The 122nd Annual Hunger Games: The Anti-Careers

District 12 Reaping

XII - Cole Dreften

I sat on my back porch, soaking in the sunshine bleeding through the clouds as I dripped water down into my Begonia plant. From repeated day-to-day watering, the leaves were perking up and changing from their brownish color to a ripe, light green. I revealed my pocket watch to find it was getting close to the reaping; I needed to leave soon.

"Cole," my father began, startling me out of my place on the back porch. "We might as well head out, since you're already ready." I nodded and we left, my mother joining us as well, of course.

District 12 was such a small town that I barely had to walk anywhere to reach the town square; my family lived five streets down. Halfway there, we caught up to my friend Devin and his family, the Snows; how unfortunate for your last name to be Snow. You'd perhaps think President Augustus Snow, the heir to the late President Coriolanus Snow, would be related to them by the way the families look but there was no relation, at least that's what Devin and his family had been told. After a minute to say hi, we both found ourselves signing in and having our blood taken at the registration stand. Devon and I got to stand next to each other.

"Hello, hello, District 12!" a familiar voice boomed, that giddy district escort of ours. "It's time to pick our tributes for the 122nd Annual Hunger Games!" She was walking up to the front of the stage as she continued her speech. "And may the odds be ever in your favor!" she added. "And as always, ladies first!" She reached into the girls' bowl quickly, taking special recognition of each and every card inside the container. Upon finding that special girl's name, she swiped it from the pile and began opening it up. "Ladies and gentlemen, our female tribute is," she began as she continued to build up the intensity. "Araina Sient!"

It was somebody I didn't know. She girl came out of her section and headed towards the stage, fear dwindling her posture and the cloudy skies getting only cloudier. Araina was welcomed onto the stage even though she seemed to want to kill every Capitol official and Capitol associated person; her narrowed eyebrows and angered frown told me so.

"And now, for the boy! The final tribute to be selected for the 122nd Annual Hunger Games!" she announced, prolonging her tone when saying "122nd Annual Hunger Games." "Who will be that lucky boy?" She picked out a card.

Without consciousness of it, I was biting my nails as Devon adjacent to me scoffed, "lucky boy?" I turned to him as the escort announced the name of the final tribute to be selected for the games.

"Cole Dreften!" she announced, stressing the first syllable of my last name. It was over for me. I was chosen. I was to die. I questioned if it would be better if I just refused and let a peacekeeper shoot me down. I went up to the stage instead; my parents wouldn't have wanted to see that so I instead let myself become the final tribute chosen to compete in The Hunger Games. "Ladies and gentlemen, Araina Sient and Cole Dreften!"