The Hunger Games: My Story

Chapter Four

I can see Leia Carter's face go white even through all of the caked on white makeup on her face. "Oh...oh...oh my...", she stammers. I can see peacekeepers put a girl on a stretcher. She's sobbing and suddenly stops. She goes limp. I want to start crying, because I know who that is. I should say I knew the person, because she's most likely dead. Emily. Like the boy said. I knew it was her, anyways. My poor little sister. Once everything gets back on track, I am struggling to not cry out and break down. "Let's pick our girl tribute...."
Leia Carter says. She clears her throat and says,"Emily Belcourt" The crowd stares at her in horror. A boy goes up to the stage and whispers to her. "Oh ok-" "I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" I cry. I finally let out a small choke out of my throat. I shove the peacekeepers out of the way and walk to the stage. "I will win and make district 5 proud!" I cry. I stand besides Leia as she is picking the boy's name. "Ian Armor!" The boy, with these breathtaking brilliant blue eyes and blond hair, walked up to the stage with his fists clenched together. "Everyone please applause for District 5's tributes! May the odds be ever in your favor!"

We are about to be escorted when I beg the peacekeepers where my sister is. "Your sister is in the hospital with your mother," they tell me. So I have no one to wish me luck before the games. Great. My father. Why did he have to be such a coward? So fearful of the world? Why? I will never know. He died when I was 4 years old. I am sitting on a velvet couch, looking down at the pattern filled carpet when the door opens. I look up. I see Garnet Heavensbee, my mentor. She won the games a few years back. Believe it or not, she's actually related to the famous Plutarch Heavensbee, one of the game makers. She won the games with her knowledge of the force fields, and managed to get the pack of dumb career tributes to follow her to them. She stopped before they could and they crashed into the force fields, and instantly five cannons went off. They had no way to prove she had knowledge of the force fields, but her mother, brother, and boyfriend were killed. They told Plutarch if anything like this happened again he'd be executed. Garnet stares at me. "No one to see you?" "Yeah," I say. She looks at me and says,"You can do this. You are so brave. Smart. I promise we'll have your stylists make an amazing costume, like the one Katniss Everdeen had." She smiles at me and a peacekeeper brings a surprise as Garnet leaves. Glimmer. She is my best friend I could ever have, and she has a weird name. I really don't care, but she is very self conscious about it. She can't control it, though. She runs up to me and says,"I have something for you." "What is it?" I ask. "Look," she replies. I look at it closely. It's our district symbol. I look at her and say,"Don't even think about trying to start a rebellion, Glimmer Hope" I say with a smirk. Unfortunately, a peacekeeper sees this and takes very seriously. Glimmer is taken and she is struggling to stay here. "Cass! Take-- ugh-- care! Win!!!!" Then the door slams. Great. Alone again. At least I have a carpet and pin to keep me company.