Venus:
I ran, the dirt kicking up and getting stuck between my toes. The plants started to move out of my way and flowers grew under my hands as I passed by. I felt the urge to run faster and leaped forward taking a deer down and rolling a few feet. I held the deer down by instinct and Jack came and took care of the rest. I panted and wiped my face from sweat with my arms.
"It's a good hunt" Jack barked licking his lips from blood
"It is huh? Dads gonna enjoy dinner tonight" I said with a smile
We had to hunt our own meat because we lived so far away and couldn't risk staying in the city. It was mostly because of me but everyone thinks my dads a crazy scientist that lives ontop of a hill in creepy house. Well my dads an inventor for the districts, not a scientist. Although he likes charting the stars so it makes him a semi scientist. Nobody knows he has kids and were in charge of keeping it that way. He was to stay as the guy who lived alone and built projecters and things to be spread through out the districts. I picked up the deer carcass and slung it over my shoulders. I was always in charge of the hunt because Nick was to wimpy to kill an animal. Everytime I hunted this instinct took over me from the time of the chase to killing the animal. I started to walk by, admiring the flowers I had caused to grow. I stepped over some poison Ivy and ducked under some poison oak. I might be able to control plants but it doent mean im not affected by them, although im not completely hurt by them. Nick wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a poisonous plant and a normal one, that's how dumb he is. I walked up the hill and could feel the deer blood dripping down my back. It kind of made me proud, like the leader of the pack who had its enemy blood rolling down its fur. Yes that's how it felt, it felt like a sign of dominance. Nick came out and his eye widened as I smiled, dropping the deer on the ground.
"I don't know how you do that" he said covering his mouth
I shrugged and started to drag the carcass to the slaughter house.
"Im just manlier than you" I shouted back at him
I entered the little shack and laid the deer on the butchering table. Nick walked in and I could see him trying not to gag.
"Whatcha doing in here?" I asked sharpning the machete I was going to use.
"Im manly enough to watch, im older" he said leaning against the wall arms crossed
I shook my head and laughed.
"And im younger, a girl, and have more witts" I saidblowing on the newly sharpened blade
He swallowed hard as I aligned the long blade with the neck and swung down causing blood to splatter and the head to roll onto the floor. He covered his mouth as the deers eye rolled to the back of its head.
"There a bucket in the corner" I said pointing to the corner with the bloody knife.
He nodded and I could here him vomiting. I shook my head. Although hes been alive two years longer than me which ment hes survived two years longer of reaping, I had no idea how he would survive if he was ever reaped and had to play the games. I grabbed a smaller knife and started to cut along the stomach line to gut the animal.
"I don't know how you do that" I heard him say
"I just can, it comes naturally to me" I said removing several organs and throwing them into a bin.
He sat down in a chair and watched me as I continued to cut and slice, turning the deer into slices of meat and hide. I hung up the main body upside down and let the blood drip out completely. I wiped my hands on my ragged brown clothes I used for hunting. Usually I wore black, gray, or white because those were the districts colors. See every district had a trait or 'Faction'. Some might be better at hunting than other, or more honest, something along those line. Anyway they each have a color to go along with there faction. District Twelve was the mystery district. No one knew what was going to come out of it, so our colors were just as mysterious as the planet itself. By anything can come out of it I mean like, District One has the farming faction so you would expect crops and things like that to come from it, well in District Twelve we have a whole farming division that's just as good as Distrcit Ones planet. I turned around to see Nick just staring at the blood on my clothes.
"What?" I said looking down at myself
"I have to do laundry today.." Was all he said
I smirked, he had to wash my bloddy clothes and I knew that. I just shrugged and we exited the shack. I ran into the house and took a quick shower, then slipped on my usual black shirt and leggings. Just as I finished brushing my hair I heard an oh to familiar ring. I ran to my window and opened it, sticking my head out. The Games bells started to ring and the theme song began to play. The counsil had just chosen to begin the reapings, and as soon as tomorrow the first were to be taken. At first they would only reap one boy and one girl, but that started to get boring apearntly so they just chose two names out of the bowl, it could be two boy or two girls to be reaped and everyone just cheered. I remembered the terrified faces of two kids who were just about 12 years names called out. How they cryed and then died in the games. I couldn't get the images out of my head so I began to think of the past week. The first thing that came to mind was that boy I ran into at the market place. All I was able to see where his hair and eye color before running off so I wouldn't get caught. I wondered why he looked at me the way he did. I thought I knew him fron some where but I couldn't think of anyplace because I never left the house unless it was the reaping or to go to town and that was only once a month. I closed my window and went downstairs to find dad. He was looking out the window again. I walked up to him and he looked down on me, his grey eyes worriedly staring at me.
