The First Hunger Games

Chapter 2

"Their will be 24 tributes to compete in the games. Two from each district. And 12 though 18 are the ages. Only one victort will win the fight to the death." Laceys' eyes now looked as big as saucers.

"You can a tessera for a years supply of grain and oil but can get more than one. Your name goes in once when you are 12," so my plan was to take two tessera each for my mom and me. "twice when you are 13, and it continues like that until you are 18. But that's only if you don't take tessera. Say you have a mom, dad, and a 9 year old sibling, then you can take 4 tessera, but that's up to you to discide." The mayor finish his speech, then leaves.

Dawson puts his arm around Lacey, who is now suddenly interested in the floor.

"Their feeding us bullshit and we're eating it!" I said without meaning to say it out loud.

"Amity!" Dawson warns and I mouth opps.

"Come on, Lace, your chances of getting chosen are lower than everyones." He comforts Lacey while as I stare at her.

"What do think I am, selfish?!" She without warning jumps up making his arm fall off her shoulders. "I'm not worried about me! I'm worried about you and Amity!" Her screams echoing throughout the lunch room.

Dawson looks at me expectedly.

I net my eyebrows together, "The odds are completely in my favor!" I promise.

A little smile plays on her face. "Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

Dawson scratches his head, "Were'd that come from?"

She shook her head very confused, "I don't know, it just came out."

He laughs, "I bet 75 years from now people are still going to say that!"

"Probably not," She blushes a little. With that it leads into lunch. My lunch consisted of a tiny cup of water and small, stale piece of bread.

Lacey looked at my plate and frowned. "Here," she held out a chocolate iced cupcake. My mouth watered at the sight of it and my stomach begged me to take the cupcake.

No! I told myself, my stomach growled in protest as I mentally told my stomach to shut up. "No, it's okay." But the truth was it really wasn't okay, I was beginning to see my ribs.

"Come on take it," she waves it under my nose. Luckily Dawson showed up at that moment and saved me. Don't get me wrong I really wanted to snatch, and devour the whole thing in one bite, but I couldn't, I didn't want to rely on others to give me food. Or for them to think of me as weak.

After lunch, we got dismissed to sign up for tessera. Dawson had to promise Lacey, almost a million times that wouldn't take any tessera. But he's more middle class if we still had classes, so he had money for food, so he wasn't starving like someone you know (wink, wink).

I signed my name on the paper four times, Amity Roadside.

I struggled to move the four bags of grain. I managed to move them with some effort, grunts, and some crusing.

Now how am I going to get the grain the my house?

Simple solution; "Amity, come on." I jerk ed my head backward to the sound of Lacey's voice. I saw a simple sliver car with Lacey in the back seat with the window rolled down. She got out of the car and helped load the bags into the back.

"God, Am, how many tessera did you get?" She groans.

"Four," I say as our little voyage started.

I had not remember what it felt like to even be in a car, sadly it had been that long. I felt every bump on the road, and noticed that if I looked down, everything looked like it was a blur. My brain could barely keep up with everything that was going on, the car stopped as Lacey started to get up.

"That's the last one," she patted the bag. "Nice to see you, Mrs. Roadside."

My mom nodded. "It's a pleasure as always, Lacey."

A slight smile appeared on her face and I knew exactly what she was going to saw before she even said it,

"Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor." We finished saying that at the same time. "Well, have a good night, Lacey."

"You too," she called out the door as she turned to leave.

The next morning I felt numb, I chewed angrily at my bread, this isn't anything like they promised it would be like, it tasted exactly like cardboard. (Gross!)

My mother soon calls me into our little room.

The floor boards creek under the little pressure of my feet. I nearly jump out of my skin when I see the dress. It was green, and fit me just perfect. It even had a headband, and shoes to match.

"Where did you get the money for this?" I screeched. In response my mother put a finger to her on her lips. Opps, I know what that means.

The walk to the reaping was right in front of the mayors house, which was not even a block away, so yay on that.

My mom kissed my check and said, "Good luck." Before going swimming in the wave of adults. There was a little needle that was injected into my finger, it didn't hurt but it was enough to make me turn away.

I was lost in the crowd of 12 year old girls when the mayor introduced a young, attractive, blond woman, as a Miss. Nikki Parker.

I looked to my right and saw Dawson and he mouths. "Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor." I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him.

"Let's start with the ladies," she spoke in a hard, thick English accent. She reachs into a bowl, that looks like a large fish bowl with a ton of white slips.

She digs to the bottom and pulls one little, tiny slip out. At first she hesitates, then recovers her fear.

Is it me? I wonder.

No of course not!

"Lacey Pam,"