The Hunger Games: Mashup

Chapter Twenty Three

District 8

Satsuki was a strange boy. He knew that. He hated going outside at night. He cared for everyone, but never got too close. He was afraid of hurting others and being hurt in return.

He was afraid of being abnormal.

“Satsuki! The Reaping is starting! Hurry up!” called a voice up the stairs. Satsuki pulled on his tie and glared at his unruly hair in the mirror. He gave up on it and turned away from the mirror.

“Coming!” he called back to her, rushing downstairs. He pushed through the people of his apartment, hurrying to the side of the woman who meant the world to him. She sat in a small wooden chair at the reception desk, waiting for him patiently with her bag in her lap and her ankles crossed. She looked like a regal queen. Even her wrinkles spelled out her elegance and her uniformity. She may have been old, but Satsuki thought she was the most beautiful person he had ever known.

“I'm sorry, Grandma. Did you wait long? My hair was being a pain,” he told her as he helped her stand. She shook her head, smiling at him.

“No...you are right on time,” she told him kindly. He gave her a smile and walked out with her calmly, gripping her frail hand. She had been getting on in years...he knew that. But he was seventeen, and he was almost out of the Games for sure. He couldn't afford to be in the Games. Presently, the timing was too bad for him to be stuck in an arena where the entire civilization of Panem was watching him on screen. He couldn't afford it. His grandmother would be ridiculed. That's why he put on the act. He was a flirt. He was ordinary. He was normal. And that was what he told himself he would be like.

“Satsuki!” called a voice. Satsuki looked up from his grandmother's face and saw his best friend Finny running over to him with his happy voice. Finny slowed to a stop in front of him and bowed to his grandmother.

“Good day, Ms. Akiyoshi,” he said respectfully. She bowed to him in return. Finny had his hair pinned back in his usual fashion, earning a couple of stares from the people around him. Satsuki even saw a couple guys snicker and joke at his expense, but Finny was as innocent and oblivious as always. Aside from that, Finny was dressed just like everyone else. Wearing a neat, button up shirt that was black, and white pants. Satsuki noted that the pant color was unfortunate, as he saw the unmistakable sign of grass on the fabric.

“So, did you take a trip to the garden?” he asked him. Finny looked down and blushed. “I wish it wasn't so obvious. Do you have a pair to lend me?” he asked. Satsuki grinned at him and rushed back upstairs. When he returned, Ms. Akiyoshi had folded up Finny's pants into her purse and Finny was standing there waiting for Satsuki to return, his boxers showing quite plainly. Satsuki blinked his surprise at Finny before bursting out laughing at him. He tossed him some black pants.

“Just put those on before you take off your boxers too!” Satsuki chortled, doubling over from the giggles.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Sakura Kinomoto,” came the voice. Sakura strode up the stage. Satsuki could see her small hands trembling, her fists clenched up in tight balls at her sides. He saw movement in the crowd and a couple of children rushed forward to grab Sakura, but she glared at them, a hardened action. I could see that it took all of her willpower to hold steady. The scuffling stopped, and her friends let her go. Satsuki saw the one with the long, dark hair, bite her lips as tears flowed freely and silently from her eyes.

Why would the Capitol force such a young and innocent looking child into the Games? thought Satsuki with trepidation. He saw her eyes fill with tears, and for a frightening moment, he was afraid she would cry. The previous victor from District 8 stood up suddenly and encased Sakura in her arms, blocking Sakura's face from all of Panem. Satsuki could see the girl trying hard to keep her tears silent, and her lips threatened to bleed from the pressure she had on her mouth to keep from sobbing out loud.

“Poor girl,” came Finny's voice in Satsuki's ear. Satsuki gave a little jump as he turned to see Finny and Bard, two of his best friends.

“What are you doing here, Bard? You're supposed to be with the other nineteen-year-olds! You're too old for the Games!” Satsuki told him. Bard smirked, his fingers skimming over his pocket that was holding a cigarette pouch.

“I just wanted to say hi,” he said in his British accent. “I thought you might be missing me,” he joked. Satsuki grinned. Bard looked around the circle as the announcer loudly declared to chose the boy tribute for that year's Hunger Games.

“I bet I can guess who's goin' to be next,” said Bard quietly, grinning from ear to ear. Why did he have to make a joke out of such serious topics? Then again, Satsuki could stand a bit of hilarity since he felt so sick to his stomach. Finny looked through the crowd with him. Satsuki knew Finny was uncomfortable with Bard's jokes as well, but like Satsuki, was trying to play along with it.

“I bet you five dollars that it's going to be him,” said Finny, pointing to a boy a couple groups away in the fifteen-year-olds group. Bard snickered, drawing a couple of nasty looks from all sides.

“No way, Finny. He wouldn't last a second in the arena. Ee's too well fed—probably from the wealthier parts of town—so he would have plenty of food to eat. No reason to have his name put in more times, so e'll be fine,” said Bard, waving away Finny's comment. Finny frowned, sad to have already lost the bet. Bard looked around again, and pointed at a guy in the back of their group. Thin and small, although the boy was eighteen, he looked about fourteen. He was small and puny, and the lack of nutrients in his system showed in his shallow cheekbones. His eyes flitted about nervously, as if to say that he knew exactly how many times his name was in that magical ball.

“I bet you ten dollars that it'll be that guy righ' o'er there,” said Bard, smirking. Satsuki saw the dude out of the corner of his eye before giving a low whistle. Ten dollars could get you a lot in a podunk district like theirs. Granted, it was better off that District 12 or 13, but District 8 wasn't exactly wealthy when it came to money. “That's a lot of money, Bard,” said Satsuki, his voice raising a bit to talk over the announcer's as the name was called forth.

“Do you agree to the bet or what?” asked Bard, grinning. Satsuki thought for a moment, a smile on his lips.

“I'll do it.”

Satsuki's voice had carried farther than he had expected. He clamped a hand over his mouth to stop the sound, but as soon as he had done that, he looked over and saw the crowd before him had parted. He paled suddenly.

“Who's name did they call?” he whispered to Bard, panicked. Bard's face was pale, the cigarette dropping out of his mouth.

“Doesn't matter,” said Bard. “They want you.”

“Come on up to the stage, volunteer tribute of District 8!” said the announcer, grinning like a child as he gestured Satsuki from his position. “Welcome to the Games!”

Satsuki didn't move. In fact, he couldn't. His muscles refused to believe. He wouldn't. He didn't sign up for this! The Peacekeepers nearby suddenly moved forward and locked their hands on his shoulders, forcing him forward like a prisoner to the gallows. Their touch suddenly awoken his senses. He threw off their grip, but they grabbed his arms again, more forcefully this time.

“Let me go!” screamed Satsuki. “I didn't mean it! It's all a big mistake! You've got it all wrong! I don't want to be the tribute!” Satsuki could vaguely hear Finny calling his name, but that was it. He couldn't hear much over the roar of the crowd and the cries of his own screams.

“Let me go! Let me go!” He saw something flash and the face of the guard on his right was suddenly cut open, from right temple to left cheek. Before Satsuki could register what had happened, a smashing weight slammed into his skull, knocking him out of consciousness.

Kill me now, thought Satsuki, knowing it was futile to resist. He was going into the arena with a scared little girl, and one way or another, he would die.