Well Now What? /Tommy O'Kelly Standalone/

No one, there was no one. No guy, no girl, not even a single person from District Five to represent them in the 70th Hunger Games. There was no fear of losing a friend, a colleague, no chance of 2 new empty chairs in the classrooms this year. I knew that this Quell twist was going to be interesting but I never expected it to play out like this, leaving not only my District but District 12 without any tributes. To be without a tribute, what does that mean? What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to live as if The Games never happened? As if 23 children are being brutally murdered in an isolated Arena, somewhere deep within the jungles of Panem? To be living through the summer in normality would just be preposterous. As I stand there corralled in the Square with the other males and to not here a single name called out.

What should I do?

As the Reaping draws to a close, President Snow giving his closing remarks and reminders on how “the rebellion has affected more districts than others bullshit”, I stand there in awe and shock. Usually the protocol is simple, easy to follow as it has been ingrained in me since my first memories. After the Reaping I go home and watch the Games with my family after school and after the daily tour of the power plants. I cheer and hope for the tributes from District Five to make it through and rejoice when they win, as I did when Patricia and Lethe won. I was supposed to feel anger and vengeful for the tributes such as Laila Sycamore who died in her Finale. But there was no one to put my false hope and dreams into.

But now as the screen fades to the Panem symbol and the Anthem drones on, we are ushered out of the Square and are told to go home and celebrate. But the only thing I can think off on our way back home is why us? Why were we left alone? I can understand the intentional neglect of Twelve as they have had the most amount of Victors in the recent years, yet One has a male and female reaped, just per usual. They also have 3 Victor, though more recent than the others. Maybe Snow wanted to give District Two and Four a chance to redeem themselves as Career Districts as they have had little success in the Games compared to their luxurious counterpart.

Yet we saw the giant bowl of names with every child in the District. It’s too coincidental that the Districts with the most tributes have the most controversial of Victors. Leon attempted suicide to create a No-Victor situation, while Julian only won because of the suicide of Reyes Moreno. Let alone his husband Mace, who isn’t too particular of having his private life out in the public while his other Victor counterpart won in the previous Quell herself. Is Snow hoping for another rambunctious Quell Victor, or his exacting his punishment?

But what do you expect from the lower Districts? Twelve for the most part, has kept quiet and too themselves, while 10 all seem to be incredibly loud ranchers. While the Victors from my district are either too busy being a mother or too brooding to be of any actual hope. We like our Victors like that, not drawing any attention. It is very representative of our culture in Five, we like to be left alone, while still being noticed.

I am still unsure on whether or not this Reaping has been rigged in the way that it has been. Yet all I can do for now is to keep my mouth shut, and try to figure out what to do with my time as I reach my oil fields with my sister right behind me.