The Bending Games: An Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Hunger Games Crossover

Summary:

The 12 Districts of Panem are being made to pay for the rebellion that happened 74 years ago by sending 2 children from each district off to their deaths. The Avatar, on the side of the rebels, attempted to assist in the demise of the Capitol, but was killed in battle. The Capitol, believing the Avatar gone for good, has set up the Hunger Games. These Games are very unfair. There are usually two to three benders in these Games, hailing from what are usually known as the "Career Districts". It is usually a bender who ends up winning the Hunger Games.

When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers for her sister, she appears to be just another starved Seam girl. But in reality, Katniss is anything but.

Katniss has a secret. A secret that could change her - and the fate of Panem, forever.

Chapter 1: It's Reaping Day

I wake up to heat pouring in through my window, crackling flames bright in the air.

"Gale!" I yell exasperatedly, sticking my head out of my window. The flames die down until they are gone, leaving my best friend, and hunting partner, Gale Hawthorne, standing outside my window.

"Morning, Catnip," he replies cheerfully, creating a tiny flame in between his fingers. I roll my eyes. Showoff.

Attempting to remain stoical, I do a quick glance around the perimeter. "Gale," I scold. "You know that firebending out in public isn't safe!"

"I know," Gale sighs. "But it's so incredible! Even after eighteen years of being able to firebend, I still can't get over how cool it is!"

"Yes, yes," I reply hurriedly. "Give me a minute. I've got to change, I'll be out in a moment. And be quiet, would you? Mother and Prim are still sleeping!"

Not waiting for Gale's response, I shut my window and pull on a worn pair of trousers and a blouse. I slip into my leather hunting boots, the fabric clinging to my feet. I grab my father's hunting jacket, and jog out of the house, rendezvousing with Gale behind my home.

"Hey," he greets me casually, fire burning in both his hands.

"Gale, stop it."

"Aw, c'mon. Lighten up, Catnip. After all, if I were the Avatar like you, I'd be flaunting my abilities everywhere!" he jokes.

"Shh!" I quiet him, looking around to make sure no one heard.

I might be a normal Seam girl, if it wasn't for the fact that I illegally hunted in the woods. Or that I'm the Avatar.

The Avatar is the bridge between the real world and the spirit world. They can control all four elements: water, earth, fire, and air. I was born a firebender, like Gale, and I've mastered earth, fire, water, and air. I'm a full-blown Avatar now that I've mastered all four elements.

Unfortunately for me, I can't go fulfill my Avatar duties just yet. The Capitol believes that the Avatar was killed during the war seventy-four years ago. And especially since I live in District 12, which is most likely the most remote district in all of Panem, it really would not be a good idea to go proclaiming my Avatar status. The Capitol would most likely arrange for my "accidental" death.

"Anyways," I continue, interrupting my train of thoughts. "Let's go to the woods. Might as well get some hunting done before the Reaping, right?" I try to crack a smile, but on the worst day of the year, it's rather hard to be happy.

Today is Reaping Day. That means that today, the Capitol will pick one boy and one girl, both between the ages of twelve and eighteen, to go fight to the death in an Arena, created by the Capitol, of course.

Each district must do this. That means that a total of twenty-four tributes will be placed in an Arena to fight for their lives. A few Career ones will probably be benders, which puts the odds moreso in their favor, rather than in the favor of us outlying districts.

I shudder, imagining how this year's Hunger Games will go about. How many tributes will die during the initial bloodbath in the Cornucopia. How many will die gruesome deaths at the hands of cruel Career tributes.

Gale and I begin to walk together towards the fence that guards our district from the monstrosities of the woods.

What if Gale, or his younger brother Rory is reaped? Rory, who has turned twelve just last month, is now eligible for the Reaping.

I know exactly what Gale would do if Rory were Reaped. He'd volunteer, not caring about the consequences. Knowing that he'd have to firebend for his life in the Arena.

