My eyelids fluttered open like my heart would later today at the reaping. Contently, I squinted my eyes against the sun that was shining through the skylight above my bed. The Reaping was today, and I couldn't stand the tension within me. My hands were fidgety and I was skittish. My bedroom was a very small room with only enough room to fit a bed and a small bedside table. On the bedside table was a lamp, and in the drawers were the little clothes I owned, but on the very bottom drawer lay a plain, off-white dress that reached just above her knees, and had a white bowtie right underneath the collar with a red dot in the center of the bowtie. The sleeves weren't exactly tank-top sleeves, but they were as thin as them and came together on the back of her neck. Sitting atop the dress was a pair of white pantyhose, and with a sigh, I slipped both of them on. I looked beautiful in this dress, and always liked seeing myself in this, but I had to save it for the Reaping every year. I also slipped on white flats that pinched my toes. I wondered what Kay was wearing...
I walked out of my room, into the kitchen where my mother stood almost finished sauteing bluish berries with some mixed vegetables. The year was good to us and gave us plenty of vegetables, but that doesn't change the fact that it wouldn't last us very long. After I'd eaten, my mother let me leave without her. She said she's come at the same time as my dad, but I knew it was because my father would need help getting out of bed, getting dressed, and walking all the way across our farm to the town square. He was a cripple. Lost his legs on the other side of the fence. My mother found him while she was gathering berries, and she was the one that stabbed the lion to death. I think she loved him out of sympathy. I knew he was crazy about her and I knew she cared deeply about him, but it didn't seem like it was love as much as it was sympathy.
When I stepped outside of my house, I noted that it appeared as if it would rain sometime today. It would be good for our crops that were already ready to be harvested, but nobody like harvesting in the rain because it took so long, that you'd get so wet while doing it. Emerging from the horizon was a familiar figure, and a smile spread across my face. I ran to him.
"Kay!" I yelled giddily. I don't know why, though, because today was the day of the Reaping, and I shouldn't be excited, but seeing him gave me pleasure. He always came by our house the morning of the Reaping to say "hello" to me, and walk with my mother and me to town square.
"Hey. Where's your mother?" He smiled. He must've been happy to see me too. I remembered what happened last night. Was that a dream? It had to be. I couldn't imagine that actually happening, but...
"She needs a little extra time to help my dad..." Silence.
To break the silence, he began, "Y'know, last night..."
I waited for him to finish, "I meant everything I said there, and if it wasn't clear enough then, I want to make sure you know how I feel about you..." All this made me realize that I loved him back, but he seemed to be avoiding the word "love."
There was an interminable moment of awkward silence between us, and I felt the burden rested on my shoulders to end it. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
"I love you too." I assured him. We held each other in each others' arms a moment, and my eyes began to fill ever so slightly. I thought about how horrible it'd be if I was chosen today or if he was. I couldn't bare to lose him...
When we let go, he told me that he brought me something. I awaited impatiently, wiping tears from my eyes. Everything was so perfect. Too perfect, actually. I was afraid this wouldn't last forever. Afraid one of us would leave the other today. He took something out of his pockets, but made sure that his hand concealed it. He motioned me to turn around, and I obediently did. I felt a super thin chain made of lead, but plated with gold lock around my neck. It was breathtakingly beautiful. I had no idea how he even got this. Anything made from District one went directly to the Capitol. I looked down and saw it had a locket with the inscription 11 on it.
Kay joyfully explained, "My grandmother had a brother who knew how to plate jewelery. He traveled past the fence and got lost, but found a District 12 old man who was hunting. The man had a thin lead chain he would sell for any food as he was starving. My great uncle took it immediately and gave the man a roll he brought with him on his journey. After that, my great-uncle miraculously found his way back home and plated the chain with gold so that he could sell it. When my grandmother found out that he had it, she payed him for it. She wore it around her neck every day and then gave it to my mother when she had me. When I turned 11, my mother found the chain hidden in the back of a drawer she never opened, and nearly forgotten. She had a locket in the same drawer. The locket was from my father. I don't know how he got the locket, but when my mother found these two, she gave them to me and inscribed on it the number 11 because she felt it was a lucky number and it was my age."
I turned back to him unsure, "Are you sure you want me to have it?"
He laughed a bit, "It's not like I can wear it. I don't know why my mom gave it to me. She must've forgotten that boys don't usually wear lockets." He laughed a bit more, "It's all yours."
I was practically speechless. After spending a while trying to find words, I said, "Thank you so much. I've never had anything like this before." And we grabbed each others' hands and made our way toward the square.
((This love stuff is getting a bit on the unrealistic side...))
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I would tell you about how awesome I am down here, but I have a feeling you probably already know that. <- Please. ._.
Then i woke up.
I was back at home, in my hammock.
Which i shouldn't have been. One moment i was beating the life out of the mayors ******* son, the next i'm in bed.
I dragged myself out, and remembered what today was. Instead of the usual get up, i tried for something fancier.
I pulled on my black suit, and finished it off with my hood, as per usual.
With the hood up, i actually looked sorta awesome.
Just a little.
I plodded down stairs, to find Dad wearing something similar, minus the hood. He smiled as i walked past him, and headed for the door. Since days like this mean no work, we'd been able to sleep in a little. It was already 12:30, so we left straight away.
We took our respective places in the square. Me in that damn pen, Him on the outside, watching me. And we waited.
And waited. And waited.
Finally, after an hour of standing around, the ceremony began. Gaisa, our districts escort, took the stage and began some stupid speech about 'Being all we can be' and 'Trying our hardest to succeed'. Nothing new.
Then the choosing began. Everyone around me stiffened as the jar the names were pulled from was shaken. And as he'd said the day before, The mayors son stuck his fat hand into the jar.
The mayor glanced at the card and smiled ever so slightly.
"Ins Rivella."
With a flick of the wrist my hood was up. I had a plan to make my opening a little more...Memorable. I climbed the stage, the shouts and claps of those around me almost deafening. The next name was pulled out, but i took no notice of it. She was just another obstacle to defeat in the long run.
"Excuse me young man, would you please remove that hood." Gaisa said, tapping me lightly on the shoulder. I grinned my horrible, large, shark toothed grin. slowly at first, i removed the hood, before ripping it off entirely. Several people screamed, just as many ran or fainted.
I was ushered off the stage faster then normal. Hell, the last winner didn't even get his speech.
But me, i got the opening i wanted.
The escorts from the Capitol open the cards, reword it so it says "escort" instead of "mayor"
Switching to past tense, because present-tense is hard.
((IC))
Gaud Edell
I woke up on my own, already dreading what will happen today. The reaping. Two people from our district would be picked. It could be me. I haven't trained for the Hunger Games. I don't have any experience with weaponry. If I get reaped, I will most certainly die by the end of the games.
I stared at the ceiling and the only movement I made was blinking. So. Another year. My name was put in the glass jar only four times, but I knew that they could have rigged it easily, making sure my name was picked. The more I thought about the idea, the more true it seemed to become. It was like that for me sometimes. An idea forms in my head, hazy and unreal. Then slowly it solidifies until no amount of denial will make it seem untrue.
After climbing down the stairs reluctantly, I found myself face-to-face with my parents. My father had a sad look on his face, while my mother seemed to be apathetic about it, though I knew she was just holding it in for me. "Honey, remember that even if you get picked, at least one person will volunteer for you. At least one," she said to me, but it was probably not true. The careers hated me, as I've said. Nobody else in their right mind would go instead of me. Hell, I wouldn't go instead of me.
I got dressed in a rather sour mood. It was going to get a whole lot worse, I could tell. My shirt was a solid sky blue, and my pants were soft and loose. I figured that if I got reaped, I might as well be comfortable while doing so. I put my shoes on and walked out of the door, towards the town square, where the reaping would take place. My hands sweated, my arms wiggled back and forth nervously, and I could tell I was a complete wreck at the moment.
But, hey, you would have been, too.
((OOC))
It's a little short, but I'm low on time at the moment.
Kay and I hadn't spoken the entire trip to the town square. When we got there, it was too crowded for anyone to see the stage. We were always late. Even when we were early, we were late. My parents got there sometime during the silence Kay and I shared while we waited. And waited. And waited.
