User blog:One Singular Sensation/The Thirteenth Hunger Games

Sometimes I try to remember what it was like before the Hunger Games started. But I was just a year old. Or less.

How could I possibly remember anything?

Living in district 11 was awful. Daily beatings and whippings. One toe out of line could do it for the peacekeepers.

Not only did I have the mental position of keeping myslef perfect for the peacekeepers, I was also made fun of by other kids. During long days of work, I would like to talk to myself. Keep my head out of the pain everywhere. Some would sing. I would talk. To nobody.

To my parents.

My moms were killed by peacekeepers for trying to escape when I was four. I had to be adopted from another family. I mean another because my moms had adopted me when I was a newborn.

Before the Hunger Games.

I remembered enough about my parents to know they were amazing people. So nice, so warm, so caring. They told me their names were Candy and Brittany, and I often called them that, since I got confused calling them mom and mom.

The only person who understood me was my neighbor Rease, whose parents were killed in the same escape attempt mine were. I spent most of my time with him, since I hated my adoptive parents now. They paid more attention to their biological daughter, Jerky.

I would usually spend all day working with Rease, but today there wouldn't be any work.

Today was reaping day.

My adoptive parents were getting out the prettiest things for Jerky. The best of everything. Living in district 11, we didn't get much anyway. I was supposed to look my best for reaping, but with the care I got, I hardly looked better than I would have on any other day.

Once I was finished, I went to find Rease. It was a long way for where the reaping would take place, and the sooner we started walking, the sooner we would get there.

"How many times is your name in there?" I asked him.

"5."

Rease was only thirteen. A year younger than me.

"You?" he asked.

I looked down. "Twenty."

My adoptive parents wouldn't risk Jerky taking out any tesserae, so I put in my name double the amount my family would need it.

Rease put his arm around me. "Everything's gonna be alright."

I laughed and pushed his arm off. "I'm sure, I'm sure. How's it going for you and that girl in your year you like?"

He looked away. "Still not noticing me."

"She has to at some point," I reassured him. "Why wouldn't she like you?"

He stopped. "Cherry, you don't understand," he said it looking down, depressed. "Women just can't handle my sexiness. It's out of this world for them."

I literally fell over laughing. "Oh yes," I said, "Just overpowering."

What seemed like hours later, we were at the district center. Early. Our "Host" (Alien host as Rease liked to call it) was already there. Her skin was lime green and scaly. Her hair was purple and shot up at all ends. Her dress was rounded and made her look like a pumpkin. I'm sure she could be pretty if she hadn't demented herself. I'm sure she wasn't even attractive in the capital with this getup. Her name was Alica, and she had been hosting us for as long as I could remember.

''Enjoy life, yippy yada. I know I changed Reason's age, deal with it. This is a new series, based around the wiki in Panem :D.''