I know that I'd do the exact same thing for Prim, who has also just turned twelve.

Turning my attention away for the horrific thoughts, I get on my belly and slide underneath the fence that surrounds District 12. Sometimes, should the electricity come on (it barely ever does) the fence will buzz with power. But most of the time, like today, it is silent.

Gale follows my movements, and together, we traipse towards the woods.

We begin following a path familiar to us, one that we have used for years. We trace our steps to the hollow log that contains both of our bows and sheaths of arrows that I created using my earthbending.

Hunting is fairly easy for me, considering that I'm the Avatar. I use my earthbending to create new bows and arrows. Firebending comes in handy when I decide to tip my arrows with fire, to kill my prey even more quickly and easily. I even use airbending to move around more silently, to creep up on unsuspecting prey. Waterbending helps when water is scarce, since I've discovered the ability to bend the water from living plants. To say the least, I'm powerful. And with Gale and I hunting together, we're unstoppable. The regular residents of District 12 rarely ever venture out even to the Meadow, but Gale and I, with our talents and incredible abilities, have made it far outside the fences of District 12. And we make it farther and farther every day.

Gale and I sling our supplies over our shoulders and head to our usual spot, a large clearing overlooking some of the forest. There's a large boulder that we sit atop together, and some berry bushes that we pick from.

Today, it is sweltering hot and berries are in full bloom. I pluck a ripe one from a bush and toss it into my mouth, giggling when Gale imitates me.

We move to the rock, where we sit together, shoulder-to-shoulder. This is how it always is. If Gale and I aren't hunting, we're sitting together on our rock, staring at the forest, thinking.

Many a time, we sit here together for hours, lost in thought. I think about how it might be like if I ran away. But it's a ridiculous notion. After all, how could I ever leave Prim, the only person I'm certain that I love? Or Gale, my best friend, and his family?

No, District 12 is my home, and always will be. I could never leave, even if I wanted to.

Gale and I sit together for awhile, just sitting and thinking, before we go check our traps and snares. It was a lucky day for us, because we caught a few fish, a rabbit, and plucked a quart of strawberries from a large bushel protected by netting that Gale set up.

Gale and I divide the fish and decide to sell the rabbit at the local black market, also known as the Hob. It's where citizens and Peacekeepers alike go to trade clothing, food, and other supplies for necessities.

I didn't begin venturing into the Hob until last year. When I was younger, I used to go with my father. But he was killed in a mining accident a few years ago. I still feel immense guilt about it, knowing that I might have somehow been able to stop the mine from collapsing using my earthbending. But now, the people from the Hob respect me and my ability to find food. Perhaps it's because I just grit my teeth and pull through anything, or because my father was respected too, the people at the Hob treat me like an adult.

We sell the rabbit at the Hob for a few coins, which we split amongst ourselves. Before heading home, Gale remembers that Mayor Undersee, the Mayor of District 12, has a particular liking for strawberries.

"C'mon, Catnip, We can sell half of them to the Mayor and make a pretty penny." Gale grins adventurously.

"Fine," I relent, and together, we traverse to the Undersee mansion. Gale rings the doorbell and taps his foot impatiently as we wait for someone to answer.

The door creaks open and Madge Undersee peeks out, her blonde hair pulled into a sleek bun. Madge is Mayor Undersee's daughter, a girl that I consider not a friend, but an acquaintance. We sit together at lunch in school, but rarely ever talk, which neither of us seems to mind.

"Katniss. Gale," she acknowledges, leaning out of the doorway, light reflecting off of her pretty white dress. A spark of light hits a small golden pin which is pinned onto the collar of her dress.

"Pretty pin," I remark vaguely.

"We wanted to know if your father would like some strawberries," Gale interrupts stiffly. His eyes bore into Madge's and she shrinks back a little before nodding and retreating back into her home to get some money.

We wait a few moments until Madge comes back, coins in hand. She gives them to us, and Gale and I split them, half-and-half. I hand her half of the strawberries and she takes them graciously.

