The Celebrity Hunger Games

Chapter 11: District 11

Aston Merrygold’s p.o.v

“Things are getting busy around here, aren’t they?” my mum questioned me as I helped her to get my twin sisters Courtney and Ashley ready for their first reapings. This would be the only year that we would all be in it together, I was 18. This was my last year having to go through the pressure of being entered.  “How are you feeling about the reapings?” mum asked me. I shrugged, not thinking about it. “I was more worried about my sisters. I made sure that their names were entered a minimum of times, neither of them taking Tesserae, but that didn’t mean that it was impossible. Their name is on one slip, within thousands, but anything can happen, and I’m not powerful enough to stop it.

“What if we get picked?” Courtney asked me. I hugged her tightly. “There’s a really big chance that you won’t” I said. “But what if one of us does get picked?” Ashley asked. I looked at them sadly. “Even if one of you does get picked, the other one has to be strong. Mummy needs us” I said. I knew it was a lot to ask, but I couldn’t cope if one of them was picked, and I knew our mother wouldn’t be able to cope either. “I’m scared” Courtney said. I nodded with no response. What could I say? I was scared too.

“You should volunteer” my girlfriend Mollie King said to me. I raised my eyebrows at her. “You want me to die?” I asked her, half serious, half joking. “You won’t die, you have many talents, and you could win!” she said excitedly. I laughed at her enthusiasm. We were still getting to know each other but I was already really fond of her. “Plus volunteering could help your family” she said. I nodded. The fame and fortune that came with winning would be enough to keep my family happy for years. Could I really win?

“This is our time” Our host, Vanessa White, said. “The male tribute is...Aston Merrygold” she said. I was stunned. I was thinking about volunteering but never knew if I would have the courage to do it. At least now I didn’t have to make that decision. It was taken out of my hands. I would have to compete in the Hunger Games. To save my family.

Rochelle Humes’ p.o.v

Our family always did things early. Getting married and having children was inevitable. I was 16 when I married my husband Marvin and 17 when I gave birth to our first child Alaia-Mai. I took after my mother in that way. Marvin was older than me and his time to compete in the Hunger Games had finished long before I met him. This was my last year.

“Are you nervous?” Marvin asked me. I nodded. I couldn’t believe that I still had one more year of this. “You won’t get picked” he said. I took a deep breath and sighed. I couldn’t be picked. I had my baby to look after. I hated that fact that we had no choice in the matter. The Hunger Games was not optional, if you got picked, you had to face the fact that, to win, you’d have to kill people. I always wondered how people came back to their district after winning, knowing that they have had to kill so many people. Sometimes I think that it would be better for you to just die, because at least you know that you didn’t cause anyone else to never see their families again.

“What are you going to do if I get picked?” I asked Marvin nervously on the day of the reapings. He hugged me. “You won’t get picked, I have every faith in you” he said. I smiled at him, trying not to let my nervousness show. “It’s not about faith, it’s about luck, and I’ve never been the luckiest person” I said. “Your name is only on 7 slips out of thousands” he said. This reassured me a bit, but not as much as it should have. “Some people get picked who have less than that” I reminded him, thinking about all the people that I had seen who had 5 or less slips in. They usually came from small families in more privileged districts. They sometimes won. You had more chance to get more sponsors and to win if you live in a wealthy district. I didn’t.

“This is our time” our host, Vanessa White said. I rolled my eyes. It was never our time. The first tribute was called. “Aston Merrygold” she said. He looked confused and surprised, but not as upset as I usually see people looking when they got picked. “And the female tribute is...” She said. I closed my eyes and crossed every part of my body that could physically cross. “Rochelle Humes” she said. I found Marvin’s eyes and held them as I made my way onto the stage. Luck was never on my side.