After too long, the crowd subsided and I heard a weird lady's voice. Instead of hair, she had thin, green stubs atop her head as if it was recently shaved. It contrasted her deathly pale skin that was slightly tinted orange as if she was ill. She had piercings throughout her body on the sides of her legs and arms. Above her eyelids, in her nose, all over her ears, and all over her lips. The piercing holes were filled with what looked like jade studs. She was wearing a pale pink full-length, strapless dress. Her voice was extremely high and she spoke rapidly. She gave some sort of speech about the capitol and its relationship with us and she told us they treat us well and we had to do this "small" favor in return. Capitol people sickened me.
The speech is different with every person, so it's relatively interesting to listen to them. I thanked the universe for making her speech short. My heart beat its wings at an impossible speed. "And now, we will choose the girl tribute for this year." All my senses stopped working, and my heart stopped when she called the name.
"Enna." I stopped listening before she could say my last name. Had she really said that? Was this real? This wasn't FAIR! I had just told Kay how I felt about him, and now I was going to die? I shamefully made my way to the stage, looking at the ground. As soon as my hand slipped out of Kay's, I knew I'd never see him again. Tears were rolling down my face. I stood next to Fernokki and faced the crowd while wiping tears from my face. I mouthed "Kay." As if it was the last thing I'd ever say. I grabbed the locket around my neck and continued to cry silent tears. I watched as Kay made his way through the crowd and yell that he wanted to be taken in place of me, but Fernokki crushed my only hope by telling him he can only volunteer for another boy, not a girl, and I did not want to contend against him.
With a huge grin, Fernokki went on to the boy jar and pulled out a boy named Sioux. ((lol, a boy named Sioux :biggrin.gif:)) I hadn't known him because he was 13, and school ended for me before he was a high enough age for me to actually know him. So this was how my life was going to end... I was never going to see my family ever again and right when I find true love, I have to die. It just wasn't fair...
Life isn't fair. I suppose it would be a good thing that it was going to end for me soon...
((OOC))
Okay.
WHERE THE HELL IS MY POST?!
I just typed up a huge thing and tried to post it, and apparently it didn't post.
And I really don't feel like typing that up again.
RAGE RAGE RAGE RAGE RAGE
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With the release of my new adventure map, I am officially back. Now to head back to DragCave!
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
7/9/2011
Posts:
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Lexiuno
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Aurora woke up in a cold sweat. Reaping today. Reaping today. Reaping today. Reaping today... My chances are low... I hope. I'M SO ****ING TERRIFIED! Aurora said to herself. She looked in her draw, grabbed a blue dress and a purple dress and looked at both of them and put the purple one back. She walked over to the side of her room where she put's her shoes. She doesn't have that much but hey, can't get mad at her for being organised. She grabbed the light blue shiny high heels that matched her dress and put them on. She walked out of her room, walked down the stairs and noticed her mom cooking breakfast. She looked at the bacon on the stove and sniffed it up all the way.
"Look's delish' Mom." Aurora said.
"Well thank you. It's ready now if you want some. We need to go to the town square right after we eat." Her mom said with a serious look.
"Okay, did everyone else eat?" Aurora asked ((OOC-She always wakes up the latest and everyone always has eaten before her.)) Her mom was dressed for the reaping in a long red dress that goes right under her knee's and black Heel's to match her black sun hat. Her mother laughed. Aurora ate and called everyone down.
"Hey! Anyone in the house who is ready come down NOW! And if ya' aren't, HURRY IT UP!" Aurora said. She never liked missing the reaping. Her dad and her sister came down and so did platinum. She petted him and kissed his forehead than put him on the couch. "Bye boy, I'll possibly see you soon." Aurora said to her dog and walked out the door.
Her family walked silently to the town square. They were scared that Aurora would be gone forever. They got to the town square and the reaping begun.
"Hello citizens! Welcome to the 47th annual reaping!." A girl that had way too much colors on her. She was blue, EEEW! "It's an honor to be here. I will be pulling the names of the glass jar." The girl who MUST be from the capitol said. She put her extremely manicured hand into the girl jar.
"Our girl tribute will be," She said taking a moment to look and the name, "Aurora Lipting!" She said cheerful. Tears started to well up in Aurora's eyes. HOW THE **** CAN YOU BE CHEERFUL ABOUT THIS??? Aurora screamed in her mind while she sucked in her tears and walked up to the stage. She bumped into Gaud Edell. Didn't he rob the paper supply... He isn't getting the punishment? Maybe he didn't do it... Aurora thought as she walked up onto the stage.
"I'm Fluster Gillen, you escort, and Jikwea Kentin over there, he's your mentor." She said. Aurora was filled with fear, So this is what it feels like to get called for the hunger games, yikes. Aurora thought. She prayed that someone would volunteer for her, but that wasn't going to happen...
My heart took off, and it was beating its wings so quickly, I almost couldn't hear it. Kay still stood in the front wearing a solemn face. What was to become of me? What was next? Fernokki leaned back over the microphone to tell everyone they would four hours to say good-bye and get a district token. I already knew what I'd take, I thought to myself as I grabbed the locket again. She told me my mentor would be Aenna. There were only two victors in District 11, and it made sense for me to get the girl victor. Aenna was a very common name in District 11 when my mother was young, but she didn't want to name me what everyone would be naming their children, so she got rid of the A and named me Enna. Aenna, the victor, nursed my mother when she was pregnant with me. When they thought I was going to die, Aenna somehow kept me alive. She asked for nothing in return. After that, my mother would sometimes come to Aenna to ask about medicine. Aenna told my mother everything she didn't know about edible and inedible plants, and she already knew most of it. My mother taught me everything Aenna taught her about medicinal plants, and I always would gather some if they were ready to be harvested just in case we would need them. We had no money to spend on medicine, so it was more than useful to know what medicine we could make for free. Aenna was the 25th victor of the Hunger Game, and she won it when she was 17. She was the same age as my mom- 39- so they knew each other in school, but they never spoke until my mother was pregnant. Aenna hid during most of the Hunger Games, waiting for other people to get killed and refusing to ally people. Because she was always hiding, the Gamemakers tried to keep it more interesting by doing whatever they can to challenge her. They started a wildfire, released muttations, and even tainted her water supply, but she survived. She survived.
So here she was, destined forever to train children to stay alive, but watching them die every year. It must be hard for her, and now she had to train me how to stay alive after she had already saved me. I wanted to win so that I could come back to Kay's arms and so that everything could be back to normal, but I knew that would never happen.
Fernokki motioned us that the four hours had started, and the crowd dispersed. You could hear the low murmur of voices talking about who they thought was going to get far. Most of them rooted for Sioux, afterall, he was plenty stronger than me. The ones that rooted for me did so because they thought Sioux was stupid and stubborn. I didn't know him, so I could agree or disagree.
I ran to Kay who was standing beside my mother and my father who was in a wheel-chair that we had to make for him out of twigs and other things. Whenever I came near someone, they would look at me and shake their head grimly. There was no way this was going to turn out well. In fact, I had already made the mistake of crying, so tributes would now think I'm an easy target and try to kill me first.
I hugged Kay so tightly and my mother joined the hug. My father grabbed my hand, and I turned to face his distressed eyes. He didn't want to lose me. I didn't want to lose him. After what felt like forever, we let go and I began to speak, my throat threatening to choke itself as tears ran down my face.
"If I don't make it back, I just want you to know, you guys are the only people I'm doing this for. And whatever I do, I do it so I can come back and see your beautiful faces again. I'm most likely not going to survive, but I will try everything I can to see you again. I will do whatever it takes because I love you." Then I turned to Kay and took his hands, "I don't know how I'm going to survive out there without you. Just being away from you might kill me." I had more to say, but forgot it, and sobbed into his arms, "Please, if I come back, make sure to still be here the same way as you are today."
My family looked at me sympathetically as I continued to sob into Kay's shoulders as he pat my back telling me "it's going to be alright." "I'm going to do just fine." I knew this wasn't the truth. Blossom came sometime during this point, and looked to us confusedly. I saw my mother mouth to her "not now." And Blossom mouthed back, "was she picked?" My mother nodded before Blossom made her way to me and patted my back to comfort me. She told me the same thing Kay did about how "I'll survive" and "it's going to be just fine." I looked up at Kay and saw that his eyes were slightly getting glassy. Why did we have to leave each other? Why was this happening?
I came out of his arms and wiped my tears, but they kept racing down my cheeks anyway. My mother asked, "Do you want us to get you a district token right now?" I shook my head and grabbed the locket Kay had given me earlier today. Blossom frowned, but she didn't say anything because she understood it was more important I have it than anyone else, as I'm going to die soon, anyway. My mother was stunned by its beauty, but only Kay, Blossom, and I knew it wasn't worth what it looked like it was. Kay took my hand and we all walked to my home.
When I was home, my mother started cooking immediately. I knew she was making our District's roll. I brought some tesserae to make bread because I felt I was dying soon anyway; why would it matter how many tesserae I brought home? My mother had found some poppy seeds to cover the roll as it was traditional for District 11 to cover their rolls with seeds. I held my locket, and was nearly dying from the delicious smell. Kay took me to the other side of the fence to talk.
"I'm going to miss you more than you have any idea, you know that right?" I giggled a bit while wiping away some tears.
"I'm going to miss you more." I told him.
"When you go into the Hunger Games, I want to make sure you remember this." He leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. His lips were gently and warm. The kiss only lasted seconds, though, and I felt a bit dizzy. I went to embrace him again before we took each others' hand and made our way back home. This is what I was going to be missing. This is what I'd never see again.
When we made it back home, which didn't take us very long, my mother had put the five rolls on a tray on the table and was letting them cool. They looked and smelled so good, my mouth was nearly watering. There were enough rolls for each of us to have one, and when they cooled, I savored every bite of it. When we were all finished eating, we went back to the square. I grabbed four tesserae, two for each household, and the four hours ended when they came back from bringing the tesserae home. I could tell everyone felt bad about taking the tesserae, but I insisted that it wouldn't matter anymore because if I came back, I wouldn't have to have my name in the reaping jar. When Fernokki announced our four hours were up, I hugged everyone good by and waved as I went on the train. When I was on the train, I touched my lips where Kay's had just touched them. I was going to miss him the most. I don't know how I was going to live without him. Knowing that the last breath I'd take, he wouldn't be there, right by my side. Curiously, I opened the locket to find it empty, and I cursed at myself for forgetting to find something to put it in. A tear fell off of my cheek, and I wiped my eyes to make sure no more would. If I were to speak, I'd surely burst into tears, so I tried to hide myself in the section of the train that was my bedroom.
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I would tell you about how awesome I am down here, but I have a feeling you probably already know that. <- Please. ._.
Daniel barely opened his eyes, as the warm morning sunlight got into his room from the window. He tried to lean back again and sleep, but then he remembered that today was the Reaping. It was one of the few days that children didn' t go to school, but other than that, it wasn' t a day of celebration as it was in other districts. Daniel always got sick when looking at the eyes of the unlucky tributes, walking on the stage where the escort waited them at. He could even remember last years' s tribute, a girl at the age of 14, which died almost immediately at the Bloodbath at Cornucopia. Once more, he had to dress up with his formal clothes, and go to the stage, where the Reaping takes place every year.
Daniel got out of his bed, and with swift moves, he removed his pyjamas and put up his jeans and his favorite, red shirt. Then he went down, carefully not to wake his mother up, and went running towards the stage, which was pretty close to his home.
By the time he made it there, Daniel saw many other people already gathered around the glass dome. He could see the escord nerd putting his hand into the dome, and drawing a name out of it. Without even listening to the escort, he tried to find a place to sit. Unluckily for him, every seat was occupied. Taking a deep breath, he stared at the sky, wondering what name did the man called while he was searching for a seat. He released his breath when he saw a little girl walking onto the stage, loud applause filled his ears, and clasp made the wind fill with noise. The escort then drew another name out of the dome, only to throw it into a trash can. It was probably another girl' s name.
This time however, the escort didn' t trashed the piece of paper. He drew a boy' s name. He took another big breath, his lungs filled with the chilling morning air. His eyes quickly blinked when he heard that name - his name.
He was picked as a tribute. No... No, this cannot be happening...
The applause filled his ears once again. But his mind was empty, he couldn' t think of anything now. With his heart beating out loud, he went towards the stage. Suddenly the world was empty. The only thing Daniel could hear was his ears beating.
He walked on the stage, and went to the escort. He lowered his head, and got the piece of his name from the escort. Without waiting even a bit more, he rushed down the srairs, and flew to his home. This can' t be happening...
While he was running, Daniel couldn' t deceive the world around him. Everything seemed nothing now to him. He had to get to his home, and tell his mother. Not only to tell her about what happened, but also to say goodbye. Because Daniel didn' t know whether he would make it out of the arena alive. This can' t be happening...
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" Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. " - Bertolt Brecht
My mouth was dry when I stepped into the square. Standing on a stage that they set up for the reaping was the mayor, a young buff man with a bad attitude. As far as we knew, the mayor had never been reaped, never been forced to compete in the Hunger Games. He didn't know our pain, so he took the reaping in stride. He cared for none of us, and to him we were just his pawns who did his work for him. Secretly, I hated him, but I didn't say anything out loud, should anybody overhear me.
"People of District One," he said, voice mild, "The time has come again for us to remember. To remember how in the ruins of the ancient civilization arose the nation of Panem, and it's thirteen districts. To remember how the Dark Days of the rebellion must never be repeated. And so, to help us remember, two tributes, one boy and one girl, from this very district will have the honor of competing in the annual Hunger Games." All of us knew the story of the Dark Days. The thirteen districts of Panem rebelled against the Capitol. There was a war. The Capitol won, and we got the Hunger Games because of it.
The district was completely silent. Hands were shaking at people's sides, tears were flowing from mothers and fathers, and some people were hunched over into balls. Everybody was scared. We didn't bother to hide that. The Capitol enjoyed our fear, like leeches sucking on blood. One in twenty-four. Twenty-four tributes. One victor. At least one of the reaped will die in our district. Fear jolted through me.
The mayor, finished with his speech, walked over to the side to introduce the escort for District One, a woman with pale blue skin. Typical. I didn't bother to catch her name. I was so filled with rage, I had to restrict myself from freaking out and choking every single Peacekeeper, every single Capitol person in our district. My district.
"Well then," she said, in that gooey Capitol voice that makes me feel like I have glue stuck in my throat. To the side of me I noticed a girl, who I recognized as that snobby rich career down the street, come in a few minutes late. "Hello, citizens! Welcome to the forty-seventh annual reaping. It's an honor to be here. I will be pulling the names out of the glass jar, picking two lucky boys and girls to be tributes in the Hunger Games."
Her blue hand shoots into the jar, way too excited than she should have been. She dug around, hovering over slips of paper, shifting around as if she was trying to decide on which one to pick. Like she cared who. She grasped one of them and slowly pulled it out. "Our girl tribute will be..." she paused dramatically. "Aurora Lipting!"
Yes! That snobby career girl got picked! Though these thoughts were probably cruel, I was happy it was her and not somebody else. If a career was picked, then the other careers knew to back off. It was an honor to them, and they knew they couldn't take it away. However, Aurora made a squealing noise, her eyes looking as if they were going to tear up, and she walked down the town square up on to the stage. As she went past, she bumped into me and I rolled my eyes. She calls herself a career, and yet she acts like this on reaping day? Please.
The escort said, "I'm Fluster Gillen, your escort, and Jikwea Kentin over there, he's your mentor." What horrendous names. They were all fluffy and pompous in the Capitol, which reflected how they didn't care for anything in the world. It was all bread and circuses to them.
The next minutes were a blur. They did the whole shiblam, with all the "congratulations on being sent to your death", and the "we're so proud we get to make you die!" stuff. Then, they picked the boy tribute.
Time seemed to slow down as the name was fished out of it's hiding place at the bottom of the jar. Slowly it was unfolded and Fluster read the name, the horrible, horrible name of a person that meant everything to me. "Nugget Glasden!"
I gasped in shock.
No. Not him. There had to be a mistake. If anybody was picked, it should have been me. I never suspected he'd be reaped. But then again, the Capitol always knows how to surprise you, doesn't it? I know they planned this. They think I'm a thief. They're sending me to the games as punishment. But they don't want anybody to notice. So they picked Nugget, knowing that I'd volunteer for him. Which is what I was going to do.
Time returned to normal again, and before anybody could do it before me, I yelled, "Wait! Stop! No! I volunteer for him! I'll be a tribute in the Hunger Games!"
Without hesitation, Fluster said, "Well! What do we have here? A rivalry, perhaps? Well, I'm sorry then, Mr. Glasden, but you're not going to the games this year!" I walked forward, knowing that at the end of my life was going to be a death in the arena. "Your mentor is Oren Fulm, and he will train you this-"
Before she can finish, I feel the world fading to black, engulfing me like a wave. I fall down to the ground, near unconscious. I'm sorry, parents, I think before everything was fully gone, But I won't be coming back to you. I'm going to the games this year.
