| THE LOVE HE HATES | HUNGER GAMES | COMPLETED

1 | THE REAPING

     "ATHENA!" A WOMAN'S voice called out.

"Yes?" A voice answered back, steps sounding behind the voice.

The older woman, no more than thirty-five years old turned to the stairs. She watched as the girl descended the steps, her hands in her black hair as she tied it up into a pony tail.

The older woman smiled sadly at the sight of her daughter, dressed in her Sunday best. However, her sad smile also hid a small sense of hope.

"I'm ready." The girl, Athena, spoke, having finally tied her hair up.

The woman, her mother Abigail, walked to her and rested her hands on her daughters face. "Last time."

Athena nodded, a small smile on her face. "Last time."

The pair were happy that this was the last time Athena had the chance to be reaped for the Hunger Games. Athena was eighteen, her name was in there at least a dozen times due to her having to buy food for her small family.

But no one in the Rake family had ever been reaped, never in the history of the Hunger Games had a Rake gone into those arenas, and the mother and daughter hoped that that would remain true.

The pair linked arms as they left the house, following other families towards the main building in their district. They passed by the market, the cattle fields, the barns and soon arrived at the processing point where each child was identified and accounted for.

Athena turned to her mother, her hands holding tightly onto her. Despite having done this five times before, the girl was always nervous to go through it. Her heart rate spiking as she watched the Capitol woman dip her hand into the bowl filled with every female child's names.

"Everything will be fine." Athena spoke, somehow her voice remained steady although inside she felt like running as far away as she could.

Her mother nodded, trying to convince herself that Athena was right. "Of course."

A Peacekeeper walked over to the two women, having easily spotted the two figures standing still in the sea of people walking. "Hurry up."

The voice was aggressive, but had been heard many times before by Athena. The guard was an...acquaintance so to say. He often was stationed at the barn Athena worked at, and surprisingly, when there were no other guards around, her was nice to her.

Athena quickly kissed her mothers cheek and dropped her hands, walking beside the guard as they headed to get her identified.

"Don't worry." The guard, who was named Henry, spoke quietly. "It would be nearly impossible for you to be called."

Athena scoffed softly. "My name is in there at least a dozen times. But its the last time I have to be here, it would be incredibly unlucky if I get reaped."

Henry's face didn't move a muscle, being a Peacekeeper meant he could show no emotion to the people of the district, including Athena. However, the girl was good at spotting his real emotions having spent so much time with him and the way his fingers gripped harder around the weapon in his hand was an indicator that he was worried for the girl.

Athena then gave him a small smile before turning to the woman who sat behind a small desk. Without asking, she grabbed her hand and pricked her finger, drawing a small amount of blood to be pressed onto the paper. Then a scanner was used to ensure that the child in front of her was Athena Rake.

The girl winced but couldn't do anything about it. The process never took that long and so very quickly, Athena found herself staring blankly into the propaganda video the Capital forced them to watch at the start of each Hunger Games.

"War, terrible war." The voice of Coriolanus Snow, the President of Panem, sounded over the speakers. "Widows, orphans, a motherless child. This was the upraising that rocked our land. Thirteen districts rebelled against the country that fed them, loved them and protected them. Brother turned on brother until nothing remained. And then came the peace, hard fought, sorely won. A people rose up from the ashes and a new era was born. But freedom has a cost. When the traitors were defeated, we swore as a nation we would never know this treason again. And so it was decreed that each year, the various districts of Panem would offer up tributes. One young man and woman to fight to the death in a pageant of honour, courage and sacrifice. The lone victor bathed in riches would serve as a reminder of our generosity and our forgiveness. This is how we remember our past. This is how we safeguard our future."

The video sparked off and everyone turned their attention to the podium where a woman from the Capitol, dressed in fashion that no one in the districts could even think about affording, smiled at the crowd of children.

"Happy sixty-eighth Hunger Games!" Her squeaky high voice spoke.

With nothing more to say, she walked over to the bowl of female names and dipped her hand in. Athena could feel something in her gut, something she had never felt before at a reaping. Her heat rate was quicker than ever and all she could let out were shallow breathes. The woman's heels clicked at she walked back to the microphone, her lips smacking slightly as she got ready to read out the name.

"Athena Rake."

The whole world seemed to stop.

Athena, who had been focusing on controlling her breathing, suddenly forgot how to.

Whispers began to start as the girl didn't move from her spot.

"Athena?" The woman's voice called out once more.

Her feet began to move without her realising, one step after another until she found herself staring at the wood of the platform. The woman's cold hand on her shoulder for a brief moment.

Athena raised her eyes, first they landed on Henry, his body was shaking ever so slightly. Maybe in anger, or sadness, or guilt.

Her eyes then landed on her mother, way in the back who was being consoled by their neighbour as she sobbed quietly into her hands.

"Jason Malcom."

That name was barely familiar to Athena, she of course knew of him, but she had never spoken to him. The boy has dark brown hair, brown eyes and stood at quite a height, despite being only twelve years old. He walked up to the platform and stood on the other side of the Capitol woman.

"And these are your district ten tributes! May the odds be ever in your favour!"

Athena looked at Henry and her mother for a second before a guard pushed her into a room within the building behind them. It was the last chance to say goodbye before she and Jason were placed on a train directly to the Capitol.

The girl stared at the ground at she sat on the chair, waiting for her mother to appear. Her leg was bouncing violently, and she kept biting at the skin on her lips. Her head snapped up when the door was slammed open. She stood just in time to catch her sobbing mother in her arms. Abigail clung tightly to her daughter, scared to let her go.

"Mama, its okay." Athena whispered, and unlike this morning her voice now wavered with fear. "Everything will be fine. Henry will look after you."

Abigail just sobbed harder at the thought of her daughter being killed in the arena.

"Mama please." Athena begged quietly, seeing her mother so upset worried her, she wondered how she would be able to survive without her.