Ascendance: The 99th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 2

District 7 Reaping

"I'm volunteering this year." I tell Hazel, my best friend since kindergarten. She looks at me in utter shock.

"What? Why?" She asks.

"I can't do it anymore. I can't be living on the streets. I'm going to die anyway, so why not end it in luxury." I say.

"But you will be killed. Slaughtered!"

"Oh well. Quicker than starvation."

Hazel looks like she's holding in tears. But I can see she understands. Her family would take me in, but they're poor already. They don't need another mouth to feed.

"Please Aveline. Don't do this."

I can see the pain on her face, but I can't let that stop me, no matter how guilty i feel.

"At least try to make it back. You wouldn't have to live on the streets, you would be showered in riches you couldn't imagine."

Please. We all know that some District 7 scum rat doesn't stand a change against careers from District 1 and 2. I pretend to ponder what Hazel has said.

"Fine. I'll try." I say, only to keep her happy.

She smiles a sad smile.

"I'm going to miss you Ave."

Hazel is the only real friend i've ever known.

"Cant you wait another year? Until your older?" She asks me. Urgency is in her voice.

"Please Ave. Cant you wait just one more year?" She begs.

As much as I don't want to, I give in.

"Fine. If I don't find some sort of food, next year I'm volunteering."

I'll be 15 then, maybe i'll stand a better chance. Plus, rumors are going around that a previous victor from District 1, I think his name was Rouge? Anyway, his sister, said to be just as merciless as him, is volunteering this year. Personally, I wouldn't want to get in her way.

Hazel smiles and hugs me. As she lets go of me, she glances down at her watch.

"Quick, we're going to be late!" She exclaims.

We hurry over to the towns square. As we enter in our pens, the mayor of District 7 introduces our escort Elia Cypress. She skips happily onto stage.

"Hello district 7!" She shouts.

We all look at her glumly as she recites the annual speech about the capitol and how the Hunger Games became The Hunger Games.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" She shouts as she shoves her hand into the fishbowl.

She pulls out a single slip and slowly reads of the name. "Hazel Sol!" She shouts happily.

No. No. No. I look at Hazel. She has a look of horror on her face. She looks as if you could knock her over with a feather. I see the other girls back away from her slowly.

"No!" I scream.

"No! I volunteer!" I shout.

Hazel looks at me now, tears running down her face.

"No! Aveline you said you wouldn't do it! You promised me!" She wails.

"I have too." I say, holding back tears of my own.

Hazel runs over and hugs me one last time.

"Make it back." She whispers in my ear.

"Make it back for me. Please."

"I promise." I say.

The peacekeepers pull Hazel off of me. I turn around and the peacekeepers drag me up the steps to the stage. I cant stop thinking about how I got my wish, but not the way I wanted it. I look out and see Hazel in the crowd. She's crying loudly now.

"Now what's your name?" Says Elia, silencing my thoughts.

"Aveline Barker. I'm 14." I answer, staring off into space.

Elia smiles at me as I slowly sit down, letting my thoughts sink in.

"Now for the boys!" She says as she dives her hand into another reaping bowl full of boys names.

She pulls out a slip and reads off the name.

"Birch Ashford!" She shouts.

A boy I don't know comes onto stage from the 12 year old section. He's crying loudly.

"How old are you?" Elia asks Birch in a fake sympathetic voice.

"12." He says, still crying.

I feel bad for the kid. He's 12, he has his whole life ahead of him. He shouldn't be here. The crowd feels the same, erupting in angry shouts, booing and yelling towards the stage. Everyone hates when 12 year olds are reaped. There is no chance for them to win.

Birch is still crying as he comes over to sit by me. He's crying for his mom. I don't even process what i'm doing when I go over to him and hug him. I pat him on the back as he cry's onto my shoulder. Poor kid.

"Awwww." Elia coos.

So fake. As the peacekeepers move towards us, I let go and Birch stops crying. We both stand up as Elia introduces us one more time before we are escorted inside District 7's City Hall.