Hunger Games Nightmare

Today at school is the day of the reaping. It’s a day where everybody looks their best as they stand in line in the Asa Clark Middle School gym, waiting, hoping and praying that their name does not get called to go and fight to the death for our town, Pewaukee. All eyes are on our school principal, Mr Dull, as he is the one who will choose the names of four people from a basket, two girls and two boys that will go and fight to the death for our town in the Gladiator Dome several miles away. He calls off the girls names first as he does every year. There is an erry silence in the crowd before he says into the microphone, “Kay and Sofi .” You can see the horror on the faces of the two girls now as they walk by to get on the bus that will take them to the place where they will be picked by a trainer to prepare them for the bloody battle that will be televised across the nation. The two girls are in shock, and already have the look of death seared on their faces as if they have no chance to live. “Now for the boys, “announces Mr. Dull as he slowly rustles his fingers throughout the basket. The longer he takes the harder and faster my heart pumps. Boom, boom, boom my heart is now beating like a loud drum. Then he stops, plucks the names from the basket and announces, “James and Max”. I am frozen in place. I never thought that I would get picked. Not in a hundred years. I begin to process the fate that now lies ahead of me as I start the frightening journey toward the bus. I can’t help but think of all the people that I love that I may never see again. All the things I wanted to do with my life that I may never be able to do. It is unbearable As my feet slowly climb the bus steps, I start to pray that I will get picked by an excellent trainer. The bus ride seemed like forever, as we drove through towns with all sorts of people. We drove through small towns and big cities, picking up people along the way who had the same bad luck that I did. These were some of the same kids who would eventually be my opponents. The same unlucky souls who would be fighting for their lives and for a better way of living for the people in the towns they represented. No one could be trusted at this point. As my mind started to drift, I was called back to reality by the screeching halt that the bus made in front of a very large mansion. We had arrived at the place where we were to be picked by our trainers. My eyes popped open as we entered the mansion. Such a beautiful place with marble floors and crystal chandeliers. I felt as if this were a dream. I was escorted to a room by a big strong guy. The next thing I remember was getting called to a big fancy dining room where I was put in a line up to be reviewed by the trainers who were picking their fighters. Turns out that I was the third boy picked from the batch. My trainer’s name, the guy who would prepare me for the fight of my life, was Mitchell. It all seemed to be going ok until Rich, a small boy from Kewaskum, started to shout because he was not happy to be the last one called by a trainer. He ranted for a few minutes about how unfair the process was until two guards dragged him in front of the group and executed him on sight for being disruptive. We were all in shock, but knew to keep our heads down and our mouths shut. My trainer, Mitchell turned out to be a great guy. It was obvious that he had done this several times before. He helped me look up a lot of survival tips on the internet that I will need to know for the Gladiator Dome. Mitchell gave me a sharp throwing knife and advised me that it would be a great weapon to use in close combat, and that it would work even better as a long range weapon. Mitchell and I spent several months together working on strength training and on how to use a weapon, especially the throwing knife. I felt my muscles grow stronger, and my combat confidence also grew with Mitchell as my trainer. I was trained to perfection. Then came the day I had dreaded. The day I was to take the trip to the Gladiator Dome The bus trip to the Gladiator Dome was filled with anxiety. Especially after the bus driver began to instill fear in us with stories that the Gladiator Dome is filled with frightening creatures like a six hundred pound bob cat, twelve-foot poisonous snakes slithering about and a twenty three foot spider that is ready to strike at any moment. But as I got off the bus and entered the Gladiator Dome, I had to put all my fears behind me. I had to think like a warrior. This is the defining moment that Mitchell and I had trained for. The bell rang and I ran for my life. I fell face down in a pile of mud and hid there as I waited to be attacked. Then I felt someone pulling on my arm and calling my name. It was my mom saying , “Max, get up you’ll miss the bus”. I was relieved that my face was actually in my pillow, and all of this was just a dream, with scenes from a book I read the night before. This was one morning that I actually wanted to get out of my bed and on the bus to Asa Clark.