OK, if there's another one of these, I'm gonna be a gamemaker. I REALLY don't feel like typing that whole thing again. This post will be edited with my Reaping, and then I'll give myself two mentors and an escort.
(IC) District Nine Reaping
I wake up and jump up. Today's the Reaping. Today's the Reaping. I go outside, only to be soaked. It's raining? I trudge to the [insert place where Reaping takes place], which is thankfully indoors. By the time I make it there, my clothes are completely ruined. I sit down, only to be kicked. I turn around and see Julia and her father beside me, completely dry.
"Get outta here, wet-face," she says, giving me another savage kick. I move away. I hope she gets picked. She'll be the only kid that'll be satisfying to kill. Meanwhile, the Capitol escort is going off on a tangent about the 42nd Hunger Games. Bored, I sit and wait for the jars to be brought up. Finally, the escort reached his hand into a jar. He says a name, but the steady rain drowns out the sound.
Julia gives a little cheer and jumps up and down. Well, obviously she's not going to the Games, I think, disappointment flowing through me. When I look onto the stand, I see a small girl looking down. She'll never win, I immediately think.
Tanuvius draws the last name, and the rain seems to quiet enough for me to hear it.
"Zachary Lengas!" he says. I didn't have to volunteer! I walk up there, and Julia sneers as I walk past. I think of how ridiculous I must look, sopping wet. As I take the stage and watch the eyes of the crowd, I do something unexpected.
I smile.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
7/9/2011
Posts:
43
Minecraft:
Lexiuno
Member Details
Aurora heard them call Nugget, and she was shocked. No, not him... She said to herself. Nugget was her secret love and she couldn't compete against him... not even in a life or death situation. She swore to herself that she would guard him and do whatever it meant to keep him alive in the games right at that moment. Than something wonderful happened, well actually, not that wonderful considering it was Gaud Edell. He had volunteered for him. When he got on stage he collapsed. Aurora squealed a louder scream than the first one. She was horrified, but not as much as what was in store for her next.
"Gaud! Snap out of it! Wake up!" She said shaking him. Fluster went from light blue, to almost purple. Odd much? The mayor was calm and didn't really care. ((OOC- Fluster turned reddish with embarrassment. That's why she was purplish))
"It's ok Aurora, he's okay." The mayor said to her.
"Why aren't you freaking out!? He's one of your citezins and he fainted!" Aurora said to him with rage.
He didn't reply. Aurora put his arm around her neck to keep him elevated. She slapped him to try to wake him up. He remained unconscious. Aurora dropped him on the ground and he hit the stage hard. Her eldest sister, who moved her way around to the front, gave her a look that said what are you doing?? Aurora gave her back a look that said I know what I'm doing. Gaud woke up and rubbed the back of his head. Aurora expected it to hurt, after all-she did drop him down in a fast and fluid movement.
I spent most of the time on the train to our next stop in my room thinking of a strategy and possible allies. I didn't want to have any, but by watching the majority of victors in the Hunger Games, I saw that it was necessary for most people. Well, judging by the fact that it's a forest and there's an ocean, I wanted to ally someone in District four because I couldn't fish, and fish was a great source of food.
While I was thinking about this, Sioux slammed the door to my quarters open and sat on my bed. "We need to form an alliance," he said. I sat up, startled by his sudden presence and outrage.
"Why do you say that?" I couldn't possibly understand because I was a wimp. I had no muscle and the only experience I have with using a weapon is swatting a fly with a dagger. I didn't get it, of course. The only other time was when I couldn't find my protective dagger, and I brought a sword I found with me to the other side of the fence. I had finished gathering early, and out of curiosity, I attacked a tree with it until it got dull. Why would Sioux possibly want me as an ally?
"I don't have any chance surviving, but you- you're smart. I need you to help me survive." Was that really it? That his only reason?
"No way! Go ally someone else!" For some reason, this angered me, but I didn't know why. I got off of the bed and pointed to the door.
Angrily, he jumped at me, "Do you at least have any advice I can use?" He towered over me, and I felt threatened.
I was starting to get just as angry as he was, "I'm not victor! How should I know? Don't get caught in the bloodbath?"
He stared at me deadly. I waited for him to get out the door.
Finally he walked towards the door, but stopped midway to turn around and tell me, "you're going to be the first person I kill." And with that, he spat on the floor and slammed my door. With the slam, the train rattled slightly, and I almost fell over. My eyes met e dresser, and curiously, I opened it. In it were various different clothes. They ranged from all different colors, but were simple. I liked my dress, though, so I stayed in that.
((Meh, bed. I'll post again tomorrow afternoon. G'night.))
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I would tell you about how awesome I am down here, but I have a feeling you probably already know that. <- Please. ._.
I drifted through stages of consciousness. Sounds filtered through to my ears, light distorted and bended, shining on me at a weird angle. But I didn't want to get up. To get up would mean to resume this nightmare reality. I think I might have woken up once, but I fell back so quick I hurt my head. Now I was feeling movement, the rumble of ground. It was rhythmical; rumble-rumble-hum, rumble-rumble-hum, rumble-rumble-hum. The sound buzzed around my ear, stinging me like a bunch of tracker jackers, horrible bug muttations from the Capitol. My eyes snapped open and I found myself face-to-face with who I assume is Oren Fulm. My mentor.
Oren was a... well, how can I describe him? He wasn't a buff man, but he didn't seem like a wimp, either. His clothes sparkled silver and I had to momentarily shield my eyes from the light. He waited patiently for me, foot tapping on the ground, mixing into the odd sound of the... train. Train?! A quick glance around pointed this fact out to me. I was on a train, currently heading to the Capitol. I didn't get to say goodbye to my parents. Peacekeepers probably hauled me on here. Great.
"You're up. I was worried you wouldn't awake until you were rising up into the arena!" Oren said with enthusiasm. His smile was as bright and wide as the sun. Over his left ear was a jagged scar, dim red, probably from his days in the arena. It was sort of considered a status symbol if you had marks and wounds from the games. It shows that you're tough to kill, able to stand a lot of pain. I knew the story of Oren Fulm's victory. It was hard not to know in District One. Oren was able to make metals resemble food. Then he'd place it out on the ground, rig a small trap around it, and wait and watch. As people got more hungry in the arena, the more tempting the food looked. Oren managed to eliminate five of his competition. And then, at the end...
I muttered, "No... I want to sleep some more. Too... tired." And I was tired. My eyelids were drooping, my head was aching... I needed rest. Of course, it was hard to sleep on a train rumbling across a track on a long journey to the capitol. But I didn't want to think about the games. Not now. Not ever, if I had that choice.
Oren's hand shook my shoulder, nudging me to the side, almost falling off of my bed. "Come on! Get up! You need to" - he grunted - "meet the other tribute!" The tribute. That snob who may or may not be a career, was pretty wimpy either way, and was pretty much horrible personality-wise? Why yes, just who I want to meet! Lazily I got out of my bed, stretched, and walked towards the door. I was already wearing my clothes, so I didn't bother to change. I opened the exit and stepped out into the train.
Daniel' s mum speechlessly watched as her son leaved the house, with that escort guy nest to him, pulling him to the train. It was a moment of mourning for her, as she knew that Daniel wouldn' t make it out of the arena. No one else did from District Five, other than a boy that died of cancer a few years later. The escort wouldn' t negotiate about taking him to the Capitol, and although she tried, she couldn' t change his mind.
"It' s ok mum" Daniel said to her, his hand waving goodbye.
"Goddbye, my son. May God bless you to survive..." As Daniel exited the house, he saw his mother crying, sitting on the sofa, and bending forward to hide her eyes. Daniel was sad too. His mother didn' t have any other family other than him, and she wouldn' t probably see him again. He let a small tear leak out of his eye, but quickly rubbed his face with his hand.
The train Daniel was put in felt lonely. The girl sitting at the opposite seat constantly stared at him, her eyes were big and had a deep blue colour. That eyes didn' t help Daniel to shake off his sadness, but he guessed that that girl wasn' t happy either. She was short, with long blonde hair that touched her wrist, probably fourteen to fifteen years old, not even a teen. Her big eyes then leaked tears, and after a while, she broke down.
"Hey" Daniel tried to start a conversation, thinking that this would make both him and her feel better. "Hey, don' t cry..." The girl didn' t move from her seat at all, and instead of stopping crying, she hid her face and kept on.
"What is your name?"
"Anne" The girl finally answered, after staying silent for the most part of the trip.
