Marie Clover P.O.V
"I can't believe this is our last year! It feels like it's been hundreds!" My best friend Aurora says. By "by our last year" she means it's the last year you can be reaped, and being eighteen this is indeed our last year. Aurora and I bought new dresses to celebrate the occasion. At the factory we work in we sew beautiful dresses. Today we both wear matching white mini dresses with black polka dots on them.
We could be sisters we look so alike. We have the same brown hair with beautiful blond highlights, with dark green eyes and semi-muscular builds. Those who don't know us will surely mistake us as twins.
"You nervous!" I ask twisting the ring that my other best friend Misty gave me before moving to District 10. It's a beautiful ring. In the middle there's a bronze cross, then above and below it are two silver rings that braid across the bronze twice. Both me and Misty have these rings, hopefully we're both safe today.
"No, now it just feels like a routine." She replies, pulling at one of her pearl earrings, they must've been a reaping gift.
"I know. Hey, where's Thamus?" I ask. Thamus is her older brother. Aurora's parents died when she was eight, and since then both her and Thamus have looked after each other. Same with me and my sister Belle. The part of District 8 where we live is reserved for orphaned children with adult older siblings. A couple years back my parents as well as Aurora's were killed in a massive factory explosion. They built our neighbourhood because there were way too many kids being stuffed into the Community Home.
"He's somewhere, probably betting on who's being picked." She says rolling her eyes.
"You need a bit of extra money?"
"It's just that we need to buy more lumber for our roof, its got a few leaks in it." I nod, same things happening with ours. Belle would never bet though, instead we deal with it. I did take the tesserae for some extra money though.
"How many times your name in there?" She asks.
"Fourteen."
"Same."
"The odds should be in our favour." She says.
"Just don't jinx things." We make our way into the District 8 square. Before the factory explosion my parents were killed in District 8 was one of the largest districts. After the our largest factory exploded, killing at least fifty thousand people our population's dropped a tiny bit. Still, the squares packed. I wave to my twenty-five-year-old sister Belle. She blows me a kiss.
"Good luck!" She yells.
She's right. I'm totally gonna need it.
Seven McAstor P.O.V
"You ready?" My younger sister Tennsin asks.
"I guess." I say. This is my second-to-last-reaping so I have my name in there quite a few times. Twenty four to be exact. I've taken the tesserae. Once for Me, Tennsin, and my parents. Still, compared to some in District 8 that's nothing. My friend Ron has his name in forty times for a family of eight. He has almost double the names I do.
"I'm not." She jokes. Tennsin's fifteen and hates the Hunger Games then almost anyone in Panem. When we work in the Peacekeeper uniform factory, where the screehing of machines is loud that you can't hear anything unless someone is right beside you she'll say terrible things about the Capitol, and the Games. I do too, though not as much as Tennsin.
"What are you wearing?" I ask, throwing a good white dress shirt over my undershirt that I usually sleep with.
"All black for such a horrible occasion." she says pulling a black sweater and a black pencil skirt.
"That's the spirit of the Games!" I say in my best Capitol accent. We both laugh. Those capitol idiots always treat the Games like a sports competition, it's funny till you watch twenty three of those kids die.
"Lets go, mum and dad left over an hour ago." She pulls on a fancy black coat that belongs to my mother. I notice on the coat there's a black pin with a white thumbs down that says 'Hunger games" below it. I try and hold back laughter.
The District 8 square is pretty nice. There are plenty of colourful fabric shops, fruits, shops, and item shops. If it were any other day i'd be tempted to look around. Tennsin makes her way to the middle of the square with the other fifteen-year-olds, while I head closer to the front with the seventeen-year-olds. Lets get this reaping done with quickly.
Our escort, a short woman named Dremina Short (sad considering she's only 4'8) takes the stage. I seriously wish I wore black.
"Welcome to District 8's legendary Hunger Games reaping! may the odds be EVER in your favour!" She chirps. What a lie. Our reapings are anything but legendary, nothing happens. No one volunteers, though occasionly tributes are thrown up onto the stage by Peacekeeper's or there's wailing from the crowd. It's the same thing every year. Eighty percent of the time everthing's the same. Both of our crappy tributes are killed in the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Our last victor was close to twenty five years ago.
"Lets pick our female tribute!" Dremina shouts. Her voice is bigger then she is!
"Marie Clover!"
Marie Clover P.O.V
"Marie Clover!" Dremina shouts. No! This can't be happening! The other eighteen-year-olds clear a path for me. Aurora lets go of my hand in shock. I'll be going into the arena. There are no volunteers in 8.
"Give a big hand to Marie Clover, District 8's female tribute!" There's a round of forced applause. Great I'm so doomed.
"Now for our boy..."
Seven McAstor P.O.V
Marie Clover. I swear I know that name. She's eighteen and when Dremina calls for volunteers you could here a pin drop in the square. I'm happy Tennsin wasn't called.
"Now for our boy!" Dremina says, taking a large dig through the boys reaping ball.
"Seven McAstor!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marie Clover P.O.V
"Oh my gosh! I should've volunteered! I'm so sorry!" Aurora says then bursts into tears.
"No I wouldn't want you do do that for me." I say and hug her tightly. Suddenly I'm thrown into a flashback.
"Oh, I'm gonna miss you so much!" The ten-year-old Misty said to me. We were crying badly. My and Aurora surround her in a hug. Her family was being located to District 10 for unknown reasons. I'd heard of people from Career Districts being located to Non-Careers districts, but we weren't a Career District! Aurora's parents demanded she leave, when they were alive they were strict and not very friendly.
"I'll miss you Marie, you're my best friend!" She said, her eyes so teary.
"Me too." I said holding back sobs.
"I want you to have this, as long as we wear them we'll always be safe and together." She cries, handing the ring just as the Peacekeeper's pull her onto the train and she leaves forever.
Um... Hello? Earth to Marie?" Aurora says. I snap back into reality.
"Sorry, I'll miss you Aurora you're my best friend." I will, just like I miss Misty.
Seven McAstor's P.O.V
"How could they do this!" Tennsin screams. She throws a glass vase to the groud. Glass flies in every direction. Since she's gotten here that's the second thing she's destroyed.
"Stop breaking things! You're gonna get in trouble!" I scream back. Surprisingly she stops. "I'll try and win! I can learn to use a sword of spear!" I shout.
"You'd better, but here, take this. They can't change you if you wear it." She says pulling her pin of her jacket. Now I really wish I'd worn something black. The pin is funny in a rebellious way. It still has the thumbs down with Hunger Games below it.
Oh yes, they can't change me with this on.
YOU ARE READING
{When Nightmares Become Reality} The 1,999 Hunger Games
FanfictionIt's been over a thousand years since Katniss Everdeen and the rebels took control of the Capitol. About a hundred years later after Katniss and Peeta lived long happy lives the Capitol once again took over. This time it was almost too easy, the war...
