Chapter 1
I wake up to the smell of the ocean. I slowly get out of bed. Today is the day. The day I volunteer to be a tribute. I was brought up to be a career. “Addi, you’re late come on get up!” “Coming mom” I yell as I walk to my closet. I pull out a dark blue and white striped dress and put it on. I put my brown hair up in a ponytail. I put on an anchor necklace my brother gave to me. I walk downstairs. I stop by ben’s picture and smile at him. I whisper “miss you” I walk into the kitchen and to the sound of my mom banging a spoon against a pot. “Morning mom and dad” I say laughing. “Hey sleepy head” my dad chuckles at me. “Are you ready today is the day Addison” he says smiling. “I don’t see why she has to volunteer, we’ve already lost ben we don’t need to lose her too!” my mom says as she slams the pot down in the sink. “Mom its ok I’m ready” I give her a smile. “She means she was trained by the best” my dad laughs. “Addi come sit I made you breakfast” my mother says as she sits down a plate with 2 bacon strips and scrambled eggs. We sit in silence until I’m done. “Don’t worry about me I know what I’m doing” I stand up and put my dish in the sink and slip my dark blue sandals. “I’ll see you at the reaping” I said as I walked out the door. I walked down to the ocean and watched the wave’s crash to the sand. Hopefully I’ll be back to see this again. I sit there what feels like hours. I get up head toward the town square. I’m right on time; I go over to my age group which is the 17 year olds. I watch as a capitol man comes walking out. This year his sporting a green mullet with blue highlights and a blue and green suit with gems on it. I look to my friend and we roll our eyes. He tells us that it’s the 57 hunger games. The screen turns on and President Snow comes to the screen. I find it funny how stupid capitol people look. After that is over we turn back to the capitol guy. His name is Kern Vipointe. “Aren’t we lucky to have president snow as our leader!?” Kern says excitedly. “How about we change it up this year, Boys first!” Kern says. He puts his hand in the boy blow. He reads the slip “RYAN EVANS” I see a little boy who can’t be older than 12 step into the center. He starts to walk up to the platform. “NO! NOT HIM!” I see an 18 year old boy step out “I volunteer” he states. He walks up to the platform. Kern asks for his name. “I’m Nate, Nate Evans” he says with no emotion. Kern raises a green eyebrow. “Well my stars! You’re his older brother aren’t you?” Nate nods. “Now for the ladies!” Kern puts his hand in the bowl and draws out a slip. He opens it and reads. “ADDISON MAVERICK” everyone starts talking. It’s my name. I walk into the center. So this is what it feels like, everyone says it’s an honor personally it feels horrible. I walk up into the center. It’s been 5 years since my brother volunteered is this how he felt? I ask myself as I walk onto the stage. “CONGRATS and may the odds be ever in your favor” Kern says in a thick capitol. “Now you two shake hands” I turn to Nate and he puts out his hand. I shake it.
I get rushed into the justice building. I’ve never been in such a wonderful place. Its huge, its white marble with blue and green everywhere. I get pushed into a room and told to wait. My parents walk in. My dad has a huge smile on his lips. “I’m so proud of you Addison” he tells me as he pulls me into a hug. My mom burst into tears. “This can’t be happening Zeus not now we can’t lose our daughter like we did our son!” “Susie don’t worry about her she knows she won’t be as stupid as our son was!” My mom slaps my dad and walk out. My dad follows her out. I sit there stunned. I sit there and wait. I wonder how my brother got through this. No one else comes to visit me so they take me the train. On the way toward the train were bombarded with cameras. I don’t know what’s up or down. I get shoved into the train and sit in a chair. The train takes off. I sit in silence, after about 30 minutes I get up and wonder around the train. I find my cabin. I find some clothes set out of me. I put them. It’s a purple shirt with yellow detail and a yellow skirt. I walk out for dinner and run into the mentor. “Oh excuse, I’m sorry I didn’t you there dearie” she says with a chipper voice. “How rude of me I should have been watching where I was going” I state. “Oh no now dearie let’s not play the blame game lets go eat” she says smiling. I nod and walk into the dining cabin. I see Nate sitting with kern who is talking about last year’s games. I sit down across from Nate. We get served a plate of amazing smelling food. Nate and I gaze at the food. Our mouths water. We dig in. We probably look like animals but I certainly didn’t care. “Manners, children” kern snaps at us. The lady I ran into induces herself as mags. She must be in her early 60’s. “What are you kiddo’s go at” she asks us. I sit and think. “Well I was trained” I say. She nods. She looks at Nate. “And you sonny?” he shrugs and get up and walks to his room. I get up and follow him. I knock on his door. “Nate my I come in” he doesn’t answer. “Nate I’m coming in” I say as I walk in. “what do you want” he asks coldly. “I’m just checking on you, you kind of just stormed out of that amazing dinner” I say trying to cheer him up. It doesn’t work. "You think an amazing dinner will fix everything?" He laughs sarcastically. I looked confused. "I was trying to help" I say crossing my arms. He shakes his head sighing. "You don't get it. There are twenty four of us and only one comes back." He doesn't look at me as he talks. “Well duh, that's how the games always go" i retort. Not liking his mind games. "Addi, I know I’m not gonna be the winner. Everyone knows it. I have no skills that are useful. I'm never gonna see my home again. Not even my little brother." He sits on the bed, putting his face in his hands. "Can you leave now?" he asks. I just nod and leave not sure what to say. I walk into the cabin with the TV is in. Mags and kern are talking. Mags sees me “how is he Hun” “Uhm he needs time alone” I say simply. I sit down and watch the recap of the reaping’s. I only catch certain people like the career districts like 1 and 2. They look stronger than ever. I wonder how i'm even gonna get past training from the looks of them. The people from the outer districts look like they will barely survive in the games. I wonder if that's why they are always thought to be the less likely to win. I try to think of something that I have that will give me a leg up in any kind of arena they may place me in. I sigh in frustration not coming up with anything and I wonder how Mags won her games. I speak up to get her attention. "Um Mags, how did you win your games? And is there anything you can tell me that will be helpful" I wait for her reply as she starts to think. I watched as Mags started slowly nodding. "Yes I can tell you how I won but nothing can prepare you for the games child." Mags said looking out the window then to me. “I hid, I only came out at night to fish” she looks back out the window “It can down to me and a district 1 boy” she said “when he was asleep I slit his throat with a fish hook I made” my eyes widen. “Wow” I say.
