Groggily, Kurt rolled over in his bed, and wished he was asleep again. Today was the reaping for the 63rd Hunger Games. It wasn't even morning's light outside, yet Kurt sat up in his dark room, pulled on his boots and leather gloves, and slung his gaming bag over his shoulder. He could possibly distract himself from the gloom that was today by hunting. Eyes dull, Kurt walked out of his home in District 12 and went through the fray in the fence that would lead him to the woods. The grass, coated in coal dust, slightly wavered as his friend Rachel skipped up behind him.
"Couldn't sleep either huh? Glad I caught you right as you went out." she said, tightening her brunette braid. They walked into the forest's entrance.
"No, I don't see how it's possible to sleep knowing 24 kids are going to be handpicked to die in a few hours." Kurt replied sadly. Rachel strung her bow and put an arm over Kurt's chest to stop him. Kurt looked where she was looking. A plump weasel skittered out of the brush, Rachel released the string, and it stuck into the weasel's stomach.
"Nice," Kurt told her, going up to it and removing the arrow. He handed it back to her and put the weasel in his gaming bag. "Your turn." Rachel nodded her head at a brown bird sitting in a tree a few yards off. Kurt grinned, brought a sai sword out of his belt and flung it at the bird. The sword glinted as it hit. A faint crash sounded in the leaves. Whooping triumphantly, Rachel high fived him.
"Today might not be a good day but at least we have some hunt to sell!" she said chipperly.
"True statement is true! Let's take this back to Greasy Sae." Kurt went over and gingerly dropped the bird into his bag with the weasel.
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"Finn your pants are on backwards."
"I'm sorry, okay Kurt? I'm just nervous. What if Rachel gets picked? What if you get picked?"
"Then we certainly won't want our last image of you to be you with your pants on backwards."
The stepbrothers bantered throughout the entire process of looking nice for the reaping. Finn couldn't stop worring about Rachel mostly and Kurt kept trying to stay strong about it, which turned out to mean being darkly sarcastic.
"Why do we have to look nice anyways..." mumbled Finn, frowning at his cuff links.
"Looking nice doesn't hurt and besides, the Capitol wants to maintain the image of clean, well-fed and happy District people."
Scoffing at this, Finn bent under the door archway and went to another room to switch his pants around. Burt sniffed loudly. Kurt turned to see him with red eyes in the doorway.
"Dad," Kurt said softly. "Don't cry... look it's my last year in the reaping."
Burt pulled him into a hug. "Damn those crazy people in the Capitol."
They seperated after a moment and walked out of the room, and despite the mood, Kurt still found it funny that Finn had to duck under all the doorways in the house.
------
"Live... are we live?"
The Capitol music blared over the speakers and all of the people in the Distrcit 12 town-square tensed. They were being broadcast across Panem.
"We're live! Oh, good!" chirped Emma Pillsbury, the Capitol representative for their District. "Hell-o!" she sang, pursing her gold lips and touching her pink hair. Two Peacekeepers brought the ballot balls on stage and she grimaced at them when they got close to her. Kurt wondered if she was germaphobic, that would explain the gloves she wore after all.
"Happy Hunger Games, members of District 12! Are you as excited for the 63rd games as I am?" Kurt met eyes with Rachel and they both pulled a face. Could this woman get worse? "Now, it is time to pick the tributes! As always, ladies first." Emma walked across the stage, heels clicking, and dug a hand daintily into the girl's ballot ball. Her hand then pulled back out and she smiled, opening it.
"Rachel Berry!"
Kurt's blood chilled and his head whipped towards Rachel's direction. She was standing still, face frozen. Somewhere in the back of the crowd Finn was screaming and there was a shuffling noise of him trying to get through the Peacekeepers. "Come on!" encouraged Emma. Rachel slowly made her first few steps and was ushered to Emma's side.
"Now the boys!" Kurt's ears were ringing. He and his best friend exchanged a look. How did she get chosen?
"-mel!" Emma stared around at the groups of children and teenagers. "Where are you? Kurt Hummel?"
He staggered back some before remembering that the other tributes were watching. He had to act tough. Confident. Kurt desperately tried to fight the urge to look in the direction of his family's cries as he joined Emma and Rachel on stage, because he knew he would lose all composure. Couldn't do that on camera.
"We have our District 12 tributes!"
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Kurt sat in the puffy chair, staring at the floor, arms on his knees and face in his hands. He couldn't believe this had happened. He wouldn't wish it on someone else though. Destiny had laid a hand he could not give back. What was worse than being sentenced to the Hunger Games was the fact that Rachel was sent too.
"You have 3 minutes." said the Peacekeeper. Kurt looked up to see Finn coming in with a morbid expression.
"Finn-"
"No. Please just listen. I know we've sorta had some fights. A lot actually. Over stupid stuff because we don't really have anything in common but," Finn made Kurt stand and brought him into his arms. "I-I love you, Kurt and nothing will ever change that, ok?" Kurt nodded into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry this happened. When you get out there, you fight hard and watch over Rachel. I've seen your skills with that tri-pointed sword you use to hunt. Make that worth something."
They pulled out of the hug and a similar feeling was reflected. This could be the last time I see my stepbrother.
"Time." the Peacekeeper told them, and Finn left to go see his girlfriend. Kurt was then visited by Burt and Carole, then a friend from the Hob, and then came time to leave.
------
Face sincere again now that the cameras were on him, Kurt boarded the luxurious train to the Capitol and took one last mental picture of District 12. It wasn't a pleasant place to live with the coal dust and the starving, but it was home. The door closed automatically in front of him and began speeding ahead. He relaxed somewhat, watched the train station dissapear around the bend, and headed into the dining car.
"Kurt!" exclaimed Rachel, running around tables to get to him. Kurt gasped and met her halfway, crashing into an embrace.'
"It's not under good circumstances but I'm glad you're here, Rachel. Well."
"I know." she shrugged. "One or both of us is not coming home... but at least we have each other."
They did their secret handshake and snickered. Next their attention was turned to the feast around them. "Never have I seen such delicacies." said Kurt, eyes scanning the pretty cakes and plates of meat. They both sat down and began sampling things.
The full effect of this Capitol food's taste hit them immediately.
"Oh my god this flavor exists?!" Rachel managed to say through a mouthful of lemon danish. Kurt eyed a dark bubbly drink. Cautiously, he sipped it.
"WHAT IS THIS." he shouted, expression in awe. "Diet Coke!" Emma told Kurt, entering the car.
"I think I'm in love. Please say there's more of it." Kurt pleaded. Emma giggled and Kurt suddenly remembered that he hated these people. He musn't get sucked into the niceness of their ways and things, because they still watch children kill eachother for entertainment, and soon that would be him getting watched.
"Meet Will Schuester, your mentor."
A very drunk, very messy, very curly-haird man came in behind Emma. Rachel and Kurt slowed their eating and took him in.
Will sighed and half-fell into a chair across from them. "Alright. You got some stuff to learn. Quit stuffing your faces and get ready to pay attention."