"Anne, I' m Daniel" he didn' t hear the girl saying anything, and so he kept on asking.
"Why are you crying that much?"
"Do you know how it feels to know that you' ll die? Leave me alone." Daniel drew back, not trying to speak to her again for the rest of the time being in the coupe. He leaned at the window, staring at the city outside. They were currently crossing some fields, probably district 10, he thought. The train was however going in a great speed, crossing the city so fast that Daniel could only see a part of it. Now, he felt tired. Without having anything better to do other than watching that girl crying, he leaned back to his seat to fall asleep, for as much as he could till arriving in the Capitol. And tomorrow will be a new bright day...
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" Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. " - Bertolt Brecht
Daniel' s mum speechlessly watched as her son leaved the house, with that escort guy nest to him, pulling him to the train. It was a moment of mourning for her, as she knew that Daniel wouldn' t make it out of the arena. No one else did from District Five, other than a boy that died of cancer a few years later. The escort wouldn' t negotiate about taking him to the Capitol, and although she tried, she couldn' t change his mind.
"It' s ok mum" Daniel said to her, his hand waving goodbye.
"Goddbye, my son. May God bless you to survive..." As Daniel exited the house, he saw his mother crying, sitting on the sofa, and bending forward to hide her eyes. Daniel was sad too. His mother didn' t have any other family other than him, and she wouldn' t probably see him again. He let a small tear leak out of his eye, but quickly rubbed his face with his hand.
The train Daniel was put in felt lonely. The girl sitting at the opposite seat constantly stared at him, her eyes were big and had a deep blue colour. That eyes didn' t help Daniel to shake off his sadness, but he guessed that that girl wasn' t happy either. She was short, with long blonde hair that touched her wrist, probably fourteen to fifteen years old, not even a teen. Her big eyes then leaked tears, and after a while, she broke down.
"Hey" Daniel tried to start a conversation, thinking that this would make both him and her feel better. "Hey, don' t cry..." The girl didn' t move from her seat at all, and instead of stopping crying, she hid her face and kept on.
"What is your name?"
"Anne" The girl finally answered, after staying silent for the most part of the trip.
"Anne, I' m Daniel" he didn' t hear the girl saying anything, and so he kept on asking.
"Why are you crying that much?"
"Do you know how it feels to know that you' ll die? Leave me alone." Daniel drew back, not trying to speak to her again for the rest of the time being in the coupe. He leaned at the window, staring at the city outside. They were currently crossing some fields, probably district 10, he thought. The train was however going in a great speed, crossing the city so fast that Daniel could only see a part of it. Now, he felt tired. Without having anything better to do other than watching that girl crying, he leaned back to his seat to fall asleep, for as much as he could till arriving in the Capitol. And tomorrow will be a new bright day...
((I see you have figured out the secret. :sleep.gif:))
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I would tell you about how awesome I am down here, but I have a feeling you probably already know that. <- Please. ._.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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Lexiuno
Member Details
I was sitting on one of the chairs in the train with my feet propped up on a small in-train table. I heard a little bit of noise coming from the other train. What is that noise? Oh well. It must be the boy tribute and his mentor. I said to myself. Gaud must have woken up. I felt pretty bad about dropping him down hard on his head when he passed out. The door to my train car opened. Gaud came into mine.
"Yo. Pretty fast train ride, make me wanna puke. How can people STAND these things?" I said to him. "Just kidding, I run a lot but still. This thing is really fast. Anyway, are you okay? You passed out and I had to help ya wake up. Nothing was working so I tried to pick you up and drop you down as hard as I could." I said again with a small smirk.
I sighed in annoyance. I didn't feel like talking now, but I could tell there was no way out of the conversation. "Yeah, I'm fine," I lied. As if anyone could be fine while on the ride to the Capitol, I thought to myself. The train room was big. The floor was a brilliant red, with gold lines in a rectangle around the center. The flooring was different, I remembered, in every district. Ours was themed around gold, a precious metal. The precious metal, if you will.
Outside trees rushed past us. We were going at an insanely fast speed. There were emergency exit doors on either side of the room, but I knew they wouldn't open unless we had to get out. The precious tributes can't be escaping from certain death, after all! Aurora was surprisingly right on one point. Though she wasn't feeling anything, I was pretty nauseous, and I think I had a bump on my head. I couldn't tell if the spinning came from the train, my thoughts, the Hunger Games we were going to be in, or some combination of the three.
Yeah, I'm totally fine, I thought sarcastically.
((OOC))
Yeah, a little shorter this time, but it's late here and I have to go to bed... so I thought I'd might as well help the plot progress anyway.
((I see you have figured out the secret. :sleep.gif:))
((What secret? The fact that she will die at the bloodbath near Cornucopia? Don' t forget that no girl from District Five has ever survived the games, and Daniel knows that, he lives in that District.))
I walked out of my room, into the kitchen where my mother stood almost finished sauteing bluish berries with some mixed vegetables. The year was good to us and gave us plenty of vegetables, but that doesn't change the fact that it wouldn't last us very long. After I'd eaten, my mother let me leave without her. She said she's come at the same time as my dad, but I knew it was because my father would need help getting out of bed, getting dressed, and walking all the way across our farm to the town square. He was a cripple. Lost his legs on the other side of the fence. My mother found him while she was gathering berries, and she was the one that stabbed the lion to death. I think she loved him out of sympathy. I knew he was crazy about her and I knew she cared deeply about him, but it didn't seem like it was love as much as it was sympathy.
When I stepped outside of my house, I noted that it appeared as if it would rain sometime today. It would be good for our crops that were already ready to be harvested, but nobody like harvesting in the rain because it took so long, that you'd get so wet while doing it. Emerging from the horizon was a familiar figure, and a smile spread across my face. I ran to him.
"Kay!" I yelled giddily. I don't know why, though, because today was the day of the Reaping, and I shouldn't be excited, but seeing him gave me pleasure. He always came by our house the morning of the Reaping to say "hello" to me, and walk with my mother and me to town square.
"Hey. Where's your mother?" He smiled. He must've been happy to see me too. I remembered what happened last night. Was that a dream? It had to be. I couldn't imagine that actually happening, but...
"She needs a little extra time to help my dad..." Silence.
To break the silence, he began, "Y'know, last night..."
I waited for him to finish, "I meant everything I said there, and if it wasn't clear enough then, I want to make sure you know how I feel about you..." All this made me realize that I loved him back, but he seemed to be avoiding the word "love."
There was an interminable moment of awkward silence between us, and I felt the burden rested on my shoulders to end it. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
"I love you too." I assured him. We held each other in each others' arms a moment, and my eyes began to fill ever so slightly. I thought about how horrible it'd be if I was chosen today or if he was. I couldn't bare to lose him...
When we let go, he told me that he brought me something. I awaited impatiently, wiping tears from my eyes. Everything was so perfect. Too perfect, actually. I was afraid this wouldn't last forever. Afraid one of us would leave the other today. He took something out of his pockets, but made sure that his hand concealed it. He motioned me to turn around, and I obediently did. I felt a super thin chain made of lead, but plated with gold lock around my neck. It was breathtakingly beautiful. I had no idea how he even got this. Anything made from District one went directly to the Capitol. I looked down and saw it had a locket with the inscription 11 on it.
Kay joyfully explained, "My grandmother had a brother who knew how to plate jewelery. He traveled past the fence and got lost, but found a District 12 old man who was hunting. The man had a thin lead chain he would sell for any food as he was starving. My great uncle took it immediately and gave the man a roll he brought with him on his journey. After that, my great-uncle miraculously found his way back home and plated the chain with gold so that he could sell it. When my grandmother found out that he had it, she payed him for it. She wore it around her neck every day and then gave it to my mother when she had me. When I turned 11, my mother found the chain hidden in the back of a drawer she never opened, and nearly forgotten. She had a locket in the same drawer. The locket was from my father. I don't know how he got the locket, but when my mother found these two, she gave them to me and inscribed on it the number 11 because she felt it was a lucky number and it was my age."
I turned back to him unsure, "Are you sure you want me to have it?"
He laughed a bit, "It's not like I can wear it. I don't know why my mom gave it to me. She must've forgotten that boys don't usually wear lockets." He laughed a bit more, "It's all yours."
I was practically speechless. After spending a while trying to find words, I said, "Thank you so much. I've never had anything like this before." And we grabbed each others' hands and made our way toward the square.
((This love stuff is getting a bit on the unrealistic side...))
<- Please. ._.
