The Hunger Games - One Spark

Chapter One - Home

In the town of Bridgewater, the city of roaring heights and skyscrapers, lies me and my family. In a small, three-bedroom apartment in the city centre, is me, my two sisters and my twin brother.

My two younger sisters are also twins, Ellie and Ella. Ellie, being the older twin takes a lot of responsibility for Ella. She never ever leaves her side. They're like a pair of Siamese twins. However, Ella is quite rebellious. She loves climbing tree's and sometimes behaving badly. She never takes her shoes off at the door, despite the amount of times my mother yells at her and then Ellie will take the blame by saying something like, "it's my fault Mum!" It's ridiculous. But also quite sweet to.

Jason, my only brother, is my best friend. He sees that I am always going to do what's best for our family even with our little amount of money. Being in scruffy clothes at school always left me and my brother sitting alone. Once, he got a little popularity for wearing a designer shirt he'd found on a park bench and I was to sit alone at lunch that day. He certainly regretted it when we got home, my mother kept him on a punishment for, what felt like a hundred years, three weeks. Ever since then, he's always been there.

Then there's my mother. We don't get along very well. Jason is like her little pet, but she's always yelling my name for doing something I never do. Being fifth-teen years old, female and the oldest, the blame is like magnet and is always attached to me. I do love my mother, I admire her for everything she has and continues to do for us. She always manages to keep us going with the pennies left over in the bank account. Once, we had absolutely nothing to spend on food or clothes so me and my brother decided to begging out on the streets of Bridgewater, walking along the many canals just to find some extra money to buy a tin of beans to feed us, and I have never seen her so proud of us in my entire life.

That brings us to the end of my family tree, more about where I come from. So I currently live in Bridgewater, where I have been all my life. In Bridgewater, we have many canals, rivers, lakes and ponds. I always love walking along Duckingham lake, it's the only place that has Duck's swimming and I feel at home there. Me and my brother used to swim in the lake, we even entered competitions at school for the best swimmer in the year, I won a silver medal for the girls 100m.

See, many years ago, this town would have been called District Twelve. Yes, yes I live in the same town as Katniss Everdeen the Girl on Fire! Well, she passed decades ago. Back when my mother was in school. I think thirty years ago, as my mother is forty-six.

You may be wandering how I'm living in a town that once was known District Twelve? Well, after Katniss' story, many of the people who evacuated when the bombs dropped when Katniss shot that arrow, they returned home to District Twelve and built it up from scratch. And, may I say, what a beautiful place it is now. From some of the images I've seen of District Twelve do make me feel at home but I also love our skyscrapers and lakes.

One bad thing about living in this world is, The Hunger Games. If you didn't know already, The Hunger Games is a game of survival. Two 'tributes', as they're called, from each town are selected from a pit of names. One boy. One girl. They are set to battle it out over the course of two weeks, and the 'last man standing' wins. The past thirty years, since the games made their return, only males have won. Which, I think, is so sexist.

Which brings me to, why the games are back. Katniss became a little selfish. She returned to Bridgewater once it was built, became mayor was blackmailed. The new president at the time, President Joiner, wished the games back. Obviously, Katniss didn't like this at all. So she tried to stop it but was overruled. The President and Mrs Mellark (Katniss' name after getting married) made a contract. District Twelve would not be involved in The Hunger Games for as long as her last born child would live. Well, the same day Katniss' passed away, her youngest child committed suicide. So the next year, Bridgwater was added into the games. Katniss actually died two years after the contract was signed, so for the last twenty-eight years, Bridgewater has competed. But, the first year we competed, Frank Holmes who actually lived down the street from my mother, won the games.

So, today is the reaping. The day that two tributes will be selected. Only people aged between twelve and eight-teen can be chosen. There are millions if people now living here but the chance of being chosen is still there and it terrifies me. My sisters will also be reaped, they're twelve so this is their first ever reaping. They didn't sleep much last night. I know because I share a room with them. I could hear Ellie's little crying and Ella's try to hide hers. It breaks my heart.

My mother has picked out some of her old dresses for us girls and one of my father's suits for my brother. Jason is now the same size as what my father was before he just walked out and never came back.

I am wearing a white, short skirted dress with black polka dots. The skirt part of the dress is fluffed out and when I spin, it spirals around me. My sister Ellie, is wearing a similar dress except she's got white polka dots and the dress is black. Ella, she hates wearing dresses but accepted it this time and she has a plain black dress and followed me and Ellie with the plain black flats. All three of us have our hair in a bun that sits on the top of our heads. With a few blonde curly locks dripping down my face. The only one in our family with brown hair is Jason, my father also had brown hair, but we rarely talk about him. Ever.

We make it to the reaping, pile into lines. Boys on the left, girls on the right and in rows of ages. Me and my brother in the fourth row. My sisters, right at the front. We don't have escorts. Or mentors. We have the mayor announce the tributes and give a speech about the games but, our mentors? Well our only winner Frank Holmes died in a freak accident so, we're stranded.

"Welcome to the twenty-ninth annual Hunger Games!" Calls out Mayor Atkins.

He then begins his speech but I zone out. I know that he's just reminding us of why we have the games, why President Joiner has a thirst for blood to be spilt. I completely day dream for about three minutes and then begin talking to my friend, Georgina about the odds of us being chosen. It's so slim, but there's always that one chance. We start to go off course and she talks about her boyfriend, until I hear Mayor Atkins speak my brother's name.

Jason walks to the stage, knees trembling and hand shaking. I know that he is so scared right now. I would be. We have no male family members. No aunts or uncles with a male child. Nobody can volunteer for him. Who would if it isn't your family? The mayor calls out for any volunteers but nobody comes forward.

He moves on to the girls. I don't even listen to who's been reaped, I just watch her walk the stage. Her ginger locks bouncing with her shaking body. The instant moment I hear the mayor ask for volunteers, I scream as loud as I can, "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"

Gasps fill the town square. I look to my mother, wiping her tears. To my sisters, who stand in pure shock and distress. Knowing they may never see one of their older siblings again. To Jason, who shaking his head in disbelief and disappointment. But, he knows why I've done this. I have to protect him, and my family.

I reach the stage and the mayor asks for my name. I say into the microphone, "Jasmine Andrews..." My lips trembled as I said my name.

"Is this your brother, that I recently reaped?" The mayor asks, and I reply with a simple nod of my head. We're whisked away. No goodbyes. No final words to my family. Me and my brother, on a train. To the capitol. Where we will train with the other tributes for four days before heading into an arena, with nothing for the public to judge us or like us except our reaping and our final exam score on day five.

I must do anything I can to keep me and my brother alive for as long as I can. He must live.