the Phelborn legacy - chapter 2

Chapter 2

   As my senses came too I realized I was back on Alex's bed. My head was pounding and felt as if I had gotten with the hilt of a sword. Getting up I looked around hoping to find the time, you couldn't be late for the reaping unless you were on your death bed, which I was most definitely not. When my eyes met the clock I tried focusing onto it but everything got blurry and dark. Damn tunnel vision. When my vision cleared I focused on the clock that read "11:45". "SHIT!" I jumped up and ran out looking for Alex and Trance but found nothing, maybe they had already left. I picked up my sword and took of my gloves and glasses and stuck them in my pocket and ran out the door toward the district square, where every single citizen of district two would be waiting for the reaping. As the square came into sight I noticed that the peacekeepers were just beginning to pack up for sign ins when I tumbled across and nearly knocked their table over "im here. Im hear" I had sprinted all the way there which was about a mile run so I breathing quite heavily and couldn't steady it no matter how hard I tried. The two peace keepers grabbed my finger and pricked it with a small needle and placed my now bleeding finger on a tiny machine that read out my identity upon tasting my blood " Lucien Phelborn. 16. Brothers, Alex Phelborn and Trance Phelborn. Mother, Glamour Phelborn. Deceased. Father, Troy Phelborn. Deceased," upon hearing my information they walked me over to the boys side of the children ever waiting for the tributes names to be pulled from the two glass bowls on the pedestals. I looked around searching for my two brothers when I heard her call my name "Lucien! Hey!" I looked over and there she was, the prettiest girl in my class. Her name was Katelyn Talor. But everyone just knew her as Katie. Her and I met when we were in "training" for the hunger games. Because my parents died when I was young, I had to opt to be a "career" tribute as most other tributes and districts know us by.  I hated having to join and I hate the title even more since I find volunteering for the gruesome hunger games for glory and honor a foolish and horrible thing. It was how my uncle got killed. But it was the only way I could keep enough money to sustain enough to live for my two brothers and I. we had entered in the school around the same time and were put in a team together. She had a voice like an angel and had about as odd of a name as you can get in district two. Neither of our names really fit in here. We were a good match for each other, where one of us were week, the other made up for and we looked like we belonged together. Brown wavy hair, semi fair skin, tall, and lean. The only thing that differed between us was our eye color, hers was the usual district two brown that nearly 90% of the district had.
    Me, I had an unusual color for our district, my eyes were a grayish blue with a feint hint of orange that circled the pupil. By the time she called my name again I was practically drooling "Lucien!" "oh, hey Katie! You seen my brothers?" "yea they are up in front" "ok, good. You ready?" "sort of, Im hoping we don't have to, but its looking that way isn't it?" "yea it is. Wel.." all of a sudden a peacekeeper appeared from no where "HEY! You two, keep quiet!" after hearing this we both looked at each other knowing we were thinking the same thing. Then, it started. They started playing Panem's national anthem and started reading off the same story they did earlier today. After that went on for at least ten minutes, I wanted to cut my own throat  with my sword out of boredom. Finally, our trainer stepped up, our latest district victor, haven "sword breaker" honey hand. "hello and welcome all you brave young men and women to the selecting of the tributes for the honor of being in the 100th hunger games! Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor!" there was rumor that she was becoming addicted to an opiate drug from depression but she seemed perfectly fine up here now, then again, a lot of things can be covered up for the need of proper show man ship for the capitol. Then our district announcer stepped up. His name, Galdour Balin, he only ever came to the district from the capitol if he absolutely had too…and this was one of those days.
    he first stepped up to the female's bowl and made a snide remark "ladies first" with a smirk across his face, he reached into the bowl, shuffled his hand around and pulled out a single slip. Walked over to the middle podium and unfolded the paper, he gave a long period of silence and then said "this years honorary female tribute for district two will be!…" this short period of silence I stood there begging it to not be Katie's name. "KATHRINE STONECLAW!" kathrine stoneclaw? The nae didn't ring any bells but when she finally walked up there it hit me who she really was. She was part of the elite class of careers, the best of the best. These people never volunteered, but when their names were drawn, they never backed down, and this was a perfect year for her. With me baffled at kathrine's named being called, I hadn't even noticed the boys name was drawn and now being brought back to the podium. Then it hit me. This was Alex's first year in the running for the hunger games! He had just turned twelve only two weeks ago and now his life was on the line. The short time it took for galdour to get to the podium and open the slip was all I needed to get my palms sweating and to become a paranoia filled ticking time bomb. Finally, he spoke "this years honorary district two tribute will be…Ale.." before they could continue, my mouth shouted out with a mind of its own and shouted "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" at first I didn't believe I said that until everyone in the district was staring at me and a peacekeeper pushed me forward. By the time I had accepted it I looked back and Katie was running forward to try and grab my hand one last time and stop me, but it didn't happen, as if my body had a mind of its own, it stepped up the stairs onto the stage where galdour held down the microphone. " what is your name brave lad" "my name is Lucien Phelborn" "well there we have it ladies and gents. THIS YEARS TRIBUTES!" at this everyone shouted, some in joy that their child had not been picked, others in fear and agony that no one would stand a chance against this lumix of a girl.
    As I looked down Trance was trying to beat his way through the crowd to get to me and was just as soon electrocuted by a peacekeeper. That is when I jumped from the podium and drew my sword without even thinking and tackled and held the sword at the peacekeepers throat "do that again and you will lose your life" before I could even finish the sentence I had a whole pack of peacekeepers surrounding me. "son, you best sheathe your weapon if you wish to live another day" at this I snapped back to reality and sheathed my sword and stood up. "good, now collecting your belongings and get ready to leave for the capitol." at this the peacekeepers dispersed and gabbed the one on the floor and dragged him away. The second I could get to Trance without obstacle, I rushed toward him "are you ok?! Anything wrong?! Anything hurt?!" "haha no no, calm down im fine, that was pretty sweet what you did" "yea just kind of came over me, idk what it was though" "it was bad ass is what it was" then Katie appeared "it was instinct, its what's going to keep him alive during the games" "ohh hey, you" then Katie punched me as hard as she could in the arm "ow! What the hell was that for?!" "that was for volunteering when you didn't need to!" and then she punched me again "and that is for leaving me for the next few weeks" "haha….ahhh that really happened didn't it?" "yup, you are our mighty district two volunteer this year." "great. Just fucking fabulous!" "aint no good screaming about it, nothing you can do now, should have thought about when you volunteered" "ugggg! I wasn't thinking is what happened, but that doesn't help anything now, I have to get to the loading dock. Come on, help me get Trance up, I only get five minutes with each of you" when I arrived at the loading dock, I was shoved in a small room with one tiny window. "here's your first guest" Trance and Alex walked in.
   Alex was to stunned to say anything. Trance was just laughing "you stupid jackass, you just don't know when to give up do you?" "haha you know we too well bud" "don't die alright? We'll be cheering you on here. And don't worry about us surviving, ill take care of Alex I promise." that's when the peace keeper busted in "your time is up!" and carted Trance and Alex out of the room. Then Katie walked in and jumped into my arms "you shouldn't have done that you dumb bastard I..I…I.." I cut her off for a second "Katie, you'll be fine, but I need you to take care of Trance and Alex" by this time she was crying in my chest "I cant lose you god damnit! You have to come back to me, you understand?! You have to win! I cannot, will not lose you! You hear me?!" "I…yes Katie…I promise I will." and then she reached up and did something I would never have expected. She kissed me…and I faded into a world I had never known before. I actually loved her…I had to win.