The escorts from the Capitol open the cards, reword it so it says "escort" instead of "mayor"
Switching to past tense, because present-tense is hard.
((IC))
Gaud Edell
I woke up on my own, already dreading what will happen today. The reaping. Two people from our district would be picked. It could be me. I haven't trained for the Hunger Games. I don't have any experience with weaponry. If I get reaped, I will most certainly die by the end of the games.
I stared at the ceiling and the only movement I made was blinking. So. Another year. My name was put in the glass jar only four times, but I knew that they could have rigged it easily, making sure my name was picked. The more I thought about the idea, the more true it seemed to become. It was like that for me sometimes. An idea forms in my head, hazy and unreal. Then slowly it solidifies until no amount of denial will make it seem untrue.
After climbing down the stairs reluctantly, I found myself face-to-face with my parents. My father had a sad look on his face, while my mother seemed to be apathetic about it, though I knew she was just holding it in for me. "Honey, remember that even if you get picked, at least one person will volunteer for you. At least one," she said to me, but it was probably not true. The careers hated me, as I've said. Nobody else in their right mind would go instead of me. Hell, I wouldn't go instead of me.
I got dressed in a rather sour mood. It was going to get a whole lot worse, I could tell. My shirt was a solid sky blue, and my pants were soft and loose. I figured that if I got reaped, I might as well be comfortable while doing so. I put my shoes on and walked out of the door, towards the town square, where the reaping would take place. My hands sweated, my arms wiggled back and forth nervously, and I could tell I was a complete wreck at the moment.
But, hey, you would have been, too.
((OOC))
It's a little short, but I'm low on time at the moment.
My texture pack.
After too long, the crowd subsided and I heard a weird lady's voice. Instead of hair, she had thin, green stubs atop her head as if it was recently shaved. It contrasted her deathly pale skin that was slightly tinted orange as if she was ill. She had piercings throughout her body on the sides of her legs and arms. Above her eyelids, in her nose, all over her ears, and all over her lips. The piercing holes were filled with what looked like jade studs. She was wearing a pale pink full-length, strapless dress. Her voice was extremely high and she spoke rapidly. She gave some sort of speech about the capitol and its relationship with us and she told us they treat us well and we had to do this "small" favor in return. Capitol people sickened me.
The speech is different with every person, so it's relatively interesting to listen to them. I thanked the universe for making her speech short. My heart beat its wings at an impossible speed. "And now, we will choose the girl tribute for this year." All my senses stopped working, and my heart stopped when she called the name.
"Enna." I stopped listening before she could say my last name. Had she really said that? Was this real? This wasn't FAIR! I had just told Kay how I felt about him, and now I was going to die? I shamefully made my way to the stage, looking at the ground. As soon as my hand slipped out of Kay's, I knew I'd never see him again. Tears were rolling down my face. I stood next to Fernokki and faced the crowd while wiping tears from my face. I mouthed "Kay." As if it was the last thing I'd ever say. I grabbed the locket around my neck and continued to cry silent tears. I watched as Kay made his way through the crowd and yell that he wanted to be taken in place of me, but Fernokki crushed my only hope by telling him he can only volunteer for another boy, not a girl, and I did not want to contend against him.
With a huge grin, Fernokki went on to the boy jar and pulled out a boy named Sioux. ((lol, a boy named Sioux :biggrin.gif:)) I hadn't known him because he was 13, and school ended for me before he was a high enough age for me to actually know him. So this was how my life was going to end... I was never going to see my family ever again and right when I find true love, I have to die. It just wasn't fair...
Life isn't fair. I suppose it would be a good thing that it was going to end for me soon...
<- Please. ._.
Okay.
WHERE THE HELL IS MY POST?!
I just typed up a huge thing and tried to post it, and apparently it didn't post.
And I really don't feel like typing that up again.
RAGE RAGE RAGE RAGE RAGE
"Look's delish' Mom." Aurora said.
"Well thank you. It's ready now if you want some. We need to go to the town square right after we eat." Her mom said with a serious look.
"Okay, did everyone else eat?" Aurora asked ((OOC-She always wakes up the latest and everyone always has eaten before her.)) Her mom was dressed for the reaping in a long red dress that goes right under her knee's and black Heel's to match her black sun hat. Her mother laughed. Aurora ate and called everyone down.
"Hey! Anyone in the house who is ready come down NOW! And if ya' aren't, HURRY IT UP!" Aurora said. She never liked missing the reaping. Her dad and her sister came down and so did platinum. She petted him and kissed his forehead than put him on the couch. "Bye boy, I'll possibly see you soon." Aurora said to her dog and walked out the door.
Her family walked silently to the town square. They were scared that Aurora would be gone forever. They got to the town square and the reaping begun.
"Hello citizens! Welcome to the 47th annual reaping!." A girl that had way too much colors on her. She was blue, EEEW! "It's an honor to be here. I will be pulling the names of the glass jar." The girl who MUST be from the capitol said. She put her extremely manicured hand into the girl jar.
"Our girl tribute will be," She said taking a moment to look and the name, "Aurora Lipting!" She said cheerful. Tears started to well up in Aurora's eyes. HOW THE **** CAN YOU BE CHEERFUL ABOUT THIS??? Aurora screamed in her mind while she sucked in her tears and walked up to the stage. She bumped into Gaud Edell. Didn't he rob the paper supply... He isn't getting the punishment? Maybe he didn't do it... Aurora thought as she walked up onto the stage.
"I'm Fluster Gillen, you escort, and Jikwea Kentin over there, he's your mentor." She said. Aurora was filled with fear, So this is what it feels like to get called for the hunger games, yikes. Aurora thought. She prayed that someone would volunteer for her, but that wasn't going to happen...
^
Please
So here she was, destined forever to train children to stay alive, but watching them die every year. It must be hard for her, and now she had to train me how to stay alive after she had already saved me. I wanted to win so that I could come back to Kay's arms and so that everything could be back to normal, but I knew that would never happen.
Fernokki motioned us that the four hours had started, and the crowd dispersed. You could hear the low murmur of voices talking about who they thought was going to get far. Most of them rooted for Sioux, afterall, he was plenty stronger than me. The ones that rooted for me did so because they thought Sioux was stupid and stubborn. I didn't know him, so I could agree or disagree.
I ran to Kay who was standing beside my mother and my father who was in a wheel-chair that we had to make for him out of twigs and other things. Whenever I came near someone, they would look at me and shake their head grimly. There was no way this was going to turn out well. In fact, I had already made the mistake of crying, so tributes would now think I'm an easy target and try to kill me first.
I hugged Kay so tightly and my mother joined the hug. My father grabbed my hand, and I turned to face his distressed eyes. He didn't want to lose me. I didn't want to lose him. After what felt like forever, we let go and I began to speak, my throat threatening to choke itself as tears ran down my face.
"If I don't make it back, I just want you to know, you guys are the only people I'm doing this for. And whatever I do, I do it so I can come back and see your beautiful faces again. I'm most likely not going to survive, but I will try everything I can to see you again. I will do whatever it takes because I love you." Then I turned to Kay and took his hands, "I don't know how I'm going to survive out there without you. Just being away from you might kill me." I had more to say, but forgot it, and sobbed into his arms, "Please, if I come back, make sure to still be here the same way as you are today."
My family looked at me sympathetically as I continued to sob into Kay's shoulders as he pat my back telling me "it's going to be alright." "I'm going to do just fine." I knew this wasn't the truth. Blossom came sometime during this point, and looked to us confusedly. I saw my mother mouth to her "not now." And Blossom mouthed back, "was she picked?" My mother nodded before Blossom made her way to me and patted my back to comfort me. She told me the same thing Kay did about how "I'll survive" and "it's going to be just fine." I looked up at Kay and saw that his eyes were slightly getting glassy. Why did we have to leave each other? Why was this happening?
I came out of his arms and wiped my tears, but they kept racing down my cheeks anyway. My mother asked, "Do you want us to get you a district token right now?" I shook my head and grabbed the locket Kay had given me earlier today. Blossom frowned, but she didn't say anything because she understood it was more important I have it than anyone else, as I'm going to die soon, anyway. My mother was stunned by its beauty, but only Kay, Blossom, and I knew it wasn't worth what it looked like it was. Kay took my hand and we all walked to my home.
When I was home, my mother started cooking immediately. I knew she was making our District's roll. I brought some tesserae to make bread because I felt I was dying soon anyway; why would it matter how many tesserae I brought home? My mother had found some poppy seeds to cover the roll as it was traditional for District 11 to cover their rolls with seeds. I held my locket, and was nearly dying from the delicious smell. Kay took me to the other side of the fence to talk.
