Spell: The First Games

Chapter 1: Reaped

Everyone gathered. Today was the day. Two weeks ago, the Capitol announced that they would do the Hunger Games. They said we would fight to the death. We are a peaceful District, and value the life of every creature -- we're all vegan. So who will be chosen to break their beliefs and kill others in order to do the Capitol's bidding?

I approached the area. A lady reached out, grabbed my finger, and pricked it. Then a peacekeeper showed me to the fourteen year old area. I looked around, and noticed we all had the same expression: sadness. Everyone knew once the names were picked, no one would volunteer.

After everyone got to their designated spots, a young man, with several piercings on his face, silenced the crowd. He took the mike and frowned at us for a while. His gray eyes analyzed us. From his expression, he probably thought we were all stupid deadbeats. He clearly has no idea what District 14 does -- most people don't.

"I know this is new. Deal with it. The Hunger Games is when two tributes, from each district, male and female, compete to the death. If the win, they live happily ever after...blah blah blah," He said, looking over his paper," I don't care...okay, let's choose the victims...er...tributes!"

In the container, my name was in there three times. We only had about twenty females in our district that were twelve to eighteen. None of us had gotten tesseraes. There wasn't that high of a chance I could get picked, right?

I watched his hand move slowly and suspensefully towards the female glass bowl. He dug around for a couple seconds and grabbed the slip. All the girls held their breath as the pierced male opened up the paper. He grinned and said, "Our first tribute, Holly Zerez!"

No. This can't be happening. No! NO! NO!

"Holly Zerez!" he repeated. No one moved. "If you do not come forward now, we'll be forced to take drastic measures."

Fine. I can do this. I swallowed hard, gathered up my courage, and stepped out.

"It's about time," the man said under his breath.

I deliberately walked slowly just to annoy that Capitol jerk. When I finally reached the stage, I wondered what I should do. All eyes were on me. I decided I'd play it cool and hold back the emotions. Calling out, I said, "I accept my role as tribute for District 14!" Everyone stared blankly. Nice try to make the situation  less awkward. I could tell the Capitol man was trying to hold back his laughter.

 "Moving on," the man said, "it's time for our male tribute." He walked over to the other glass bowl and put his hand in. He snatched the slip at the top and announced, "Our male tribute for District 14 is Dakota Hyru!"

My eyes zeroed in on the kid with short black hair and green eyes. He walked quickly over to where I was standing. His parents looked away as Dakota took his place. His eyes were watering and his mouth was trembling.

"There you have it, our District 14 competitors!" the Capitol man shouted.