Jabberjay [The Hunger Games]

Chapter One

My father stands about six feet tall, which is pretty tall in my household. My mother and I share the same height at about five feet and six inches. My dad has ashy brown hair and hazel eyes that waver in color depending on the season. I have always been fascinated with his forever altering eyes. When I was younger he used to tell me that they were mechanically crafted by the Capitol and it gave him the special power of seeing through lies. This was an attempt to make me more honest when I was growing up, it worked sometimes.

"Carmen Delano, the victor of the 72nd Hunger Games!" He shouts in a triumphant voice, echoing the word 'games,' over and over. My dad is very involved in the Hunger Games and actually helps train the future tributes at the Academy of Warriors. He teaches the history and study of the games and loves his job. He stays up hours upon hours dissecting each Hunger Games that has ever taken place. In his class, he teaches about the differences and likelihoods of different arenas, mutations, and twists while you're competing. He could also tell you, based on history, what each tribute from their respective district are consistently good at. For example, tributes from District 11 tend to be extremely good at mapping out the arena and have a strong sense of direction. According to my father's class, this is most likely because their district is agriculture, and it has been in-bedded into their brains to catch on to tiny minuscule details. This helps them navigate their crops and helps manage their progress which translates well in the arena.

Once my father decides to stop hyping me up for the Reaping, and possible adventure to the Capitol, I finally begin to make my way to the bathroom. Much like the rest of my house, the bathroom is kept to a clean crisp and practically looks brand new. We are very fortunate to live where we do, I could literally take a 10 minute walk and find myself in the Victor's Village. It's a blessing and a curse because yes, it is the nicest part of the District, but also the most monitored. There is a peacekeeper on every corner, not to mention the Capitol's military center is only a few miles away, in which Peacekeepers are trained and prepared for their duties.

I turn the shower on and let the steam fog the mirror that is placed above the sink, allowing the room to transform into a sauna. I bask in the steam for a few minutes until I decide to step in and clean myself. I know that I need to be checked in and in front of the Justice Building by noon. This gives me a few more hours to get ready and prep myself for the possible adventure to come. After lathering up and rinsing off lavender body wash, I step out of the shower and wrap myself in a towel that I had prepared prior.

Once I make it back to my bedroom, I do my normal routine; comb my hair, put on deodorant, and afterwards, quickly slide into my athletic wear. I'm ready for training. I walk through my door and into the Living Room where my father is cooking what smells like sausage.

     "I'm ready, Dad." I say, as I grab my training shoes from the closet and begin to put them on.

     "Alright honey, give me one second." He says, finishing up his kitchen duties.

     I take this time to walk over to my mother and give her a hug. She wraps her arms around me and I can feel her warmth radiate into my chest. She always gives the best hugs. I am about to pull away, and that's when she pulls me back in giving me one more squeeze. She nuzzles her head into my neck and mummers, "Be careful, Carmen."

"I always am, Mom." I quickly reassure her.

"I thought you were ready?" My father says as he waits for me at the door.

"I am, I am," I say finally releasing the hug with my mother and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

My mother's line of work is in the Capitol's military base, where the soon to be Peacekeepers get their training done. She is the primary secretary for the compound and actually keeps in contact with Capitol officials regarding the Peacekeepers' training. For a very short time she switched positions within the compound, and assisted with the simulations that the Peacekeepers in training partake in. After a Peacekeeper is fully trained they have to go through a 'final test,' which is the simulation that my mother was in charge of controlling. It sounds super complicated but all she had to do was hit a start and stop button. The Peacekeepers individually enter the simulation and it tests their strength, agility, knowledge, and other things that I can't seem to recall.