Axe and Lumber ~ a Hunger Games fanfiction

One

"Yes!" I accidentally burst out.  I quickly cover my mouth with my hand and glance around at the other workers.  No one seems to have noticed my little celebration.  I walk over to where my axe hit the narrowest tree in the woods.  I should be chopping down thicker trees for the lumber that goes to the capital, but I normally use my work time for target practice.  

What would I ever need target practice for, besides just enjoying throwing an axe?  The Hunger Games.  Many years ago, what used to be North America was bombed and split up in to thirteen districts, and a capital.  The Capitol "took care" of the districts until one year the districts decided to revolt against the Capitol which resulted in the Hunger Games.  Each year, one boy and one girl, at the age of 12-17, from each District are reaped in to a televised game.  Inside the Hunger Games, the tributes have to fight to the death because only one gets out alive.  

Why wouldn't the tributes just live in the arena, all be friends, and not kill each other?  Well, the arena is run by the Game makers, who are payed to keep the Games interesting.  Let's say no one dies for a day or two.  The Game makers might set up a fire, or send mutts after the tributes to make sure there is a death.  

Technically the tributes aren't supposed to have any training what-so-ever before entering the games, but everyone knows that the Careers, District 1, 2, and 4, train their whole lives for the Hunger Games.  I just enjoy seeing how far I can throw an axe and still hit the target, so I'm not training I'm just skilled.

For the rest of my work day I cut down some trees and form my pile of lumber.  I find my older brother, Gabe, and we head over to where we get payed. The boss gives us $15, each, so we go into town and buy some candy.

Gabe and I favor each other a lot, with our coffee brown eyes, dark curls, medium skin tones, and muscular bodies from using an axe all day.  We're both tall, me being 5'7 and him 6'3.  Gabe has a lot of friends and most of the girls in our school like him.  I've never really had many friends or boys after me, but I like to stick to myself so it's cool.  I'm not much of a talker anyway, so it's probably better that I don't have friends to avoid awkward hang-outs.  

"Quit eating all the Twizzlers, Coco!" Gabe snaps.  My full name is Coco Malcolv.  I don't know if it means anything, maybe my mom had a lot of Hot Cocoa when she was pregnant with me? Who knows.  

"I bought them." I reply to Gabe, and keep the bag out of his reach.  

"I didn't buy them cause you already did so I figure'd we'd share! Here, you can have some of my Skittles!" he said.

"Sucks to suck." I say, because I don't want Skittles, I only want Twizzlers.  

As we walk in through the door of our small cottage, I can smell dinner cooking.  My dad built this cottage out of the lumber he earned from working in the woods.  Every one get's it when they turn 18, sort of a District present for entering adulthood, I guess.  My dad is amazing at building, and using an axe.  He's worked in the woods since he was 10 years old.  My mom has never worked in the woods.  She came from a rich family who occasionally provides us with money when we are in serious need of it.  

I see my mom in the kitchen cooking something that smells amazing.  My dad isn't home yet, he has longer working hours than Gabe and I do.  

"Hey mom!" we shout.

"How was work?" she asks. "Why don't you go pick out your outfits for tomorrow." she says, before we can reply to her first question.

Tomorrow's reaping day.  It's sort of a holiday except it isn't unless your child's name doesn't get called.  The family's who are safe normally have a feast for dinner, the family's who aren't normally cry and probably eat ice cream.  I wouldn't know, no one I have ever talked to has gone in to the Hunger Games.  We have to dress nicely because we will be on TV and going to the Capitol if our name get's drawn.  

I head to my room, which is a small space made up of my bed and a dresser, I don't have room for anything else.  I search through my dresser until I find the nicest thing I own, a blue dress that has little flowers printed on it and goes down to my knees.  The sleeves are short, and the colar buttons and unbuttons.  I find a pair of dark brown flats that will do nicely, and I lay out my outfit for tomorrow.

By the time I get back to the kitchen, dinners ready and set at the table.  I take my seat and wait for the rest of the family.  My mom comes and sits down next to me with a puzzled expression.  "Hmm, your father should be back by now."

"He probably stopped in town."  I say.  And at that moment, my dad walks through the door with a full sac.  He walks over to the table and sits down, emptying the sac.

"Sorry I'm late, honey, I stopped in town and bought some food for tomorrows feast." he says.  I make sure to look over at my mom with my eyebrows raised saying I told you so.

When Gabe joins us we eat.  My mom made dear soup, which tastes so amazing, I have two whole bowls of it.  District 7 is a pretty wealthy district.  Normally everyone who lives here has enough to eat, well compared to let's say District 12 we have enough to eat.

 After dinner, I sit with my dad in the living room and watch the capitol news.  It's always the best the night before the reaping because of all the parties and parades.  Some people find it revolting and terrible but I find it all fascinating.  There are so many colorful lights, weird outfits, hairstyles, make up.  I could stare at the TV for hours just watching this.  Honestly, I want to go to a capitol party, even if it means I have to win the Hunger Games to get in to one.