Panem is hell, especially during this time, Hunger Game time. I’ve trained since I was twelve, but there’s just something about the whole arena that scares me. I would never kill for pleasure. The thought that I might have to experience people doing such an activity makes me sick. I’ve grown up watching the Hunger Games, and I’ve seen some sick s***. People eating each other, legs being blown off, and so much more; but the thought that I might have to do all these things to stay alive scares me to death.

My name is Dia Stone, and I am a tribute in the Annual 74th Hunger Games.


I guess it all started on the day of the Reaping. Being from District 3, the games were very celebratory. They were huge. We have a lot of victors in District 3 which means they expect us to win. In my District we specialize in technology, and provide the Capitol with all the amazing technology.

Now, you’re probably wondering what the Capitol is. Our Capitol is the thing that makes all of Panem tick. They hold us together, but sometimes it’s all a bit too much. I can feel the tension in the air when I was watching the other Reapings. The Capitol may control our every move, but we hold the numbers and power against them.

The Reaping always takes place at the center of our city. The stage is solid bulletproof glass, our curtains are pure silk, and the microphones are solid gold. Now, this Reaping was different. I was almost guaranteed to be picked to enter the arena. My name was in the big glass ball 88 times. The odds weren’t in my favor, but I was perfectly fine with that.

My father is the president of District 3, so my mother and I had everything we wanted. My mother was the owner of a very successful company called Panem Tech; they are the master minds behind all the machinery the Capitol uses for their everyday life. They are also responsible for all the deadly technology used in each Hunger Games.

Now as the president’s only daughter, I was placed on a pedestal. I was never touched at school in fear that people would be killed by my father’s workers. I just wanted to be normal. Since I had absolutely no social life, I spent all my time training, and now I can use almost any weapon of my choice to perfection.

