President Snow: From Pain to Power

Chapter 1: District 2

His face is gashed open right above the eye, blood pouring out. The man looks psycho. His eye twitches and his pupils roll around his eye socket. He limps toward me as I back into the corner. He has a knife in his hand which is covered in dark, almost black looking blood. My hands are shaking non-stop. I can hear my heart pumping through my ears. He’s getting closer. I hear a high pitched scream as I look next to him. I see my mother tied up with shiny wire against a long piece of wood. Her arms and legs are cut off and she’s missing one of her eyes. My life’s over. He raises his hand as the blood is dripping from the knife. I close my eyes. Just as he jabs the knife in my stomach my eyes fly opened.

I’m drenched in sweat. Another nightmare. I’m breathing heavily as I sit up. It’s Morning. I’m lying on the ground in my small broken house. Well, it not really a house. It’s more of a room from a house. The rest of the house was damaged from the apocalypse, which happened about 24 years ago. But no one bothered to fix it. My mother barley survived the apocalypse. Speaking of my mother, she should be up by now.

            I look around the lighted room, and see my mother on the other side of the house, lying against a wall. I stand up. A screaming ache of pain shoots from my leg. Suck it up, you’ve been in more pain before. I think to myself.

            Living in District 2 is hard. I’m Cornelius Snow, and I’m 12. My mother, Ashes, and I are poor. But sometimes it’s not that bad because I just go out and steal food from other family’s or the traders. My mother said that’s the only way we can survive.

I limp over to my Mother. I’m not allowed to wake her when she’s asleep, but I feel lonely and so hungry. I want to ask her what she wants me to steal today. I slowly place my hands on her shoulders and shake her.

Her bright blue eyes pop open as she smacks me crossed the cheek. The stinging pain travels from my cheek through my chest to my heart.

            “What is wrong with you, you idiot. You’re not supposed to wake me up!” she screams at me. “You know better! Now get down!”

            She kicks my knee; I wince, and fall to the ground sobbing. “I’m sorry; I just wanted to ask you-.”

“Shut up! You dirty ungrateful kid!” she snaps at me. “Go get some food and when you come back, I expect you to be better behaved. Or you’ll be sorry!”

I slowly stand up and my knees burn like they’re on fire. I climb out the wet window and fall in a pile of snow. A cold breeze of air sends a shiver down my spine. Its bitter out. All I have is a pair of pants and a ripped shirt. I walk quietly down the cold dark alley kicking stones along the way. I look around. There’s an old woman lying in a pile of snow with a puddle of blood under her. She makes unpleasant noises. My eyes widen. Who could have cut her? Or did she cut herself? I walk faster away from the bloody lady. I hear footsteps. Oh no. What if it’s a psycho killer like the man from my dream? He could kill me. I’m about to run the opposite way whena girl with brown curly hair and shiny brown eyes comes out from behind the corner.

            “Hi Cornelius!” shouts the girl running towards me.

“Hey there Sapphire.” I shout back. Sapphire goes to my school. She likes me. Well, at least I think so. She always tries to hang out with me; she’s the only one that will sit with me at lunch. She’s always so nice.

She’s in a bright yellow dress. She is not poor like me. Her father works in the famous apothecary shop down the street. He is an amazing doctor. She has a full brown bag hanging over her shoulder.

“How are you doing? I brought you this…!” She hands me the heavy bag with a big smile on her face. I look inside the bag and back at her in surprise. FOOD!

“Sapphire… thanks so much!” I say trying not to sound too excited.

“No problem…just a little gift for your  birthday.” She explains.

My birthday? What is she…Oh it’s my birthday tomorrow! I think to myself. I look at her again. Her eyes sparkle so bright and the pink dimples light up her face. She blinks six times really fast.

“Thanks.” I repeat. “I better go home… ummm my mother will be worried.”

“Oh. Your mother must care very much about you. Well anyway, Bye.”She says skipping the opposite way. “Happy Hunger Games!”

I feel good for a second… then a strike of pain hits me in my chest.

If tomorrow is my birthday then…tomorrow is the reaping. 

The reaping is a day everyone dreads. It’s part of The Hunger Games History, when a girl and a boy from each district between the ages 12-18 years old are picked randomly to fight till the death on life T.V. For the Capitol it’s a celebration and fun event to watch. Well that’s probably because it’s not their friends, family, and loved ones dying!  But for us it’s a reminder that the Capitol is in charge and we well, aren’t important to them.

No I do not enjoy this event, because I am at risk of dying because I would have to fight against 23 other tributes that are probably bigger and stronger than me. But again I am already at risk of dying every day the way I’m living.