The Survival Games

𝗢𝗻𝗲

𝗖𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀

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Tribute day, the worst day of the year.

This honestly goes to show how horrible this day is because every day is terrible in our district. I can't remember the last time I had a day off, or if I ever have. I hardly count today as one, because while I'm not having to go into the coal mines, I'm having to watch yet another person be yanked into the games just for the Capitol to have some entertainment. It's been the same every year for the entirety of my life, I've watched friends enter the arena and had to bury clothes because their bodies would never be retrieved. We were nothing more than entertainment, in District 12 we weren't considered people, well anyone outside the capitol and Districts 1 through 4 weren't considered people. We were merely just free entertainment.

"Hi Curtis," A bubbly voice came from the porch of a house I was passing, and I turned to see the only girl who could bring a smile to my face, which was sad because I could never have her, she was set to marry a friend of mine, James, "Heading to work?"

"No," I held up a notepad, "Going to see how disgusting our water is today, Ma needs to bathe Gramps and if it's completely contaminated, I need to filter."

Her face broke into a grin, a small hand wrapping around the banister of the railing as she ran down the stairs to stop in front of me. "Can I come? Please?" Her bottom lip jutted out and I laughed, reaching up to push it up, "I'll even bring a bucket to help you carry water back to the house! I love Gramps! And your Ma!"

"Relax Sawyer," I nodded towards the house, "James won't care?"

"If he does I'd be surprised," Sawyer shrugged, "He took a job with the Capitol for Tribute Day, it took his name out of the drawing five times, but it added mine six, he said it was a good chance I wouldn't get pulled anyway, and not to worry my pretty little head," She laced her fingers together, looking down at her feet, "I haven't seen him in three days."

Typical James to put his future bride's name up six times to protect himself. He truly didn't mean harm, I know that but it made me angry nonetheless. Sawyer Collins was too pure for our District, she somehow managed to bring a smile to everyone's face, oldest of four kids, she provided for her family while James provided for them, or he believed he did. Sawyer spent most nights at my house eating leftover rations since she had to give up her three meals for James and her siblings. But she never complained, just smiled at thanked my mother for her hospitality before she rushed home to get James' stuff ready for the next day in the mines. He was like her fourth younger sibling at this point in our lives, she took care of him and he offered her up to protect himself. He knew no better, his father was the same way.

"C'mon Sawyer," She beamed, her smile making one grow on my face, "Leave the bucket though, I'll send Tristan and Edward down to collect the water if it's usable."

District 12 was eerily silent today, by this hour people were lining the streets, and Capitol soldiers were herding us to our jobs. But today, people were spending it locked up with their families, because in just three hours, three grueling hours, two families would be ripped to shreds, and they would have to prepare to bury what remains of their children. Because District 12 doesn't win, we haven't in over forty years, and I don't presume this is the year we come out victorious. Hope was dangerous, it was a slippery slope, it was better to not have hope, not in our world.

I had tried to convey that to Sawyer, but she refused to believe me.

"Who do you think will be selected?" Sawyer's voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I turned to look at her, noticing the dirt smeared on her chin, she must've been running from the soldiers this morning when she went to her mother's, which means she was out before curfew began. "Like," She shrugged, "You don't think my name being in there six extra times will make me a candidate to be pulled, right?"