TEEN: Promise you won’t change? | a hunger games fanfic

[mastermind lissi]

Spoiler: Authors notes!

hi! I had a sudden motivation/inspiration rush and wanted to write out a bit about two of my hunger games ocs, Sienna elwood and cassia briar. This happens a day before the reaping, I hope you enjoy!

rated teen for: mentions of death and violence, more will come later and I might update this section. If this ever needs to be bumped up to mature, or anything like that (or if you’d like me to Tw anything else, tell me!

the intro in italics is the intro text from the first hunger games film

From the Treaty of Treason:

In penance for their uprising, each district shall offer up a male and female between the ages of 12 and 18 at a public “Reaping.”

These Tributes shall be delivered to the custody of The Capitol. And then transferred to 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.


Sienna Elwood, a 13 year old girl from district 7 of Panem, tried to tune out the tv broadcast that played every year at her school. It was her least favourite time of the year, the time of year when the Hunger Games happened. She hated the sense of dread she had gotten at the reaping last year, and watching the games on television every year she could remember. She looked across the room at her best friend, Cassia Briar, and she made eye contact, giving her a comforting gaze. Sienna had known Cassia since they had been little kids, and she knew how much Sienna, an emotional, empathetic girl, despised the idea of the games.


When school let out, the two of them walked home together to their neighbouring houses on the edge of the forest that surrounded the district and provided most of the population with their jobs. District 7 was a lumber district, and Sienna and Cassia had quite a bit of experience climbing the trees near their houses and could even use an axe with decent ability. They stopped by Siennas house and dropped off their bags, said hello to her mother, grabbed a small snack, and joined Cassia’s father in his woodworking shop. He said he had a surprise for them.


“Two… pieces of wood.” Cassia said, questioning the gifts from her father. He smiled.

“I thought that I’d let you two carve each other a sort of token, so if either of you ever end up in the games, you’ll have something to remember each other by!” He explained.

“…if?” Sienna didn’t want to think about the “if”, but accepted the offer and used his guidance to make a rough-looking heart shaped piece of wood. Cassia had a similar one in her hand. They watched as her father sanded down the pieces of wood, and strung them onto pieces of string.

“Here. You can wear them as a sort of necklace now.” Cassias father said as he handed them back. They put them on, admiring each other’s handiwork. The two girls thanked him and ran off to the large tree behind their houses.

Sienna and Cassia climbed up onto the big, sturdy branch they always sat on, the one that overlooked their town. They shared the chunk of bread they’d been given by Sienna’s mother, and it was a few minutes until someone finally said something.



“Hey Cass?” She said, using her nickname for Cassia, “What if… one of us really does get reaped tomorrow?” Sienna wondered, finally getting the thought out of her head.



“Well… then I guess we’ve got to make it out of that arena and back to Seven, right?” Cassia said, trying to be hopeful. Cassia was always the one who would try to cheer up Sienna. She sighed, failing to keep on the bright side. “I guess-“ she paused to think. “I just hope neither of us changes in the arena.” Sienna looked at her.


“Promise?” Sienna asked. Cassia smiled, though not very much.



“Promise.”​

 

[mastermind lissi]

Spoiler: TW and Authors notes, please read!

hiii new chapter

I switched to writing this from siennas pov, cause she’s the main character and after looking at how the original hunger games books were written. I hope you enjoy!

again, Tw for a bunch of mentions of death and stuff

I tried to stay calm as my mom braided a small section of the hair on the side of my face. She had pulled in one of my floppy bangs, keeping it mostly out of my face. The usual strand of hair still fell on my face, and I didn’t try to get rid of it. My hair was a reddish-light brown colour, which my mother called sienna, just like my name. It was the reaping day, the day where everyone would gather around the capitol stage that had been built in front of the town hall. The colourful lady from the capitol would read out the names of a boy and a girl from two glass balls full of slips of paper. My least favourite day of the year. Thankfully, it didn’t start until twelve o’clock, and school was cancelled that day, leaving everyone with the morning completely free.

