The New Games: A Hunger Games Story

Chapter 17: The Reaping

Chapter 17:

It's the day of the reaping. The day I never wanted to come.

Miya is 18 so she is required to participate. My younger brother is 12 so he also has to go. Talon and I are going as well. My older brother isn't in the pool of names, and his kids are under 12 so they are safe. I'm so glad that they are. My parents come to the reaping and sit with my brothers family. He's even nervous, and he and his kids are safe.

My outfit for the reaping is a white, lace dress with quarter-length sleeves and it goes right above my knees for length. I'm wearing my brown sandals with the white straps. My hair is half-up half-down and curly.

Talon is wearing a long-sleeved, light blue shirt and dress pants. My brother is wearing almost the same thing except his shirt is button-up and a cream-white color.

My sister, Miya, is wearing a beautiful sleeveless pink dress that's light pink, almost white, at the top, and gets darker towards the bottom, which isn't dark pink, but just pink. Her silver shoes shine as she walks over to sit with the people her age.

My parents and my older brother are wearing dressier outfits, as well as my niece, nephew, and sister-in-law.

I walk over to the kids my age. Talon is on the other side of the group. I don't think he sees me.

I don't know how they are going to do this. Pick people without anyone knowing. I'll just have to see how it turns out.

The mayor gives a speech about the New Games, how they are still called The Hunger Games, explaining the rules again, and he says some other things but I only get bits and pieces, because I keep zoning out, worried that someone I love is going to get picked, or I'm going to get picked.

After the mayor has finished his speech, which felt like it lasted a couple hours, he calls up our district 12 escort. Last time the Hunger Games took place. Effie Trinket was our escort, but she isn't anymore. Clearly.

It looks like Effie the way she dresses, but that's pretty much it. Her long, straight, hot pink hair sways when she walks. She has a headband with a puff on it kind of on the side, and her outfit is a shorter dress that looks almost cupcake-like, with pink, blue, purple and some yellow in the skirt. The top of the dress is a pinkish-purple. Her high heels click when she walks and they are bright pink, very bright pink.

She walks up to the mic and taps it with her finger, I then notice that she has hot pink fingerless gloves on, and a couple rings above her knuckles.

"Welcome district 12!" She says in her Capitol accent. "To the 1st New Hunger Games!"

Her makeup is a little overdone, but I guess that's how the Capitol likes it, her lips are purple and her fake eyelashes almost bounce when she blinks. I wonder if she can see very well with her fake lashes.

"I'm sure you are all excited!" she continues. "Now like the mayor said, I will pick the names, keep them and then, we will contact the tributes soon after."

She walks over to the giant, clear, glass bowl on the side opposite of where the mayor is standing.

"Our first tribute!" She picks the first name and walks it over to a table by the microphone.

She walks back and does the same.

"Now that the tributes are picked, they will be notified as soon as possible!" she smiles. "What an honor it is to represent district 12! Congratulations to this years tributes!" She exclaims.

Since no one knows who it is, there isn't really a reaction from the crowd, just a silence.

Our escort, I must have zoned out when they announced her name, walks back into the justice building, taking the slips of paper in with her.

We are dismissed and we head home. Talon isn't aloud to come to my house, since everyone is required to go to their own homes until further notice.

So we just wait. We all wait in the living room. Mom, dad, and my siblings. Not counting my older brother, who is at his house.

It could be me and my brother or sister, it could be my brother and sister, it could be Talon. I try not to think about it, but what else is there to think about, this is what everyone is thinking about. 'What if it's me?' 'What if it's.....' It's all district 12 is thinking about. 'What if.'

"What was the name of our escort?" I ask.

"Her name was Ariel." My mother replies.

"Oh. I thought it would be-"

Miya cuts me off "More outrageous, weird, stupid, Capitol-like, --"

"Miya." my mother cuts her off. "Manners."

"More unique." She corrects herself.

"Yeah." I respond.

I think Miya is more nervous and pissed off than she's ever been in her entire life. I wouldn't blame her.

We sit in the living room for what seems like forever, until we hear a knock on our door. Miya jumps at the sound of it.

She's really off her game.

My mother gets up and answers the door. We all watch anxiously. She opens the door and we see her standing there with a Capitol smile and a slip of paper on her hand.

It's Ariel, and one of us is a district 12 tribute.