I hope to come out victorious, but not by killing people. By out-witting, out-smarting, and out-lasting everyone. I will only kill if I absolutely have too. My plan was very simple; run and hide. I know I’m smart enough to hunt and find water and make alliances with others, but do I have the guts to kill someone if I have too?
The Reapings are always really hard for my parents because they have to watch innocent children be put into their own tombs. It was hard for me too. One year ago, my best and only friend was put into the games. I always promised I would volunteer for her if she was ever drawn, but on that specific year she didn’t want me to take her place. She came in fifth place and slowly bled to death after she was stabbed repeatedly in the stomach by a tribute from District 1 who actually ended up winning. I plan to avenge her and get revenge on the people that killed my only best friend.
Now, we have people that come from the Capitol to escort the new tributes to the arena. We call these people ambassadors, and they are usually really loud and outgoing and dress very odd. Our ambassador is a very young man who goes by the name of Paul. At the first glance, you could easily mistake Paul for a woman; but you talk to him and look deeply into his personality and realize how much of a womanizer he is; and you realize he’s a man. And like most men from the Capitol, he’s a real big jerk.
I walked out of my house with my head held high, and the ability to shake away the jitters that usually occur in everyone around this time of year. Since District Three was located pretty south, it was always almost humid and hot; so it was pretty foggy and it looked like it was going to rain. I saw all the kids glumly walking to the center of town in large groups so they wouldn’t feel so alone. It was a pointless strategy but it was comfort for the younger ones.
As I walked into the poorest part of the town I felt the first raindrops hit my face and slowly slide down my cheek. The rain made the illusion I was crying, but I wasn’t; I couldn’t wait to board the train to the Capitol and show the people what I was really made of. The poor part of the town was probably the biggest part of District 3. Believe it or not, we were one of the poorest Districts because of the Dark Days; our District was one of the first to rebel and the Capitol thought it was proper punishment to give us almost no money and to put us on the back burner. I’m really lucky and protected where I live. It’s gated and protected 24 hours a day by armed guards and a high voltage fence that was always running.
I looked at the familiar stage that stood in front of me with the solid gold microphone that glimmered as the rain slowly dripped off the edges. The bright gold, black and red lights of the stage constantly flashed to the ground symbolizing the Capitols power over us and how they can control our every move we make.
I walked up to the registration tables awaiting the sting of the needle so they could read my blood. I heard the machine say my name in its robotic, monotone voice. “Dia Stone.”
“Please move ahead,” said the assistant behind the table.
“Thanks,” I replied. I walked up into my age group and saw Paul walking up the steps onto the stage with his long, overzealous golden robe dragging up the stairs. His forearm length gloves were sequenced with silver, and they shimmered in the sun as he swung his arms; his yellow hair stood out from everyone else’s dark brown hair. With all the colors painted on his face, Paul could pass as a rainbow in the deep blue sky. He reached the gleaming microphone, and with great elegance, threw up his arms which sent a roaring cheer in the crowd.
“Hello everyone, and happy Hunger Games!” His rich, cheery voice made the crowd even wilder with excitement. “May the odds be ever in your favor.” More cheering arose from the crowd.
I looked around at the twelve year olds and saw the horror on their faces. Some had lost siblings in the games and even older friends. They were clueless about the world around them, but their lives could end; and all it would take is one slip of paper.
The cheering finally subsided and I could see Paul’s face filled with eagerness to draw the tribute’s names.
“Now, will you please all join me in watching the annual Panem Hunger Games video.” In District Three, it became mandatory for us to put our hands on our hearts while the video played to show our deep apologies to the Capitol for trying to rebel against them 73 years ago. I didn’t think the act showed apology, it showed power and bureaucratic handle over us.
As the video ended, the jitters started to pulse through my body. I felt as cold as my near future in the arena, and every time I blinked I saw my limp lifeless body on a soft bed of grass with my eyes stuck shut by dried blood. I opened my eyes completely unaware of how much time had gone by. I looked up at the stage and saw Paul’s hand deep inside the glass ball. I clenched my jaw as he pulled the slip of paper out and walked toward the microphone.
“And the female tribute for the annual 74th Hunger Games is Clear Rivers.” I looked at her and saw how pale her face had become once she processed her name was called. She was only twelve and had beautiful blonde locks and bright blue eyes with a perfectly freckled face. The crowd cheered with happiness for her; they all thought this was a great opportunity for her to become a person, but in reality she was going to die. I still couldn’t fathom the thought that her name, which was in there once, was drawn instead of mine which was in there 88 times.
“Where is Clear? Clear, come up on stage dear,” said Paul into the microphone. She started walking towards the stage in a slow, deadly manner which made my heart hurt so much. I saw tears start to flow down her freckled cheeks and my heart just snapped.
“I volunteer as tribute!” I shouted. Clear turned around and stared into my soul; it felt like her deep eyes went right through my whole body. I felt that she could see right through me and into my future. She ran back into her age group and nodded her head at me in gratitude.
“Ladies and gents, we have a volunteer. Please come up onto the stage,” Paul said with a giddy smile on his face. I took my steps to the glowing red and gold stage with great calmness. I was calm enough to turn heads as I walked to the stage. I made it to the steps and walked up them. “Come on sweetheart. We don’t have all day.” I took the final steps onto the stage and grabbed Paul’s hand. He pulled me to the microphone and looked at the crowd. “Why don’t you tell us your name?”
“Dia. Dia Stone,” I said.
“And if you don’t mind me asking, why did you volunteer?” he asked. I knew what the answer was, but I couldn’t say I had been training my whole life for this; I would be arrested and thrown in jail. So I said the next best thing.
“She’s only twelve. She has so much more to live for. More than I do. Which is why I have decided to take her place in the games,” I said.
“Well, that’s very nice of you,” he said as he smiled. I nodded my head in response and he walked towards the other ball. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is time to announce the male tribute for this year’s Hunger Games!” Paul shouted at the crowd. I held my breath as I watched him put his hand into the glass ball and pull out a slip of paper. He walked towards the stage and for the first time I realized how unconnected I was to everything around me. I realized how much some people actually appreciated me for what I had done for Clear. Some people were crying because I had spared a little girl’s life and helped live a few more years. No matter what happened, from this moment on, I wouldn’t take anyone from District 3 for granted.
