Happily Ever After (Another Hunger Games Story)

Chapter 1:

Me and my youngest sister Rachel who just turned 8 and our brother Brendon who is 6 are going to the underground trading mart. We live in district 10 a small and cold district. When we were half way towards the mart Rachel stopped and sat on a metal bench in front of the fabric store, then when my stomach started to growl and I started to get the shivers from the coldness me and Brandon sat next to her on the cold metal bench. “I wish we had more food I’m still starving after eating that leftover deer from last night are you?” I ask them, playing with Rachel’s long blonde hair. “I am!” they say smiling at me. Knowing I was trying to make them smile. Then Rachel asked, “Bella can you tell me a happily ever after story?” she asked taking my hand off of her hair. I don’t believe in fairy tales or even a happily ever after, or not since my dad left I mean like one day he’s happy and next he literally just vanishes, leaving me, my mom, and my four little siblings; Kaden, Blaine, Rachel and Brandon. But for my little siblings who don’t know a happily ever after or fairy tales aren’t real, I still tell them these type of stories not trying to crush their dreams because they are so young. “Sure!” When I was almost done with the story I said as she said with a giggle, “Happily ever after.” Then I smiled until someone quickly ran out of the store and headed to the mart. “Hey Gavin.” Said my brother. “Hey Brandon and Rachel!” he said. Then my smile leaves no trace. I know, I know him and he defiantly, I think knows me so why didn’t he say hi to me? Then Rachel snaps me back in focus, “Blaire we better hurry and get to the mart before the reaping starts.” She says getting up, taking a meat pie out of my hand and giving me, her serious look. “And so you can go hunting.” Whispered my brother when a Capitol soldier came by. A Capitol Soldier is a soldier that works for the evil Capitol that doubts all of the strength us ten districts have. And take away what the districts do like fishing or weapons or what we do oil. They also started the Happy Games after the war of the Capitol against all of the 11 districts. Which now there are only ten. Because it was district 11’s entire fault so they destroyed the people and the whole district. When finally after the Capitol Soldier left, my brother bounced up and stood next to our sister. Grrrr, I hear our tummies grumble. “I better hunt then and soon were all starving so much I think an earth quake came by.” I say tickling their tummies, and they laughed. After we got home from the mart I took out what we got for all three meat pies. From my hunting bag, I got at the age of 9. For two of the meat pies we got six glass dishes and for the last pie we got four charm bracelets with one CM, or Capitols Mutation, charm on each one. After I gave all of the presents to their receiver I put on my father’s hunting suit and then put the tub pot over the fire for when I got back from hunting. Even though hunting is illegal which the price is death, I still hunt for my family. So after I put the big pot of water on the fire when no one is looking I quickly run behind my house and go under the gate hole that me and my dad had dug so we could go hunting. When I get to my hunting rock I hear a voice in a tree, “Hey Bella… You want to hunt or fish today?” asked my best friend Jeimie Devon jumping out of the tree and her long banged brown hair in her face. It was about three years ago when my dad vanished and I was at this rock when an arrow came out of nowhere and hit a CM black snake a foot away. “Watch out for those their poisonous but if you kill one and boil it its delicious.” Said Jeimie pushing her hair behind her ear and picking up the snake, then putting it in her bag. “Thanks! I’m Bella.” I told her, and then I shook her hand. And ever since then we’ve told each other secrets that I can never tell anyone, and our life situations. like her mom disappeared on the same day my dad did, but she still had her dad and she has two big brothers Karlos and Anthony who can take care of her and one little sister named Samantha, but because her brothers are working all the time and her little sister who is 12 like one of mine named Kaden does not know how to hunt so Jeimie has to hunt until both she has a job and her little sister learns how to hunt. “Bella?” Jeimie asked snapping me back in focus. “We should probably fish its closer to the gate hole.” I say giving her a hint of what today is. “Oh yeah! Happy, Happy Games.” She says smiling at me. “And may your family be happy forever.” I tell her in an accent that our reaper says who is from that stupid Capitol. Before we head to the pond I grab my bow and arrows from a hole in the tree Jeimie jumped out of earlier and we started walking to what we call a pond but it’s actually a lake. On the way there we talked about the reaping, “So today is yours and my sister’s first reaping! The good news is that there name is only in once this year, unlike us who have what thirty?” she asks me. The reason we have that many is that we get this thing called a realer that you can put your name in extra times if your family is as poor and hungry as mine and Jeimies families, also if you’re not chosen you get a little bit of extra oil for fire and some money or food for your family. “Let’s not worry about the reaping that is happening in five hours! Let’s just think about hunting, I mean fishing for now.” I tell her. She smiles knowing I don’t want to talk about the games that no one except three people who has survived them from our district. Even if two is now dead, the recent one is thirty and what some people say a nut job. And that only twenty kids go in the game and only one comes out. On the way to the pond, we shot four piglets that were following us on the way to the pond. “Good shot Bella.” Said my friend putting two of them in her bag and putting the others in mine. Then after three hours we caught twelve salmon in the pond. Then we hid our weapons and poles into the hole of the tree near our hunting rock and then went to the gate hole. “We’ll meet up at the trading mart after the reaping.” She yells after me as I quickly run from under the gate hole and into my house. After I got into my house I took a freezing bath that I used even after I found out it was taken off of the fire for everyone else to use, but I could not get upset for such a little thing, and I rarely get upset. Because when I get upset everyone else gets upset. Then I got into my dress that I layed out on my and Kaden’s bed and the one I wore since I was thirteen. “Bella Gar you are not wearing that dress anymore! It’s too small. Let Kaden wear it and you can wear my pink dress instead.” My mom tells me. “Are you sure? It’s your favorite dress.” I tell her not wanting anything that belongs to her. Or anyone else, that is. I’m not a begging, starving and cold child like I was before the others were born. I mean I am just without the begging. But now I’m the eldest out of five kids and since my mom works all the time of being a doctor for the sick. This is all of the time. So I am mostly the grown up of the house hold, and when everyone gets out of control I’m the calm one that settles it down. “Yes I’m sure since your father disappeared you have been taken care of every one of us even Jeimies family with no help from me or anyone else. And when it gets crazy you are so calm. So we all think you disserve something nice.” She said starting to braid my sister, Kaden’s hair. Then all of my siblings nod at me so I go put on my mom’s dress then my mom sits me down in front of her, and then she brushed and then braided my hair with nice long strokes which she used to do when I was young. “Thanks mom.” I say looking in her brown eyes and at her blonde hair, which is exactly where my sisters get their looks from, while I look like my dad and my little brothers with both brown hair and brown eyes. Then after a while, because parents have to leave first, my mom left to go to the Justice Building where the reaping is held so I was left with the kids. “You ready for your first reaping?” I ask Kaden buttoning her jacket that goes over her purple flowery dress. “Yeah.” She says with a sigh and frown. “Don’t worry your name is only in their once and so is Samantha’s unlike mine and Jeimies.” I tell her. “And don’t forget they will take a drop of blood to check you in.” I say hugging her tight. “Ok, just don’t get selected.” She says hugging me back. “Only if you don’t!” I tell her smiling and she does back. “Ok, boys stay together and Rachel get into the back of the crowd so Kaden and I can find you after we are checked in.” I say to them, snapping back to focus. Finally after we get to the front of the Justice Building where the reaping is always held, there are two Capitol Soldiers in gray outfits and helmets, they take the boys and Rachel to their gender crowds. Then after me and Kaden get checked in we find Rachel in the back of the crowd waiting for us like I told her to do. Then when me and Kaden stood next to Rachel the mayor in a dark blue suit and a tall thin white skinned blonde with a very bright green dress came out of the Justice Buildings front door. I wonder what happened to our old reaper Dabia. Never mind I don’t want to think about it. And I know that this woman is from the Capitol because of her bright outfit. And then when she sits down in one out of the three chairs where the reaper, mayor and the old winner; or in this case Mary, sits. Then the mayor goes up to the microphone holder and tells us of how the eleven districts fought the Capitol and the Capitol won. And that because they don’t want anything like that war was when we lost many lives to happen again so they created the Happy Games were everyone can be happy. Then he sits down and the woman comes up to the microphone holder, “Welcome, welcomes district ten I’m Fernard Degard. Your recent reaper… um she got sick with the flu so she couldn’t make it this year… also she is retired. So I’ll be your new reaper. So let’s… start with the girls first.” She said walking over to a pink ball which held all of the girls from our district names. “Samantha Devon.” said Fernard into the microphone. Samantha Devon! Kaden’s best friend and Jeimies little sister! Man they are both going to be crying tonight. And so is there and my family. After I saw Samantha’s big pile of brown hair that is like Jeimies, walk on the stage then I looked for Jeimie and I see her with tears in her eyes looking at the stage but she is holding them back. Then there was a very strong voice next to me which startles me and I guess it startled Rachel too because I felt a twitch near my left arm. “I Volunteer!” yelled Kaden pushing to the front. “Kaden!” I whispered as a pair of Capitol Soldiers picked her up by the arms and carried her the rest of the way to the stage, but when she was about half way to the stage like any big sister other than from our district would do I ran up to the pair of Capitol Soldiers and pushed Krystal back from their grasp, “I volunteer as tribute!” I yell at Fernard. “Bella!” I hear my little siblings yell behind me. But before they carry me on the stage Fernard says, “Wow two volenteers in one district! But is it legal?” she asks looking at the mayor. I do too after a long silence. Then he finally said “We’ll I’ve never seen the rule in my book, and a tribute is a tribute!” he says. Then I’m carried on the stage and next to the blonde, by the Capitol Soldiers. When I look back at my siblings that are being held back by other Capitol Soldiers, I look at their scared, white faces and look at their skinny bodies that are like mine. Now I know that I should try to win and if I do, my family will no longer be as skinny as they are now again. This is all I will think about in these games. Then after I look at my siblings I look for my mother but she’s nowhere to be seen from where I am standing. “Ok, what is your name?” asks Fernard with a huff. “Bella Gar.” I tell her speaking into the microphone she is holding and putting up to my face. “Ok, now let’s clap for Bella Gar.” She said. Not much did, the ones who didn’t were all of the people I knew which was actually all of them. And the only ones clapping are the Capitol Soldiers who have to or right on the spot they are dead. Then I’m back to the district members who are not clapping and this is what I guess is what they are saying, that they refuse to let me go into these terrible games to where they think a skinny girl like me won’t make it. Then after the silence and shaking of heads they had no choice. unless someone wanted to volunteer for me. But no one did. And then Rachel was too young and Kaden couldn’t volunteer again. “Ok, then settle down. Now that we have our girl tribute time for the boys.” She says walking over to a blue ball sighing. “Gavin Fade.” She says. Gavin Fade! The boy at the store me and my siblings went to this morning to sit down on the bench and the guy who saved my family and my life three years ago. It was before me and Jeimie met. It was when my dad vanished and I was against a wall to the butcher shop with rain that felt like cats and dogs falling from the sky, then he came out of the store with at least twelve boxes of meat, I guess an errand he had to do. Then I looked into his eyes which had sorrow in them then after I closed my eyes that were filled with tears, and then I looked up a few minutes later and he was gone but left two of the boxes. One was filled with deer dogs, or deer meat rolled into a cylinder, and the other bread buns filled with squirrel meat. I quickly ran home with this treasure and shared the more or less warm food with my family. And after that day I always try to say thanks and look into his eyes to see if he remembers that pouring cold night but every time I try, he moves his head to the other side of my direction so I never can see and when I try to tell him I get all of a suddenly shy and I myself walk away. Then Fernard snaps me back in focus. “Ok, any volunteers for Mr. Fade?” she asks. But no one said anything again. “Ok, then. Shake hands children and then we’ll go into the Justice Building.” She says to me and Gavin. So when me and Gavin shake hands Fernard pushes me and Gavin to different rooms in the Justice Building then leaves us alone so we can see relatives and friends for the last time. “Bella?” I hear Jeimie say walking into the room with her little sister Samantha. “Jeimie take care of my family feed them any food you think they need to survive.” I tell her by running to and hugging her. “I’ll do better I’ll teach them how to hunt. Or I’ll try hard. You will too!” she tells me pressing her favorite green clip into my palm. “Ok! And thanks.” I say giving her another hug. “Thanks for saving mine and Kaden’s friendship.” Says Samantha hugging me tightly. I smile. Then after 30 minutes of us talking to each other a female Capitol Soldier tells them to get out. “One minute. Bella don’t forget arrow!”says Jeimie being hauled out of the room with Samantha by a different Capitol Soldier. Arrow? What did she mean by arrow? Then my family comes in with a very small white box. I hug them one by one trying to hold back any tears incase there’s a camera. And if they saw me crying they would all think I’m weak in that arena. Which is how a girl from district 2 won in the 50th Happy Games she pretended she was weak but in the arena she was a maniac? “Bella we got you something.” Says Brandon handing me the white box. I open it quickly because our time is almost up. When I opened it, it was a gold charm bracelet with 5 golden charms. Four CMs and an arrow. Now I think about what Jeimie meant by arrow. That is how I am to survive. But for now, I’ll tackle that later, for now I have to think of now. So I quickly put it on. “Thanks.” I tell them. “It was Kaden’s bracelet and our charms to remember us.” Said Blaine smiling fakely. “But there are five!” I say, and then I look at my mom. “Before your dad vanished into some place I was going to give it to you! But then he did vanish and I was too sad to give it to you or do anything at all.” She said. I hugged them all again. Then I said quickly, “Jeimie will teach the eldest Kaden and Blaine to hunt and you two; Rachel and Brandon get a goat or small cow and sell its milk that will give you some money or some more food. And if you need anything ask Jeimie she will try her best!” I say, and then all of a sudden Kaden blurts out, “Just try your best. I know it’s my fault but promise you’ll try to get back alive!” she tells me. Then I hug her “It’s not your fault! And I promise.” I whisper in her ear and stroking her braided hair. Then she smiles a little. “Ok times up.” Says the same female Capitol Soldier with a horse voice. I guess she’s sad too. “Don’t forget what I told…” I was cut off when the door slammed behind them. Before I went to the train station to where it will take us to the Capitol, I put on Jaime’s green clip and walked out of the Justice Buildings door with Fernard and Gavin. Then I said goodbye to my home I’ve known forever. And will hopefully see again alive.