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Description
slip of paper was chosen. Cora tightened her grip on my hand.
It was taken out of the sphere. My throat went dry.
It was slowly unfolded. I tensed.
The name was called. My heart stopped.
It wasn't my name.
It was…
"Annah Sage."
There was a half strangled cry from a girl a few feet in front of me as Annah stepped away from the crowd of girls and walked to the podium. Annah, small, timid Annah who couldn't put up a fight.
I broke away from the group and ran after her. I grabbed her wrist. "Stop!" I yelled, shielding her from the advancing Peacekeepers. "I volunteer! I volunteer as a tribute!"
"Maia, what are you doing?" she hissed in my ear. She was trying to sound mad, but I could hear the relief in her voice.
"Saving your butt." I hissed back. Everyone's eyes were on me as I continued the path to the stage.
In my head I could imagine my family's faces. Dad, Rosalyn, Dimitri, Puel, Indana.
The boy's name was picked. "Brody Bran."
Oh crap.
Brody is one of my guy friends from school. How was I supposed to fight him? I might have to kill him.
Shaking hands with him, we made a silent pact. We will protect each other at all costs, no matter what the consequences.
"Ladies and gentleman, I present to you this years District Seven tributes. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"
I hate being alone. And that's what I was while I was waiting to see my family. When the peace keepers let them in I was goth relived and nervous.
"Maia!" Indana cried.
"What were you thinking?" my dad exclaimed.
"I was thinking that someone had to save Annah. And I was the best person to do it."
My mom looked at me with a sad smile. "Here, take this as your token." she said, dropping something into my hand. It was a silver chain with a single charm. An amber and onyx owl with diamond eyes. "Grandmother Amélia's necklace. The symbol of our family's luck."
I gulped down tears. "Thank you." Indana crushed in a hug. "I love you."
The peacekeepers came to take them away and let Cora and Annah in. Both of their faces were wet and their eyes were red. At the sight of my two best friends, I broke down. The three of us turned into a clump of sobbing teens.
"You know I'll hate you forever, right?" Annah said with a weak teasing smile.
I rolled my eyes. "Sure you will."
"Do us a favor?"
"What?"
"Win."
We cracked up. "don't worry," I laughed. "it'll be a piece of cake."
With one last hug I whispered in Cora's ear "Protect her, okay?"
She nodded. "Youre not to, um, kill Brody right?"
My face turned grim. "If anyone touches him they're going to have to suffer my wrath."
Annah shuddered "Now that is an absolutely terrifying thought."
The peacekeepers came to take them away. "Tell Liana good bye for me!" I called after them.
"It's not goodbye!" the yelled back in unison.
Not good bye. Not the end. This was all just too surreal. Out of all the girls, Annah was picked. Out of all the options I had, I had chosen the most dangerous one. There was no way I could do this. I wasn't trained like the Careers. I wasn't good at making traps or hiding or anything useful. Sure, I've worked with blades my whole life and was fine at fighting. But what would a short range weapon do against longer ones? Bow and arrows, thrown objects. I'd be defenseless. This was all my worst fears rolled into one. I had to put myself in danger to save a friend. I was risking my life. I was sure that in Dimitri, Rosalyn and Puel's eyes I was a traitor. They were probably sure that I would end up like their daughter (sister in Puel's case) that I would share her fate. I knew that the survival of our family is important to them and I ignored that. I had to focus on someone else's survival now. Mine.
The door opened one more time letting in Brody.
It only took a moment of looking at his tear-drenched face for me to break again. I plopped down on the seat, buried my head in my hands and cried again. I didn't even push him away when he laid his head on my shoulder.
"We're going to die, aren't we?" he asked quietly. I didn't answer. "Well, I'm going to die. You're to good. I'm just dead meat."
"You are not going to die." I said fiercely. "I won't let you."
He shook his head. I saw in his eyes that he truly believed that he didn't have a chance. "I came to let you know that, if you want, I will protect you. I will stay with you until the end."
Not the end. "I know."
It was such a Brody decision. He was the kid of guy who, when someone he cared about was in danger, became almost obsessed with their safety. I remembered one time in third grade when one of the fifth graders had teased my about something stupid, I think it was my hair, and Brody had jumped on one of the boys after the guy had threatened to use a knife to chop my 'rat's nest' off.
And a couple years later he had taken a punch or three after I had severely angered some teen about how he should be using knifes for work and not for threatening his defenseless girlfriend.
Even in kindergarten, where we met, he was like that. You don't want to know what he called that kid who stole my toy.
But Brody was Brody and I wasn't one to stop him. "We're in this together, okay?"
He nodded. "Okay."
The train ride to the Capitol wasn't that long. But long enough for me to meet the mentor, Nico Lee. He was 25 and had been 16 when he was in the games. And had some interesting advice.
"Play to your strengths, stereotypes, and surprised."
"Stereotypes?" Brody asked, appalled.
"We're District 7. We cut lumber so, naturally, we're expected to use axes and stuff. Blades. " He turned to me. "That's where the surprises come in. I've seen you fence, girl. Grab a sword /if/ you can find one. But avoid the Cornucopia. Unless you wanted to die in the first ten minutes. It's a blood bath there."
"I've seen." Brody muttered.
"We'll talk more before training."
Outside, the city came into view. "There it is. The Capitol." I whispered.
"This is where it all begins."

