How to Rock the Hunger Games

Hi everyone! It's me introducing my new story How to Rock the Hunger Games. I have been very excited to write this. Stevie and Zander will be introduced in chapter 1. They're both 16 years old. The reaping will come after you see their life in district 12, but they hardly know each other. Before the chapter begins I will tell who is in what district. The other characters will be seen later. The main pairing will be Zevie, with some Grelson and some Kavin. One more thing: I do not own the Hunger Games or How to Rock.

District 1

Molly Garfunkel

District 2

Grace King

District 5

Nelson Baxter

District 11

Kevin Reed

Kacey Simon (They're the only tributes who are friends before the reaping.)

District 12

Zander Robbins

Stevie Baskara

Now, the story will begin…Stevie will be introduced first, and then Zander later.

The morning sun rose over District 12, a sad place full of agony and despair. Many people there never felt happy and dreaded being alive one day after another. One person who felt this way was 16 year old Stevie Baskara. Her heart was withered and shattered; she wished she could go to sleep and never have to wake up again. Unfortunately for her; that couldn't happen; she had to help support her broken family.

The sun's rays began to shine through the dirty, cracked window of Stevie's small room, hitting her right in the face, waking her up immediately. This meant she had to get up and do her usual chores to help support her family. Stevie got up and cringed from the twisting pain in her neck. She didn't have a real bed, just a worn out mattress on the floor. She looked over to her right, where her younger brother Paul peacefully slept. He was only 11 years old, yet his life was full of tragedy. He usually had nightmares and it was Stevie who comforted him. She had 3 other brothers, but only 2 of them were still alive. James age 21 and Judah age 23 worked in the mines all day and were rarely around. Stevie also had a beloved twin brother Eddie; but he was gone and she missed him more than anything.

Stevie never had much of anything in her life. She and Eddie were born in the seam, the poorest area of district 12 on a freezing winter night. Her mom almost died giving birth to them. Stevie's father died in a mine explosion when she was 6. She missed her dad terribly, but was more worried about Paul, because he would never remember his father. The family struggled through the years, and it got worse after Stevie turned 12 when a mysterious virus took her mom away. Now, it was her and her brothers, alone in a cruel world.

Not wanting to wake Paul up, Stevie quietly got dressed and stepped out of the room. Hearing some commotion from outside, she curiously went out and saw a sign that said:

Don't forget, the reaping for the 60th annual Hunger Games is tomorrow!

Attendance is mandatory for all people ages 12-18. Be there or suffer the wrath!

May the odds be ever in your favor.

That struck Stevie in the face. She had forgotten about the reaping tomorrow. She stepped back inside, closed the door and sunk to the floor in despair. The 59th Hunger Games is what killed her brother Eddie. He was chosen last year out of every boy in the district. Stevie tried to stop them from taking Eddie away, but it was no use. Before leaving he promised her that he would try to make it home. Sadly, that never happened. He was killed by a boy from District 1.

Flashback

Stevie watched the 59th Hunger Games with mixed emotions. She had been happy Eddie made it this far, but now his opponents were getting tougher.

She watched Eddie make his way through the forest, looking for more water. It seemed quiet, too quiet. Suddenly, a boy from district 1 charged out of nowhere and tackled him from behind. Eddie tried to fight back, using all his strength, but he couldn't do it. He was stabbed in the stomach. Stevie didn't know what to think when the canon went off. She broke down and had to be carried away by Judah and James. She didn't sleep at all after that. Her best friend was gone forever, and she would never see his warm smile again.

End of flashback

Stevie sat on the floor and silently cried, not wanting to wake Paul up. She whispered to Eddie, hoping he would hear her from above.

'I'm so sorry Eddie' 'It should have been me.'

'If I ever am chosen, I will fight for you.'

She wiped away her tears and stood up. She still had to get food for Paul. Stevie slipped on her boots and almost made it out the door, until she heard a small voice.

"Stevie, where are you going?" It was Paul, looking worried. Stevie held out her arms and he ran over to hug her.

"I have to get food for our family," she said looking at the sadness in her brother's eyes.

