{When Nightmares Become Reality} The 1,999 Hunger Games

District 7 Reaping

Melina Burns P.O.V

I put on my teal blue dress. My father bought it for this special occasion. I hate dresses, and this occasion is anything but special, though no one cares what I think.

This year's my first reaping and my dad seems to want it to be some grand occasion. I wish my mother were still around, she'd talk some sense into him. Sadly she can't, she died five years ago when I was seven from tracker jackers.

My mother was working one day in the forest where the lumber workers of District 7 chop down our incredibly large amount of trees to make paper for the Capitol, we also ship wood to build houses, or to District 1 for it to be built into furniture. Anyway, While working in the forest her and three other workers were cutting down five trees with tracker jackers inside them. My mother noticed just as the first tree came down, the next, then the next. The tracker jacker nests exploded and killed all the workers, including my mother. I can barely walk by a tracker jacker nest now.

"Melina will you please hurry?" My father says. I hate this dress, I can't wait to get out of it. I mean, it's so girly! I hate dresses because I'm a total tom boy. I usually go around wearing my favourite black nylon jacket with camo pants, my hair up in a tight bun. That's me, this is not.

I stomp down the stairs.

"You look beautiful." My dad says and  kisses me at the top of my head. I've never really thought of myself being pretty. I have blondish red hair and green eyes, with skin so pale you can count the freckles on my face. I'm thin too and not very big.

"Thanks." I mumble and follow my father outside. I lag behind the whole may there. This being my first year eligible I have to get my finger pricked to identify this as my first reaping. Some other girls are actually crying. Wimps.

I head to the far end of the square. I'm happy I'm as far away from those Capitol idiots as possible. I notice many people from my class amongst the twelve-year-olds. Cari, the mayors daughter and also the most popular girl in my class rolls her eyes at me.

"Melina are you scared, I thought you were a tough guy! That's why you hang out with the boys isn't it?" She says laughing. True, at school I find the girls dumb and wimpy, I much prefer the guys.

"Nice dress, but aren't dresses only for girls?" One of Cari's friends says laughing. I close my eyes and try and hold myself from punching them. Finally the District 7 escort mounts the stage. His name's Forest Penn. He's completely green, with a pouffy meadow green afro, and evergreen suit. His skin is a deeper meadow green. It's quite creepy, considering this is what they call fashion in the Capitol. 

"Welcome to District 7's Hunger Games reaping!" Forest bellows. Ugh. Him and the mayor of 7 list the previous District 7 victors. Considering its been almost two thousand years we a have a pretty good amount. This years mentors are man with one arm named Vine who must be in his early forties and a twenty-year-old girl named Pennia who won five years ago. They seem like they'd both be ok mentors.

"Well, lets start with our boys today!" Forest says and quickly pulls a slip out of the boys ball. 

"Cyro Maxwell!" Forest shouts. A tall, thin boy from the eighteen-year-old section mounts the stage. I'm guessing he took some tesserae. Forest asks for volunteers, but in District 7 they're pretty much extinct. I twist around my special necklace while Forest asks for applause. My mother helped my carve out the perfect coin shape and engraved a star inside. It's a good luck charm she told me. Three months later she was killed. Damn Capitol.

"Now to pick our lucky lady!" Forest says and chuckles. Boy, I do not understand Capitol humour. He reaches deep into the ball. It seconds before he calls the name.

"Melina Burns!"

My eyes widen. No, my name was in there once! How did that even happen? The crowd mummers uneasily, they always do when a twelve-year-old gets picked. Forest instructs me and Cyro to shake hands. I look so innocently into his eyes. I'm almost positive he knows he's going to die.

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I sit alone in a plush room of the District 7 Justice Building. I'm surprised my father hasn't shown up. Maybe he can't deal with seeing me being sent straight to my death. Whatever, I think I have a chance. I'm quick, not to mention every kid in District 7 has had a lot of practice with axes. I'm also a pretty good climber. For my shift in the forest my job is to climb up into the trees and clear away any small twigs or branches, its made me very skilled. I've also got a great memory and am pretty sneaky, I mean I've tricked all the snobs in my class to think I'm an idiotic tom boy.

Why should I count myself out of these Games? Just because I'm twelve doesn't mean that I can't win.