hey! So i read the the last two Hunger Games last week after I read the first one in a day about 2 months ago! And it inspired me to write a fanfic since I'm in love with it!!
Chapter 1
‘Lyra, wake up,’ my mother shook my gently and I opened my eyes slowly, acting like I had slept well. Truth is I never slept well before this day. Not before the Reaping.
Sat around the table you could feel the nerves. My mother was quiet as usual, but my father wasn’t cracking his usually jokes and my two siblings ate silently and sensibly. Once we had finished my dad collected up the plates that had held the fresh bread and fruit we’d eaten and we were shooed into our rooms to get ready.
I shared a room with Tauri and Kaitos had his own, being the boy. Sometimes I’d think about complaining about the arrangement since surely the two youngest should share but then I’d think back to the poorer end of District 6, the people who were forced to share a bed with their sibling and a room with the whole family. Any thoughts of complaining left my mind then. My reaping outfit lay on the bed, a cream shirt and brown skirt, and the cream lace up shoes at the foot. I quickly put it on, trying not to crease it before turning to help my sister into her pale blue dress.
‘Lyra, I’m scared,’ she whispered.
‘Don’t be,’ I told her, if only it was that simple.
‘I can’t help it,’ she sniffed and I wrapped my arms around her.
‘Your name is in there once. Look on the bright side, at least our parents weren’t victors,’ I told her. ‘It must be terrifying for them, having their name enter twice as many times,’ I said soothingly and she nodded. ‘And mother and father have good jobs, none of us have to sign up for tesserae do we?’
She shook her head. ‘There’s 100,000s of entries and we are on just three? What are the odds? Come on now, chick, let me do your hair,’
****
We walked down to the Square together, spending the last moments we knew we would definitely be together for together. In the Square the usually happy atmosphere was grim, knowing that two families would be going home and grieving tonight, knowing that the children were almost certainly going to die in the next few weeks. Us in District Six where we were never taught any weaponry skills were never any match for Career Tributes who were taught how to us a spear and sword from an early age.
I kissed my mother on the cheek and hugged my father as we were herded into the right places, me in the 15 year old girls, Tauri just behind me in the 14 year old girls and Kaitos near the back, only 12 years old and his very first Reaping. There was a quiet murmuring among the crowds, no one louder than a whisper until a well-dressed woman with pale pink skin adorned with white tattoos across her cheeks and forehead which shimmered. Gianna King from the Capitol. She was the young woman who would help prepare the two poor souls, one male and one female to prepare for the Games, along with Draco Oreilli, our latest Victor. He won the 52th Hunger Games only 7 years ago. He was merely 23 and one of the best Mentors possible, the younger ones were the best. Some districts, like District 12, had it worse. They were the winners of the 27th Hunger Games and hadn’t won since so their mentor was over forty now and, in a place like District 12, from what I’d seen, that was old. Most people there were dying young, from infections that couldn’t be cured or other problems, most likely starvation. But I guess the wealth from winning would raise your life expectancy.
At precisely 2pm the mayor stood up from the chair and walked to the podium containing a microphone. He coughed slightly before beginning to read the familiar story. Not many listen to this anyone. Everyone over 12 can recite it in their sleep now. It’s the same every year in every district. The story of how Panem came to be. It used to be a place called North America but it was ravaged by droughts, storms, fires and other disasters before much of the land was slowly devoured by rising seas. A war followed this, fighting for the small amount of land that remained. A war which was won by us and Panem was created. The Capitol surrounded by thirteen districts which each specialized in a different item. But then the Dark Days came, when those thirteen districts rose up against the controlling powers of the Capitol. But Capitol defeated twelve of them and destroyed the thirteenth one, the strongest, most uncontrollable one. The Treaty of Treason was formed, guaranteeing peace for the districts and giving us the Hunger Games. They reminded us yearly of the Dark Days and how they should never been repeated.
The rules to the games are simple. Two tributes, a male and female, are selected at random from each of the twelve districts. Then these twenty-four are all thrown into an enclosed, outdoor arena which could range from a dense forest to a sparse desert land. Then in the following weeks it was a fight to the death until only one remained. The victor. This was Capitol's sick reminder we were no more than object to them, a pawn on their chess board. Its was their way of telling us we were completely at their mercy and nothing could change that.
And if the games weren't vile and horrific enough, it was a celebration. You were supposed to feel lucky to be a tribute and everyone was expected to celebrate it. Capitol people loved it. It was entertainment to them, just as a circus was to the people we'd had studied in history or jousting was to the people before them. They would sponser the tributes and watch intently as we were killed off one by one by other tributes or horrid traps and muttations, genetically-engineered creatures to serve a purpose, also called mutts.
I heard the mayor finish reading and he steps off the podium to be replaced by the mysterious but excited Gianna. She grinned and ran though the rules quickly reminding us of the Quarter Quell, like any of us could forget.
