The 67th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 3

I felt suffocated by the crowd. I tried to scream but my throat seemed to seize up.

"I volunteer as tribute!" I scream, releasing the girls hand, tears streaking down my face. "I volunteer! I volunteer! I VOLUNTEER!"

I watched my poor little brother hobble up to the stage, as three peacekeeper wrestled me to the ground, his hand clutched around his walking stick, but I continued to scream. I know I couldn't volunteer to take his place, but I can't watch him. I can't.

He's not walked this far in months, his figure is so thin it looks like it could snap if the wind gets to strong.

"Any male volunteers?" Augustus said. X was clutching onto his arm, and Augustus looked sick, as if he might catch something.

"I volunteer!" said Denzel, he strolled up to the stage, and X was pushed back in the crowd by peacekeepers.

I couldn't scream or shout, but I really didn't want to see him in the games. Why couldn't another trainee have volunteered? There was two other males who were seventeen, there last chance to be in the games.

I looked over the Al, but he wasn't there, instead was Denzel, gaping at me in a pale expression. My eyes shot between the Denzel in the crowd, and the Denzel now on stage.

Another trainee had volunteered. It wasn't Denzel who I'd watched walk onto the stage in X's place, but fact someone else from the dome.

  "What's your name?" smiled Augustus, as if he aproved this new, strong, trainee tribute rather than the crippled one.

"Albert Reffnott."

Not Albert. He promised me he wouldn't volunteer until he was older, until he was seventeen so he had the best possible advantage. I was so upset I couldn't even cry, I just stared at my twin, and he stared back. Doing mother proud.

"Now onto the ladies." Augustus said, looking chirpy from the chaos that had been caused. The nerves had completey left me now, and all I could think of was my brother, going into the games. He couldn't kill someone, he'd get too attached.

As Augustus swirled his hand around in the dome with the girls names in, I made my way to the edge, ready to dart for the justice building and say goodbye to Al, but was stopped by the girl who still had hold of my hand.

I fiddled with my necklace with my free hand until the name was in Augustus' hands.

"Aubrey Reffnott." Augustus said, smiling cross the crowd.

"That's not you right?" I asked the girl, until I realised who the name belonged to; Me.

I stood looking at the girl next to me for a while, until a few peacekeepers made a move on me, but I wasnt about to be made out to look weak and pety infront of the entire country. I politely squeezed past several people, and ended up on the stage holding hands with my brother in seconds.

"I don't need to ask who you are." smiled Augustus, as if it would be a dream to go into the games with a close family member.

"Any volunteers?" Augustus asked.

I glanced around the girls side of the crowd, but nobody came forward, which I didn't expect to happen. I was the only female tribute who was predicted to be in the games in the next few years. We only had three other female trainees in Advanced training (11-18) and none of them were brave enough to volunteer. "Without further ado, I present to you, District fours tributes for the 67th Annual Hunger Games!" shouted Augustus, pulling me from his left to right, and holding our hands high above his head like a trophy.

I smiled at X in the very front of the crowd, looking up at us as he grabbed on to his stick and the fencing of the crowd, before we were bustled into the justice building.