𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟲𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀

'𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀! 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗱𝗱𝘀 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿.'

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝟭𝟮, 𝟭𝟬:𝟬𝟬 𝗔𝗠

Mary-Anne woke up to the smell of fresh bacon sizzling on the stove and sun beams shining into her ocean blue eyes. Her curly golden locks were knotted and her breath smelled like the onion soup she had last night. Today was the Hunger Games selection and she sure hoped she wouldn't get picked. She would have a high chance of losing. The only thing she knew how to use was a knife which she used mostly for cooking. If she got picked, she wouldn't last 5 minutes.

As Mary-Anne walked into the kitchen to her mother cooking bacon and baking muffins in the oven, she looked outside to see it pouring with cold, glistening rain and clouds that hid the sun. Mary-Anne's mother, Beth, looked over with a disgusted look on her face. "You smell like onion and you look like you got in a fight with a racoon." said Beth. "Why thank you for that gracious compliment." said Mary-Anne with a roll in her eyes and her brow raised to show annoyance. Mary-Anne made her way over to the small dinner table that her and her mother sit at. Her father was killed in the Hunger Games. He was killed by rat poison that a tribute used to cheat with. Ever since it has been her and her mother in the small shack that they live in. With of course, the squirrel that randomly stops by. Beth places the plate of bacon on the table while the muffins have a few more minutes. When they sat down for breakfast, Mary-Anne stared at the neighbors getting ready and sobbing for the selection. Many people had different opinions on the Hunger Games, Mary-Anne was against it. "You should go out and have some fun today, just in case." said Beth, looking worried for the selection. Mary-Anne and her mother knew Mary-Anne wouldn't last long in the Hunger Games if she got picked. She would just have to live until she couldn't.

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝟭𝟮, 𝟮:𝟬𝟬 𝗣𝗠

Mary-Anne was in line to get her blood taken. She stared into the masks the Peacekeepers wore, how she couldn't see their eyes. She was staring into pure shadow, a void. "NEXT!" yelled one of the peacekeepers, snapping Mary-Anne out of her staring contest with an endless hole. Mary-Anne held out her finger for the guard to prick and moved into her spot in the selection ceremony. The mayor came out to announce the Hunger Games tributes. His wrinkly hand crept around the microphone to start his boring speech that nobody listened to since they were too busy worrying about dying. "Good afternoon everyone." said the mayor. "Good afternoon." replied the audience with a slight crack in all of their voices. "Before we get into the selection for tributes I would like to show you all a video of why these Hunger Games happen. And why this is for the good of our country." said the mayor with his 'charming' smile.

While the video played, Mary-Anne didn't pay any attention to it. She was frightened, nervous. Almost feeling all of the emotions at once besides from happiness. She closed her eyes and just started think of all her happy memories with her father as a kid. How he used to make little origami leaf hearts and give them to her. She still had a box of them at home, they were just a little flaky now. All of a sudden, she hears the mayors voice again. "And now, for the selection of courageous citizens." he said giving everyone a assuring look, making sure everyone knew that he cared. "Ladies first..." said the mayor while shuffling the papers back and forth. Mary-Anne closed her eyes wanting some sort of last memory to hold with her. "Mary-Anne Everdeen." he said, looking her directly in the eyes as she opened hers. As she slowly walked up to the stage, trying not to fall from anxiety, she looked over to her mother who was crying. She reached the stage and was given a handshake by the mayor. "Next is...Morgan Smith!" the mayor said, where he looked over at Morgan too. Mary-Anne got a glimpse of Morgan. He was tall, had dark brown hair, pine tree green eyes, and his hair was a mess. He certainly didn't take his time to look good for the TV. The crowd moved aside, creating a path for him to walk through. He got to the stage and Mary-Anne and him both shook hands. "Well..that concludes it." the mayor said gloomily. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be in your favor." the mayor said into the microphone.