Quell

Saraiah, with her long, straight, orange hair and dark skin, reached into the glass bowl. After what seemed like hours of pondering, she pulled out the first slip of paper. It was the 50th annual hunger games, a quarter quell. This time, there would be twice as many tributes as usual. 24 kids is bad enough, but no, they just had to make it even worse. I came out of my daze when she cleared her throat and announced, "Maysilee Donner." Oh crap. Not Maysilee! She had been my friend since 3rd grade. She was never string, or violent, or large. She was the scrawniest person I knew. Well, goodbye Maysilee. She's a goner. Next, she read, for the next female tribute, "Anna Brier." THANK GOD. she was a huge bully in school, however, she was lethal. She could snap poor Maysilee in half easily. And then, what I had been trembling over all day, the boys. Saraiah reached her long pointed fingers into the bowl opposite to the girls' bowl. She pulled out a name in the bottom of the bowl. "Aiden Drakehart." Again, another kid i didn't mind dying. He wasn't mean like Anna. He was just a quiet little boy who was pondering suicide anyways. Then, for the last name. God, I hoped so badly it wasn't me. It was the last name. I just had to make it through this one and I'd be safe.

She grabbed a slip of paper from the top of the bowl and read aloud in an obnoxiously peppy voice, "Haymich Abernathy!" I blanked out for a minute. When it finally sunk in that I was going to die, I almost passed out. My peers nudged me and gestured towards the stage. I stumbled up to the stage and stood next to Aiden. "Thank you, and may the odds be ever in your favor." Sariah said, and walked us off the stage. We were lead into the visiting room right away. The families were supposed to arrive there in about an hour. Meanwhile, I would suck it up so I could be strong for my mother and younger brother.

When they finally got there, I forgot everything I told myself I wouldn't do. I cried and ran into my mother's arms. My brother was small, but strong. I had never seen him bawl like this before. We didn't talk. We just stood there in a big group hug until the peacekeepers came in to take them away. After they had been dragged out the door, still crying, i collapsed into a ball in the floor. My girlfriend came in a little later. However, she didn't stay long. She basically just came to say goodbye and give me a hug. I suppose she just didn't want to get too attached when I was surely going to die. Nobody else, not even my good friends came to say goodbye. After waiting awkwardly for more visitors that never came, I was escorted into the train. I had never been in the trains before. They were really nice inside. Luckily, the train ride gave me time to mourn with Maysilee over our rotten luck.

The others were just sitting there, staring at their palms, not saying a word. They were pitying themselves, but accomplishing nothing. Maysilee and I didn't see any purpose in that, is we immediately started looking for our mentor. We figured that if we Had to be in the hunger games, we'd might as well try to stay alive for as long as possible.