The Hunger Games: A New Journey Begins

Chapter 1

Hi! This is my first story here on Wattpad. I helped write it with a friend who came up with the idea on google docs. Most of these characters are based on people that also went to our school. This is dedicated to our class. Anyways, enjoy. Please feel free to criticize and suggest. DISCLAIMER: A lot of the plot and setting must be credited to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. 

It was cold that night. An icy cold. Not like the cold that just blows through like a breeze, but a miserable cold, like when shivers run down your spine and your body is numb. A deathly cold. Deathly like what was happening. It was the reaping. The reaping, a terrible time. The worst time of the year, actually, where the anticipation is almost worse than the actual fight. It was the annual pick of the youths who would fight to the death. THE DEATH. Much like the cold. A bitter frost that, if you're the victim, slowly kills and drives you insane, breaking you down in any way possible. It was a tragic fate, one that I didn't want to undergo. And I, Archer, like always, I was worrying because the time had finally come for that moment.

The night before the reaping was always a restless night. No one was ever able to sleep, awaiting the possibility of the reaping. I laid in bed, staring at my ceiling. It will be gone soon. My whole life will. I continued to stare at it, silently praying that I wouldn't be picked. I couldn't be picked. I would not be picked. I didn't even know why I was stressed out so much about it. My chances of getting drawn were slim. But what if? I needed to stop worrying. I was only damaging myself. After another hour, I finally decided to get up and out of my hut. I needed some fresh air or something. I needed to get my mind off this. Most of all, I needed to go out into the forest of District 7 and maybe say my last goodbyes. Think positive, I told myself, What are the chances of me actually getting in? I slipped into my boots and put my coat on.

I slipped out of my small hut, cautiously creeped along the neighborhood of cabins, and then staggered towards the outside auditorium, where the reaping took place. It looked rundown, and the wooden stage creaked although nothing stood atop, minus the gigantic bowls which would hold our names. At least if I got picked, I wouldn't have to come back here. I walked right past it, turning behind more blemished buildings, then found the showstopper of District 7, the lumber forest. The forest was half down, but still the most beautiful spot here in 7 although it withered before me as the demand of the capital grew. Here in 7, there weren't many beautiful scenes, but this one always took my breath away. I walked across the barren land toward the acres of trees, standing up majestically. The forest was full of a multitude of plants put almost in perfect positioning, speckles of blooms everywhere, like someone individually placed each one there. Different types of critters skittered around. The small river flowed through the land, calming my mind as it burbled throughout. Birds flew over the horizon, free from the wreckless world underneath. I wish I were a bird. I could fly away from this reaping, from reality. Then I remembered that I hated heights. So I blew that thought away. I just hoped so much that I didn't get picked. After all, I hadn't gotten picked for the past year, right? I could make it a few more. That's more like it Archer, think positive. The trees were just beginning to wake up from the past winter. That meant the hunger season was indeed on, of course celebrated first by that horrid reaping. A multitude of knee high plants covered the ground. I felt so FREE here. I would miss it. Stop thinking that way Archer. But I couldn't. At least not now.

I strolled by the river as it guided me to the end of the space. A big brick wall was there, secured in barbs and an electric field that would shock you if you tried to escape. I studied it, then noticed, in the corner, at the edge of the wall that held us in the school, I saw Cyrus Hanks staring into the sky. Cyrus Hanks was a girl, older than me by a couple years. She was probably one of my best friends, even though we've only known each other for a few months. She was from District 7 too. I guess she was also maybe saying her last goodbye to this place. I casually walked over to her, kneeling down. She glanced at me,

"Hi," she greeted not so enthusiastically. She continued gazing at the sky.

"Hey Cyrus, what's up?" I tried to speak positively.

"Don't know," she mumbled. "What about you?"

"Meh." I replied. A moment passed of silence, before she randomly blurted out;

"I've just been thinking, what if my name gets picked for the reaping? I have so many credits in the thing, One tenth the drawing is probably my name. I would never last a day in the games."

"Sure you would. You can fight, use a staff and stratigize better than anyone here" I said, ''plus, there is still that 9/10s chance of not being picked."

"Well, only here, in District 7, but other places are far more powerful than me."

"But you would last longer."

"Not really," I murmured.

"Yeah you can! After all, you can climb trees, you're great at identifying any plant or fruit, and you can use an axe great" I sighed. "It's ok, just try to think of the positive, if you get picked you could possibly win. Think positive and you'll be alright." Too bad I couldn't follow my own advice.

"But I can't think positive, I can't even really think straight. These last couple of days have been hard for me, but I will try my best. I should be positive."

"Tell me about it," I agreed.

"Are you worried?"

"Did you seriously just ask that?" I responded.

"Well yeah." She remembered. The truth was, I was always worried about this. Actually about everything.

"You can do this Archer after all, your name means ''bowman '', she dramatically emphasized.

"And I have never shot a bow and arrow in my life!" I exclaimed.

"Well, that's not the point."

"Yeah right"

"It does!"

"I don't mean that."

"Oh", she realized. "I mean, you are great at hiding, lifting and good with traps. Plus, you're getting pretty decent at throwing axes."

"Whatever" I replied annoyingly.

"You are!" She exclaimed.

"Well, we should get going, we don't want to be late to the reaping," I retorted.