I lay awake on my little sleeping bag in my little swap tree house where I live by myself. I go up to a shattered piece of glass I use as a mirror and stare at my reflection. I'm wearing my usual cargo pants and a green t-shirt. These are the only articles of clothing I have. I put my hair up, put my knife in my belt, and put on my pack of tricks. Then I stare at myself again. I rarely look at myself and when I do I always feel a overwhelming wave of sadness. I look so much like my mother that every time I look at myself I see her. I also see her the night we were attacked and that bullet going through her head. I shake the memory out of my head and pick up my makeshift brush. I look at it then look at the mirror. I yell and throw the brush at the glass. It shatters into little pieces. Like my heart when they killed my parents. I pick up a apple out of the bowl of fruits next to my so called "bed". Just as I'm biting into that juice filled apple, I here a knock on my door. Thats's weird. No one ever comes here. I put down the apple and open the door. Two men in white uniforms and guns stand in front of me.
"What's going on? Who are you?" I ask.
"We are peacekeepers we've come to escort you to the reaping ceremony." One of them tells me in a soldier like voice. He grabs my arm. I swat it away. "We have to escort you to the reaping ceremony!" He says more sternly.
"What's the reaping ceremony? What are peacekeepers?"
"All your questions will be answered at the ceremony. Come with us." He reaches for my arm again. This time I back away.
Anger bubbles up inside me "No! Answer my questions!"
They peacekeepers raise their guns "Come with us, or else we'll have to drastic measures,"
I shove both of them and rush down the ladder, both men following close behind. I run towards the village to get help. I feel a body slamming me the ground and pining. I groan in pain. The body on top of me stands up and picks me up. The peacekeeper stands in front of me.
"We must escort you to the reaping ceremony."
I glare at him "So I've been told."
They both grab one of my arms and drag me into the village. When we get in the village I look around and notice I'm not the only one. All around us other people are being dragged to by two peacekeepers. Adults, Teens, even children are being taken to this "reaping ceremony". I'm dragged to the city stage where everyone is gathered. Everyone's looking around frantically and murmuring, curiosity in their eyes , wondering whats going on. I stay calm. I've learned that staying calm is the best tactic for reacting to new things. Here in the swamps we have stinging bugs and poisonous animals and if you freak out they attack you.
Up on stage there's a glass ball fulled with tiny white pieces of paper and a podium. A girl with crazy make up and clothes, and an even crazier look in her eye walks onto the stage. "Hello! Can everyone please quite down," as soon as she says that the crowd goes quite. "Welcome to the reaping ceremony! My name is Silvia. I know you all are confused but trust me all your questions will be answered now. The reaping ceremony is a ceremony where we'll pick four kids eighteen and younger to go into the Hunger Games where they'll have to battle each other in the arena in a fight to the death!" Gasp and murmurs rise from the crowd.
Someone yells out, "This is madness! How can you do this!"
"Relax it's only for peoples entertainment!" This resulted in more gasps and murmurs. "Please quite down!" When everyone finally stops talking she goes on. "Now for the reaping! Your mayor will now pick four names out of this glass ball." The mayor struts onto the stage and up to the glass ball. He pulls out a paper then hands it to Silvia. "The first tribute is... Fawn Dumbryll!" Everyone looks back at a girl that looks about 16. I hear some voices saying, "No! Not Fawn!" "Fawn's going to the hunger games!" "Oh my gosh! Fawn!" Apparently she's popular.
The crowd makes a path for her to walk to the stage. Silvia moves on. She calls to other names that I can't remember and for both of them the crowd had the same reaction. "This is stupid," I say to myself. I was starting to leave when I heard Silvia say, "The last and final tribute is.... Luna Siera!" I freeze in shock. There's no "Oh no not Luna!" for me, instead there's a "Luna? Who's that?" There's no parting of the crowd, instead I have to push my way through the crowd onto the stage. "Region of the Seara Platu," Silvia closes "please give a hand for your first tributes for the first annual Hunger Games!" Four peacekeepers march onto the stage and escorts us into a car behind the stage.
Half an hour later we arrive at a train station. Silvia is standing next to a mid aged, short man, with a red beard. We file out of the car and the peacekeepers lead us up to Silvia. "OK guys," she says "are you excited?" no one answers. "Well then. Um you'll have five minutes to say your goodbye to your loved ones in those rooms over there," she motions to four rooms behind her. "Then we'll get on this train and go." The other tributes head to the rooms for their tearful goodbyes. "Why aren't you going to a room?" Silvia asks me
"I don't exactly have loved ones to say goodbye to."
"Oh. Well wait here by the train with me and Owin,"
I do as she says. Five minutes later the others come out with their parents hugging and crying. I get slightly jealous then mentally slap myself for it. "Alright guys time to get on the train!" Some of the others are wiping tears as they walk on the train a head of me. I awkwardly walk behind. Once we get on the train they motion for us to sit at a fancy table filled with fancy food and fancy decorations. I look around and notice the whole train is fancy. The other tributes seem about as awed as I am. SIlvia sits down across from us next to Owin. " I see you guys are interested in capitol style. That's good because that's where we're going. Guys I want you to meet Owin. He will be your region trainer. Usually we have victors, people in your region how've won the hunger games, train tributes but this is our first and Owin has graciously volunteered to train you." Fawns hand immediately goes up. Silvia points to her.
"So your going to train us to kill people?" She asks Owin
"In a way yes."
"And those people are going to be trained to kill us?"
"yup."
"Will we get to pick our own weapons?" I ask
"Yes you will but not in the way you think?" I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion, but before I can ask what he means Fawn asks another question.
"How long till we get to this 'capitol' place?"
"About a day," answers Silvia "There rooms in the car behind this one with your names on them where you'll sleep and do all your personal stuff."
We eat some delicious Capitol food and ask more questions. For the most of the trip I lay in my room wondering what the Hunger Games will be like. I'm doing just this when I look out the window and see we're driving into a tunnel. Right before the tunnel there is a sign that says welcome to the Capitol. I run out of my room and up to the first car. Everyone else is already there. Finally we drive out of the tunnel and the sight takes my breath away. Glass skyscrapers gleaming in the sunlight. People wear funky makeup and clothes like Silvia. "Tributes," says Silvia "Welcome to the capitol."
