Writers Games; Alliances

D3 Male - Jay Calder [Immortal-Lies] Task 1

It is reaping day... The day two people from our district will be chosen to go into the games, most people who would volunteer are incredibly brave. Some trained for anything they may face in the arena, but not me. I chose to not be a killer, I chose to be a family person and do simple jobs around District three.
Ive always dreaded this time of year when the games come around, where there may be any chance I get chosen to do a duty for our District and win. Since I had chosen to not be a volunteer any year at all, people had teased me about being a weak one and not having guts.
"Jay, Its reaping day... Are you nervous?" My ten year old sister Adela says, mother is sitting at the other end of the table, she looks up with sadness in her eyes. Shes always like this, Afraid of me being chosen and soon she will have to worry about Adela.
"Im always nervous Adela, Besides this is my second last year of having to be in that bowl of names on reaping day." I say with a small smile.
"Come on you two. Time to go" Mother says hurrying, looking at the clock on the wall as we get ready.
We step into the warm spring sun light as we walk to the town centre where the reapings take place every year and we stand in the sections where everyone is supposed to stand, youngest at the front and adults at the back looking at their children sadly as if they might be chosen.
A woman steps onto the stage dressed in brightly coloured clothes, she looks like shes a clown. I look to my sister and mother standing at the back watching willingly, Adela gives me a slight smile and looks back to the stage.
"Welcome, welcome to this years hunger games! May the odds be ever in your favour!" The woman announces.
"Ladies first, as always!" She continues walking over to the bowl which contains names of girls from all over the district, big or small they may get chosen. She reaches in and grabs the nearest piece of paper from the bowl and steps back in front of the microphone.
"And this years girl tribute is... Sabrina Gidea"
"I volunteer as tribute!" A young girl yells from the front row. A few people let out gasps, people were in shock. No thirteen year old girl would ever volunteer for these hunger games. Though most people didnt gasp, they just looked at the girl almost sadly.
"What is your name sweetie?" The colourful woman asks the young girl.
"Ki Jepto" The girl announces.
"Well, Everyone this is probably the youngest person we have ever had volunteer!" The woman says cheerfully.
"Now, to the boys!" She says walking over to the other bowl. She reaches in and grabs a piece of paper from the bowl not looking at the bowl. The woman goes back to the microphone and opens the piece of paper, she gives a small smirk to the croud and then announces the name.
"Jay Calder" She says looking around at the croud, the group of boys around me step away from me and give me sad looks. Ive known most of these boys almost all my life and no one would volunteer for me, only to let me face my fate.
I let out a breath that I must have been holding in and step into the isle, walking slowly I look to the back of the town centre and I see Adela crying in mothers arms, mother has tears running down her face. I wonder what father would have said to me when i got into this mess, maybe he would have said "You have ruined your life! You will certainly die!".
"Everyone! This years hungergames tributes! May the odds be ever in your favour!" The woman announces. A few cheers erupt from the crowd as we are taken from the stage and into the district hall where the mayor works. Once the doors are shut I look to the girl called Ki Jepto and examine her closely, she has amazing purple eyes, white straight hair with side braids that down up to her waist.
"What are you staring at?" She asks skeptically.
I look back to the peacekeepers and they direct me to a room, a room with nothing but wooden walls and a single chair in the middle of the room. I sit down and look to the window, I guess this is the last time Ill see my family ever... Ill probably die in the games... Who could guess, I might win and see my family again though I can highly doubt it.
Ten minutes has passed and no one but a single peacekeeper stands in the room, I look at a clock in the corner and see its almost time to get on the train.
"Um excuse me. Wheres my family?" I ask the peacekeeper.
"No one is coming to visit you." He says, opening the door waiting for me to walk out, I look at the ground sadly and see that the other tribute Ki comes out of another room with her head held high and proud. I have no idea why she would be proud, maybe the girl who was chosen was related to Ki to make her volunteer.
Once we get to the train station the colourful woman stands there smiling, smiling at what may seem our doom in a couple of weeks or days. It doesnt really matter anymore, I guess Id rather die in the first five minutes of the game and be sent home in a wooden box watching my family put flowers on it and cry.
"Heads up tributes or should i say Jay and Ki?" She asks politely.
"I dont care" Ki says frowning.
"Well time to go. Say goodbye to district three you two." She says smiling "Oh my name is Porcia". She leads us onto the train and stops for a second and examins us, smirking she opens the train carriage door and walks inside before us.
Ki then walks in and then me, I see Adela and mother standing holding tears in, Adela had a smile on her face. I run up to her and pick her up crying into her shirt, mothers also smiling for once. I drop Adela onto a lounge and look over to Ki who is now watching the TV, no one by her side. She musnt have any family, I smile and go up to her.
"Ki?" I ask her.
"What" She says without looking towards me.
"Do you want to join us?" I ask politely.
"No" She says finally still not looking at me.
"I'll leave you all to peace" Porcia says smiling walking out of the train cart leaving no one but Adela, mother, Ki and I in the carriage.
"We have been give such opportunity, Jay. We must not take this for granted." Mother says sternly.
Adela frowns at mother and says "Atleast we will get a free trip to the Capitol AND free food".
"Not completely free." Ki says still watching the TV.
"Why so you say that?" Adela asks.
"Because. The price is twenty four peoples lives, you should know that by now. All the luxury given to us will be paid for in the arena..." Finally Ki turns around and frowns "You should teach your sister these sort of things. She'll be in that bowl in two years and then she'll be in there for six years. Dreading every single reaping day just like you and me, but you've been lucky".
"Ki... Darling" mother says from behind "It doesn't have to end badly. Why did you volunteer if you knew this was going to be your fate?".
"I have no one. Can't you see that! I'm standing here for my boyfriend! One who died last year in the games! Atleast if I do die I'll be with him!" She yells.
Adela turns and hugs my mothers stomach, Ki goes back to watching the TV and I just sit and talk with my family playing the odd game with Adela making sure she doesn't get bored on this train trip, our mentor is no where to be seen... I don't know his name but I thought he was supposed to be telling us about everything we should need to know about the games. Something tells me that this year is going to be different, different as in rule changes and difference in the ranking systems. This is probably going to be a hard hunger games, maybe they won't include mentors or training sessions this year making it hard for the weak ones.
"Jay! We're almost there!!" Adela yells from the front of the train.
I walk up to the large window and see the glistening Capitol with all it's high buildings and luxury apartments in them, clean water and warmness everywhere. We arrive in the station and see millions of those coloured people; like Porcia standing, cheering. They cheer for those who they will see die? How could they? I suppose they live in the Capitol so they cant be chosen, I wonder how one can get to live in the capitol...
We step out of the train and Ki doesn't cower behind anyone, she still stands tall with her head up, I give the crowd of colourful people slight smiles as they cheer for Ki, my family and I. Porcia leads us out of the train station and leads us to a car, the car is long and has lots of windows with shining words on it saying "Limo". I've personally never heard what a limo is only what a car was, which we learnt in school. The Capitol is a place which is quite anonymous to me, we weren't told much about it. Only that it stopped the districts from over throwing the Capitol itself.
This inside has shiny leather seats with beautiful clean black carpet, at the front is a big holo Tv where a remote and a fridge stands.
"Fancy." Adela says quietly sitting on mothers lap.
"Not very. This is a third class limo. Tributes deserve more than this" Porcia scoffs.
"Watch your mouth Porcia. This is more than they could ever get" A peacekeeper says from the front of the vehicle.
"Sorry Derrick " Porcia says with attitude.
Adela let's out a little giggle and receives a nasty stare from Derrick.
"Sorry." She says shyly.
"Darling. Don't apologise to him. Never apologise to Capitol people, only if they are actually reasonably making you apologise and this is not reasonable." Mother says frowning at the peacekeeper at the front. Derrick sighs and turns around ready to drive.