I walked out of my house, and over to Cassia’s door. She was getting ready for the reaping too. They required us all to look our best for the Capitol, as they had camera crews on that stage. I knocked on her door, as I didn’t want to just stand outside for very long. Her mother opened it, and Cassia ran over. She was wearing a deep magenta dress with a skirt that fell past her knees. It complimented her usual pink headband and shoulder-length dark hair.

“Sienna! You look so pretty!” She said, admiring my outfit. I was wearing a blue shirt with white sleeves and collar, not too different from our usual school uniforms. My mother had tied a red ribbon under the collar, adding to the otherwise boring top. The skirt was also blue, but ended around my knees.

“Thanks! I wish the reaping wasn’t the only reason for us to ever look nice…” Cassia dropped something in my hands. A piece of chocolate. Neither of our families were poor or rich, but chocolate was something you’d barely ever have here in district 7. It might seem silly, but it definitely made me feel a lot better, even forgetting that today was the reaping day. “Cass… how did you get this?”

She smiled, and didn’t elaborate. We climbed up into our tree, trying not to do anything to our reaping outfits, and shared it on our usual branch. With the reaping in about an hour, this could be the last time we did this. I tried to shake the idea from my brain, because neither of us would get reaped! We never had to take tesserae, a small amount of grain and oil in exchange for getting your memes entered another time. But that meant neither of us have siblings to keep down the amount of food each of our families needed. Since we were both thirteen, our names would be entered twice. I bit into the chocolate, trying to calm myself down. It was sweet, and felt nice when it melted on my tongue. I tried to eat in smaller pieces to savour it, but Cassia stuck her entire half in her mouth.

Once we had finished, we sat in silence again. I looked out over the town, thinking about how I might never see this again. I saw the capitol stage being set up in front of town hall. There were large screens ready to broadcast this lottery of life and death. Cassia looked over at me. “Remember what I said yesterday?” She asked, also looking off at the stage. I nodded, and I could feel a tear well up in the corner of my eye. I had given up on trying to hold them back.

“I don’t want to go to the games! I just wanna stay here with you and my mother and father…. I don’t want you to go either!” I didn’t care that I sounded like I was whining. This could be my last hour here in district seven. Cassia put her arm around me.

“You’ll be fine sienna, we’ll both be.” She said. Cass was always the one calming me down. I wiped my eye. I’m not gonna sit here crying, I have to enjoy this hour. I put my hand to the wooden heart pendant. We sat there for a good bit, taking in the scenery and savouring these last moments before the reaping.

“Cassia! Sienna!” My mother called. It was time for the reaping. We climbed down, again careful of our outfits. Our parents joined us at the bottom, and walked with us to the town hall. When we arrived, our parents wished us luck and hugged us, then walked over to the area where the adults were to gather.

Cassia squeezed my hand as we walked over to the check in desk. A small table was set up with a volunteer who would take a blood sample from every kid coming in, so the Capitol could keep a record of everyone. It hurt, but what was I expecting? We walked over to the 13 year old section, where we saw a lot of our classmates and a lot of people we didn’t know. None of us wanted to be there.

We all watched as the mayor of our town explained the treaty of treason, the same thing we had heard in school. After he was done, the same colourful Capitol lady as always came up to read the names of the two tributes. I squeezed Cassias hand as we waited in anticipation to see which two kids would be sent to die this year.

“As always, ladies first!” She called out, walking towards the glass ball with the girls names. The moment where she pulled it out and unfolded it seemed like an eternity, and the sense of dread hit me hard. I clenched Cass’ hand harder, wanting for this to be over. “The female tribute this year will be….”


“Sienna Elwood!”​

 

[mastermind lissi]

Spoiler: Authors notes!

I got a sudden motivation and finally finished this! I hope you enjoy it!

Tw: as always, mentions of death and violence

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Oh no. Oh no. No no no no. How could this happen? My names only in there twice, I know kids my age with their names in there 10 times, and some of the 18 year olds with tesserae have even more! How did my name, in all those little slips of paper in that glass ball, come out? I could feel the crowd moving away from me, exposing me to the cameras. Cassia tried to let go of my hand, but I just held on tighter. I can’t! I can’t go into the arena!

