Jabberjay [The Hunger Games]

Chapter One

The glass cylinder closes in around me as the pace of my heart picks up. Everything comes down to this; my time, commitment, sacrifice, my entire life is about to be put to the test. I clench my fists as I give one last smirk to the elegantly dressed woman standing on the opposite side of my tube. She begins to disappear below me as the floor beneath me begins to rise and that's when I whisper to myself, "You got this."

-★-

"Time to wake up dear," says a calming voice that is matched with the idolatrous face of my mother hovering over me. She presses her lips to my forehead which pulls me out of my lucid dream. I squint my eyes to try and manage the blinding sunlight that is seeping in through sheer curtains. I give my mother a small smile, to comfort her because I know how worried she is. Today is the day of the annual Reaping. This could be my last day in District Two for a very long time as I do plan on volunteering, again. The last I heard there will be about 9 female volunteers this year, which gives me a 1/9 shot at getting into the Games. However, last year there was only supposed to be a total of 6 volunteers and a whopping 15 people decided to step up to the plate, so the predictions can never be taken too seriously.

My mother has a tender sense of calmness that is mixed with fear this morning, her tornado of emotions fill the room. I know she hates the day of the Reaping because even though she enjoys The Hunger Games, she has never wanted me to train for them. I remember when I was just a little girl, we would always watch them together as a family. She always roots for the underdogs, which very rarely come from my district. Her favorite last year was Johanna Mason, which was definitely an unpopular opinion here in District 2. The male tribute from here was Recor, and dear God did he not have the whole damn district rooting for him. When he was killed by Johanna in the final two, our District shut down for the day per the Capitol's request to give respect to him and his family. Which never happens, ever.

I slide my smooth legs over my soft comforter that has small cartoon-like knives stitched all over it. My father made this for me when I was only ten and showed interest in the Academy of Warriors, AOW for short. The Academy of Warriors is an alternative school that was made for those who are interested in representing our district in The Hunger Games. There you will be trained, taught, and prepared to enter whatever arena the Gamemakers have decided on. I let a drawn-out yawn escape my mouth that mixes into the cinnamon fragrance my mother has let flourish throughout the house.

"Cinnamon, again?" I say playfully, looking towards my mother who was just leaving my room. She pops her head back into the door frame and with a warm smile and replies, "Of course, my cinnamon girl."

She winks at me and I let out a quiet laugh as she walks away. My mother is very beautiful with olive-toned skin and dark brown hair that has streaks of platinum highlights throughout it. She has a toned figure that she keeps in shape, nourishing her body with only the best of what Panem has to offer. I stand beside my bed and arch my back, hoping to cause it to pop but ultimately failing. After stretching out the rest of my body I walk over to the tall metallic mirror that hangs on my wall. I lean my head close to the mirror and examine my face for any blemishes and am comforted to see none.

I rub my eyes and then begin to untie my ponytail that is keeping my silky brunette hair in its place. Once my hair falls onto my back it sends a breeze of coolness down the rest of my body. I then take my hands and massage my scalp. My brown eyes are just like my mothers' and they are my favorite feature, next to my lips. I have been told all my life that I was a spitting image of my mom when she was younger. I have always felt close to her in a way that I have never been able to explain, and I know she feels it too.

     I hear the voice of my father when he enters the room, "Kiddo..."

     I turn to him and see his smile gleam in my direction, "Today is the big day! I can feel it in my bones, it's going to be you this time!"