"I'm going to miss you more than you have any idea, you know that right?" I giggled a bit while wiping away some tears.
"I'm going to miss you more." I told him.
"When you go into the Hunger Games, I want to make sure you remember this." He leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. His lips were gently and warm. The kiss only lasted seconds, though, and I felt a bit dizzy. I went to embrace him again before we took each others' hand and made our way back home. This is what I was going to be missing. This is what I'd never see again.
When we made it back home, which didn't take us very long, my mother had put the five rolls on a tray on the table and was letting them cool. They looked and smelled so good, my mouth was nearly watering. There were enough rolls for each of us to have one, and when they cooled, I savored every bite of it. When we were all finished eating, we went back to the square. I grabbed four tesserae, two for each household, and the four hours ended when they came back from bringing the tesserae home. I could tell everyone felt bad about taking the tesserae, but I insisted that it wouldn't matter anymore because if I came back, I wouldn't have to have my name in the reaping jar. When Fernokki announced our four hours were up, I hugged everyone good by and waved as I went on the train. When I was on the train, I touched my lips where Kay's had just touched them. I was going to miss him the most. I don't know how I was going to live without him. Knowing that the last breath I'd take, he wouldn't be there, right by my side. Curiously, I opened the locket to find it empty, and I cursed at myself for forgetting to find something to put it in. A tear fell off of my cheek, and I wiped my eyes to make sure no more would. If I were to speak, I'd surely burst into tears, so I tried to hide myself in the section of the train that was my bedroom.
<- Please. ._.
Daniel got out of his bed, and with swift moves, he removed his pyjamas and put up his jeans and his favorite, red shirt. Then he went down, carefully not to wake his mother up, and went running towards the stage, which was pretty close to his home.
By the time he made it there, Daniel saw many other people already gathered around the glass dome. He could see the escord nerd putting his hand into the dome, and drawing a name out of it. Without even listening to the escort, he tried to find a place to sit. Unluckily for him, every seat was occupied. Taking a deep breath, he stared at the sky, wondering what name did the man called while he was searching for a seat. He released his breath when he saw a little girl walking onto the stage, loud applause filled his ears, and clasp made the wind fill with noise. The escort then drew another name out of the dome, only to throw it into a trash can. It was probably another girl' s name.
This time however, the escort didn' t trashed the piece of paper. He drew a boy' s name. He took another big breath, his lungs filled with the chilling morning air. His eyes quickly blinked when he heard that name - his name.
He was picked as a tribute.
No... No, this cannot be happening...
The applause filled his ears once again. But his mind was empty, he couldn' t think of anything now. With his heart beating out loud, he went towards the stage. Suddenly the world was empty. The only thing Daniel could hear was his ears beating.
He walked on the stage, and went to the escort. He lowered his head, and got the piece of his name from the escort. Without waiting even a bit more, he rushed down the srairs, and flew to his home.
This can' t be happening...
While he was running, Daniel couldn' t deceive the world around him. Everything seemed nothing now to him. He had to get to his home, and tell his mother. Not only to tell her about what happened, but also to say goodbye. Because Daniel didn' t know whether he would make it out of the arena alive.
This can' t be happening...
My mouth was dry when I stepped into the square. Standing on a stage that they set up for the reaping was the mayor, a young buff man with a bad attitude. As far as we knew, the mayor had never been reaped, never been forced to compete in the Hunger Games. He didn't know our pain, so he took the reaping in stride. He cared for none of us, and to him we were just his pawns who did his work for him. Secretly, I hated him, but I didn't say anything out loud, should anybody overhear me.
"People of District One," he said, voice mild, "The time has come again for us to remember. To remember how in the ruins of the ancient civilization arose the nation of Panem, and it's thirteen districts. To remember how the Dark Days of the rebellion must never be repeated. And so, to help us remember, two tributes, one boy and one girl, from this very district will have the honor of competing in the annual Hunger Games." All of us knew the story of the Dark Days. The thirteen districts of Panem rebelled against the Capitol. There was a war. The Capitol won, and we got the Hunger Games because of it.
The district was completely silent. Hands were shaking at people's sides, tears were flowing from mothers and fathers, and some people were hunched over into balls. Everybody was scared. We didn't bother to hide that. The Capitol enjoyed our fear, like leeches sucking on blood. One in twenty-four. Twenty-four tributes. One victor. At least one of the reaped will die in our district. Fear jolted through me.
The mayor, finished with his speech, walked over to the side to introduce the escort for District One, a woman with pale blue skin. Typical. I didn't bother to catch her name. I was so filled with rage, I had to restrict myself from freaking out and choking every single Peacekeeper, every single Capitol person in our district. My district.
"Well then," she said, in that gooey Capitol voice that makes me feel like I have glue stuck in my throat. To the side of me I noticed a girl, who I recognized as that snobby rich career down the street, come in a few minutes late. "Hello, citizens! Welcome to the forty-seventh annual reaping. It's an honor to be here. I will be pulling the names out of the glass jar, picking two lucky boys and girls to be tributes in the Hunger Games."
Her blue hand shoots into the jar, way too excited than she should have been. She dug around, hovering over slips of paper, shifting around as if she was trying to decide on which one to pick. Like she cared who. She grasped one of them and slowly pulled it out. "Our girl tribute will be..." she paused dramatically. "Aurora Lipting!"
Yes! That snobby career girl got picked! Though these thoughts were probably cruel, I was happy it was her and not somebody else. If a career was picked, then the other careers knew to back off. It was an honor to them, and they knew they couldn't take it away. However, Aurora made a squealing noise, her eyes looking as if they were going to tear up, and she walked down the town square up on to the stage. As she went past, she bumped into me and I rolled my eyes. She calls herself a career, and yet she acts like this on reaping day? Please.
The escort said, "I'm Fluster Gillen, your escort, and Jikwea Kentin over there, he's your mentor." What horrendous names. They were all fluffy and pompous in the Capitol, which reflected how they didn't care for anything in the world. It was all bread and circuses to them.
The next minutes were a blur. They did the whole shiblam, with all the "congratulations on being sent to your death", and the "we're so proud we get to make you die!" stuff. Then, they picked the boy tribute.
Time seemed to slow down as the name was fished out of it's hiding place at the bottom of the jar. Slowly it was unfolded and Fluster read the name, the horrible, horrible name of a person that meant everything to me. "Nugget Glasden!"
I gasped in shock.
No. Not him. There had to be a mistake. If anybody was picked, it should have been me. I never suspected he'd be reaped. But then again, the Capitol always knows how to surprise you, doesn't it? I know they planned this. They think I'm a thief. They're sending me to the games as punishment. But they don't want anybody to notice. So they picked Nugget, knowing that I'd volunteer for him. Which is what I was going to do.
Time returned to normal again, and before anybody could do it before me, I yelled, "Wait! Stop! No! I volunteer for him! I'll be a tribute in the Hunger Games!"
Without hesitation, Fluster said, "Well! What do we have here? A rivalry, perhaps? Well, I'm sorry then, Mr. Glasden, but you're not going to the games this year!" I walked forward, knowing that at the end of my life was going to be a death in the arena. "Your mentor is Oren Fulm, and he will train you this-"
Before she can finish, I feel the world fading to black, engulfing me like a wave. I fall down to the ground, near unconscious. I'm sorry, parents, I think before everything was fully gone, But I won't be coming back to you. I'm going to the games this year.
I'm going to the Hunger Games.
My texture pack.
OK, if there's another one of these, I'm gonna be a gamemaker. I REALLY don't feel like typing that whole thing again. This post will be edited with my Reaping, and then I'll give myself two mentors and an escort.
(IC)
District Nine Reaping
I wake up and jump up. Today's the Reaping. Today's the Reaping. I go outside, only to be soaked. It's raining? I trudge to the [insert place where Reaping takes place], which is thankfully indoors. By the time I make it there, my clothes are completely ruined. I sit down, only to be kicked. I turn around and see Julia and her father beside me, completely dry.
"Get outta here, wet-face," she says, giving me another savage kick. I move away. I hope she gets picked. She'll be the only kid that'll be satisfying to kill. Meanwhile, the Capitol escort is going off on a tangent about the 42nd Hunger Games. Bored, I sit and wait for the jars to be brought up. Finally, the escort reached his hand into a jar. He says a name, but the steady rain drowns out the sound.
