The 73rd annual Hunger Games

Chapter One

Athena POV:

I open my eyes to the early morning summer sun pouring in through my window. My bed feels oddly empty, and the thought of not being here to sleep in it creeps into my mind. My room already feels hot, not the nice summer heat, but the sweltering unpleasant heat. Yet another reminder what time it is. I slide out of the navy blue covers and place my bare feet on the sun heated wood floors. I know I will come back. I have to. To bring pride to my district. My parents. I open the door to my bathroom and the smell of pine fills my nose. Pine. The scent I can count on to feel safe. Safe. What a wonderful feeling. Not something I'm all that used to though. Turn the shower on and let the water run for a few minutes while I undress. I love cold showers. The feeling of the icy water I can always count on. Whether it's getting back from training, or getting ready for the day. I wash my hair quickly, wanting to have time to dress and do my hair. I know that's what mother would want. I finish my shower and step out, back into the heated room. I wrap myself in my black towel and plug in my flat iron. Once I'm dry, I dress in simple jeans and a black shirt, then lay my reaping dress on my bed. A simple black dress. It's only 7:00am. Mother and Father will be up by now. I walk back over to my bed and reach under my pillow. My hand touches the cold blade of the knife and I feel a familiar sensation of adrenaline run through my blood. A wicked grin creeps across my face. I pick up the knife and hold it to my window, letting the golden sun reflect off of the lethal blade. I run my finger over the point and a thin bead of blood appears on my finger. I lick it clean then tuck the knife in my waistband, under my shirt where nobody can see. I walk out of my room and down the creaky wooden stairs of my house. Mother is working away in the kitchen and father is sitting at the mahogany table, sipping coffee and reading the paper. I walk right past both of them and out the front door. The heat is impeccable and I feel the heat boring into me like a knife. I walk past the rows and rows of houses, to the grass park at the end of our District. District 2 is big. Really big. And the Games are very important to them. That's why I have spent the past six years of my life training for them. When a District 2 child turns 9, they can join the training academy. Not all do, but it has always been what I was 'meant' to do. Or so my parents think. I do want this though. I want to make my District proud. I'm almost panting by the time I reach the park. The sun is now high in the sky. I walk over to my favourite tree. The bark dented and damaged over the many times I have chucked my knives at it. I pull out my knife from my waistband and twirl it in my fingers. The weight of the knife in my hand triggers a familiar feeling. I chuck the knife as hard as I can at the tree. The sound of its metal blade hitting the bark rings through my head. I take a deep breath and walk over to the knife. With one strong pull, I yank the knife from the tree and run my hand over damaged bark. After a few more chucks I walk back through the line of houses to my own house, nere the centre of the District. Knife tucked safely away in my waistband. When I walk in through the front door my mother is tying the neck of her dress up. She looks over at me and gives a nod. I look at my feet as I walk past her.

"Wear something nice for once, ok?" She asks.

"Of course, Mother," I respond. I run up the stairs to my room and shut the door silently behind me. The dress lies where I put it. I carefully remove the knife from my waistband and lay it back down under my pillow. Then, I undress from my jeans and shirt and put on the black dress. It hangs just below my knees, clinging tightly to my skin. Frankly, I don't like it. Or any dress. I slide out the pair of black flats from under my bed. Carefully, I slide them onto my feet. Too tight. That's the first thing I think of. Too tight. The flat iron catches my eye as my eyes travel back to my pillow. I walk over to the bathroom and grab my hairbrush. I brush my long tangled brown hair before using my flat iron to straighten my hair. Once satisfied, I unplug the iron and put it neatly under my sink. Taking a deep breath I walk out of my bathroom, out of my room, and down the stairs to my waiting parents.

"Ah, I see you finally used the flat iron I got you," Mother says, smiling.

"Yes," Is all I say, not quite meeting her stone gaze.

"Well, we better get going then," She adds.

We walk out the front door. Me behind mother and father. We don't have a car. Only rich people do. We are not rich. The walk is short. About five minutes. Once we reach the town square I wave goodbye to mother and father, then go join the other 14-year-old girls in the packed town square. I spot my friend, Sailer a couple of people ahead of me.

"Sailer!" I call.

"Hey, Athena," She replies, her dirty blond hair whipping around her shoulder as she turns to face me. "Ready for the arena?"

"Hell yeah!" I answer, grinning. Sailer opens her mouth to say something but is interrupted by an annoying voice.

"Well, well, welcome! To the 73rd annual Hunger Games! I know how excited you all are, and trust me, I am too! But before we get to the fun part, we have a quick video from the Capital!" Masill, the Capital escort for District 2, says. The video plays and we watch in silence.

"Well, that was amazing! Now, for the fun part!" She reaches her gloved hand into the bowl of female tribute names. She clears her throat then begins to speak.

"Hollow Da-"

"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" My voice rattles the now quiet square. 

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Hello everyone! Me and my friend are writting this story together so Athena POV will be by me and Oakley POV by her :) Any kind suggestions or ideas to improve our writting are welcome! Lmk what you thought of the first chapter! Thanks for reading!