Victor

Chapter 2

                I stood frozen in my spot. No. This couldn't happen. This DIDN'T happen. No way did it happen. I could barely hear Rachel's quick shriek, could barely turn around to Richard looking as though he had seen a ghost. I just didn't understand. There were so many slips and so many people in there more than me. How did I get picked? It just didn't make sense.

               "Eva Holdings. Please come up on the stage." Tinkie said again. I could barely take a step forward, and the other girls around me started to back off, giving me a clear walkway to the aisle. "Where is Eva Holdings?" She said, with a bit of annoyance in her voice. I raised my hand. She motioned for me to come up. I slowly walked up the aisle to the stage. She nodded to the side of her.

               "Next, for the gentlemen. It is, Gabe Hawthorn!" I was crushed even more. No, no, no, no. Not me. Not Gabe. No. I watched Gabe walk up, with a worried look on his face. "Do we have any volunteers for either of these tributes. They must be within the allowed age limit, and of the same gender as the person they are volunteering for." After she finished, the district was silent for a few seconds. Then a boy a bit older than Gabe ran out of the crowd. Gabe's face fell even more.

                "I volunteer! I wish to take Gabe's spot in the Hunger Games!" The boy yelled. I guessed he was around 17 and looked a lot like Gabe. I then realized that it was Gabe's older brother.

               "Ok then. Wow, the first Hunger Games and we already have a volunteer! What is your name?" Tinkie said. He shrunk down, and then thought better of it, and stood as tall as he could.

              "Ray. Ray Hawthorne." He said. Tinkie gave a huge smile.

              "I bet my buttons that he was your brother." Ray just nodded. I just stood there, relieved, guilty, and even more terrified. Relieved, because I now knew that Gabe would be safe, at least for now. Guilty, because I was relieved that Ray had to be in a fight to the death. And even more terrified because I didn't know much about Ray, but I did know Gabe's skills.

             "Ladies and gentelmen, I give you, District 12's tributes for th first annual Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in their favor." She yelled and started clapping. No one did, they just stood there. Then, from the back of te crowd, I saw something I hadn't expected to see. Richard put his hand up, holding three fingers together, and his pinky and thumb down. In District 13, we would do that, exept our pinky was up and seperated. We did it when some one we loved left, because it symbolized a 13, with the three fingers and one seperated. It ment that the district and the people in it would miss you. A silent sob ripped through my body, and I put my hand over my mouth.

             "What is he doing?" Ray wispered to me. I just shook my head and mouthed the word later. He nodded. TInkie told us to shake hands, and then some Peace Keepers shoved us through the doors to the justice building. I was told that people would be able to come and say good bye to me in a room that I would be in. I was then escorted to my room. I waited a bit, an nothing happened. I was worried no one would come to say good bye, or wish me luck. But then my door opened and Rachel came running to me. 

          "Eva! I'm so sorry it took so long. They had to tell us all these rules, and it took forever and I just wwanted to see you. You can win this, I know you can. You can shoot well, so make a bow. Do what ever you can to win. I'm so sorry, I feel horible. We hould have asked before we put your name in more times. Please forgive us. I will feel so bad if anything happens to you. Ohh, please come back to us Eva, please!" She started sobbing. I gave her an awkward hug, and then pushed her away a bit and held her by her shoulders.

           "Rachel, I will win this. For you, for Richard, for District 12, for District 13. I will win this." She nodded.

            "We know you will Eva." I jumped a bit. I had been so focused on Rachel, I hadn't even seen Richard. I got up and gave him a hug. He returned it, and I went back and gve Rachel one too. 

            "Thank you guys for every thing. You're like parents to me. I don't know how I could ever repay you."

             "By winning." Richard stated. I nodded. We just sat there in silence for a bit, but it was a comfortable silence, not at all the akward kind.

              "Times up! Out!" A Peace Keeper yelled as he barged in. Rachel and Richard gave me one last sad look before the were basiclly pulled out. Then, no later than ten seconds after they left, Gabe came running in. He stopped right in front of me.

               "You got this Eva. Make a bow and a spear. You are great with those. Don't build a fire, it will give your spot away. Watch out for traps, and be careful if anything seems to easy." He was talking as though he knew every thing there was to know about the games. I just nodded, thinking that it was good advice.

                "Oh Eva, and, uhh, how many times did you say your was in it?" He asked.

                "Four. Why?" I asked. It seemed like a pretty random question. He sighed.

               "They know." He said and looked at the ground.

              "How? How would they know? And what makes you think they know?" We had kept the fact that I was from District 13 a secret, and a the only people that knew were us, Gabe, and the Mellarks, and the Mellarks only because we aid my parents worked with them at the backery.

                "I don't know how they knew but they did. When I was up on the stage I saw your name on every slip I saw. That was around twenty. The Capitol wanted you to get picked Eva. And the only reson I can think of is that they know."