The 81st Hunger Games

"in penance for their uprising, each district shall offer up a male and a female between the ages of twelve and eighteen at a public reaping. these tributes shall be delivered to the custody of the capitol. and then transferred into a public arena, where they will fight to the death until a lone victor remains. henceforth and forevermore, this pageant shall be known as the hunger games."

The 81st Hunger Games is a fan-made Hunger Games written by Probably Reading.

introduction
first of all, don't submit tributes bc these are just for me to practice my writing !! also the wiki activity was looking pitiful so i did what any sensible person would do : i changed my icon to shelley hennig and made this page.

so yeah i was bored & i haven't edited for like three weeks but neither has anyone else so it's okay ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ !

so you can read these and whatever i don't really care

also i'm making posters and stuffs for these so don't hate me please

tributes
careers ;;

elle rickman (c), carter harmon (c), shay martin (0), aaron riggs (0), rowan brown (2), natalia hart (3), mitchell akridge (3), austin sullivan (4), andrew montgomery (8), liam moore (9), maecy johnston (12), carolyn argon (13).

anti-careers ;;

tyler sayers (1), maxon ingram (2), mason taylor (5), katrina montague (9), alicia hall (10), ian schreave (10), marlee headley (11), lauren sinclair (14).

smol beans too pure for this world alliance ;;

arabella thompson (1), rose collins (5), james styles (6), roman pierce (7), valerie axford (8), ashton bishop (13).

loners ;;

willa beckett (4), lydia cooper (6), sabrina bernstein (7), adam salvatore (11), julian miller (12), finn murphy (14).

capitol
don't leave me now, don't say goodbye

Dread.

Though excited whispers filled the air and smiles were plastered on every face, dread was still present.

It was always like this in the Capitol. The wealthy men fanned their money in front of them as they chuckled with their fellow socialites, betting on who would be picked. Children, too young to understand but too old to be hidden from the truth, pointed at the beautiful dresses and suits, trying to comprehend why people were dressed in such a fashion. The women smiled as they sent their children to the square, hoping the escort would pick a winner.

Everybody was happy except for the people who mattered.

The teenagers were trained in the art of fake smiles.They were experts of pretending to be eager. Daughters of socialites had learned to put on genuine smiles when forced to speak with their rivals; sons of politicians grinned when they were interviewed by people criticizing their parents. The pictures posted on social media were hardly representations of their far-from-perfect lives.

And yet, Elle Rickman and her friend Alexis Paulson smiled as they walked to the square.

"Honestly, though, I love your dress," Elle beamed, looking at Alexis's light pink dress that was embellished with jewels that could have bought the entirety of District Twelve.

A blush covered Alexis's face, turning her pale cheeks a light pink color. "Thank you. Though, I like yours, too."

Alexis's dress and Elle's dress were like the Capitol and District Two. The latter was pretty, but would never be as great as the former. Elle knew this, but decided not to be self-deprecating. She had always given off an air of confidence, after all, and wouldn't let it be brought down by a dress that was worth more than her own.

"Thank you! It's an heirloom. It was my great-great-grandmother's. She wore it to her first reaping - the first ever, in fact!"

"Before all of Katniss's bullshit?"

"Yep. That was a truly horrible era, wasn't it?" she sighed, remembering her lessons in her history class. "I'm glad that President Paylor eventually died and President Emerson took it into his own hands to kill Everdeen and everyone associated with her."

"I agree. How did the rebels even last that long?"

"I'm not sure. And I'm surprised that District Twelve and District Thirteen weren't kicked out of Panem. They could have at least seceded. But their tributes are always killed off first. Remember when they redid the 75th Hunger Games? They were out within minutes."

"True," Alexis sighed as they got in the line for their identification. They pricked Alexis's finger first, and once the scanner read "Paulson, A.", she walked inside the gates and waited for Elle to finish, talking to one of her acquaintances as she did.

Elle had always hated this part of the Reapings. This was her seventh and final time doing it, though, so she was used to it. However, she was startled by the small electric shock that occurred when they drew her blood each year. "Rickman, E." appeared on the screen in green letters, so she walked through the gates and met up with Alexis.

"He's going to volunteer?" Alexis asked a boy who looked to be around her age.

