Never Feel a Thing (A Hunger Games Fanfic)

What You Sow...

Author's note: All rights go to there respective owners. I do not own The Hunger Games, never have, probably never will, I add the probably because of course anything is possible, blah, blah, blah, mind numbing red tape. Oh, and thanks for reading folks!

I didn't really need to walk for long before I came upon the literal hordes of people shuffling down the streets like zombies to their inescapable horror. Even here in District 4, The Hunger Games was not something that really came up in polite coversion. As a matter of fact, you were lucky if you could edge it into a sufficiently impolite conversion. We, for the most part, and certainly I, did not agree with them, but figured that if we really had to compete in the horror show, what was the harm in doing your best to win? I certainly couldn't find any fault with that logic. Winning meant not only luxuries would be given to the whole district, but one lucky son or daughter of district 4 would be coming home to us safely. That may seem cold, but when you see a shell shocked and yet at the same time exuberant victor return to the arms of their loving family, it really is hard to call it that.

Of course, as heartwarming as it is to see one of our own come home to their family safely, my mind, and I'm sure others as well, can't help but remember all the families who wouldn't be receiving a jubilant reunification. Still, it's nice to know that in all this madness, at least someone will come out alright, if you could even call it that. Whatever the case, it's certainly better than nothing. We have too much of that to go around here in the districts.

District 4 is known for being one of the more rebellious districts, even this many years after the rebellion had ended.  We didn't enjoy being pited against the other districts in games as horrific as this, but we didn't blame our tributes for doing whatever it takes to survive.  Just like we didn't blame the tributes from other districts from doing the same.  None of us were really at fault here, it was all on the Capitol once you got right down to it.  Career district or no, we are just as resentful toward the games as any of the other districts.

In laymen's terms, there are three career districts, 1, 2, and 4. District 3 is not a career district, although they seem to stand a better chance than most of the other districts which make up Panem. Some of them hardly seem to ever win, to the point the crowds actually act like the reaping is practically a newly minted tribute's funeral. You haven't looked into the face of pure misery and hopelessness until you've seen a district 12 reaping. They've only won the games once in all the 35 years since the rebellion was put down.

The rebellion, defeated. What a shame. The whole thing fell apart, District 13 was completely obliterated with toxic bombs, and what did it get us? Just another thing to rebel against.

I sighed.  I found myself doing that alot these days. "The Hunger Games..." I whispered resignedly.

But the minute we lose hope is the minute they win. The Capitol, all their power, all their prestige, it's fueled by our misery. All they have is what they take from us. They live lavishly decadent lifestyles while the rest of us decay, starve, and fall apart, both physically and mentally. Though I can't imagine how much better it could possibly be for the citizens of the Capitol themselves. A rich and luxurious lifestyle is only so much after all...

I sigh again. It's so hard to be idealistic these days, especially when most of us are a hair's breath away from starvation. I'm actually one of the lucky ones, I was lucky enough to find work as an apprentice seaman, the crew of the ship taught me everything I know about sailing and fishing. I worked my way up the latter for years, and now I have a roof over my head and food in my stomach. We, District 4, the fishing district, are basically what you call the laughing stock career district. No one from our district has won in twelve years, despite all the training these kids seem to do year after year.