Tribute

The Reaping and the Parade

I awoke early on the day of the Reaping, grabbed my spear, and ventured into the woods surrounding my home of District 12. My father died in a mining accident, and my mother went missing not long after. That was three years ago, and I've had to raise myself ever since. I had always found the woods to be calming, even on the day of the Reaping, but not this time. Something gnawed at me, and I had a feeling in my gut that I would be chosen as a Tribute this year. District 12 has only had two Victors, and only one was still alive, Haymitch Abernathy, who is rarely seen or mentioned except for the day of the Reaping, for some reason or another. The escort for District 12 was a woman named Effie Trinket, who I had always thought of as peculiar since I first saw her two years ago at the Reaping for the 70th Hunger Games. She was from the Capitol, which explained her strange sense of fashion, and why she was always so cheerful when it came time for the Reaping. This year was no different in that respect, and her outfit was hard on my eyes with the way that it shone in the sun. As usual, the female Tribute would be the first to be Reaped, and I closed my eyes, hoping that my gut feeling was wrong. "The first Tribute is... Slatia Ravenna," Effie announced, and I forced myself to look at her as I approached. I noticed that she gave me a kind, almost sympathetic smile before continuing, and I wondered why. "And this year's male Tribute is... Bristel Karol," Effie announced, and I was joined by a rather tall, thin young man who seemed like he was almost as scared as I was.

After Bristel said goodbye to his family, we boarded the train that would take us to the Capitol. I talked to Haymitch, who I noticed was quite drunk, and he basically told me to welcome death, since the other Tributes would likely be more prepared than I was. Effie also happened to be present, and she swatted his arm and told him that he needed to be more optimistic. In response, he mumbled something and went to his room. "Sorry about him. He can be a bit..." Effie trailed off, apparently trying to find the right word to describe Haymitch. "Pessimistic?" I offered. "Well, yes. That is one way of phrasing it, I suppose. You can't really blame him. His experience in the Games was unique, being that it was a Quarter Quell. I'm not entirely sure how valuable his experience is, but he's all that District 12 has in the way of mentors," she said. "I have a bit of an idea of how I can survive the Games. I'm thinking that if I can get a spear and some knives, I might be able to ambush some of the other Tributes," I said. "That's not bad. Make your move fast and escape before anyone notices that you're there," Effie said. "That shouldn't be too much of a problem," I said. "Well, you are rather small, and if you can run fast enough, you'll present a pretty difficult target for the other Tributes. That's the main thing. You'll also have to be entertaining, show the people who might want to sponsor you that you're human, but don't let it distract you from what you have to do to win," Effie said, and I was grateful for the tips that she gave me. I knew that if I wanted to have a chance to win, I had to be able to work with some of my fellow Tributes, and I would also need help from sponsors.

At dinner, Bristel and Haymitch joined Effie and me, and we started discussing strategy. "You'll want to play to your strengths, but try to keep them hidden. Make the other Tributes think that you have different strengths than you actually do so you can catch them off-guard. Also, never stay in the same place for more than one night," Haymitch said. "And you'll do everything you can to help one of us win?" I asked. "I suppose," he replied. "How about this: you can drink as much as you want, as long as you help one of us win," I said, gesturing to myself and Bristel. Haymitch seemed to consider the idea for a moment or two before he replied. "Deal. I like you, Slatia. You have quite a way with words," he said. "Thanks," I said. Bristel had hardly said a word to me, which I didn't mind. While I might be better off trying to form an alliance with my fellow Tribute from District 12, I also knew that he could be a liability. My plan was relatively simple: try to forge an alliance with the Career Tributes from District 1, District 2, and District 4, make sure they think that they can trust me. If that doesn't work, I'll grab what I can from the Cornucopia and run to find somewhere to hide.