The 100th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 4

The film mainly focuses on the winner, a Career from District 2 named Ferumila and her many kills. However, after a while I begin to see snippets of a familiar face.

Ten minutes in they show the reapings. They show District 12 and Alexia Swan being called. The face of my parents, younger, with my pregnant mother weeping hysterically. And a little girl staring at her older sister, confused.

Me.

I recognise myself instantly. I look as if I didn’t know what it was all about. I click fast forward. It shows the chariot ride, the interviews and the training scores. Alexia is shining in a dazzling red and black dress for the interview and chariot ride, and she comes off as bubbly and friendly. She scores a 9 in training, and I wonder what she did. Had she some skill that I could have too? I don’t see her much in the arena. She runs into the Cornucopia and gets some supplies before disappearing for a while.

Eventually I spot her here and there. She keeps to herself, hiding in the bushes and revealing herself to no one. Once there are only six remaining, she makes a massive mistake. But I can see why.

Clearly in desperate need of food, Alexia attempts to catch a chicken without looking around her. She is pale and covered in scratches and cuts. Her clothes are ruined and she looks malnourished. She stumbles down a road of rubble and falls over the chicken, which she finds to be already dead and rotten. She stumbles around for a while and I feel tears fall down my face.

The film focuses back on one of Ferumila’s kills and I wipe my eyes before Alexia shows again. This time, her face is in the sky. I start to feel sick. They show her death in gruesome detail and I try to stop watching but I can’t. I sob as I watch my sister run after a wild bird and trip over the edge of a rock pile. She is trapped by the stones and found by another tribute. And decapitated.

I burst into floods of tears. How must my parents have felt watching this? How must they have felt when my name was drawn? Did they feel desperate, angry, sad, resigned? The Capitol had taken one of their children already and they could take another.

After the film ends and Ferumila wins, I turn off the T.V. and curl up in a ball on the bed. I realise how terrified I am about tomorrow. Its not just my own life that is at risk. My parents will go mad with rage and sadness if they lose me too. Since the second rebellion every time a tribute is killed their siblings are entered more into the reaping balls. Marina would be heartbroken, and the odds of her being reaped would increase. A lump rises in my throat and I feel tears trying to surface again but I don’t let them. I have to be strong. I have to get through this.

I spend the rest of the day wandering around my floor, keeping away from the others. Not that they are desperate to talk to me. Im not annoyed by this, tomorrow we will be trying to slit each others throats.

But suddenly everything changes.

I spot Drina talking to one of the boys and she calls me over with a smile.

"Hi Sylvira." She chirps.

"Hi." I smile back.

"This is Nyq." She says, and the boy nods at me with a grin.

I nod slowly, curious to see where this goes.

"Nyq scored the same as you in training." Drina says.

Ah. They want an ally.

"Not interested." I mutter, and turn to walk away.

"Wait." Drina says.

I turn back.

"You really want to be our ally." She says, somewhat threateningly.

"And why is that?" I ask sarcastically.

"Talia promised to help us in the arena and said that she'll help you too." Drina retorts with an evil grin.

It takes me a few moments to process this but when I do I'm outraged. Talia is prepared to help a few of us, but not all. I'm not going to accept this at the expense of my fellow District 12 tributes. I simply glare at Drina and walk off.

"You'll regret this!" She calls after me.

Ignoring her, I return to my room.

Then I mentally prepare myself to enter the arena.