Description
slip of paper was chosen. Cora tightened her grip on my hand.
It was taken out of the sphere. My throat went dry.
It was slowly unfolded. I tensed.
The name was called. My heart stopped.
It wasn't my name.
It was…
"Annah Sage."
There was a half strangled cry from a girl a few feet in front of me as Annah stepped away from the crowd of girls and walked to the podium. Annah, small, timid Annah who couldn't put up a fight.
I broke away from the group and ran after her. I grabbed her wrist. "Stop!" I yelled, shielding her from the advancing Peacekeepers. "I volunteer! I volunteer as a tribute!"
"Maia, what are you doing?" she hissed in my ear. She was trying to sound mad, but I could hear the relief in her voice.
"Saving your butt." I hissed back. Everyone's eyes were on me as I continued the path to the stage.
In my head I could imagine my family's faces. Dad, Rosalyn, Dimitri, Puel, Indana.
The boy's name was picked. "Brody Bran."
Oh crap.
Brody is one of my guy friends from school. How was I supposed to fight him? I might have to kill him.
Shaking hands with him, we made a silent pact. We will protect each other at all costs, no matter what the consequences.
"Ladies and gentleman, I present to you this years District Seven tributes. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"
I hate being alone. And that's what I was while I was waiting to see my family. When the peace keepers let them in I was goth relived and nervous.
"Maia!" Indana cried.
"What were you thinking?" my dad exclaimed.
"I was thinking that someone had to save Annah. And I was the best person to do it."
My mom looked at me with a sad smile. "Here, take this as your token." she said, dropping something into my hand. It was a silver chain with a single charm. An amber and onyx owl with diamond eyes. "Grandmother Amélia's necklace. The symbol of our family's luck."
I gulped down tears. "Thank you." Indana crushed in a hug. "I love you."
The peacekeepers came to take them away and let Cora and Annah in. Both of their faces were wet and their eyes were red. At the sight of my two best friends, I broke down. The three of us turned into a clump of sobbing teens.
"You know I'll hate you forever, right?" Annah said with a weak teasing smile.
I rolled my eyes. "Sure you will."
"Do us a favor?"
"What?"
"Win."
We cracked up. "don't worry," I laughed. "it'll be a piece of cake."
With one last hug I whispered in Cora's ear "Protect her, okay?"
She nodded. "Youre not to, um, kill Brody right?"
My face turned grim. "If anyone touches him they're going to have to suffer my wrath."
Annah shuddered "Now that is an absolutely terrifying thought."
The peacekeepers came to take them away. "Tell Liana good bye for me!" I called after them.
"It's not goodbye!" the yelled back in unison.
Not good bye. Not the end. This was all just too surreal. Out of all the girls, Annah was picked. Out of all the options I had, I had chosen the most dangerous one. There was no way I could do this. I wasn't trained like the Careers. I wasn't good at making traps or hiding or anything useful. Sure, I've worked with blades my whole life and was fine at fighting. But what would a short range weapon do against longer ones? Bow and arrows, thrown objects. I'd be defenseless. This was all my worst fears rolled into one. I had to put myself in danger to save a friend. I was risking my life. I was sure that in Dimitri, Rosalyn and Puel's eyes I was a traitor. They were probably sure that I would end up like their daughter (sister in Puel's case) that I would share her fate. I knew that the survival of our family is important to them and I ignored that. I had to focus on someone else's survival now. Mine.
The door opened one more time letting in Brody.
It only took a moment of looking at his tear-drenched face for me to break again. I plopped down on the seat, buried my head in my hands and cried again. I didn't even push him away when he laid his head on my shoulder.
"We're going to die, aren't we?" he asked quietly. I didn't answer. "Well, I'm going to die. You're to good. I'm just dead meat."
"You are not going to die." I said fiercely. "I won't let you."
He shook his head. I saw in his eyes that he truly believed that he didn't have a chance. "I came to let you know that, if you want, I will protect you. I will stay with you until the end."
Not the end. "I know."
It was such a Brody decision. He was the kid of guy who, when someone he cared about was in danger, became almost obsessed with their safety. I remembered one time in third grade when one of the fifth graders had teased my about something stupid, I think it was my hair, and Brody had jumped on one of the boys after the guy had threatened to use a knife to chop my 'rat's nest' off.
And a couple years later he had taken a punch or three after I had severely angered some teen about how he should be using knifes for work and not for threatening his defenseless girlfriend.
Even in kindergarten, where we met, he was like that. You don't want to know what he called that kid who stole my toy.
But Brody was Brody and I wasn't one to stop him. "We're in this together, okay?"
He nodded. "Okay."
The train ride to the Capitol wasn't that long. But long enough for me to meet the mentor, Nico Lee. He was 25 and had been 16 when he was in the games. And had some interesting advice.
"Play to your strengths, stereotypes, and surprised."
"Stereotypes?" Brody asked, appalled.
"We're District 7. We cut lumber so, naturally, we're expected to use axes and stuff. Blades. " He turned to me. "That's where the surprises come in. I've seen you fence, girl. Grab a sword /if/ you can find one. But avoid the Cornucopia. Unless you wanted to die in the first ten minutes. It's a blood bath there."
"I've seen." Brody muttered.
"We'll talk more before training."
Outside, the city came into view. "There it is. The Capitol." I whispered.
"This is where it all begins."