"Does that mean you're going to leave me alone again?" He started crying and she wiped his tears with her sleeve. He's had separation anxiety ever since the death of their mom.

"I'm afraid so Paul, but don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can." "Promise me you'll stay here until I get back?" He nodded solemnly and slowly walked to his room. Stevie sighed, picked up her bow and walked out the door.

She walked through the seam to get to the forest. The seam was a horrible place. The homes were run down, people lived on the streets, and everyone was dirt poor. She quickly made her way to the merchant side of the district. It was in better condition than the seam, but she doubted the people there felt differently. She passed by the bakery and saw a handsome boy standing outside, holding a ukulele. The initials on his apron read ZR. He looked familiar, but Stevie couldn't remember who he was. All she remembered that when she was 12, a boy threw her 2 loaves of bread, just as she and her brothers were about to starve to death after their mom had died. She had been grateful, but never bothered to find and thank the kind boy.

Stevie eventually reached the electric fence that blocked the forest. It was usually electrified, but she figured out a way to tell if it was on or off. She made sure it was safe, and climbed over the fence. Now, she was in the forest. She often went hunting with Eddie in the forest. After his death, it just wasn't the same anymore. It was extremely hard for her, but someone had to do it. Stevie almost got caught once, when she saw a hovercraft flying above her. If she hadn't hid in the bushes, they would have seen her.

Stevie stood quietly, waiting for something to show up. Suddenly, she saw a rabbit in the bushes. She shot at it with her bow, but missed. It got startled and darted away. She tried to run after the rabbit, but it was too fast. Irritated, she cursed and continued walking through the forest. After time went by with no results, Stevie saw a large bird sitting on a branch. It tried to fly away, but Stevie remembered a trick Eddie taught her. She quickly shot at the bird while it was in the air, and it fell to the ground with a loud squawk. She ran over and picked up her catch. This was enough for some loaves of bread from the black market. Satisfied, Stevie decided to head back to the district. She walked back until she reached the fence and climbed over it.

Near the far south corner of district 12, was the black market. This was the place where Stevie got all her food. Hunting was her only way to get food, even though getting caught meant immediate death. She stepped inside and walked over to Greasy Sae's stall in the corner. Greasy Sae was a strange but kind woman, who gave Stevie food in exchange for her catch.

"Hi Greasy Sae."

"Hello dear," she smiled kindly. "What did you catch today?"

"This bird," Stevie said setting it down on the counter. "What will it get me?" Greasy Sae picked up the bird and looked at it closely.

"Judging by the size, I say 3 loaves of bread." Greasy Sae took the bird and walked to the back of her stall. A minute later, she returned with 3 loaves of bread and gave it to Stevie.

"Thank you," Stevie said bowing her head in respect. She was about to walk away when she saw something shiny in a metal bowl on the counter. Greasy Sae noticed and smiled.

"Greasy Sae, what is this?" Stevie asked picking up the shiny object. It was a pin with a bird on it.

"It's a mockingjay pin," the old woman said with a smile. "You can have it, free of charge."

"Are you sure?" Stevie asked hesitantly. She had to admit it was a beautiful pin. Greasy Sae simply nodded and Stevie smiled. She walked away and continued back to her house.

Stevie walked past the bakery again, unaware that she had caught the attention of a handsome boy holding a ukulele.

Zander Robbins was standing outside, trying to avoid his brother. He had just seen a beautiful girl pass by. He recognized who she was; Stevie Baskara the girl he had a crush on in kindergarten. He watched her pass by the bakery each day, hoping she would notice. Zander remembered throwing 2 loaves of bread to starving girl when he was 12. She kind of looked like Stevie, but he wasn't sure.

Zander lived his entire life in the merchant area of district 12. His mother died when he was 9. He had a more privileged life than others, being the son of a baker, but that didn't mean he was happy. He was looked down upon by his family due to his greatest passion; music. Zander was an amazing singer and played the ukulele, but in district 12, that got you nowhere. He had first seen his ukulele at the black market. He had to pay 5 loaves of bread for it, and secretly baked the bread while his father was away. Zander's father found out and screamed at him, and his older brother Devin teased him for it.