“Sienna…” I heard cass say. I know I should be up on that stage, but I had froze. I couldn’t move. I can’t go up there! It’s one step closer to death! I felt tears streaming down my face, but the image of peacekeepers snapped me out of it. I didn’t want them coming and shooting me even earlier. Slowly, I made my way up to the stage, still unable to stop the tears. Up there, I saw two people sitting up there I didn’t see before. A girl with short dark hair who seemed like she was in her early twenties, and a blonde man who seemed about thirty. Suddenly, their faces clicked. They were two of the district seven victors, Willow Saule and Arbor Bosch. They were going to be me and my partners mentors and the people trying to keep us from dying.

The Capitol lady made her way to the other glass ball of names. “The boys now!” She said. She plucked a piece of paper from the pile, and read it out. “Jimson Duckweed!” A boy who seemed about 16 made his way up to the stage. He didn’t seem to hesitate coming up here, but he didn’t seem excited. “These are our tributes for the 70th annual hunger games!” The Capitol lady called out. “Sienna Elwood and Jimson Duckweed!” She motioned for us to shake hands as the two victors stood up. We shook hands quickly, and he seemed like he wanted this to be over as much as I did.

Two peacekeepers took us inside the building, and into two separate rooms where they told us to wait. I sat there quietly, trying not to start crying again. What were they gonna do to me here? The door opened, startling me. It was my parents!

“Sienna!” They said, grabbing me in a hug. I started to talk in panic about what will happen next, but my mother stopped me. We stood in silence for a good minute or so. “You’ll be ok. You’ll be ok Sienna.” My father said. They each gave me one last kiss before the peacekeepers made me leave. I was left there alone again. It was only a few seconds before the door opened again. Cass!

“Sienna!” She said, pulling me into another hug. “The peacekeepers only give us a few minutes in here to say goodbye, but they also let you bring something to remember your district by, a small token. Hold onto the necklace we made yesterday. Don’t forget about us. Don’t forget about me.” And for one of the only times in my life, I saw Cassia start to cry. We heard the peacekeepers coming, and she quickly wiped away her tears and grabbed my hands. “Don’t forget the promise we made.” She said as the peacekeepers grabbed her.

Great. Now I’m really alone. The door stayed open this time. The capitol lady led me and Jimson into a car that drove us over to the train station. No one said anything. As we boarded the train, we saw that the two victors were already there, standing around a table with a lot of food on it. Willow leaned against a small piece of wall separating the main car from another.

“Looks like these two are our new tributes. I guess it’s gonna be the same as every year. We can at least try, the big one looks promising.” She said in a sort of monotone voice that almost made it sound like she was teasing us, but I could tell from her expression that she wasn’t. Willow had won the games about six years ago, when she was fifteen. I was only seven then, but I still have faint memories of her games. She had climbed trees and went hunting at night, lasting until there were five of them left. I can’t remember the details, but I do remember her barely taking down a career tribute to win.

The Careers were the tributes from districts one, two, and four. They train their tributes to survive in the games, and unlike most of the rest of us, they actually volunteer. Those districts also have some of the best fed tributes. They usually team up, and are the most likely to win. I shivered as I wondered what the careers would be like this year.

Arbor looked at the food on the table. “Do you two want to eat something?” Me and Jimson were hesitant at first. My appetite had been basically destroyed with the shock of everything, but when I took a bite of some bread, I realized how hungry I was. I usually had a pretty good amount of food at home, but like anywhere in the districts, it was never a lot. I guess I should be thankful that I had more in district seven than some kids in districts like twelve might. We ate in silence, no one wanting to say anything.

About halfway through, the capitol lady, whose name we out found was Clio (she wouldn’t tell us her last name), came out of her room in the train and joined us for lunch. “What a wonderful group we have this year!” She said, in the high pitched capitol accent. No one responded, and I saw Willow and Jimson glare at her in the corner of my eye. Clio didn’t seem to notice, or care. As we finished eating, Arbor attempted to start a conversation.

“Jimson, Sienna. Me and Willow will be your mentors, and when we get to the capitol, we will try to help you as much as possible before the games. Willow will be with Sienna and I’ll have Jimson.” Willow looked at me, and smiled. It was a small smile, almost a smirk. “I think you two would want to go to your rooms? Maybe some sleep, we won’t arrive in the Capitol until tomorrow. Me and Jimson both agreed, and headed to our rooms, and Clio went off to hers.

