The 2nd Quarter Quell must have been riveting. With double the tributes, the deaths were lethal. Haymitch knows to play the games smart if he wants to get back to his family, friends, and his girl. This story is a fan account of how the 50th hunger...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The silence around me felt suffocating. My girl sat to my right, we didn't need to speak a word, we could feel the fear radiating off our body. I looked at her as if to say everything is alright. Reaping day is never something to look forward to, but I didn't want her to worry. I smiled at her and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. I heard my mother yelling from the door that it was time to leave. This year's reaping was providing more nerves than in previous years. The Quarter Quell 25 years prior was justification for the fear. Each district had to vote which boy and girl had to fight for their life in the games. The morning President Snow announced the stipulations of the second Quell I couldn't help but fear the worst. The television screen shows Snow with a box containing envelopes. As President Snow retrieved the envelope with a neatly placed 50 I felt my heart racing as if it were going to run out of chest. The words spoken after did nothing to calm the pounding in my ears. "The second Quarter Quell will reap double the amount of victors. Two victors for every one capital life lost" stated President Snow with his slightly wicked tone. I grabbed my girl's hand as we slowly made our way to my mother still shouting about how we would surely be late. The seam smell filled my senses as we walked the familiar route to the Justice Building. My younger brother trotted behind us as we made our way to line. I had no choice but to let go of my girl's hand even though I wanted nothing but the feeling of reassurance she brought me. I patiently waited in line and tried to stop the shaking in my hands. When I finally made it to the front of the line, the woman seated at the table demanded that I give her my finger. The sight poke startled me even though this was the fourth time I have attended the reaping. I couldn't remember how many times my name was in that bowl, and to be frank, I didn't want to know. The walk from the table to the section containing the sixteen year old boys was a blur. I looked across the square to see my girl mouthing to me. For a second I couldn't place what her mouth was forming. A moment later I realized she was saying "I love you". I sent a beaming smile and worded the words back at her as if it were the only thing keeping me from panicking. The familiar clicking of Mysticia Spackle's heels brought me back to my senses. As she welcomed us to the Quarter Quell reaping I couldn't control my heavy breathing. The video that plays at each reaping reminded me of how hopeless we are. It reminded me that we are forced to pay the price of our ancestors' rebellion. Once the video finished Mysticia in her Capital accent started her typical spiel. "Welcome to the 50th annual Hunger Games and the second Quarter Quell. As always, may the odds be ever in your favor." That simple phrase always baffled me in ways that made my blood boil. The odds can never be in our favor considering we put more slips in the bowl just to survive. Mysticia reaches into the bowl containing the girls and picks out two papers. I couldn't catch the first name but he second name was Maysilee Donner's. I looked across to see her crying twin and her friend Carine crying and grabbing her arm. Maysilee eventually made it to the front stage and stood next to Mysticia and the other female tribute with little confidence. Selfishly, as I saw the two girls standing there, I couldn't help but feel grateful that my girl wasn't picked. I glanced over to her and met her gaze, I smiled at her and gave her a slight thumbs up. Just as I looked away from her I watched Mysticia whisk her hand around the bowl with the boy names. Mysticia saunters over to the microphone and opens up the first slip. "The first male tribute of District 12 is... Haymitch Abernathy".
