The 100th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 1

I sniffed, scrunching my nose that immediately filled with the stench of sweaty human bodies.

I hardly noticed as the peacekeeper pricked my finger to draw my blood.
Walking over to the ropes off area for the seventeen year olds, I waded through the masses of undersized bodies.
Why can I never see over their human heads. We should just chop off  everyone at their knees, then I'd be able to see. I grumbled, trying to stand on tiptoe to get a peek of the stage.

This Quarter Quell was to be the worst one yet so far. At least that's what I thought since I'm eligible for it.

A couple months ago, our country's president, President Inkler, who had slick black hair and a perfectly trimmed and shaped facial scruff. He had pulled out the 100th Annual Quarter Quell envelope.
It read:

From each district, all names, both males and females, will be reaped from the same bowl.
The first name to be selected will have to then pick their partner to then enter the arena with them.
This partner must be of the same gender and age range.

At least my youngest brother Harper wasn't old enough to even participate.
Which didn't mean my older jerk brothers couldn't either. But it's not like I could drag one there with me to torment, since the person has to be the same gender.
But hey, maybe if one of them get picked, then they'll bring one of the other two. Then I'd only have one to deal with from the triplets.

Unless one won, since they are all eighteen, each of them stood on the higher end of the scale. Them all being on the log lifting crew since they could walk steadily.

Oh, their names are Silas, Lennox, and Rowan Heights.

The crowd in front of me parted and a small familiar brunette boy ran through.

"Juniper!" Harper jumped into my arms and buried his face in the crook of my neck.
The little six year old had grown attached to me ever since our mother got into an accident involving a falling tree.
"Harper, run to dad, or they'll find you and you won't get any dinner." I gently put him down and kissed his cheek.

Harper disappeared into the crowd once again as I wiped my eyes.

Now was not a time to show any weaknesses.

Within the next few minutes, the crowd had settled and the same long boring program began.

I tuned out, like every year, though my brothers had begun to whisper excitedly and loud enough for me to hear.

"And now the reaping!!" The excited man cheered in his distracting yellow attire.
Yellow is not his color. I thought as he dug his hand deep down to the large crystal bowl.

"Ash Nolan!!"

The crowd parted to show a girl to my left who wore a neat amber colored dress, which hung awkwardly from her frail shoulders.

She quietly walked out of the seventeen year old's section and stumbled on the stairs leading up to the platform.

"Fabulous!! Now who would you like to bring with you? Remember, you have to choose a girl that is seventeen." The escort, oh so dutifully reminded her.

She scanned her eyes across the crowd and rose her small hand to point.

She was pointing at me.
My mind jolted, not really grasping what this meant until a peacekeeper grabbed my arm.

I clicked back into it once I almost tripped and he roughly pulled me back up.

For some reason this angered me beyond reason. Maybe it was because my brothers would do the same thing all the time.

I flung my foot out in front of his, making him fall on his face.
Before he could recover, I grabbed his tazer staff and repeatedly bashed his head into the ground.

By the time the other peacekeepers had me surrounded, the one I had been beating was past saving.
I tossed the bloodied weapon to the side, and shoved my way past them towards the stage.

I could have sworn the escort flinched when he handed me the mic to say my name.

Wiping my messed up hair from the scuffle out of my eyes, I smeared some of the blood on my face doing so, I grasped ahold of the mic and said sternly.
"Juniper Heights. Seventeen."

I handed the mic back to the escort and slouched back, admiring the bright red spots that now decorated my black pants.

"Well, looks like we have some thirst for blood already!!"

He ordered me and Ash to shake hands as he wrapped up the ceremony.

To my surprise, Ash grinned wildly at me. Given her stature, I'd have guessed her to run screaming.
Though, we were about the same size, so that could be said about myself as well.
But she held her ground, which I had to admire.