The Tributes from District 10

Chapter 1: Lia

Lia

When I wake up, I feel the cool, spring breeze through my window. It's the kind of breeze that makes you want to stay bundled up in your hand-me-down quilt (or should I say whats left of my quilt) and forget about what today has to offer.

I sigh. Today is the reaping day; a day twenty- four children, or tributes, are offered up to the capitol as sacrifices. Literally. True, one tribute from one of the twelve districts will survive and spend the rest of their life (along with their family) with fame, and enough money to to spend the rest of their life living off of. Some districts, particularly twelve, eleven, and seven, would kill for some extra money to feed their bellies every night.

I guess I'm lucky that my district isn't one of poorer ones, however not part of the "well do fed" ones either. Districts one, two, and four belong to that category. Anyway, the event itself is called the Hunger Games, where twenty-four tributes are chosen through a lottery system, which one boy and one girl are picked from every district. They are then taken to the capitol, the powerhouse of all the districts, and are treated like kings and queens for the next couple of days. Then, they are thrown in a huge arena where they must compete to the death until one tribute, or victor remains.

I know I should probably be scared, for I might have only weeks of life left to live, but I'm not. You see my brother, Silas, was a tribute in the Games five years ago. I was ten then, and thought that my big old brother couldn't possibly be killed. He was eighteen after all, the last year you participate in, and had the body that reminded me of one of our ox's. He was over six feet tall, muscular, and extremely handsome, three factors that sponsors constantly look for.

Silas would have won it too, if it wern't for the stupid district six tribute Titus. I shudder. I remember watching my brother being hit by a giant rock, die, and then being cut into pieces and being eaten by Titus. Ugh I can still see that smug look on his face when he tore apart Silas's leg. I remember watching happily when he got caught up in the avalanche, and died, for once being happy with the Gamemakers.

I know I should be scared, after all, today is the reaping day. But there's no way another Dalton kid could be picked to be in the games again. Or so I thought.