Julia gives a little cheer and jumps up and down. Well, obviously she's not going to the Games, I think, disappointment flowing through me. When I look onto the stand, I see a small girl looking down. She'll never win, I immediately think.
Tanuvius draws the last name, and the rain seems to quiet enough for me to hear it.
"Zachary Lengas!" he says. I didn't have to volunteer! I walk up there, and Julia sneers as I walk past. I think of how ridiculous I must look, sopping wet. As I take the stage and watch the eyes of the crowd, I do something unexpected.
I smile.
"Gaud! Snap out of it! Wake up!" She said shaking him. Fluster went from light blue, to almost purple. Odd much? The mayor was calm and didn't really care. ((OOC- Fluster turned reddish with embarrassment. That's why she was purplish))
"It's ok Aurora, he's okay." The mayor said to her.
"Why aren't you freaking out!? He's one of your citezins and he fainted!" Aurora said to him with rage.
He didn't reply. Aurora put his arm around her neck to keep him elevated. She slapped him to try to wake him up. He remained unconscious. Aurora dropped him on the ground and he hit the stage hard. Her eldest sister, who moved her way around to the front, gave her a look that said what are you doing?? Aurora gave her back a look that said I know what I'm doing. Gaud woke up and rubbed the back of his head. Aurora expected it to hurt, after all-she did drop him down in a fast and fluid movement.
^
Please
While I was thinking about this, Sioux slammed the door to my quarters open and sat on my bed. "We need to form an alliance," he said. I sat up, startled by his sudden presence and outrage.
"Why do you say that?" I couldn't possibly understand because I was a wimp. I had no muscle and the only experience I have with using a weapon is swatting a fly with a dagger. I didn't get it, of course. The only other time was when I couldn't find my protective dagger, and I brought a sword I found with me to the other side of the fence. I had finished gathering early, and out of curiosity, I attacked a tree with it until it got dull. Why would Sioux possibly want me as an ally?
"I don't have any chance surviving, but you- you're smart. I need you to help me survive." Was that really it? That his only reason?
"No way! Go ally someone else!" For some reason, this angered me, but I didn't know why. I got off of the bed and pointed to the door.
Angrily, he jumped at me, "Do you at least have any advice I can use?" He towered over me, and I felt threatened.
I was starting to get just as angry as he was, "I'm not victor! How should I know? Don't get caught in the bloodbath?"
He stared at me deadly. I waited for him to get out the door.
Finally he walked towards the door, but stopped midway to turn around and tell me, "you're going to be the first person I kill." And with that, he spat on the floor and slammed my door. With the slam, the train rattled slightly, and I almost fell over. My eyes met e dresser, and curiously, I opened it. In it were various different clothes. They ranged from all different colors, but were simple. I liked my dress, though, so I stayed in that.
((Meh, bed. I'll post again tomorrow afternoon. G'night.))
<- Please. ._.
I drifted through stages of consciousness. Sounds filtered through to my ears, light distorted and bended, shining on me at a weird angle. But I didn't want to get up. To get up would mean to resume this nightmare reality. I think I might have woken up once, but I fell back so quick I hurt my head. Now I was feeling movement, the rumble of ground. It was rhythmical; rumble-rumble-hum, rumble-rumble-hum, rumble-rumble-hum. The sound buzzed around my ear, stinging me like a bunch of tracker jackers, horrible bug muttations from the Capitol. My eyes snapped open and I found myself face-to-face with who I assume is Oren Fulm. My mentor.
Oren was a... well, how can I describe him? He wasn't a buff man, but he didn't seem like a wimp, either. His clothes sparkled silver and I had to momentarily shield my eyes from the light. He waited patiently for me, foot tapping on the ground, mixing into the odd sound of the... train. Train?! A quick glance around pointed this fact out to me. I was on a train, currently heading to the Capitol. I didn't get to say goodbye to my parents. Peacekeepers probably hauled me on here. Great.
"You're up. I was worried you wouldn't awake until you were rising up into the arena!" Oren said with enthusiasm. His smile was as bright and wide as the sun. Over his left ear was a jagged scar, dim red, probably from his days in the arena. It was sort of considered a status symbol if you had marks and wounds from the games. It shows that you're tough to kill, able to stand a lot of pain. I knew the story of Oren Fulm's victory. It was hard not to know in District One. Oren was able to make metals resemble food. Then he'd place it out on the ground, rig a small trap around it, and wait and watch. As people got more hungry in the arena, the more tempting the food looked. Oren managed to eliminate five of his competition. And then, at the end...
I muttered, "No... I want to sleep some more. Too... tired." And I was tired. My eyelids were drooping, my head was aching... I needed rest. Of course, it was hard to sleep on a train rumbling across a track on a long journey to the capitol. But I didn't want to think about the games. Not now. Not ever, if I had that choice.
Oren's hand shook my shoulder, nudging me to the side, almost falling off of my bed. "Come on! Get up! You need to" - he grunted - "meet the other tribute!" The tribute. That snob who may or may not be a career, was pretty wimpy either way, and was pretty much horrible personality-wise? Why yes, just who I want to meet! Lazily I got out of my bed, stretched, and walked towards the door. I was already wearing my clothes, so I didn't bother to change. I opened the exit and stepped out into the train.
My texture pack.
^
Please
"It' s ok mum" Daniel said to her, his hand waving goodbye.
"Goddbye, my son. May God bless you to survive..." As Daniel exited the house, he saw his mother crying, sitting on the sofa, and bending forward to hide her eyes. Daniel was sad too. His mother didn' t have any other family other than him, and she wouldn' t probably see him again. He let a small tear leak out of his eye, but quickly rubbed his face with his hand.
The train Daniel was put in felt lonely. The girl sitting at the opposite seat constantly stared at him, her eyes were big and had a deep blue colour. That eyes didn' t help Daniel to shake off his sadness, but he guessed that that girl wasn' t happy either. She was short, with long blonde hair that touched her wrist, probably fourteen to fifteen years old, not even a teen. Her big eyes then leaked tears, and after a while, she broke down.
"Hey" Daniel tried to start a conversation, thinking that this would make both him and her feel better. "Hey, don' t cry..." The girl didn' t move from her seat at all, and instead of stopping crying, she hid her face and kept on.
"What is your name?"
"Anne" The girl finally answered, after staying silent for the most part of the trip.
"Anne, I' m Daniel" he didn' t hear the girl saying anything, and so he kept on asking.
"Why are you crying that much?"
"Do you know how it feels to know that you' ll die? Leave me alone." Daniel drew back, not trying to speak to her again for the rest of the time being in the coupe. He leaned at the window, staring at the city outside. They were currently crossing some fields, probably district 10, he thought. The train was however going in a great speed, crossing the city so fast that Daniel could only see a part of it. Now, he felt tired. Without having anything better to do other than watching that girl crying, he leaned back to his seat to fall asleep, for as much as he could till arriving in the Capitol.
And tomorrow will be a new bright day...
((I see you have figured out the secret. :sleep.gif:))
<- Please. ._.
"Yo. Pretty fast train ride, make me wanna puke. How can people STAND these things?" I said to him. "Just kidding, I run a lot but still. This thing is really fast. Anyway, are you okay? You passed out and I had to help ya wake up. Nothing was working so I tried to pick you up and drop you down as hard as I could." I said again with a small smirk.
^
Please
I sighed in annoyance. I didn't feel like talking now, but I could tell there was no way out of the conversation. "Yeah, I'm fine," I lied. As if anyone could be fine while on the ride to the Capitol, I thought to myself. The train room was big. The floor was a brilliant red, with gold lines in a rectangle around the center. The flooring was different, I remembered, in every district. Ours was themed around gold, a precious metal. The precious metal, if you will.
Outside trees rushed past us. We were going at an insanely fast speed. There were emergency exit doors on either side of the room, but I knew they wouldn't open unless we had to get out. The precious tributes can't be escaping from certain death, after all! Aurora was surprisingly right on one point. Though she wasn't feeling anything, I was pretty nauseous, and I think I had a bump on my head. I couldn't tell if the spinning came from the train, my thoughts, the Hunger Games we were going to be in, or some combination of the three.
Yeah, I'm totally fine, I thought sarcastically.
((OOC))
Yeah, a little shorter this time, but it's late here and I have to go to bed... so I thought I'd might as well help the plot progress anyway.
My texture pack.
((What secret? The fact that she will die at the bloodbath near Cornucopia? Don' t forget that no girl from District Five has ever survived the games, and Daniel knows that, he lives in that District.))