“Charlie Tuck. You are the male tribute.” I watched as a fifteen year old boy walked towards the stage. Like me, he was a rich kid that got everything he wanted handed to him without any issue. Life had been perfect for us, but our perfection was shattered like a mirror in a tornado. Our easy life ended here and it wasn’t going to change.
We were swept into the Justice Building where the new tributes went before we boarded the train to the Capitol. I knew we weren’t that far away from the Capitol so the train ride would only take a couple hours. I had heard rumors about how glamorous the Capitol is. Flashing lights, eccentric people, outrageous costumes, and luxurious food. My thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door to my waiting room. My father stepped in and hugged me. I began to cry, and as the tears dripped down my face he pulled away and wiped them from my face.
“You’ll be fine. All the training for this one day. You can shine the brightest and come back home victorious.” I wanted him to wrap his arms around me again, but the officers came in and took him away. He was only allowed thirty seconds and they were up. Paul came through the door with the most energetic smile on his face.
“Come on Stone. It’s time to fulfill your fate.” I followed him while he called for Charlie. I finally got my first look at Charlie and realized how handsome he looked. His dark hair matched his mind inducing brown eyes and with a perfect smile, he was the whole package. It’s too bad looks didn’t get you far in the arena. I mean sure they could get you sponsors and in return items that could be the difference between life and death in the arena, but the way Charlie was dressed; I have a feeling that he won’t be able to use his looks for popularity.
Once we stepped outside and into the bright sunlight, cameras flashed and people screamed. They were happy for us and they cheered us on to our death. It was certain that we weren’t coming home from this, but the people all looked so happy. I didn’t know how to feel at this particular moment so I just smiled and waved.
“You got the idea Stone. Give the crowd what they want. You earn fans that way.” He smiled at me. He made me feel uncomfortable, like all I would ever be was a pawn, a pawn in the games that only the Capitol could control.
As we boarded the train, I was greeted by the only healthy victor left in District Three. She had her blonde locks in a ponytail and her blue eyes were shining brightly.
“Hello and congrats. Welcome to the Hunger Games. I’ll be your guide and I will be here to help you in any way I can. As you probably know, my name is Christine. I won the Games four years ago, and I plan on helping one of you win it this year.”
“I’m Charlie Tuck.” He smiled at her and she looked deep into his eyes. It was as though she could read his every thought and see his every memory just by looking into his eyes.
She turned to me. “And you are?” she smiled and showed her bright white teeth. They were mesmerizing to me.
“Dia Stone. I’ve been training for this since I was little.” As I said these words, she frowned.
“You know pre game training is illegal. It could get you killed. I’m not saying I would tell anyone, but you need to learn to keep your mouth shut. Be smart and you’ll be rewarded. Now, let’s begin by looking at your fellow tributes. As always, we’ll start with District One. Now there tributes are always the best trained in all of Panem.” She turned on the hologram which portrayed a picture of two strong looking blondes. I wouldn’t judge them by their hair color or makeup that they both wore. They looked to be lethal weapons. “The male is Marvel, and the female is Glimmer. Don’t let the names fool you. They’ve probably been training for as long as they could walk, and could probably kill you within a matter of seconds if you gave them a chance.” I looked at Charlie. By the look on his face I could tell he was scared to death to even think about the arena, let alone the people inside of it.
“How do we get rid of the nervousness?” I asked. She turned and looked at me.
“By winning. Now before we go on to talk about the other tributes, I have to tell you this. Only one of you can come out of that arena. It’s up to you on who it is. I’ve seen and heard of games that the only people left were from both Districts. Having this makes it all the more harder to end the game.”
“Why couldn’t we just live in the arena until they decided to both let us win?” asked Charlie.
“Because then they’d find a way to kill one of us off by an incident caused by them. Or slowly die of natural causes,” I replied.
“Exactly. Dia’s right and it would be much easier to kill then to wait,” Christine said. “Now let’s move on with the tributes.” I watched the screen and waited for District Two to be displayed. The male’s name was Cato. His rugged look and jagged jaw line made him very attractive. He looked fierce and ready to jump out and kill both of us. His female partner was no different. She had her dark brown hair in a braid which made her freckles stand out.
As mine and Charlie’s faces appeared on the screen, Christine looked at me. “Do you mind me asking why you took that little girl’s place?”
“For that exact reason. She was only twelve and had so much more to live for than these games and the Capitol. I was better trained than she was and I needed to show that I could do something other than have everything handed to me back in Three. Life was too easy and I needed some strife in my life to make it more interesting.”
“And what about you? How do you feel about all of this?” she asked Charlie.
“Why don’t you tell me how I am supposed to feel? Happy, upset, scared? I have no idea. But all I know is that I need to win to go home to my family. They need me.” I stared at him
“And what? My family doesn’t need mine?” I asked.
“Well, think about it this way. Your family is rich. To be honest, they don’t need you. They have enough money to help all of District Three, but all they do is sit in that big house of yours and watch as the Capitol takes out the district that we call home. So, in reality, I deserve to go home more than you do.” I threw a punch at him and it landed square in his jaw. I watched as the blood leaked from his mouth. I screamed. I saw that my ring finger looked crooked. It was broken. This was almost the worst thing that could possibly happen to me before the games.
“Paul! Get the first aid kit!” screamed Christine. Paul rushed in and gave Charlie some tissues to wipe up the blood with while Christine wrapped my finger in a splint.
“What the hell happened here?” Paul asked.
“Dia got a little upset and punched her only teammate in the jaw. Is it dislocated?”
“No. Charlie should be fine, just a little blood. Dia I think you should go to bed. Get some rest before we reach the Capitol,” said Paul.
I walked over through the train cars until I found my bed. I fell onto it and let the covers wash over me. It felt great to have a place to sleep after the long day I had. My sleep brought out my true fears of the Hunger Games. I saw myself caked with the blood from another person who was lying in front of me. I waited to see tears fall from my face, but none did. All I saw was a smile of triumph. I was turned into a monster, a killing machine, and nothing was going to stop me. I slowly turned the body over and looked at it. Her blonde hair was streaked with blood and I could still see the fear in her eyes. It was Clear, the girl I had saved from the Reaping. I saw her eyes move towards the dense forest that lay in front of us. In the trees lay the bodies of my family. I couldn’t find the voice to scream but I watched as Clear got up and walked into the forest.