"Where to first. Porcia." Derrick says nastily.

"Dont look at me. Ask the tributes" She says looking away, out the window.

"Fine" Derrick says bitterly "Where do you want to go?".

"Shopping." Ki says almost instantly. I look at her and smile, she must enjoy going shopping. Maybe the thrill of getting new clothing makes her  happy.

Derrick sighs and turns around ready to drive, we drive through the capitol looking out the window at the spectacular views and spaces, the beautiful window displays of shops and the amount of very colourful people. It is said that when the hunger games are on, the people of the Capitol wear their brightest clothes.

We stop at the front of a large building, with a large entrance and lovely carvings up the side of the entrance. It looks as if there is about 10 peacekeepers waiting, we all get out and enter the large shopping centre where there is no one but us in the whole place. This is going to be a long day...

----

Last night we were shown to our home level in the training centre, Adela, mother and Ki chose different spaces through the floor, Adela chose to sleep with mother and Ki chose a room at the opposite end of the complex. Ki had gone straight to bed and so had Adela and mother, but I had stayed up and watched the Capitol life go by. Watching the non hassle life down below, people cheering in the streets and bright lights down below. People jumping up and down in their colourful outfts waiting for death to begin...

----

At the moment we are sitting at a large table with the other tributes and their families, it seems I might have gotten the trust from Ki. She was happy all throughout our trip in the mall and we spent almost all day there.

The gamemaker tings her glass and waits till she get all the tributes attention, most dont listen but then again they probably cant hear the tinging.

“My dear Tributes. Friends. Family. We are gathered here to celebrate the lives of these brave people, many of who will, unfortunately, die. But not today. Today we shall live. We shall cherish life. We shall cherish the company of those we love. With good food an music I hope to make these last moments before the games pleasant moments. I want you all to know I am not your enemy.” She looks into the crowd looking beautiful and not in the least bit intimidating, “I want to help you. Every one of you. And as a sign of my good will, the left-overs from this feast will be divided and bagged so that each of your family and friends will have food to take back to your District. Now let's eat, drink an be merry.”

Then the cheering begun, all the tributes except for me yelled and cheered, they clanked their glasses together to show their appreciation. Maybe not. Adela is hugging into mother almost crying because its almost time for me or them to leave, these last nights with my family will never be in vain. Never.

"Jay" Adela says looking at me with puffy eyes.

"Yeah?" I says smiling.

"I made something for you." She says handing me a golden locket with beautiful patterns on it and a green gem.

"Its beautiful Adela" I say taking it and hugging her.

"Open it" She says wiping tears away from her eyes.

I open the locket and find a photo of my mother, Adela, father and Marina inside. Marina was this sort of girl who would like anyone, it was a shame that I couldnt see her before we left. Its also a shame that she couldnt come here with me. It is also amazing how Adela had gotten this photo of all of us in the same picture. These games are going to be long and grueling... Lets hope I last through it...