Submerged

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Numbness. That was all that I felt walking toward District Four’s town square. This year, I was slide unnoticed through the reaping. I was not going to get called, and I going to stay quiet.

The square basically a dead end. Shops- and even a few homes- occupied two sides, and the other side ran into the sea with a giant dock that was lined with boats of all sizes. A crowd was already forming after the lines for the census.

By the time I reached the tables, the line was gone. Apparently, the 67th Hunger Games was a big deal, and everyone arrived to the reaping early. I never know what’s in style.

Even in a fashion sense, I never had any idea what was happening. Despite the fact that I came from a well-off family with a nice, little shop and a good amount of money, my clothes were not breath-takingly dazzling. I was wearing a simple, blue skirt with a crème-colored blouse. My plain, pale blond hair hung simply to my shoulders.

Biting my lip against the shot’s brief pain, I walked into the square.

“Delta!” screeched a voice from the age 17 females section.

Standing on my toes, I saw my best friend, Navyy Finn, waving like a maniac from the back of the group. She was so short that she had to jump to be seen. I shoved my way through the crowd of teenaged girls.

When I reached Navyy, she smiled weakly to me. The rest of her family was extremely sickly, especially her 12 year-old brother, Dylan, who was new to the reaping pool, so she had probably been awake into the early hours of the morning comforting him. Navyy, herself, though, was nothing like her family. She was strong; she was so strong that this year she had been selected from the academy to be our volunteer.

I had tried, and I could throw knives pretty well. I was even slightly skilled with a sword, but I was far from the best.

Instinctively, I reached out and wrapped her in a hug. I wanted to reassure her, but there was no cure for being deprived of sleep.

Too soon, the escort, Adelyn Ryne, calmly walked onto the stage. This year, she looked slightly more normal. By that, I mean that her skin was not dyed a neon pink, and she was fully clothed. Her bald head had been tattooed with a pattern of entwined swirls.

She was wearing a neon green tutu over a yellow dress. A lacey bow occupied the collar. Okay, I might have lied a little when I said she looked slightly normal.

I glanced over at Navyy, but she appeared to be taking mental notes. She obviously intended to win, and she must have realized that the Capital might expect her to dress like that. The victors from District 4 were all dressed normal, but it’s better to be prepared.

“Good morning,” Cheered Adelyn brightly, “and welcome to the 67th Hunger Games! I can’t wait to get started. I’ve heard rumors about crazy new ideas from the Gamemakers, so let’s mix things up a bit this year.”

The tone of her voice left no doubt about exactly how she got information from the Gamemakers.

“We always start with the girls, but, this year, let’s give the boys their turn and save the best for last!” She droned on. I guessed we were skipping the story of the rebellion. Well, at least we could get to the festivities sooner.

The courtyard was silent in anticipation. Despite my distance from the stage, I could hear her heels click against the floor.

In our district, the raffle was mostly ceremonial. We had an academy to determine our volunteer. Occasionally there are a few fights on reaping day or the chosen kid gets nervous and stays silent, but that rarely happens. Last year, my name was drawn, but I obviously didn’t go.

Her hand slowly slipped into the glass bowl, and several seconds passed before she gripped a slip of paper. Then, as her hand was halfway out of the bowl, Adelyn suddenly released the paper, and plunged her fingers back. After doing this a few more times, a paper was finally selected.

Adelyn’s flare for dramatics was getting boring and somewhat annoying.

After a pause, she opened the paper and read, “Dylan Finn.”

I craned my neck to find Dylan. He was standing silently, waiting.

After almost a minute, Adelyn was getting annoyed, “Dylan? Come on up. Don’t be shy!”

Finally, Dylan shuffled up to the stage.

“There you are. Aren’t you a little cutie? Now, any volunteers?”

I waited. The town square remained silent. Where was guy we choose?

“Well, that’s unusual. Oh, well. Time to move on to the ladies!” she chirped.

Navyy collapsed. She clung to my shoulder, sobs racking through her body. This was supposed to be her year.

I squeezed her hand.

It was then that my mind went blank.  Navyy began to push her way through the crowd of girls before Adelyn even finished the name.

Without thinking, I sprinted up to Navyy and pulled her into one last hug.

“Goodbye,” I whispered to her, “and good luck. I’ll miss you. Also, I’m sorry.”

Then, I pushed her to the ground and shrieked, “I volunteer! I’ll go!”

From the stage, I could see Navyy. She was still sitting on her knees on the ground, her green eyes round in shock.

“Wow! This just got exciting. I see you had to fight your way up here.” Adelyn giggled as she pushed Dylan and me together.

“I volunteer as tribute,” I whispered under my breath.