Sunshine - A Hunger Games Story

4| Stupidity

As Minnie, our Capital escort, slowly walks over to the glass bowl on her right full of names for the girls, I inspect her over-the-top outfit. Her dress is an abundance of fabric bunched together in a fancy looking skirt with a very revealing top attached. Her hair is parted into half and styled similar to the horns of a stag. Brown curls are bunched into two clusters on top of her head with, one might guess, the Capital's full stash of hair spray. Even her voice is annoying. Too sugar coated and sweet, especially for the occasion. I would much rather prefer Mayor Beth's monotone put-you-to-sleep voice than Minnie's.

As her long green nails reach into the glass bowl, everyone in the crowd seems to hold their breath. She plucks a single piece out and walks over to the microphone.

Is it going to happen? Will Shelly be picked? My eyes flicker to Humphrey and I see him scoot up to the edge of his chair, fingers crossed. She can't be picked. My name's in there 24 times, 5 tesseras each year plus the cumulative slips from past years. I'll need to take more tesseras next year so my family will be able to sell some and live through the year. Is she worth it? Is she even going to be picked?

My heart pounds as Minnie clears her throat. "The girl tribute for the 68th annual Hunger Games is... drum roll please." No one makes a sound. "Shelly Stewart."

"No," I hear Humphery cry out at the sentencing of his daughter's death. It's a truly heart wrenching sound. "Not her. You had me, is that not enough?"

"I volunteer"

"What was that? Who said that?" Oh shit. What am I doing? My mind freezes and I notice my hand sticking straight up towards the sky.

"I said I volunteer as Tribute." A Peacekeeper shoves through the crowd and roughly grabs me and escorts me up onto the stage. In the crowd I hear my mother gasp. Isaak calls out my name, pain hidden behind his voice.

"A Volunteer, what fun. What might your name be, young lady?" Minnie places her cold hand on the small of my back causing a shiver to snake up my spine.

"Ayesha Santana," I whisper.

"Let's give a round of applause for our volunteer Ayesha Santana!" No one clapped. All that could be heard was the pitiful sobs of Humphrey and my mom's confused statements in the background. "Now for the boys." Minnie does the same as she did for the girls, this time going to the bowl on her left. Plucking a name out she reads out a name. "Fredric Green." My eyes begin to water at the reality of the situation I've put myself in. A boy in a clean green button up and freshly ironed pants walks up to the stage. Once standing on the same platform as me, his height intimidates me. A tall heavy frame with short cropped hair, unlike my brothers' long curly hair.

"It's Fred," he says as he reaches Minnie.

"Oh, well then, Fred, Ayesha, why don't you tell everyone how old you are."

"18"

"Fif-Fifteen"

"Shake hands." Minnie looks down upon our hands hungerly. As if she lives for the tension of children getting sentenced to death. I extend my hand first and wait as Fred glances back and forth from my hand and to my eyes. "Oh, come now. She doesn't bite." He shakes my hand.

After the reaping, Peacekeepers lead us into separate office rooms in the Justice Building to wait for our families to say goodbye.

I tug on the neckline of my dress, distracting myself with trying to make it look more presentable. All of a sudden, my carelessness as to how I dressed disappeared and I couldn't help but be embarrassed at my outfit while on national television. The door opens and my mother and brothers run in. My mother is quick to engulf me in a hug as tears stream down her face and onto my neck.

"You're not supposed to do that. You're not supposed to be this brave. What you did for that girl was so so kind. Too kind. Don't be that good of a person. I need you."

"I'm sorry mom. I love you and I'm sorry I did this."

"I love you too pumpkin." My mom sniffles and backs away from the hug.

"Are you going to come back? Are you going to win and come back?" Theo looks up to me with tears brimming his eyes.

I gently shake my head. "No. I'm sorry, but I won't be back."

"You won't at least try?"

"I don't know, but I won't be coming home. This is goodbye."

"No," Theo cries.

I take in a deep breath and pull myself together. "Dominic, you're going to be the oldest now, so that means you'll have to put your name in a few more times for some tesseras. Tell dad how much I love him and give him lots of love and kisses when you get back. Mom, I'll try and get money back here. Somehow, someway I'll do it."

"You don't need to kill yourself to keep us feed, pumpkin. That's my job to worry about. You're too young to do this." The Peacekeepers open the door and announce that it's time to go.

"I'm sorry. I love you all so so much." I cry, attempting to keep myself together.

"You're a good person, pumpkin. I'll never forget you." I try to keep the image of her in my mind. Short cropped hair from a field accident in which her hair got caught in the grinder and had to be removed. The color of her skin: a shade of brown-gray as the scattered scar tissue all over her limbs lightened the shade of her natural pigment. The dirt brown eyes filled with tears and the nice dress she wore for the reaping.

The door opened again, this time revealing Tyson. His long light brown hair was unruly and his eyelids puffy. "Why do you have to leave me? It's all my fault. I started to make you feel guilty and I brought up the whole idea. I don't want you to go into that arena, I'm afraid to see you die."

"It's not your fault-"

"I don't want to lose you. I did this. It's my fault."

"Take a deep breath. In. Out. I'm just stupid, don't blame yourself."

"I guess this is a really bad time to say I told you so." Before I can respond, the doors open again and Jill comes rushing through, throwing herself on me in the process.

"Honey buns, you're so brave. I don't think anyone would be able to do what you do. But honest to God, sugar pea, are you OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND!?! Out of everything, why did you have to choose this time to be a brave girl?"

"I think I might be, only a little bit. I'm sorry." I look between both of my friends. "I love you both, you are amazing friends. I'm sorry."

"You say sorry too much for a girl who's done nothing wrong." We all laugh at Tyson's statement. Then a Peacekeeper comes and takes them away.

As more Peacekeepers escort me and Fred out onto a Capital train, I try to soak in my last seconds in District 9. Everything goes too fast. I don't have enough time to say goodbye to anything as I'm filmed leaving my district behind.