Y/N was standing there, her whole body shaking. She stared at the silly looking lady standing on the stage, who had been looking around the crowd for the past few seconds.
"Y/N L/N. Come on up!" she called out enthusiastically.
Y/N felt someone push her towards the stage. She finally gained control over her own body, making her way towards the front. She stood beside the woman from the Capitol, her eyes scanning through the crowd. So many faces, yet she was the one chosen to participate in the Games that year.
She was scared. Very scared. She had never imagined her name to ever be the one name selected out of that bowl full of names. She had been raised up thinking it would never be her. Her aunt would always tell her, "What are the chances? There are hundreds of names in that bowl. And yours is only one. You'll have at least a hundred years before its your turn, Y/N!"
Ironically, it was her this year. And nothing in the world could change that. She scanned through the crowd, looking for her aunt. All of a sudden, she missed her. If she couldn't find her now, when was the next time she could?
Y/N had almost forgotten that there was to be another participant in the Games from her District. She snapped herself awake, ears open to hear the name of the male. She hadn't realized that he was already on the stage until their eyes had met. It was Newt.
Y/N couldn't believe anything that was happening. It all felt so unreal. She was to participate in the Hunger Games against twenty three other people who were probably much more skilled than her. Even Newt. He had a much higher chance of winning the games than she did.
* * *
Y/N was lead into a room. She was told that she could speak to her family one last time only for a few minutes. Five minutes, to be exact. Y/N didn't actually have a lot of family. She only had her aunt. Her mother and father had died when she was very young, and her aunt had been taking care of her since then.
She didn't have many friends, either. It was hard making friends at a school where they'd tease you for not having any parents. Even though those girls had teased her only in elementary school, Y/N did not forget the faces of those girls even in high school. She liked to spend time alone, reading a book or two.
The door slammed open, revealing the tear-stained face of her aunt. She threw her arms around her relative, rubbing her back comfortably.
"I can't.... I won't... I won't lose you in this way.... I lost your uncle to the Games, and now..." she broke into a sob. "You will win, Y/N. If ya can't fight 'em, outsmart 'em. Find a way. You gotta. You gotta fight, ya hear me?"
Y/N nodded, biting her lip. She couldn't cry. She had to stay strong. "I won't go down without a fight. I promise."
With one last hug, her aunt was asked to leave. Y/N had thought that the visit from her aunt would be the first and last. She never really associated herself with anyone but her aunt. The door swung open. It was a middle-aged woman with blonde hair. It was Newt's mother.
She threw her arms around Y/N, who could only hug her back in surprise. Y/N tapped her back when she realized the woman was sobbing. She must have been so crushed knowing her son is going to the Games.
The woman didn't say anything for a while. "Y/N, I came to give you permission. When the time comes, I don't want anything to stop you. There can only be one victor, and I'm giving you permission to kill my son."
The tone in her voice was too broken, too shaky. How could she tell Y/N this?
Y/N was shaking her head, "I can't, I won't..."
His mother was dragged out before she could say anything else.
Y/N couldn't imagine herself killing another human. She wouldn't even hurt a fly. She grew up with innocence and this is how she'd be spending her last days. Regretting. If she had learnt to hunt, at least she'd have a chance.
The large man at the door grabbed her arm, dragging her towards the door. "Okay. It's time to go."