To be a Victor? (Hunger Games)

Chapter 2

Reaping Day. For those lucky enough to live in District 1 or 2 this may be a happy day where they get to show their strengths. But for all the other districts it's just a reminder of how powerless we truly are, because every year two of our friends and family are ripped away from us and no one can do anything.

"You ready?" My mom asks me.
I nod. She finishes lacing up my dress and says "It'll be ok your name should only be in there four times."
I cringe at her words "Um mom, I-I put my name in 20 times. We needed the tesserae."
Dear crosses her face but she quickly masks it, "That's ok Maeve, it won't be you. I promise."

We walk hand in hand along with every other district 7 resident toward where two of us will very well be reaped to die. When we arrive where we will be sorted into our age categories, I give my mom a hug before walking over to the fourteen year old female section. My birthday is in a week but for now I'm with the 14 year olds.

I'm not really paying attention to the district 7 escort in a neon pink sink bodysuit. I know she's talking about how our sacrifices bring honor to us or something, but right now I'm just wondering what my mom and I will eat when this is all over.

After the escort makes her speech and plays a video from the capitol she says "Well enough waiting along, let the games begin. Ladies first."

Suddenly my eyes have narrowed and I'm paying attention. She walks over to the bowl on her left and reaches a hand with puke green nails into the bowl. After five seconds of waving it over some slips of paper, she grabs the one she wants and takes a couple steps over to her microphone. She unfolds the paper and calls out a name: "Maxina Rebone."

I exhale deeply but before I can inhale again I see a mother screaming. She's going wild fighting peacekeepers trying to make her way to the stage and she's actually winning. A lot of people have started screaming now and people are starting to move toward her. I can tell something bad is about to happen. Then a peacekeeper shoots her and the world goes quiet.

A couple of years ago when my mom had lost her job and the hunting season was bad we hadn't eaten in days or had a change of clothes since we sold our closets to buy firewood. I remember one little girl on the richer side of town gave me a handful of strawberries. We ate them greedily as we needed the fruit. What we didn't know is that the same girl would pass by our house everyday on her way to school to give more and more food, eventually she had given us enough so we could get through the weeks my mom was looking for a job. Gifts like that aren't taken lightly in district 7. I never even knew her name, all I knew was innocent, bright, blue eyes would stare at me as she handed me a chicken leg or a cabbage head.

People scream as the woman's body drops to the floor, quickly losing life. A little girl runs up and hugs the woman. The woman says "It's ok Maxina; we'll be together soon" and with great effort places a kiss on her daughter's head.
The girl screams, begging for help, no one comes to help her. But when she looks up and I make eye contact with the brightest blue eyes ever, I know I must repay this girl.

Something comes over my body, a mix of sadness and anger and I walk to the stage and climbing up the steps with the pink escort staring at me. I announce to her loudly and confidently, "I volunteer."

With shock and unsureness she says into the mic "We-uh- ladies and gentlemen we have a volunteer. I present Ms. what's your name?"
I step into the microphone and say "Maeve Sanders."

I can't believe what I've done, I've killed myself for someone I don't even know, and I regret it now too. What will my mother do without me.

After everyone has calmed down and the dead body is pulled away the Reaping continues, and the escort pulls a boy's name from the jar before announcing "Juniper Ellouy."

The same boy who saved me yesterday slowly walks up the stage and shakes my hand.
"Well Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor."