Update: ~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~ I walk out, barefoot. I had convinced Maria to let me go barefoot, saying I looked like a "Beautiful earth family." I could've killed her. "Rose? Can I talk to-" "Missy! You better get your butt over here." my father yells. Maria steps out and we all lock eyes. "RUN!" I scream. We all start running through the woods, dodging rocks and trees. One moment later I lose hold of Marias hand and alex is pulling me towards district 12, making a loop. "Maria!" I exclaim. "She can make her way back." alex says, breathing heavily. He pulls me behind a tree, pulling me against him. I dont make eye contact with him, afraid he'll try to kiss me...or go farther. "Rose...?" alex questions, making me look at him. Speak of the devil, Maria bursts through some bushes, saving me. The bell rings in the distance, telling us that we need to get to town square. "Cmon, we need to go before the guards start looking." I say, pulling alex and Maria towards home. My father is waiting, apparently he didn't go far. My eyes widen, so does his, I'm guessing at the sight of make-up on my face. Then he grabs my arm. "Maria! The pin!" I yell. Maria grabs the pin that was attached to her plum purple dress and tosses it to me. I poke my dad with it on his cheek. "Damn it!" my dad yells, releasing me. I attach the pin to my dress and run towards town square. I look back and feel a second of shame and guilt. He's on his knees, and Cecila is now by his side, glaring at me.I look back towards the sqaure. I see kids being sorted by age and gender. I grab Marias hand, her straight blond hair going in my face from the wind My hairs down and straightened since my midnight black hair is sorta wavy. we wave at alex, who walks to his section. Pj runs towards me, now in dress pants and a plaid button-down shirt. "Pj!" I say happily, hugging him. Great, my fourteen year old brother is almost as tall as me. My brother, who's two years younger than me, is growing up. Now I can't protect him anymore. That's his job. I bury my face in his dirty blond hair. He looks at me, his smoky grey eyes look up at me. "youre wearing make-up." he blankly states. I nod and motion towards Maria. "Are you really going to volunteer?" he grabs my wrist. I look slightly down at him. I have to, but he mustn't know. I shake my head, but I'm afraid of the things I'm going to do to gain my brothers trust again after this.
Chapter 3: Maria pulls me along the rows until we get to female 15-16. I take a deep breath and my chest rises. Maria laughs and I eye her. "Your-" she starts. I pretend to slap her across the face. When I try not to be seen in school, having big breasts doesn't help all that much. "Shut it." I hiss. "Sorry" "You know I'm sensitive bout that subject." She nods and twists her pinky. I make her look at me and laugh. "Just, look, if you're gonna talk about boobs then let's talk about ur flat chest!" "Shut up!" she squeals and hits my arm while I laugh. Maria has flawless features, she's basically is Alexs girl version. With the exepction of longer hair. "Oh i almost forgot. Before anything bad happens, happy birthday Maria!"I say, throwing my hands in the air then hugging her. She giggles, and thanks me. I look over at alex and he gives me a thumbs up. I nod and look at Marias smiling face. "When we go back home I have a present for you ok?" I ask. "Yea." she says, smiling from ear to ear like the Cheshire cat(spell?). I look around town square. It looks way more bubbly than it's supposed to. Balloons everywhere, a banner saying "106th Hunger Games!" Yet everywhere I see, there is only Melancholy. Parents crying and young or old brothers and sister about to cry themselves. Children being escorted To their rows. Only death is happening. One boy and one boy in every district between the ages of twelve and eighteen have to go into the hunger games. The place of the arena changes. There are different scenes. Ice, fire, tropical, desert, plains, cities. Anything can happen, but only death is tw only thing happening truly. I saw my first glimpse of the games when I was ten. My father was watching it. I was supposed to be in bed but I couldn't resist. So I snuck down and hid beside our tan couch, watching the horror unfold. I finally gave myself away when I saw a girl tear out the bones of another girls body and uses them as toothpicks. Father spotted me and demanded I go to bed. "Ladies and Gentleman!" Someone states. I jerk my head up. "It's okay Rose. It's just Hanna." Maria says. I look up ani
Update: I look up and see Hannas drunken face, her curly short brown hair as messed up, clearly unbrushed. Her dark pink eyes, obviously contacts, survey the crowd. Whats shes wearing contrasts good with her medium colored skin. A magenta dress with a huge diamond as a necklace. The poor idiot, probably got drunk last night and is probably recovering from a hangover. "Presenting out mentor, Peeta Mellark!" she says, motioning towards my father. I will not lie, he looks dashing in his tuxedo. "Ladies and Gentleman, today, we are here to choose who will go into the 106th Hunger Games." he gulps. "I know the arena is petrifying, I should know, yet one live is better then three." he continues. He then stands back, looks over the crowd, and finds me. We make eye contact. I stare him down, challenging him to break away. Finally he does, and I see a small trickle of blood fall down the wound where I sliced him. I once again feel a stab of pain and guilt. I push it away, ready for what Hanna has to say about this, the most dreaded part.....the killing. Where Hanna chooses who will go, and who will stay. "So," she starts, smiling. "I hope you all are on the tippy tips of ur toes!" she gushes. I look at alex, whos looking at me, and raise an eyebrow in confusion. He shrugs and turns towards Hanna again. I follow suit, tryig not to look at my father. I gulp, praying I'm at least volunteering for someone I love. "Ladies! You know the rules." she winks, and walks over to a bowl that looks like a fish bowl, filled with names. You can't fill out terraces anymore, which give you a yearly supply (Did I get this right? I was too lazy to look it up) of oil and wheat if you win. So only one entry for every girl is in there, leaving the bowl only one quarter filled. Hannas fingernails circle the edge, then she reaches inside. I hear and feel my heart quicken. Can anyone hear this? "And our girl tribute is.." her hands fumble for a name, and she pulls a name out, which is folded to many times its almost invisible. I think my hearts going to pound right out of my chest. She unfolds it, fold after fold after fold. Time stops. Her eyes read the name before she speaks out. Her eyes have a gleam to them. "Maria Perez!" she yells. My heart drops, I think i just died. Im stil asleep, I can not end up like my mother. Maria takes her first step towards the stage, her head hanging low.
Chapter 4: I scream. "No!" everyones head faces me. I don't care, Maria needs to stay. She's halfway up the walks way when I run towards her, and I feel hot tears fall down my cheeks. She can't get picked on her birthday. It's impossible, it would ruin everything. I can't live without her, she's not the type of girl to survive like the people in the Games do. She would die in the first seconds of the gong ringing. "Maria don't!" I yell. The suns in my eyes, and someone holds me from behind, Alex. I feel his face against my hair and his scent of leaves and branches. He too, I realize after a second, has tears falling down his face. A second person grabs me by the wrist, they're smaller. Pj, I know because he tell me to come back to the row. I can imagine the scene people are getting now. A flashback, like my mother wanting to save my Aunt Primrose, and Gale holding her back. I yell, I holler, I scream at Maria, begging her not to go to the stage. Her dress moves in the wind, and I feel te first soft drops on rain fall om my hair. I can not follow my mothers footsteps, bit I have to save my friends life. Even if it means fiving up my own. You can't volunteer after the person first steps foot on the stage. It's now or never. Marias left bare foot hits the first step. I only have- "I volunteer! I volunteer to take her place in the Hunger Games!" Alex and Pj suddenly release me, now the guards holds me from running and Everyone gasps. I just now realize the brave yet terrified voice was me. I just switched places with Maria. Oh I hope she forgives me. Hanna stops to think, then smiles. "Well! What's your name dearie?" she asks. I could've slapped her across the face if the guards weren't holding me back. "Rose. Rose Mellark." I respond. "Now why did you volunteer?" I snap. "Well for one fùcking thing I love her, shes like a sister to me. And secondly, my parents asked me to!" everyone now turns to my father and Cecila. They got what the wished, now I hope they can survive the price.
My father steps back, faking surprise. "That's impossible, I would-" he starts. "No! You told me to. I know it and Cecila know it and pj knows it. Stop lying!" I yell. Everyone stares at us, father against daughter. The showdown of the century. I push the guards away forcefully and take a step towards the stage. My hands are balled in fists, and I feel energy trying to escape from a black hole. I will escape. I will survive. I come closer to the stage. "You always make me stand out. When you married Cecila, and when I dated Logan!" I holler. "Wait one minute little gi-" "I am not little. I wasn't little when I was fourteen. You shouldnt keep people apart just for YOUR problems dad. Of all people, I thought you would know that!!" The ball of my left foot hits the first step. My father steps back again, and everyone realizes the angry side of my mother is starting to show. "I hate you dad. If I win the Hunger Games, you will NOT be allowed in the house I EARNED! I deserved! I will get. I am Rose Mellark, a mix of Katniss Everdeen," I gulp, mentioning my mothers name. "and Peeta Mellark. Hot damn how can I NOT win?!" Everyone freezes,waiting for my fathers move. I frown, and so does he. I then grin and he goes completely stiff, like a tree trunk. Only right then do I realize it's my scary grin. Where my mouth curves up on one side, a little bit of teeth showing. There's a glint and glimmer of one thing. The lust for blood. The ball of my right foot hits the second step, then I bring up my feet again and again until I reach the top. I walk over to my dad and grab him by his shirt. "So help me dad, I may love you, but you are no longer my father." I whisper, too quiet for anyone else to hear. My dads eyes widen, taking in every word and period that came out of my mouth. He slowly nods and I release him. Swiping his hands along the part where I grabbed him, he frowns at me, and I smile. No sense of lying now is there? Hanna struggles for words. I cover her pink lips with my left hand. "Darling," I start, mimicking her. "Lets get this show on the road. May the odds be ever in your favor right?" Hanna nods and once again struggles for words. "Just pick a boy tribute and let's get a move on Hanna. I don't feel all that great." when I say I don't feel great, it means I can get into a mood easily that'll lead me to a mental hospital.