"Yeah. I don't predict that he'll be picked, though. The escorts don't typically select anybody under fifteen unless they're the only volunteers."

"Oh, Elle!" Alexis grinned. "Have you met Carter?"

"I don't believe so," Elle responded, stepping forward and holding her hand out for him to shake. "Elle Rickman."

"Carter Harmon. It's nice to meet you, Elle. I heard that you're volunteering?"

"Yes," she replied, slightly nodding her head. "Though, I don't think I'll be picked. Alexis is sure to grab the attention of the escort, so she'll probably picked instead," she chuckled, glancing to Alexis for a reaction. She was just staring up at the sky, clearly in her own world.

The mayor was standing at the front of the stage. Carter noticed, and suggested, "I think we should go to our places. Everything's about to start."

And with that, he turned away and walked to the front of the males' section. Elle dragged Alexis to the front of the females', and the mayor began speaking. He went on about the Dark Days and the Second Rebellion. As the escort walked onto the stage, Elle nudged Alexis and they both stood up a bit taller.

"And now, I will select the tributes for the 81st Annual Hunger Games!"

Excited chatter filled the square, but it wasn't just the eligible tributes who were speaking.

"For the ladies..." the escort reached into the glass bowl and pulled out a white slip of paper. Smiling, she unfolded the sheet and read the name. "Lorianna Reed!"

"I volunteer!"

It was never just a lone person that volunteered; it was always either everybody or nobody. This year, it seemed like half of the girls had their hands in the air.

The escort's eyes scanned the crowd, darting to each of the hopeful Capitol citizens until she settled on one.

Elle.

"You! In the gray dress!"

Elle's eyes widened and she looked to Alexis. Is she talking about me? Elle mouthed. Alexis nodded and pushed her friend forward.

The grin on Elle's face was the widest it had been in a long time. She walked up the stairs, and she didn't even bother to wait for the escort to ask her to state her name. "Elle Rickman," she announced.

Cheers filled the square. But as the escort stepped to the microphone, it grew quiet.

"And for the boys... Lukas Murdoch!"

If the shouting for the girls was loud, the volunteers of the boys were even louder. And they broke out into fights, too. Maybe, they were thinking, the escort would see the potential in them.

But one stuck out from the rest. It wasn't because he was dressed particularly nicely, or because he looked the strongest. It was because he wasn't fighting.

The escort pointed to him, and as he walked to the stage, everybody became silent.

"Carter Harmon."

Cheers erupted from around the square, and Elle and Carter grinned at each other.

"Well, Capitol, it looks like these are our victors this year!"

district zero
wish we could turn back time

District Zero was the most excited district out of the districts that were least excited.

They had produced one victor in the past five years; this was Joel Martin. In fact, he had won just two years ago. His district partner, Esme Carson, was predicted to win and even got to the final eight, but she mysteriously disappeared. She was declared to be dead and was never heard from again.

But why would Joel care about that when he could bathe in money, when he was living in one of the biggest houses of District Zero? Esme was pretty and skilled, but she was dead. Her body was rotting under a pile of rubble and dirt. Her orange hair would be concealed by the dirt that was a similar color to her locks. Esme had even thought to cover her outfit in the dirt so she wouldn't be spotted - though it was a good idea at the time, it certainly came back to bite her in the ass when she died and couldn't be found.

"Shay!" Joel called. "We're leaving soon!"

"Coming!" Joel's sister exclaimed, heels clicking as she hurried down the stairs of the mansion. They echoed through the hallways, the only noise in perfect but eerie silence. "Where's Mom and Dad?" she asked on her way to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and began to drink it.

"First of all, that bottle's mine, I already drank from it," Joel said, causing Shay to spit out the water and wipe her mouth with the back of her hand. "Secondly, they're at the mayor's party right now. Didn't they tell you yesterday?"

She shrugged. "Probably tried to. But I don't ever listen to them. Take your filthy water bottle," she said, sliding the plastic bottle across the counter.

Joel grinned. "I'm gonna miss you. You know that, right?"

