District Two Reaping

[Elletnah™ The JabberJay]

"It is time, once again, to send 2 of our own citizens to participate in the Hunger Games!"

The crowd was abuzz; many of the children in District 2 were Careers, therefore they had been trained, they were pumped and ready. Maybe they'd already sorted out who would be a tribute. Maybe they hadn't. Even so, the escort had raced up to the glass balls and was ready to pick the tributes. "Hello, hello! Let us first pick our female tribute!" She hopped up to the girls' one, and fumbled around inside it. She pulled out a name, and unwrapped the slip of paper.

"Kylie Hudson!"

She watched as a small girl walked up to the stage. She smiled and then drew the boy name.

"Noel Foster!"

A normal sized boy walked up to the stage. The girl was so tiny the boy looked like a giant. The escort smiled and looked over the crowd.
"Well, here are our tributes for the 28th Annual Hunger Games! Happy Hunger Games, oh, and may the odds be EVER in your favor!"

[Deleted]

The morning sun dwindled dimly over the sky of District 2. Usually when Kylie woke up at seven o'clock, she would see the miners from the district in their uniforms heading towards the nut, but today the curtains were drawn, the doors were locked and most people were having a lie-in in their warm beds. It was the day of the reaping, marking exactly a year since Kylie's sister Georgia received her death sentence. Kylie's first thoughts were: I'll be next. She was just 12 years old, with one slip, but Fate seemed to have chosen the Hudson family as its next victims.

Firstly, Madison had died from a fever the other week, leaving the Hudson family in even greater distress after Georgia's death. Madison, the person Kylie had most trust in, died so young from a simple fever. Kylie felt isolated and alone after the death of two beloved sisters, and she felt like throwing axes at the Capitolites, dropping bombs from up high on those wretched skyscrapers and large buildings and luxurious homes in the Capitol. Although the family were quite wealthy, she was still third in the list of rich districts. The Capitol was obviously in the lead, with their fancy disco outfits and crazy makeup and wild hair and tattoos carefully inked on their colored skin. Kylie wondered why it was fashionable in the Capitol for you to have painted skin and extra long eyelashes, with prickles of color on the ends.

The escort was no better, the perfect example of a Capitolite. Kylie remembered her - even though she had been the escort for ages and was probably in her mid-forties now, she hadn't aged at all since her mother first saw her, at the first games.

Kylie opened her curtains and yawned loudly. She went downstairs and pulled through a soggy bowl of cereal. Her family were silent throughout breakfast, although it was one of the few times they could sit and eat as a family. They didn't feel like celebrating the reaping. Georgia had been a devoted Career, but she had never intended to be in the games. She saw the training as exercises for future life. Then one day she was chosen to volunteer. So she meekly did so. There was a story behind Georgia Hudson, who seemed so keen on the Games, but behind all that faking and pretending, she was genuinely upset.

Later, they put on their clothes and then they set off. Arriving at the town square, they walked towards the back, where Kylie took her place amongst the smallest people in the district. They all seemed to crowd together at the reapings and talk between themselves about their worry, the first reaping, their older siblings who are in so so times this year...but some bragged that they'd be up on that stage someday, they'd be training like crazy, their older sister was to volunteer, their older brother was eighteen and strong, surely he'd win...A young girl turned to Kylie. "A-Are you the sister of...Georgia Hudson?" They despised Georgia after she died in the bloodbath, disgracing the whole district. "Yes. So laugh, call me names, do whatever. I'm the next tribute of District 2, I can feel it."

The girl scoffed. "I saw you signing in, you have no tesserae at all. There are 18 year olds with loads of tesserae that they put in deliberately and they'll be bound to be reaped. Pigs will fly before you're reaped..." Kylie gave a smug smile and the girl stood by her as the reaping began.

"Kylie Hudson!"

