look at him. Instead, I looked at the man, who stared at me with such distaste, and hatred. He spit at me, shaking his head and sitting further down into his wheelchair.

I felt red, blazing fury swimming through my veins. Without realizing, I was by the microphone, my voice booming through the crowd, silencing them, "District 11, " I began, my words slow and clear. "Not all you heard is true. I am from the Capitol, yes. But what you don't know is that my father died here because we didn't have money to pay for his treatment. What you don't know is that I know what it feels to be hungry, to be cold. What you don't know is that my brother, Isaac Raven, died in the Hunger Games last year..."

What you don't know is that I hate the games and the Capitol even more than you do.

A single tear escaped my eye as my gaze left the people and rested on the camera in the distance. I knew I was being recorded. Every person in the Capitol could see me. I didn't want to live in hiding anymore. But what I realized is that I wasn't telling this to District 11 to change how they felt about me. I wasn't telling this to the president of the Capitol. I wasn't telling this to Capitol's citizens to gain supporters.

The only person in my mind I was telling this to was Coriolanus Snow.

❆ ❆ ❆

Second chapter is up! I hope you enjoyed. Please comment, vote and share this story. The chapters will be shorter but that means it will be updated faster. Can't wait to see where this story goes. Thank you for reading 🤍