"Please," Shay groaned. "Just because I'm volunteering doesn't mean I'm going to be picked. Hell, if Kiera Montgomery volunteers, I'm -"

"Believe me, Shay. Your brother's a victor. They're gonna expect the same from you. If you're picked anyway, good for you. You've got a guaranteed spot in the Games. If you volunteer, you're going to be picked. Trust me."

For a moment, they were silent. "I'll only be gone for a few weeks, though. I'll be back before you know it."

"That's what Esme said to her sister."

Silence again.

"Well, aren't we supposed to go now?" Shay asked, hoping they could bring Joel's talkative friend, Aaron, into the conversation. Though Aaron was two years younger than Joel, they'd been friends for a long time. Shay even had feelings for him once. But that was years ago, before Joel was reaped.

Joel nodded and walked out of their mansion, and Shay silently followed. There was a car waiting outside of their house. Though the square would have only taken a few minutes to walk to, Joel wanted to parade his wealth to the district. So, he did, obviously. Aaron was waiting in the back of the car like he always did. Shay would sit next to him and conceal a blush as Joel sat in front of her.

The driver opened the doors for the siblings, and they got in their seats. Shay smoothed down her black dress and smiled at Aaron.

"I'm volunteering," she beamed.

Aaron smiled. "And so am I."

Shay rolled her eyes. "As if. You and I both know that you have no interest in the Games."

He looked around the car. "Huh. How'd you guys get this car?"

Shay grinned and punched him in the arm. "Stop it! At least tell me that you're not just in it for the wealth."

"I could, but then I'd be lying."

Shay held up a finger. "Asshole," she laughed. "We're almost there. Compose yourself so we don't look like idiots in front of the mayor."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head but remained smiling. The car lurched to a stop, and the driver opened the doors for Aaron, Shay, and Joel. The Justice Building loomed above them, its pure, white pillars in bleak contrast with the bloodshed it indirectly caused. But Shay wasn't focused on that; she was focused on the scent of strawberries and bread coming from inside the building.

"Aaron!" Shay exclaimed. "Will you go with me to get food?" she asked. Then, to her dismay, a bell chimed. The smile fell from her face and was replaced with a frown. "Nevermind," she huffed, turning around. Due to her brother's status, Shay could go through the line without getting her blood checked as long as she was seen by one of the women who drew the blood. So could Aaron. Naturally, they did that. Before they split off and walked to their sections, Aaron stopped Shay.

"Are you really doing this?"

"Aaron, yes! I have a legacy to uphold. I can see it now: The Martin Bloodline -"

"Just because your brother's famous doesn't mean you have to be. I mean, remember the Kardashians? From that comedy show?"

"Okay, that doesn't even count because all of them were famous."

Aaron sighed. "Not all of them. But that's beside the point. If you're just doing this because your brother did, or if you even feel doubt for a section, don't do it, Shay."

Shay pursed her lips. "It's my decision to make."

And with that, she turned on her heels and walked away, her black dress a strange void of color in the square.

"This year, once again, our victor Joel Martin will be selecting this year's tributes!" announced the mayor, an obviously fake smile plastered on. He stepped back as Joel stood in front of the microphone.

"Good day, District Zero. It was an honor to represent this beautiful district two years ago, and I can't thank you all enough for all of the support that I received in the arena. But two years have passed since my name was drawn, and another must take my place on this stage. I will be drawing the lady first. May the odds be ever in your favor."

Shay's heart beat in her chest faster than it ever had before. Would she do this? Was she still going to? No. She wasn't. She was going to live a safe life in the district with her family. She would be -

"Shay Martin."

Her heart dropped.

She felt dizzy and sick. It was like all of the air had been knocked out of her, and she was still struggling for it. But her feet managed to carry the rest of her up the stairs and next to her brother.

She managed to steal a glance at Joel. He was as stoic as ever, but he had a twinge of sadness in his eyes.

"I volunteer!" someone yelled.

But it wasn't a girl. Shay had completely missed the drawing of the male's name and was now watching Aaron walk up the stairs. She felt sick.

"Aaron Riggs," he announced.

Everybody was silent. Everybody knew what had happened. Nobody commented on it. Two best friends had been reaped. A family would have to go through the same Hell that they had gone through just two years before.

And that was when Shay collapsed.

Which Reaping is the best so far? The Capitol District Zero