Zander was supposed to be inside baking cakes. Instead, he chose to stay outside and quietly played his ukulele. His thoughts were interrupted by his brother's annoying voice.

"Hey loser, dad said you're supposed to be baking stuff, not playing your stupid music." Zander turned around angrily and faced his brother, who had an evil smirk on his face.

"First of all," Zander said angrily, "music is not stupid, and second of all, I'm tired of baking bread and cakes." "I want to do something other than this, something that will make people respect me."

Devin laughed and shook his head. "The only way to do that is by getting chosen during the Hunger Games reaping tomorrow, and besides if you do get chosen you would never survive." Zander was fuming angry now.

Zander shoved past his brother and stomped inside up to his room. Singing helped calm him down, but with his dad around, it wasn't the right time. Zander sat on his bed and began to think of the possibility of him being in the Hunger Games. In some way, Devin was right. Could Zander survive the grueling games? If he did, he would be a hero, and his own family would respect him. But, there were so many other boys in the district, what would be the chances of Zander being chosen? Once again, his thoughts were interrupted by an irritated voice. It wasn't Devin this time; it was their dad.

"Zander!" He immediately got up and opened his door to come face to face with his very irritated father.

"You're supposed to be downstairs baking, not lying around!" "We have a business to run"! Zander's dad never acted like this until after his mom's death.

"Sorry dad," Zander said apologetically. "It won't happen again."

"It better not, or else your precious ukulele might end up smashed one day," his dad said with a smirk. Zander gasped in shock.

"You wouldn't," Zander said getting angrier by the minute.

"Believe me, next time you make me mad, I will." "Now get downstairs and start baking or else, do you hear me?" Zander didn't respond, and went down to the kitchen to continue the job he dreaded.

Zander angrily rolled dough. He made a mold of his dad and Devin out of dough and smashed them with a rolling pin. After he calmed down a bit, he took a cake out of the oven and walked with it to the far counter. As he was walking across the kitchen with the tray, Devin, who was hiding around the corner purposely, tripped Zander. He tumbled and the cake crashed to the floor.

"Devin, what was that for?" Zander screamed. He was always a laid-back type of guy, but this set him off.

"Because you're a loser that's why," Devin laughed. Zander lunged and tackled his brother. They fought, punching and kicking until they noticed a very angry figure standing in front of them.

"What's going on here?" their dad shouted. He was glaring at Zander.

"Zander tripped, dropped the cake, and attacked me for no reason," Devin said maintaining his innocence.

"You are an idiot Zander," his dad screamed. "Clean this up and get back to work!" "Devin, come with me."

Zander stood up sadly and cleaned up the cake. As he was wiping the floor, he heard something smash and someone cheer. He quietly peered into the next room and saw his dad smashing his ukulele, with Devin cheering. A tear rolled down Zander's cheek. He sadly walked into the kitchen and stared out the big window and saw the sign:

Don't forget, the reaping for the 60th annual Hunger Games is tomorrow!

Attendance is mandatory for all people 12-18. Be there or suffer the wrath!

May the odds be ever in your favor.

'If I won the Hunger Games, I wouldn't be considered a loser,' he thought to himself.

He decided to take a break and went for a walk. He didn't care what his dad thought now. His beloved ukulele was smashed. Zander headed for the black market. Once there, he went straight to Greasy Sae's stall. It's where he got his first ukulele. He walked up to the counter and waved hello.

"What brings you here again?" Greasy Sae asked looking at him.

"My dad smashed my ukulele and I'm really sad about it."

"Let's see what I have," Greasy Sae said walking to the back of her stall. She returned with another one in her hands. Zander began to search his pockets for money, but she stopped him.

"There's no need for that dear," she said kindly, giving him the ukulele.

"Don't you want me to pay for this?" Zander asked, unsure about taking it.

"Consider it a gift," she said with a smile. Zander thanked her and walked away holding the new instrument in his hands. This time he was going to make sure his dad would never know this time.

Now, Zander had his favorite instrument back, but he was more concerned about the reaping tomorrow.

You have just seen the life of Stevie and Zander in district 12. The next chapter will focus on the reaping. Did you like chapter 1? Please review!