"Its time again.." He said worriedly
"Its okay, no one will come to take me away" I said hugging him
He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forhead.
"I wouldn't know what I would do if I lost you too" he whispered.
He must be referring to mom. I guess we lost her to something, but he never spoke of it. I hated causing him to worry. I also hated disappointing him. I felt like a disappointment because I wasn't normal, when we came from the city and he figured out what happened he was furious. He told me I shouldn't have used my powers at all and he sent me to my room. I felt so bad for causing him to worry. During the reaping season, more peace keepers were flown into Panem and the different districts, which meant we had to be more cautious, even if they don't come up the hill. I went to check on Nick and I helped him with his chores. I normally didn't do that, I let him suffer, but I felt to down to go and take a walk in the woods. I looked up and saw a huge ship sail in through the atmosphere and land somewhere in the city. Now I really couldn't go walk. I whistled for Jack and motioned him to go inside. I heard that they searched the woods for wild animals to put into the planet arena when it was low. I had trouble sleeping that night.
***
I woke up and did my chores quickly. I wanted to spend my day with Dad in the workshop and spend all the time I could, just in case anything happened. As I passed him the tools he needed, we heard the game horns. We rushed to the house where Nick was sitting in the living room already. We sat besides him as the games logo appeared on the T.V. screen. The same host from all the past years came on stage with his crazy blue hair and he smiled a big bright smile.
"Hello everyone! Today is the start of the new games! We begin to reap at District One and work our way up! Lets go visit the first District shall we?" he said into the camera.
It then showed the huge crowd of aligned teenagers and kids alike, waiting in desperation and worry. A woman known as the drawer and one of the highest sponsors for the games walked on stage wearing all pink, even her hair was puffy and pink. She smiled and spoke into the mic.
"Let the reapings begin!" she said
I took out some spare parts out of my pocket and tools. Lately ive had this instinct to out together these pieces that look like nothing at all, yet Ive saved them. I started to switftly put together the pieces as the lady put her hand into the huge bowl of names and pulled out on paper. She opened it pressed her lips together as she spoke.
"Our first player of the games is Bruce Jakeson!" she said with a big bright smile
The cameras panned to a boy Nicks age. Fear covered gis face as the peace keepers lead him to the stage. He stared down at the ground and a tear fell down his face. The lady just kept smiling and put her hnad back into the bowl and took out another name.
"Our seconed player of this district is Norma Terrence!" she said clapping her hands
There was a shout and the cameras moved to an older girl who was trying to get to the little girl who was walking up on the stage. The peace keepers shoved her down and dragged her away as Norma cried and struggled to run to the girl being dragged away. I guess the girl being dragged away was her older sister. The lady also known as Felica took both of there hands and raised them into the air.
"District Ones Players!" shse shouted as everybody clapped
They walked off stage and the screen changed to host again.
"That was an emotional reaping huh? Well stay tuned tomorrow to see District Two! See ya then" he said with a wink
The T.V. shut off and we looked at each other. Eleven District to go. Nick stood up and went to the kitchen and Dad left back to the work shop. Jake looked down at me from the couch as I stared at my hands. I had built another odd piece uncounciously and I stuffed it into my pocket. I creeped onto the couch and snuggled up with Jake who rested his head on mine. I hated this time of year.
***
Four days have passed since the first reaping. The District 2 reapings went well because it was a warrior distrct. They already had warriors trained to win. Before the first names could be said they already voulenteered and came onto the stage. There names were Max Stanely and the other kid said to call him Whiplash which caused everyone in my house to fall into a fit of laughter. He came up with the weirdest nickname ever, they were both 18, all warriors were. District 3 was emotional as the first when Austin Mathews a 14 year old boy walked onto the stage, head held high as an older boy struggled with Peace Keepers.The next player was a girl named Miranda Grace who was 15. Another cry broke out from a younger girl who fought with peace keeper to run to her older sister. District 4 were also trained warriors so it went smotthly again. Both 18 years old, there names were Percy Wild and Wendy Wickerson. They both looked tough and ready to kill which scared me Invisible. Literatlly. Today the T.V. flickered on and showed two crying kids, Frank Jackson 12, and Elizabeth McClean 13. They cried as they were lead away by the drawer Felicia. I shook my head. These kids were so young and were being led to there death sentances...
***
Okay heres all the players names and ages and districts so far.
District One: Bruce Jackeson 18/ Norma Terrance 13
District Two (Warriors): Max Stanely 18/ Whiplash 18
District Three: Austin Mathews 14/ Miranda Grace 15
District Four (Warriors): Percy Wild 18/ Wendy Wickerson 18
District Five: Franck Jackson 12/ Elizabeth McClean 13