"Pretty dress," Gale nearly snarls as I turn to leave. Madge looks surprised, and hurt gleams in her eyes.

"Yes, I suppose it is," she says coolly. "I want to look nice if I go to the Capitol, don't I?"

"You won't be going to the Capitol." Gale's lip curls angrily and out of the corner of my eye, I notice a small flame erupt in his hand.

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Gale. Let's go." I turn to leave and wave my hand in the air. "Goodbye, Madge."

"Bye, Katniss!" Madge's melodic voice calls as I walk away with Gale.

Gale takes a deep breath and I remove my hand from his shoulder. "Gale, you can't let your temper get the better of you. You know that."

Gale nods and his muscles, which were tense, relax. I know he's not angry at Madge. Just at the way that the Reaping system works.

For poorer families like Gale's and mine that live in the Seam, we enter our names into the Reaping bowl additional times in exchange for an extra, meager supply of grain and tesserae. Gale's name is in the Reaping bowl about forty-something times, while mine is in sixteen. I wouldn't let Prim take any grain and tesserae, though. The last thing I need is her being Reaped.

When I reach my home, Gale's parting words are "Wear something pretty. After all, the Avatar needs to look good at a Reaping, right?" I simply nod and go inside, treading up to my room, where this year's Reaping dress is laid out for me.

I gasp a little. It's one of my mother's old dresses, one that she owned back when she lived on the merchants' side of town. It's the rich part of town, the one in which all of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed people reside in. My mother used to live there, before my Seam father captured her heart. My father was a hunter, and sometimes brought her healing plants for the apothecary she ran. I sometimes help my mother. Occasionally, the Seam people will bring in an injured person. My mother gives them medicine to knock them out, and while they are unconscious, I use my waterbending to heal them. It usually works, although there are always some injuries that are far beyond my capability of healing.

I touch the soft dress. The soft blue fabric is lovely. I smile and draw a bath for myself, scrubbing off the layers of grime and dirt that manage to attach to my skin.

When I step out of the old bathtub, I feel clean and refreshed. The cold water washed away, along with the dirt, all of my problems, leaving me feeling happy. I hum to myself as I slip on the dress, taking a peek in the cracked mirror leaning against the wall.

Wow. I love it.

My mother comes up behind me and smiles gently. "Here, Katniss. Let me do your hair," she says softly, leading me into her bedroom.

After about half an hour of having my hair poked and prodded with pins, I glance in the mirror once again.

My mother's nimble fingers have worked wonders on my hair. Usually in a simple braid, my mother has created a complex braid with twists and turns all over. It looks amazing.

"Thank you," I mutter quietly. I'm still hesitant to rely on my mother for anything, ever since she abandoned Prim and I after my father's death. She just resigned herself to silence, sitting around the house, staring blankly around her.

My bending abilities were our saviors. I caught food that way. I cleaned our water, cooked our dinner, and fixed the leaky roof of our house with my bending.

I turn at the sound of soft footsteps, and find Prim looking at me, an awed expression on her sweet little face.

"You look beautiful, Katniss. I wish I looked like you," she says in a hushed whisper.

I laugh and look at her. She's wearing my first reaping clothes, which are a little too big for her. The skirt has been pinned several times, and the blouse is too big. But she looks - as always - adorable.

"No, I wish I looked like you!" I smile. "Now, tuck your tail in, little duck!" The back of her blouse is coming out from her skirt, creating a duck tail. My nickname for her is little duck, because this happens often with her too-big hand-me-downs.

The old clock in our house chimes once, indicating that it's one-o-clock. The Reaping begins at one-thirty, so I take Prim's hand and we walk to the Town Square together, my mother promising to meet us there in a few minutes.

Usually the Town Square is a calm, peaceful place. But today it's crowded and chaotic. People are yelling, children are crying, and Peacekeepers are taking blood samples.

