The 34th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 2

Nope. Nope, nope, nope. I will not go into these Games. I will not. But I have to...

I slowly stomp up to the stage. As I pass a Peacekeeper, I glare at him for a moment. I suddenly stomp on his foot and keep walking casually. He pushes me and I go flying towards the stage. I hit my head on the edge of the stairs, giving me a big cut. I wince in pain, holding my head for a moment as I lay on the ground. I can feel the fresh, warm blood flowing down my face.

I get up and walk up the stairs. When I am on the last step, I take a quick glance over my shoulder and see the Peacekeeper who pushed me is back in postiton as if nothing happened.

I take my last step up the stairs anad walk towards the microphone. I take a deep breath and announce my age into the microphone. "I am sixteen," I say, trying to act calm. Then I take a seat in the chair next to Morgan.

"Wow!" Jessie yells excitedly. "Lots of exicitement! And it is only the reapings! I can't wait to see the action in the Games!"

"I know I sure can," I mutter angrily, and Morgan nods.

"So let's have our tributes shake hands and then you may say your final goodbyes!" Jessie says and pulls Morgan and me up by our hands. She steps back and, after a moment of hesitation, we stand up and shake hands.

"Okay!" Jessie concludes. "Looks like that's it for the reapings! Happy Hunger Games! See you next year!"

A Peacekeeper grabs up by the collars on our shirts and drags us into the Justice Building, one of us in each hand. I manage to glance outside, and I see my mom crying and looking at Jessie furiously. I have to win for her. I can't let her be alone. She can't suffer the loss of a family member twice.

Jessie waves to the crowd one last time, then turns around and skips into the Justice Building elegantly. Mom looks at me one last time sadly, and then the huge double doors slam shut, cutting her out of my vision.

We continue into the building, the Peacekeeper still carrying us. He drops Morgan into a room that is empty except for a table and a sofa and shuts the door with his now-free hand. We walk a little farther to an identical door, and he throws me into a similar room. The Peacekeeper walks away and a man tells me that I will be allowed to see my visitors in a half hour. Then he shuts the door, leaving me alone in this almost bare room.

I walk to the door and just stand there for a moment. After a few minutes, I plop myself onto the sofa and use the table as a footrest. I get bored almost instantly and get up. I walk around the room. It has no window and only one light, leaving it a bit dark and very boring. I begin running laps around the room, which gives me something to do. But after about 25 laps, I get bored again. So I fall back onto the sofa in the same pose as before. It is so boring that I begin to doze off...

"Cole! COLE!"

I sit bolt upright, but then tumble to the floor. I yawn and look up. I see my mom standing there looking down at me. Then she helps me up. I sit down on the couch and she follows my lead.

Mom sighs and tears begin to fear her eyes. She stares down at the floor silently. Suddenly, tears begin flooding out of her eyes and she looks up at me, her eyeliner smeared down her cheeks.

"Cole," she murmurs. "Cole." She stops crying for a moment. "I-I-I just c-can't believe y-you h-have to go i-in!" Then she begins crying again, harder than before.

"Don't worry," I say. "I'll be fine! I'll win, I promise!" I look down at the floor and murmur the last part of what I have to say. "I won't let you lose another family member."

Mom looks up at me. "Really?"

I nod. "Really."

Suddenly, the door flies open and a Peacekeeper walks in. I hug my mom and hold on to her tight. The Peacekeeper grabs her and pulls. My grasp around her hands begins to break. Sweat pours down my face as I struggle to hold on to mom. I will not let her go. But the Peacekeeper suddenly jerks her away from my grip and throws her over his shoulder. Then he walks out of the room with my screaming and kicking mom.

"But don't you think that that wasn't enough time?" I call. "I mean, that was only, like, a minute, right?"

"You shouldn't have fallen asleep," he answers plainly, but I know what he means. When I fell asleep, I stayed asleep almost all of the time I had to say goodbye.

"No," I murmur as the Peacekeeper slams the door, and I listen I his footsteps as he walks away with my only family member.

I know I will never see Mom again.

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A/N

Hey, sorry about the short chapter, but it is hard to put a lot of detail into the part where they say goodbyes. I know I should have done better, though. Sorry.

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-Cole