There was a bathroom connected to my room, and inside was a shower. I stepped inside, only now realizing how many buttons there were to press. Soap, shampoo, water, basically everything. I felt refreshed, and I had pulled on a chunky sweater and pair of pants from a drawer. I placed my reaping dress on the top of the drawer, and found the wooden pendant. I held it in my hands, wondering what Cassia was doing right now. Did she keep living her life as usual? How different could it really be without me? I thought of my parents. They must be heartbroken that they’ll probably never see me again. I slip the necklace on as I hear a knock on my door.

“Come in!” I call, wondering who it was. Willow opened the door. I was sitting on the bed, and she stood in the doorway. My mentor seemed to examine me, maybe to figure out a way for me to win. A thought came into my mind. “What’s it like? Being a victor, that is.” I asked, remembering her comment earlier about it being the same as every year.

“…it’s better than being dead. At least I think. Not very sure nowadays.” She said after taking a while to think. “What about you? Would you rather die in the arena or make it out?” I paused. I’d much rather be alive, right? I’d see my family and friends again, plus have a house in the victors village.

“I’d rather be a victor… it would save the people I love a lot of grief.” I decided. She sighed, and sat down on the bed with me.

“You’d be surprised. That arena can do a lot to you, and you’re never really free from it, not with that President Snow.” This scared me a little. I had promised Cass I wouldn’t change in the arena. Did this mean Willow wasn’t always like this? She seemed so… detached from the rest of the world, while also noticing everything. “I’d better let you get some sleep. The Capitol awaits.” She said, standing up and leaving. I didnt feel tired at first, but after I while I had passed out, with willows words still echoing in my head.​

 

[mastermind lissi]

Spoiler: Authors notes

chapter four finally it’s been like two weeks lol

so yea. It’s a chapter. Of the Fic. Hehe

tw: the death and murder and violence mentions as always (do I need to keep specifying this?)

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I wake up to Clio knocking on the door. “Rise and shine, darling, we’re almost here!” I take a quick shower, and pull on what seems to be an almost exact copy of the outfit I wore yesterday. I walk out of the room while loosely braiding my hair. Jimson, Clio, Arbor, and Willow are already in the main car. Jimson was looking out the window, probably wanting to see the Capitol as we arrive. He looked back at me.

“We’re here.” He said, turning back to the window. I join him, as the Capitol comes into view. It was definitely very different from district seven, and I immediately noticed the lack of trees. I could see large white buildings with a river of some sort in between the train tracks and the land. It was so… sophisticated, and seeing it in person made me forget why I was here. In the corner of my eye, I could see Willow smiling.

As we pulled into the train station, Clio called us to the doors of the train. “Welcome to the Capitol! Don’t forget to smile!” She said as they opened. There were lots of people, reporters I think, all dressed in the colourful Capitol fashion I can only describe as strange. They tried to ask us questions or get a picture of us. Feeling small, I grabbed Jimsons arm, as he was much bigger than me. He didn’t push me away, and we followed Clio through the crowd and onto the streets.

I looked up at the tall towers of the Capitol, which were much larger now that I walked underneath them. Even taller than the trees that grow back at home, I thought, and a small wave of homesickness hit me. It was quickly pushed back by Clio opening a door to a building. She called it the tribute centre, and we walked through the lobby to an elevator. Arbor pushed the button labeled with the number seven, which I guessed was because we were all from district seven, minus Clio.

The elevator stopped in a large room, probably larger than my entire house. It had a living area with a couch, armchairs, and a large television. There was a large window instead of a wall on one side, and on a different wall were doors. I guessed those lead to what would be our rooms. A kitchen and dining area were off to another side. “This will be our home for the next week or so, as we get you too ready for the games!” Clio said.

We gathered onto the couch and armchairs, and recaps of some of the readings. The two district one tributes looked well fed and strong, but also like they were trying to look more pretty than menacing. The district two tributes were the opposite, looking strong and formidable. District four’s tributes looked pretty average compared to the other two career districts, but still looked like solid careers. All six tributes had volunteered. As we moved out of the career districts, it became hard to watch. Some tributes had panicked, just like I did. Suddenly, it hit that I might have to kill these people in the arena. That I might get murdered by a career. It made me feel panicked and sick all over again. “I-I think I’m gonna go lie down. I feel tired.” I said, just wanting to get away from the games altogether. I know I can’t, so I at least escaped watching the reapings.