Prim and I give the Peacekeepers our blood samples before I guide her to the twelve-year-old section near the front of the Square, right near the stage that the two Reaping balls are perched on.

I squeeze her hand reassuringly before melting into the crowd to stand in the sixteens-section, towards the back. I catch a glimpse of Gale in his finest clothes, and he gives me a weak smile before turning back to the stage where the Reaping is about to begin.

Our District escort, a woman by the name Effie Trinket, has just flounced onstage, her pink curls bouncing up and down. I snort silently, willing myself not to look at Gale. I know he's thinking the same thing as me.

Haymitch Abernathy, the only living past Victor from District 12, stumbles his way on stage. He's intoxicated, it's quite obvious. The district laughs a little, and Effie Trinket flushes, her pale cheeks turning crimson.

Next, Mayor Undersee and some more town officials file onstage, taking a seat at the back of the stage. They turn their attention to a large screen set up by the Capitol, and the rest of the District imitates them.

The Treaty of the Treason is read, along with a visual representation. I shudder a little, and stand up straighter. Finally, it ends, and Effie Trinket beams with excitement.

"Welcome, welcome," she says excitedly into the microphone. "The time has come to select one courageous young man and woman for the honor of representing District 12 in the Seventy-Fourth annual Hunger Games!"

The District is silent as Effie Trinket makes her way to the girls' Reaping Bowl. "Ladies first," she says with a knowing wink.

Her hand is in the Reaping Bowl, snaking its way around. Her fingers grasp one tiny slip of paper with an unknown name written on it, and I squeeze my eyes shut tightly, praying desperately that it's not me.

"Hmm, hmm!" Effie Trinket clears her throat loudly and smiles. "Primrose Everdeen!"

No. No, no, no no no. Not Prim!

I feel as though I'm drowning. I can't breathe, and every moment is agony. I want to scream, but I can't find my voice. Prim, how could Prim, my little duckling, be Reaped when her chances were so slim? She was only one slip in thousands!

It's when I see Prim beginning to walk towards the stage, fists clenched at her side, the back of her blouse forming a duck tail when I begin to really move.

"PRIM!" The strangled cry releases itself from my throat as I propel my way forward, running faster than normal, thanks for my airbending. Peacekeepers attempt to hold me back, but I push through them, not even needing my bending. It's all pure adrenaline.

I sweep Prim behind me with one large push. "I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" I scream desperately.

Effie Trinket merely looks surprised and then smiles. "We have a volunteer!" she crows, motioning me towards the stage. My fear and anger cause me to react violently, and I storm up the steps.

"What's your name, dearie?" She asks me politely.

"Katniss Everdeen," I growl, staring down the crowd. Tears shine in my eyes but I rapidly blink them away. I see Prim standing with mother and Gale, and sigh quietly.

"Oh! I bet my buttons that was your sister!" Effie continues brightly. "Let's all have a round of applause for our new tribute, Katniss Everdeen!"

"Anyways, it's time to choose a boy! Cross your fingers!" Effie bounces over to the boys' Reaping Bowl, where she grabs the first name there is.

"Peeta Mellark!" she reads clearly.

For a second, I almost feel myself go into the Avatar State. The state in which the Avatar is at their most powerful, but also their most vulnerable. Had I gone into it, I probably would have destroyed the Town Square. But I restrained myself.

Not Peeta. Please, not Peeta.

I never thanked him for that one day, when his mother discovered me rummaging for food. She brought a searing hot fireplace poker with her, ready to sever my head from my body, when Peeta came along. He received a beating to the shoulder, but protected me from death.

I was too stunned to have bended her. I was only twelve.

Now, I owe Peeta Mellark my life. And when you are about to go into the Hunger Games, that is not a good thing to owe someone.

Not good at all.

Author's Note:

Hi guys! So I've been thinking of doing something like this for awhile, and now I've finally put the first chapter down in words. I hope you all like it :)

The next chapter will be coming shortly!