The train starts to slow as we reach the capitol. I look out the window; all the capitol freaks are lined up to watch us go to the training center. “Once you get off the train you will meet your stylist, Nate your stylist is Keira and Addison your stylist is” kern snaps in “Your stylist is my son Tobuscus” he smiles and looks giddy. Oh no I’m doomed. The train stops and we walk out. Everyone is cheering and yelling our names. I can’t help but smile. We get escorted into the Remake center.
I’m ordered to remove all my clothes. I obey and lay on the cold bed. I feel embarrassed. Then the door opens and three chatty people walk in. I can't help but roll my eyes at them. Who the hell do they think they are? It’s not like they're the ones going to die soon anyway. As I keep still they get closer, they're chatting about something of non-importance and I sigh. This can't get any worse. “Oh, Look! She’s so pretty!” a skinny man with long maroon hair. He looks at me. His eyes are the same color as his hair. “Beautiful green eye’s” says a plump woman say’s in the capital accent. She happily giggles as she walks toward me. “She looks familiar” the skinny man says as they reach me. They all agree that. ”What’s your name child?” the plump women ask. “Addison Maverick” I say. They all gasp. “Were Ben’s little sister?” The man asks. I nod.They introduce themselves. The plump lady is Katri; the skinny man is Grover, A man with Sky blue hair with white tips. His eyes are white as snow and his really pale. He tells me his name is Landerson. They put me in a tub of a nasty green liquid. It smells so gross. They shave all my unwanted hair off my body. They work on my hair and make it longer and white. They paint a yellow triangle the right side of my face covering my eye and ear. Next they put eye liner and mascara on and pierce my ears. They pierce it with a coral earring. They finish up. “Awe Hun you look amazing and we know toby has a rocking out fit for you” says Katri as she leaves. They say there good byes. I grab a robe and sit down on the bed and wait.
The door opens my stylist comes in. He’s a tall, and his hair is sea green with purple tips. He has blue tattoos up and down his arms. His nose is pierced on the left side and His skinny but not like gross but so that you can see his muscles. Which he has a lot of. His eyes are amazing there the same sea foam green as his hair. His wearing a black beater with shear sleeves. “Hello Addison, I’m Toby” he says. “You can call me addi, I don’t mind” I say. “Okay addi” he smiles. “Let’s get you dressed” he says showing me my outfit. I gasp. “It’s awesome!” He smiles more. He helps me into the outfit. It has one pant leg on the left side and the right side stops at my hip. The shirt falls off my shoulders and has small sleeves. I look at myself in the mirror. “I’m a tropical zebra fish” I state. Toby laughs. He puts my hair up in a ponytail. He gives me a coral bracelet to put on. I slip on some high heels with black, yellow and white just like my outfit. Toby smiles and admires his work; taking my hand and gently making me twirl. If possible his smile grows bigger. "Wonderful, just fantastic, Just splendid. I'm sure you'll know them dead." I can't help but look away shaking my head. "No, they'll focus on District 1 and 2." I mumbled. Toby makes me look back at him. "Addi, they always look the same, you are something special. You'll wow them, i just know you will... * He speaks softly to me, almost as we were lovers and we were whispering just to each other and i wasn't on my death bed. Even under the makeup I can feel myself flush. I looked away again, needing to look away from those sea foam green eyes and that smile, which never falters. He turns off the light and puts a mirror in front of me. I see it. I GLOW! Everything yellow and white on me glows. I look at my eyes. My green eyes pierce through the dark stronger then the yellows and white. “Wow toby just wow” I smile.
