Back to Normal: The 35th Hunger Games

Chapter 9

I don't think I have the Seven boy yet, so here's Nine.

Tariq Bluegrass POV

I wasn't allowed to stand with Elijah, but I kept my eye on him from the second we were separated. We had to stay together, no matter what. I don't know what I'd do without him. I suppose I'd die, just like our mother. I saw him standing with the other boys his age and felt jealous of them. I should have been next to him instead of them.

Everyone knew the Reaping was the worst day of the year. I feared death as much as anyone else, but I had something else to be afraid of. It was the one day of the year I was truly alone. None of my friends would dare to volunteer for me, and I didn't think I would for them. For Elijah I'd volunteer, but we couldn't both go. If either he or I got Reaped, we'd be separated. That was the real nightmare.

Chimera's smile seemed forced when he stepped up to the bowls. He was so enthusiastic when he started, especially compared to Kitty back when I was really little. He was still more lively than she ever was, but it was like he was eroding away.

"I'll start with the boys," he said. He picked a slip. "Tariq Bluegrass!"

My hand shot out and I grabbed the boy closest to me. I was going to the Capitol. Elijah wasn't. There wasn't anything worse in the world. The other boy tried to shake me off and a Peacekeeper came to collect me. I let him go and ran toward Elijah, shoving between the other boys. The Peacekeeper grabbed me when I was a few rows away and started dragging me to the stage. I screamed and struggled, throwing myself nearer to my brother.

"Let him come too!" I yelled. Elijah ran the rest of the way to me and took my hand. I dug my nails in and when the Peacekeeper pried us apart, I left bloody trenches in Elijah's skin. I left more marks on the wood of the stage, and when the Peacekeeper finally got me in place, I saw two of my fingernails were gone.

I didn't say much when I saw Elijah backstage. I didn't let anyone else in except Cassius, since he was a Peacekeeper and he was supervising. I tried to memorize every part of my little brother so I could take him with me. He tried to cheer me up, but I could barely hear him. Somewhere along the way he tied his old hospital identification bracelet around my wrist.

When he was gone, I was alone. There was no one for me in the Capitol, and I was leaving behind everyone I knew. After I lost my mother, I wanted to stay with the people I loved forever. I always wondered if my mother did what she did because she felt alone too. I didn't want anyone to feel that way, especially Elijah. In the end, it happened to me.

Lanie Mather POV

I'd already been to two Reapings. It was hardest for the children going for the first time, and sometimes I thought it was even harder for the littler kids. They didn't understand why their big brothers and sisters were so scared on one day, and they all knew someone whose sibling hadn't come back. A lot of them looked to me before I went to the Reaping Center. I often played with them or watched over them when there were no adults around. We took to each other naturally, and I felt like they didn't notice how much older I was. They were clustered at the border of the Reaping Center when I arrived, and I sat down on the grass with them.

"Are you going to the Games?" Zea asked. She crawled next to me and leaned on my lap.

"I don't think so," I said.

"Who is? Is it going to be Discus?" Ayden asked. He started to cry and turned away so I wouldn't see.

"I don't know," I said. There was nothing I could do to make things right. I couldn't even comfort them.

"Why do they go?" Zea asked.

"I don't know," I said again.

After Tariq, my own Reaping was much less dramatic. When I heard my name, the world started spinning and I pitched forward. I caught myself at the last minute and cried through rapid breaths and I stumbled onto the stage. I saw my family in the crowd and knew the little kids were watching from afar.

I have to be strong, I told myself. I caught my breath and looked ahead, trying to look solid beside Tariq. He was scaring the others enough for both of us.

What's your strategy? I thought to take my mind off the fear. I couldn't do it alone. I had friends in the Districts, even if I wasn't too outgoing, and I'd need to make more. I also wasn't strong enough to fight my allies. We'd need a determined breaking point and a plan to make sure things didn't get violent. My allies would have to be about on my level, so I wouldn't have to be scared of them. In that case, I might need two, because one ally and I might not be able to fend off the Careers.

I kept planning even as I waited for visitors. After my family, my friends came in all at once.

"I should have volunteered for you," Becca said. "I always talk about adventure and being brave."

"It's okay. I want you to be safe," I said. Theo didn't say anything. I snuck glances at him whenever I could. There was so much I wanted to tell him. I was too scared he didn't feel the same way. Now I'd never know, and that was worse than being rejected.

"Why'd they do this? It's so stupid," Amandla said. She was trying to seem mad, but I could tell she was trying not to cry. She looked like she wanted to attack the Peacekeepers and scream.

"Don't say things like that. It won't change anything," I said. We'd had close calls with Peacekeepers in the past, doing things that weren't exactly legal but didn't hurt anyone. They were probably looking for an excuse to arrest Amandla. She folded her arms and looked down.

I was the last person I would have picked for the Hunger Games. I was quiet and didn't generally make trouble. I'd never had to be brave before. I was going to find out a lot about myself in the next few weeks, if I lived that long.