The 25th Hunger Games (fanfic)

Prologue: The Quell

Prologue

I sit on the couch of my Dad's office and watch the TV, along with my little sister, Crystal. She's only 13, only having one year of worrying about being reaped. She has blond hair, like me. Nobody knows how we got our blonde hair, considering for two generations everyone has had brown hair. Her hair is set in a bun, like always, protruding from her head, making her look beautiful, yet sophisticated and clever. Her dark, sea-blue eyes are glued to the TV. My mom sits beside us, eating popcorn and a can of soda in her hand. Dad will probably be somewhere in the mansion hidden, doing some sort of top secret stuff. We watch Panem's anthem play, the Capitol Seal show, and then there's President Snow, standing at a podium with the Capitol Seal on it. My mom always admired him for being president at such a young age, as he started two years ago, when he was 19. I see her staring at the television with her light blue eyes and brown hair, falling down past her shoulders and set in waves, in layers that make her look beautiful, sort of like a blonde except with brown hair. Now here he is, with his puffy lips and polished shoes, looking spiffy in his tuxedo. He holds up a microphone and addresses all of Panem.

"Welcome everybody for the first ever Quarter Quell! Tonight will be a very special event. To start out, let's begin with the Treaty of Treason."

President Snow starts out with the old Treaty of Treason, which we've all heard a million times, either at school, at the reapings, or on TV. He recaps how in punishment for rebelling against the Capitol, they destroyed District 13 and started out The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a very entertaining fight to the death, consisting of 24 teenagers, one boy and girl from each of the 12 districts. It's entertaining and gives us something to do instead of sitting around all day. At least, entertaining for my family, since we never have to worry about the reaping. At 17, I have my name in their 6 times, because my family doesn't need the tesserae. Crystal has her name in their twice. But who knows what will happen this year? We're about to find out.

"And part of The Hunger Games are the Quarter Quells," continues President Snow. "Every 25 years, we'll have a special Hunger Games, called a Quarter Quell. Now, for the Quell."

A little boy in a white tuxedo steps forward. I didn't even know he was there. He's holding a box. He unlocks it with a key and slips it open, where thousands of papers are neatly labeled in 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, etc. Obviously labeled for the Quarter Quells, which come once in 25 years. Whoever made the Quells prepared for thousands and thousands of years of Hunger Games. The first slip is labeled with 25. President Snow efficiently picks it out of the box and directs his attention to the audience. My heart begins to pound. What will the Quell read? What if it says that the reaping will be based on officials sons and daughters? Then I would have a very, very high chance of going into the Games. Or if it said that only 17 year olds will be reaped? I quickly swat these ideas away. That could never happen. But this is what the Quell reads:

"To prove that the Capitol can make you do anything and you are powerless against us, all kids 12-18 will vote on who of them goes in."

I give a quick sigh of relief, to get a confused glance from Mom and Crystal. I look away as the anthem plays again and President Snow vanishes from the screen.

This should be interesting.