The Hunger Games - The Rise of the Phoenix

Chapter 2

I wake to the sound of someone knocking at my door and calling my name. "Sage? Sage?" I get up and open the door to find my mom standing there with a green dress in her hand. "I thought you may need something nice to wear so here's one of my old dresses. I don't feel like talking so I give a little smile and take the dress. Once she goes down the hallway I shut my door and change into the nice dress. It has some long sleeves so I role them up just above my elbows.
Next I do my hair. I tie it up in a ponytail and position it on my shoulder. The reaping is at nine in the morning so the tributes have time to get to the capitol, get dolled up into a complete different person and ride around on a chariot.
"Sage, Rye, come downstairs for breakfast." My mother yells. I have no appetite, but I still go downstairs because I don't want to be rude. I get to the table to find toast. I pick at it while everyone else is scarfing it down. I hand my toast to my younger brother under the table. My brother, Rye, is only eight, but he's already so mature. "That was great Peeta, thank you!" My mom says.
Dad stands up and looks at the time. "Oh it's time to go to the reaping."
"Okay let's go then." Mom says while opening the door for us. We get out side and head towards the justice building which is only 6 minutes away. This year my name is in three times because I'm thirteen and I got one tesserae this year. It wasn't for me though. It was for my uncle Gale. Both he and my mom got mad at me for doing it but uncle Gale really needed it.
We finally get to the justice building where we split. I join the line of kids waiting to get scanned to make sure everyone shows up, Rye goes and stands with uncle Haymitch, and mom and dad go on stage. My mom blows me a kiss while she walks to the stage. It takes a while for me to finally get scanned. The lady takes this weird scanner thing and scans your upper portion of your body. "Sage Mellark?" She asks me. I nod in approval. After that I go to the fifth row on the female side. It takes a while, but everyone is finally done getting scanned.
Hannahlore comes up on stage. "Hello district 12! This is the reaping for the 87th Hunger Games! Now here's a video assigned to you from the Capitol." A video about the Dark Days and the Mockingjay War is shown on the two big screens of the justice building reminding us why we have the games, quells, and semi-quells. After it's done Hannelore speaks again. "Shall we start?" No one responds. "Ok well, ladies first!" She digs her hand all around the bowl aggressively until she pops a slip of paper out and her face lights up. She trots back to the center of the stage and unfolds the paper very slowly. "The district twelve female tribute for this year's games is, "Sage Mellark!" My face goes pale. Without knowing what I'm doing I find myself walking towards the stage. When I finally get up there she continues. "Moving on to the gentlemen" she trots over to the other clear bowl of names and digs around, finds one, then unfolds it. "The district twelve male tribute for this year's games is, "River Hawthorne!" No! That's Gale's son! This isn't good. Now not one, but two rebel kids are going into the arena. I really don't think this was a coincidence.
River starts walking up very slowly. As he's almost to the stairs of the stage, a girl runs after him when peacekeepers hold her back screaming the word no. "I want to volunteer!" She shrieks. "Please!" Her voice is so loud. She won't stop fighting the peacekeepers, she just keeps kicking and screaming River's name. "I'm afraid it's to late for that." One peacekeeper says and then he gets a gun out and shoots her in the head. I feel my shaky hand go over my mouth. I look back at my parents, brother and Haymitch as they're all stunned and mom is crying. Then Hannelore signals River to come up to the stage and so he does. "The district twelve tributes for the 87th Hunger games!" We shake hands and the broadcast ends. The next thing I know it we're drug out by peacekeepers. They throw us onto the train.
Once I'm on my feet I go sit in a chair, close to a window, and watch the train leave district twelve. I hear dad comforting River.
It's been almost an hour when mom comes over and sits in the chair in front of me. "Listen to me." She says in a very tense voice. I look over at her. "You can't do what me and your dad did. You can't. They will make your life worse than it already is. Only kill if you have to and stay away from the cornucopia. If it comes down to it, find some poisonous fruit and eat it. Just know they put you in the games for a reason. They want you dead. You can either give them what they want or don't it's up to you. You can throw knives you will at least survive the first day." The words came out of her so fast so I can tell she's freaking out.
"I'll try. Okay? I promise I will try to win." I say trying to reassure her even though there's no way I can win.
"Okay." She pauses and breathes. "Okay." Then she gives me a big hug and whispers in my ear, "I love you don't ever forget it."

I told you it would pick up later!! Also hoped you liked this chapter!