I sat on the bed, thoughts still racing. I look around the room to try and talk myself down. On the nightstand, I see a remote of some sort. I tap the screen, which is the entire surface of it. The large window is replaced by a city scene with people walking around, probably the streets of the Capitol. I tapped it a few more times, and it ended up in a forest. It looked like the forests of district seven, and it calmed me. Having something familiar in this crazy whirlwind of events Is really comforting.

It seemed to be getting late, so I took a shower and climbed into the bed. There was a bowl of bread on the bedside table, so I took one. I hadn’t eaten since we’ve gotten here, and I didn’t feel like leaving the room right now. I finished it, and tired to get to sleep. I had just drifted off when my dreams filled with images of the games. Of the careers I saw in the reapings. Of the games I’d seen before. And Willows words. “You’re never really free from it, not with that president snow.” What does that mean? My dreams turned back to images of the games. The career pack was coming at me, the district 2 boy with a knife. He leaned in to kill me, and that’s when I shot awake.

My heart was beating, and my breathing was heavy. I don’t want to give back to sleep, and I don’t think I can, anyways. Breathing slower now, I try to be quiet while opening my door and stepping out. I walk over to the large window, looking out it. The Capitol city at night was really beautiful, with all the lights cars glowing. I hear a sound from behind me, startling me. It was Jimson.

“The view is pretty from here.” He said, not questioning why I was awake at this hour. I guessed he also couldn’t sleep. I nod as he walks over to sit on the floor next to me. I lean onto his arm, and again, he doesn’t push me away. He brings up District Seven, and without looking at each other, we have a conversation about home. He works out in the forests chopping trees, while I mostly help my father with things. We talk about our favourite shops in the town, about our favourite trees in the forest, about the people there. In a way, Jimson feels like an older brother to me, even though I’ve only known him for two days. He gives the kind of comfort I’ve been missing since I’ve left Cassia and Distrcit Seven.

After a while, we stop talking, and just look out at the Capitol city. I close my eyes, feeling calm and like I could actually sleep. Jimson must have felt this and moved his hand to make it more comfortable for me. I drift off, not thinking about the games or the Capitol, but of home. Of Jimson. It’s calm, and peaceful. It’s probably the best I’ve felt, or am going to feel, for a while.

 

[mastermind lissi]

Spoiler: Authors notes :D

hey hey hey! just think, while you’ve been getting down and out about the dirty dirty cheats of the world, you could’ve be getting down to this sick beat
um ignore that it was just stuck in my head hehe…
anyways yea new chapter it’s here finally yaaay
as usual, rated teen for (tw): death and violence and whatever mentions (I don’t remember the exact contents of this chapter but I know it’s nothing bad, no actual death or anything yet

also, later when the story gets to the actual hunger games, it will probably be bumped to mature just because of the amount of death happening.

i hope you enjoy this chapter!

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I wake up to Arbor tapping my shoulder. Me and Jimson had both fallen asleep in front of the window. Willow stood by the table, which was set with food. “Hey kids, neither of you ate anything, you should probably get something before you meet your stylists.” Right on cue, Clio walks out of her room and explains.


“You and all the other tributes are going to head out on the parade on the Capitol street, and your stylists are going to make you look stunning for the crowds! Even the president himself will be there!” She says excitedly. I remember this from previous years. The tributes would be dressed in an outfit relating to their district, like district 12 being in coal miner suits or district 4 being fisherman. The district 7 kids had been trees for as long as I could remember, so this should be interesting.

Clio walks us down to the Remake Centre, another building that was only about two stories tall. She says that we will meet our stylists and prep team, who will get us ready for the chariot parade later this afternoon. We walk into the first floor, which was a large waiting room. I see a few other tributes, but I’m not sure what districts they’re from. The thought that I might have to kill them, or be killed by them, pops up again. I grab Jimsons arm to calm myself, and I’m pretty sure he’s used to it at this point.

