{When Nightmares Become Reality} The 1,999 Hunger Games

District 11 Reaping

Valista Plauntina P.O.V

"Would you please hurry up?" I tell my eight-year-old sister Fleur. She and my twelve-year-old brother Knox are stalling as usual. I seriously don't have time for this. The reaping starts in an hour!

"Can you please tell them to quiet?" My sisters husband Leon complains. He just got in from his early morning work shift and as usual he's in a bad mood. 

"Complain to Violet, I don't have time to listen to you." I reply. He snorts and storms off to find my so called "perfect older sister Violet.'" Violet's only twenty-two while Leon's twenty-nine. We all live together in a three room shack with one bathroom. I've lived in this house all my life and I still don't know how we all fit inside. My parents used to live here too until they both committed suicide. My father when I was eleven because our world is so messed up, then my mother when I was thirteen who got so depressed she did the same. Because of them both Violet and Leon work long hard hours in the orchards, while I had to quit my job there and babysit my younger siblings. Oh the fun!

I decide to use my spare time to file my long and totally awesome nails. They're a good twenty inches long and are beginning to curl. Leon keeps demanding I cut them. I like them though, so I still have them. I actually haven't cut them since a bit after my mother died. I lock myself in the bathroom and get Violet and Leon to scream at me to hurry up.

When my nails are finally straight and perfect I walk calmly outside. Violet is clearly pissed off.

"Would you take things seriously for once!" I grin. Serves them right for yelling at my nails. Violet, Leon, and Fleur head off to nearby streets where they can watch the reaping on large screens. None of them are in the reaping pool. Fleur is only ten and still has two years before her name goes in, while Violet and Leon have survived their reapings. Only me and Knox are possible tributes today.

Knox seems nervous. This is his first reaping. He seriously must be scared out of his mind. I wish him luck and head off to the sixteen-year-old section. 

I notice many girls from my class right away. They're the ones who love to whisper and pick on me because of my so called "claws" Personally, I think they're total losers and are just jealous.

"Valista should go in, at least she has claws to protect herself!" One of them sneers. Man, one of those girls seriously deserves to be reaped.

"Welcome to the District 11 reaping of the one thousand nine hundred and ninety-ninth Hunger Games!" Our escort Nexus Vondar shouts into his microphone. Nexus has dyed black skin with grey eyes that are the colour of slush. He wears a white suit with a black tie. "May the odds be EVER in your favour!" I groan. That line is so annoying. I brush some imaginary dust off my green camouflage jacket. I stare down at my army pants and hiking boots. This morning Violet looked shocked that I'd wear something like this to the reaping. We must've had a twenty minute argument about it until, finally she gave up. I look like me. With the that fire red hair, green eyes, my camo outfit, my long nails, and my favourite ring, the silver one with a growing plant on it. This is the normal me.

I snap out of my self-praise when Nexus shouts.

"You know? We always start with the girls! Lets change it up and start with our gentlemen!" The crowd laughs. Leave it to Nexus to do something so random that it's funny. He pulls the name from the ball. Thousands of boys wait for him to call it out.

Zeke O'didron P.O.V

This morning couldn't be more perfect. My stepmother made me the best pancakes in the world for breakfast, My older brothers were actually nice to me for once, and I just got myself a present. It's a woven necklace that used to belong to my dad. He always wore it for reaping day.

It was weird when my mother died two years ago. There was an accident in the apple orchard that caused her to fall thirty feet from a tree and break her skull. I was in that same orchard, spotting that very day.

A spotters job is easy. I'm so small that I'm usually up highest harvesting fruit. When I spot the flag the signals quitting time I whistle to the Mockingjay's, who will spread that it's quitting time around the orchard. Easy enough.

"Ready for the reaping?" Darion asks. Him and Zane are actually my stepbrothers, my step mom's sons. They're both sixteen and their hobby is to pick on me. Around here the only one who stands up for me is my ten-year-old sister Daz.

"Yes!" I tell Darion and follow the rest of my family to the square. Darion and Zane head off to the sixteen-year-old section, while I go to the very back of the square with the other twelve-year-olds. My name's only in here once today, so the odds should be in my favour. Our escort, a man named Nexus Vondar tells us that he's changing this reaping up and starting with the boys. The boy next to me lets out a nervous giggle, as do many others. I know this boy. His name's Knox and he's in my class. I've hung out with him a bit, considering neither of us has any other friends in our class. Now we just hang out with our younger sisters.

"You scared?" I ask him.

"Kinda, but more for my sister, her name's in extra." By "extra" I'm guessing he means the tesserae.

"Which one she?" I ask. I know most of the girls around mine and Knox's neighbourhood. 

"The one with the claws. She's sixteen like your brothers."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, she has like thirty inch nails that she'll scratch you with!" We laugh. Sadly, we're forced to shut up when Nexus calls the name.

It's me.

Valista Plauntina P.O.V

"Zeke O'didron!" Nexus calls out. A twelve-year-old guy who's standing right next to Knox takes the stage. I'm pretty sure when they were younger that he and Knox were friends. Nexus calls for volunteers, you could literally hear a pin drop in the square it's so quiet. No one will take his place. The crowd lets out an annoyed sigh, as they always do when a twelve-year-old gets picked.

"Now for our ladies!" Nexus says. He reaches deep into the glass reaping ball and pulls out a single name.

"Valista Plauntina!"

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I'm directed into the Justice Building. Damn it! I'm a tribute in these rotten Games! I want to punch the wall but that would break my rather impressive nails. I do stand a chance though. I've always been super accurate with throwing knives, not to mention I've got these super sharp nails.

While I'm pondering about winning the Games my visitors enter the room. It's my family, no surprise there. Knox and Fleur hug me tightly while Violet buries her head in her hands and bursts into tears.

"I'm so sorry I was so mean to you and I'll never get to repay you." She says balling. Leon tries to comfort her. 

"Don't worry! I've got a good chance of coming back!" I boast. Everyone laughs. Sure we may be a crazy family but we still love each other.

"I'll be waiting."