Kylie lost balance, but managed to regain focus and stop herself from falling. The girl beside her looked quizzically at her. Kylie found the energy in her legs and began to walk out towards the aisle. She looked back at the girl, who was now gazing in shock at her. Kylie didn't have time to look smug; she had been reaped. She saw it coming. Fate hated the family. Her mother looked stubborn, as if urging herself not to cry. She had lost her husband, she'd lost Georgia, she'd recently lost Madison and now there was a 1 in 2 chance she'd lose Kylie.

Noel Foster was reaped, a boy Kylie didn't recognize. Her heart was thumping. The boy was bigger than her. She didn't know if she was the only twelve year old in the game, but there could be another. Kylie took a deep breath as she was virtually shoved into the justice building, and the last thing she saw was her mother racing towards the building, shrieking her name, before she fainted.

[Deleted]

"Noel Foster!"



Did Noel hear that correctly? He looked over at his sister, who was shaking and pale; his father, who stood there, reserved. Noel watched as peacekeepers came to bring him up to the stage, not wanting to look at Tyler; he wasn’t sure if he could handle seeing his best friend so scared. This was their biggest fear; being thrown into the games and possibly never coming back. The girl who’d been voted up looked so young. Noel tried to keep from falling apart; he knew this was going to be watched by all of Panem soon. He shrugged the peacekeeper escorting him up, glaring at him as if to say 'DON'T touch me.' He stepped up to the stage, looking at the escort. Woman looked like a shaved purple poodle, but most of the Capitol resembled shaved dyed poodles. He looked at the little girl next to him, then looked over to the crowd. He caught his father's eye and looked away as the shaved poodle escort put a hand on his shoulder, shrugging her away. He was brought to the stage in his best friend’s place. As Noel was led into a private room in the justice building, he sat in a chair and put his head in his hands, letting himself cry for once. It was one of the few private moments he’d have, and one of the few times he’d let himself show emotion through this whole thing. Emotion was weakness, and weakness was the one thing Noel couldn’t afford to show. Not now. Not when his life was in the Capitol’s hands.                                                                   

Renee flew through the door and latched onto her brother instantly, sobbing the entire time. As much as he wanted to fall apart now, Noel needed to be strong. He just clung to his sister, promising she'd come home to him. "You're strong, you'll make it home, okay?" Renee blurted out, and Noel just nodded. Just then Joseph walked in, and all Noel could do was hug him. “Dad,” he said, having no idea what else to say. His father just held him tighter, and Noel held on for dear life. “Tyler’s on his way in, we don’t have much time. Whatever happens out there, whether you have to kill to get ahead or not, I’m proud of you. You’ve made it this far. You know what you need to do right?” Noel nodded, remembering what his father had told him during his training.

“Get a weapon, find water and find a place to hide,” Noel rattled off, almost robotically, and Joseph smiled. “And if you find an opportunity to kill someone, take it. There’s no room for squeamishness or lack of confidence, son. None of us will judge you. Just… listen to what your mentors say and focus on getting home, okay?” Noel wiped his eyes and nodded. Home. “Is Tyler okay?” Joseph shook his head. “Boy’s scared out of his wits. He loves you as much as you love him, kiddo.” Noel looked at his father. “How did…”  Joseph smiled. “You look just like I did when I met your mom, Noel. Everyone knows how you feel about Tyler. I could see from space how much you love that boy.” Noel shook his head. It still shocked him sometimes that his dad was so okay with his sexuality when no one else had ever been. “I wanted to wait till we were both ineligible to be reaped to tell him, so we could be safe from the Games,” He laughed bitterly, “Too damn late for that now, isn’t it?” Joseph was interrupted in his answer by the door opening and the peacekeeper announcing that time was up. He could see Tyler standing with the peacekeeper and hugged his son once more. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Noel turned around as his father and sister were whisked out of the room, but not before Joseph shoved something into his hand.It felt like a pair of rings, but Noel didn’t look at it. “I love you, try to win, son!” he said as the door shut, then flew open again as Tyler flew into his arms.