Every 25th Hunger Games in the Quarter Quell, marking the anniversary of the Capitol defeating the districts. These games are similar to every other but with a small twist, usually regarding the Reaping. There were many Quarter Quells written in sealed envelopes for every one with instruction on what should happen that year. Twenty-five years ago was the first Quarter Quell and then the residents of the districts were forced into voting on the tributes to remind the people that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence. And this year a reminder that, although everyone was in danger still, the most heavily affected were the relatives of the main players in the revolution meant relatives of past victors names were entered twice the number of times it would've been entered before.
Gianna finished her Quarter Quell speech with a another grin and then turned to flounce over to the balls.
'Let the reaping begin and may the odds be ever in your favour!'
In true Hunger Games style the 'ladies first' rule applies and she puts her hand into the first ball, pulling out the paper slip in a flourish.
'District Six's female tribute is Lyra Stellon!' she calls out. I hear a sob behind me as I walk towards the stage where Gianna greets me happily before trotting over to the boys glass ball and pulling out another slip of paper. Carter Flison. A fair skinned, brown haired boy made his way from the 17-year-olds to the front and onto the stage. We shook hands and Gianna repeated our names and the crowd burst into preplanned applause. Then the mayor stepped back up to read the Treaty Of Treason before we were escorted into the Justice Building where we would say our goodbyes.
I was sat on a plush couch. I ran may hands down the fabric, I think it was called velvet. The chairs were made of the same plum material and the cream carpet looked so fluffy and soft. I know in here it would be ‘safe’ to cry. There were no cameras but there would be at the train station, immediately after I left here. I planned not to cry but the instant I saw my family I burst into tears. Tauri ran over and jumped into my arms. She was followed by Kaitos climbing on my other knee. I hugged them both close and my parents sat next to me.
‘Don’t go Rara,’ Kaitos sobbed, using my nickname from when he was little and couldn’t pronounce Lyra.
‘I have to Kay,’ I told him
‘But why?’
‘You know why, it’s the rules and no one volunteered for me,’ I explained
‘I should’ve done,’ Kaitos mumbled
‘No, I wouldn’t have let you,’ I said ‘Or you Tauri, I’d do anything to protect you. Anyway, I’ve started my medical training so I’ll a bit of an advantage over some of the tributes I guess,’ I said reassuringly.
‘Maybe you could win?’ Tauri said quietly
‘Maybe,’ I said even though I had no chance. I stood up and put them down on their feet to embrace my parents.
‘Remember I love you all so much and I’ll miss you. Goodbye,’ I said, hugging them all tightly as the turned to walk out the door. The last time I’d ever see my parents probably.
My next visitor was my friend Hailee.
‘Hey,’ she whispered
‘Hey there,’ I replied
‘I’ll be quick so you don’t cry,’ she said, throwing a tissue towards me. I dried my eyes and felt her fastening something round my neck. ‘Your family wanted me to give it to you, said they’d forgot to give it to you when I saw them on the way out,’ I glanced down at the necklace that hung in the middle of my chest. It had swirls and flowers engraved on the front and I noticed a small catch. I pressed down and it opened, revealing a few pictures, of my parents and Tauri and Kaitos.
‘Anyway, I guess I’ll go now. I love you Lyra, you’re like the sister I always wanted,’ she sniffed, hugging me and planting a soft kiss on my cheek. ‘Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour,’ she laughed quietly and I joined in, drying my eyes.
The Peacekeepers came in and led her away. I dried my eyes and cleaned up slightly before we went to the train station. It wasn’t a long ride, especially in a car. They weren’t available to people of our class, even half of the Capitol couldn’t afford one. But we were of a good class and we could afford a horse and cart once in a while, depending on how long it had been since our parents had been paid.
When we got to train station, my eyes were noticeably less red and puffy, in fact you could hardly tell I’d cried if what I could see from my reflection in the glass was true. The station was overflowing with reporters and cameras. I saw Carter climbing out of a car the same as mine just to the right. He made his way over to me and grabbed my hand. I was shocked to say the least, I had never once spoken to him. We stood together, hands still joined, at the door of the train while the cameras took photo after photo and filmed us for those people at the Capitol. I glanced up at the grand screen we were on and noticed something. We looked like we were together, like we were a team but we weren’t not at all. He dropped my hand and threw an arm around my shoulders as we walked into the train, following Gianna and Draco in.
I was shown to my ‘chambers’. It consisted of a bedroom, dressing room and my own bathroom. I sat on the window seat and stared out as we left the station. I waved slowly, not to anyone specific. Just to my district. The district I’m sure I’ll never see again…
a/n I PROMISE IT ISNT LIKE THE ACTUAL HUNGER GAMES!! LYRA AND CARTER AREN'T GONNA LIKE GET TOGETHER!
oh and if you're on of the tributes, you'll be in it soon when they get to capitol!!