The Rapid Sparks of the Cord; A Hunger Games Novel

CHAPTER 2

The day of the Reaping had arrived. Musa searched through her closet for the perfect dress to wear. She wasn't one to wear dresses all that often, but she didn't have any pants that were deemed formal. The only dress in her wardrobe that she sort of liked was gray, with short sleeves and a v neck. In the Capitol, it would almost be a crime to wear something so plain, but fabric wasn't easy to come across in the poorer districts. District 12 was the poorest of them all, meaning fabrics of grays, tans, beiges, and browns were all they had. Musa wasn't a huge fashionista, though, so the treatment of clothing didn't bother her like the lack of food and general welfare in District 12 did.

Money was also tough to come across. At 18, she was only just now working in the mines. This was her last year of being eligible for the Hunger Games, and she couldn't wait for the day to be over.

As she passed through the checking, drew blood, and sat in the audience, she watched as Effie Trinket took stage. This was her 3rd year of being District 12's escort. Her bubbly and cheerful attitude, combined with her colorful fashion, was not a great mix with dull District 12. Musa looked around the crowd, seeing children with coal dust, assumingely passed down from their parents old clothes that were too big from them that they were wearing.

District 12 was always the first District to have the tributes chosen. Effie Trinket tapped on the microphone, and covered her ears when it responded with feedback. After she was done being dramatic, she began her speech.

"Welcome everyone, to the 66th Hunger Games! For those of you who are here for your first year, the Hunger Games are a way to honor our Capitol and pay back what we took from them years and years ago." Effie began. Musa had heard this speech for 6 other years, and by the 3rd, she started to tune out whatever the escort would say.

After Effie finished her speech, she walked over to the glass ball, which held all children's names on pieces of paper. The amount of paper used and wasted during the Reaping always ticked off the poor districts, but especially 12. Effie reached her hand into the hole placed on the upper front of the ball, and pulled out a name.

She cleared her throat and smiled.

"Well this is a lovely name." She grinned.

"Musa Musix!"

Musa felt her heart drop to her stomach. Her last year of being in the Reaping, and she gets chosen.

Her legs shake uncontrollably, but eventually, she finds the energy to step aside from the crowd and walk down the aisle and onto the stage. She stands on the left side, and looks down, as to avoid the crowd's gaze. She holds back tears, or attempts to anyway.

Effie walks over to the next glass ball, and pulls out the next name.

"Shmuppy Goldlock." She reads.

Musa can't recall who he is at first, but realizes from the last name exactly who it is. Gonnie.

Years ago, Gonnie and Musa worked in a volunteer program designed to help aid the coal miners with enough food and water to keep them energized while working underground. They didn't interact much, but were paired together to prepare food in buckets for delivery to the mines. While 4 years ago, Musa still remembers the look on Gonnie's eye as he was caught by a Peacekeeper stealing a tiny sack of cookies for his family. She would never forget the beating she watched take place in the kitchen of the school, someplace she was supposed to feel safe.

Gonnie walked to the stage, seemingly masking his emotions. He was only a year younger than Musa, but seemed ages older, with how well he kept his composure onstage. She didn't remember much about Gonnie's personality, but she didn't remember taking him for someone who was strong and resilient.

"Alright, now go on you two. Shake hands!" Effie ushered. Musa stared into Gonnie's bright brown eyes, the same color as the birds she'd see outside her window in the morning.

Gonnie reached his hand out, and Musa hesitantly put hers foward as well.

"Let us all give a big round of applause for our two tributes this year!" Effie beamed. However, not a single person in the audience clapped. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Probably one of the 70 pins Effie used to pin her wig up.

Hours later, Musa and Gonnie would be ordered to board the train heading to the Capitol. Musa was led to her bedroom for the next few days, and refused to leave for hours.

As she sat in bed, she watched everyone who had been reaped as well. After District 12 comes District 8. Two girls, a blonde girl named Holly and another blonde girl with bangs named Enfys. She thought that Holly had a more masculine face shape than she had typically seen on a woman, but there was no judgement from her. It's hard enough living in such poor districts as it is.

In District 6 was a boy named Josh and a girl named Seashell. The girl immediately took to cussing out the entirety of the Capitol on live television, and was beaten by a Peacekeeper. In District 11, a boy named Lith and a girl named Bean were reaped. Musa of course didn't know them personally, but they both looked like they knew each other well. She could tell, even on crummy television quality, that tears were forming in both of their eyes, and instead of shaking hands like instructed, they went in for a hug.

Musa watched as the others were reaped live. No one really stood out to her, except a girl named Elia from District 3. When her name was called, she started arguing with the escort, and had to be pulled up to stage by a group of 3 Peacekeepers. Fortunately, she seemed all talk and no show, so Musa wouldn't have to worry about her.

Gonnie came to her door, and she waited a minute before letting him come in. Gonnie wasn't interested in talking, but was just letting her know that dinner was ready. Musa was hungry, as she was anyone living in District 12. She didn't waste any time getting to her feet and heading to the dining cabin. On the plates, there was roasted ham glazed in something slightly sweet, lamb stew with some sort of purple fruit, dark turkey with brown mush called gravy next to it, and lots and lots of potatoes.

"What's the matter, dear? You look upset." Effie said, looking at Musa picking at her plate with the fork.

Musa couldn't believe Effie wouldn't know, but she decided to humor her and tell her another reason.

"This was my last year in the Reaping. I was really counting on not having to ever have gone through the games." Musa admitted, and Effie wiped her tears with a napkin on the table.

"Well darling, that makes you 18, correct? You don't think that gives you quite the advantage in the arena?" Effie said, seeing how her reassuring wasn't doing much to help Musa.

"I'm not a fighter. I couldn't attack anyone in there." Musa muttered. Effie opened her mouth to speak, but closed it soon after. Even Effie could see the situation was hopeless.

That night, Musa could hardly sleep, even though now was when she needed it most. Her head kept swirling with thoughts of the arena. Who would win? Who would kill her? Would anyone be rooting for her? As she drifted asleep, she kept thinking of the District 3 girl, Elia. Musa had witnessed many beatings in 12, but seeing a girl in one of the richer districts getting treated almost identically to how the citizens of the poor ones do was haunting.

Eventually, she fell asleep. Not naturally, but with medication in the bathroom attached to her room. She couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Elia scolding her for using medicine, but she couldn't quite say why. The pills themselves were chewable, and were a purplish red in color. Musa hadn't ever seen this color in person, only on televisions that broadcasted the Capitol, and any TV shows branching off from them. Red-violet, she thought; those being the last words in her mind before her head hit the pillow.