Capitol Girl (A Hunger Games fanfic)

I'm running. I'm crying. I'm scared. I'm scared that they'll catch me. People like me don't exist. Maybe because people like me aren't supposed to exist. Not in Panem.

My dress, my birthday present, rips and I have to hold back tears. Today is my 13th birthday and I'm running for my life. I didn't even get to say goodbye to my family.

I grit my teeth. No, they aren't my family, they are crazy people that enjoy a TV show where people die. There is only one other person that agrees with me, Eliot.

I quickly turn the corner and almost run into him. His eyes soften but quickly flood with panic when he sees the Peacekeepers chasing me. He grabs my wrist and pulls me with him towards his house.

"No! Eliot stop!" I scream. He shouldn't be getting himself into this mess. I yank my wrist free and run back towards the Peacekeepers.

"LILY!" is the last thing I hear before there is a scream and I black out.

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

I sit up and frantically feel my face. I'm alive. It was only a dream. I look around and see my home that I have lived in for almost a year. It wasn't a dream. I sink back under my torn sheets and hold back a sob.

Today is the reaping and I am almost positive that I will be reaped. Today is also my birthday, my 14th birthday. I bury my face in my pillow. This will be my first birthday with my new family and possibly my last.

My parents here, in district 12, feel more like parents than my real parents in the Capitol. In the Capitol, it feels like everyone isn't human, the way they cheer when they see the tributes in the arena...

I feel a tug on my blanket and I groan. I hear a deep laugh and the blanket comes flying off me. I sit straight up, my long brown hair flying into my face.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," says Catcher. He smiles at me and I pull my legs to my chest.

"What are you doing in my room?" I question, tilting my head a little.

"Well, it's your birthday and I didn't see you out doing stuff so I had to find you and wish you a Happy Birthday!" he yells throwing up his arms as he jumps onto my bed.

I squirm away and say,"Get off my bed,Catcher."

"Okay," he says,"but, you have to get dressed and come with me. I have a surprise for you."

I smile at him and tell him yes. After I shoo him out of my room I open my closet and look at the few clothes I have. I decide to put on my floral dress that comes right up to my knees. Because today is the reaping, I try to look nice.

I put my hair up in a braided bun and leave a wavy strand of hair on each side of my face. I go to the drawer next to my bed and slowly take out a gold necklace that I managed to keep from the Capitol.

I clip it around my neck, memories flashing through my mind. Eliot gave it to me on my 12th birthday, he told his parents it was for the 63 Annual Hunger Games.

I shake my head, erasing the memories and I walk out of my room. It's quiet, too quiet and I know that something is about to happen...

"SURPRISE!!!" everyone yells. I look into the faces of my second mother and father and my best friend Catcher and his sister, Robynn. I can't hide the smile as it creeps itself onto my face.

Catcher comes forward and holds out a slice of a cake. I gasp and cover my mouth looking at the cake. I haven't seen anything like this since the Capitol.

I look back up at him,"How much did this cost you?" I ask motioning to the slice of cake.

He shrugs,"That's my problem, Lily, now eat up," he says handing over the cake.

"I can't eat this all by myself," I say as I admire the wonderful design on it. It is a pure white color with a pink rose in the middle. Green vines sprout out from the sides of it and weave around the cake.

My mom laughs,"Honey, it's your birthday. Enjoy it while you can."she hands me a fork and I take it.

I make a fine slice down the middle and two more in each. They are very small pieces but at least we can all enjoy it. They begin to object to my actions but I shush them.

I get plates for each of them and slide their pieces on them. I hand them their plates and give them forks.

I raise my plate high and say,"May the odds be in our favor," and we all dig in.

We all eat quietly, each silently praying that our lives will be spared. The tapping of forks against plates becomes too much for me and I set my plate down and run outside.

I hear someone follow me and I growl,"What do you want?"

"I just thought that you might want me to walk you to the reaping,it's one o'clock," answers Catchers voice.

I turn to look at him, his dark brown eyes staring into mine. I nod my head and take his hand. He looks back at my house and Robynn comes out.

We walk to the square where the reaping is held every year. This will be my first time ever attending one. I don't even know if Catcher knows where I'm from, that I've never been to a reaping. If I get drawn from the reaping ball, I'll be sure to tell him.

I look around at the cameras, I wince because I know that my Capitol parents and Eliot will be watching. I hope they don't notice me as I walk over to the group of 14 year olds. They all look at me because I'm not familiar to them. I look straight ahead and act as if I am all alone.

Someone tugs on my hair and I turn to yell but stop when I see its Robynn.

"You have such beautiful hair," she smiles at me," I'm sure all the Capitol woman envy you."

I laugh at her remark but inside I rip at my hair. It looks perfect like all the Capital girls' hair. I just want mine to look normal like Robynn's.

A woman with spiked up purple hair takes the stage. She wears a dress that hugs her body so tight its a wonder she can breathe. It has spikes protruding from her breasts and from her hips. I remember her, her name is Splindra.

When I was young I would call her the spider because her arms and legs look as thin as a spider's. when her hair isn't in spikes it looks like a messed up web. She also wears bug contacts which has always creeped me out but became a short fad in the Capitol.

I stare off into space as the mayor speaks of troubled times, a speech I have heard all my life. I come back to Earth when I hear, "Ladies first!" in a smooth, deep, but beautiful voice. She has the accent I never developed. I was always made fun of for that.

I watch as her hand dives into the pool of innocent names and pulls out a name that is barley known. "Lily Fairbain!"