We get called in, and are led into separate rooms. I’m left alone in a small-ish room with a sort of table in the middle. I sit down, wait for the prep team to arrive. When it starts to seem like they’re taking a while, my mind fills with thoughts of the games and now the parade. Will the Capitol like us? Will we get sponsors? What will the other tributes look like? Will I mess up and panic on the chariot?

Finally, the prep team arrives. They say their names, but I don’t pay much attention to that, or anything they’re saying for that matter. They’re just as colourful as everyone else I’ve seen so far, and the capitols bizarre fashion will always amaze me. They talk about their lives in their high pitched Capitol accent, while they clean my hair, my nails, and my skin. The three of them have quite a lot to say. Again, I don’t pay much attention, as my thoughts are racing too much to do that. After what seems like forever, they decide they’re done. The little hair on my body is gone, my nails are filed perfectly after being broken from climbing trees, and I’m cleaner than I probably have ever been.

Honestly, it’s more normal than I was expecting, looking at their usual fashion. It’s a bit uncomfortable, but also nice in a strange way. I wait another eternity for the stylist to show up, and wish that Jimson were here. Or Cassia. Even Willow. Just someone. Trying not to let my mind wander again, I look out the large window to the Capitol. It’s a lot busier than it was at night, and I could see the tribute centre from here. I count the floors up to the seventh, where we’re staying. I was just about to wonder about lunch when the stylist appeared.

She seemed to be somewhere in her thirties, and had green curly hair that I think is a wig. She smiled when she saw me. “The district seven girl! Your name is sienna, right? The prep team did a good job with you. You look cute. How old are you?” Just like the prep team, she talks a lot.

“Th-thanks, I guess. I’m thirteen…?” It sounds like a question. She’s so loud and colourful and I’m small and quiet, responding to her seems strange. She talks on about how much she loves district seven with our trees and the forests and how much she loves recreating that in the chariot outfits. I feel like she drags it on quite a bit, but hearing her talk about home comforts me in a way, even if she’s just talking about how “trees are the peak of fashion”.

About an hour later, I am dressed as a tree. The light green and brown look okay, but I’m really starting to wonder why my stylist thinks trees are such a fashion statement. Jimsons dressed in a similar outfit. Clio comes to get us, and leads us down to the main floor. The horses are getting lined up for the chariot parade, and the crowds are here too. They’re in the large stands on the sides of the street, and it feels like the entire city is watching. I look around at the other tributes, and see that most of them look just as ridiculous as us. Who knew the district 10 stylist really thought cows were a great idea. I see the district two boy look at me, and he looks like he’s ready to kill before we even get into the arena. My hand goes back to Jimsons arm, as always. Clio walks over and gives us the instructions.

“Smile! And wave! Be happy! Make them like you!” She said. Jimson smiled slightly and whispers to me.

“Lots of reasons to be happy right now, huh?” I find myself with a small smile too. His sarcasm is true, I guess she does expect us to be happy when we’re basically getting dressed up to die. Clio snaps me out of my thoughts.

“Go on, they’re starting!” Jimson helps me climb into the chariot, and the music starts. The horses start walking, which startles me slightly, but I quickly smile like Clio told me to. I see a camera, as this is being broadcast to all of Panem. I give the camera a small wave. We approach a large building, and I see the president of Panem on a balcony. President Snow! The Capitol citizens are still cheering when our chariots stop suddenly. I get pushed back by the stop and Jimson catches me. We laugh, the fake happiness we had for the Capitol turning real. The audience gave one last cheer before the president began talking. I didn’t pay much attention. When he was finished, the we rode the chariots into a sort of stable in the first floor of the remake centre and were greeted by Clio.

“You two did so well! They loved you!” The crowds didn’t pay that much extra attention to them, but Me and Jimson both thanked her and our good moods continued for the rest of the day. We rode the elevator up to our suite, where Willow and Arbor were waiting.

“Look who’s happy?” Willow said, smiling herself. She looked the happiest I’ve seen her yet. I’m pretty sure we all are. Arbor had set out dinner, and the five of us ate, talked, ignored the reason they were even here and enjoyed the moment.