Hybridized Fanfiction

         Frozen Meets The Hunger Games

     "Anna!" I called up the stairs to my younger sister, "Are you dressed yet? I don't want to be late for the reaping!" I waited for a response but all I heard was shuffling coming from her bedroom. "Coming!" She finally shouted at me after a minute or so. I checked my watch anxiously as Anna darted down the stairs, almost crashing into me. "I'm ready," she said in a surprisingly confident voice. I glanced down at my watch again. "Do you have your gloves?" Anna asked me. "We wouldn't want your nerves to accidentally freeze all of District Seven." I chuckled quietly as I slid them on. "Yes of course," I responded with a small smile, "We wouldn't want that." 

     We live in a country called Panem, and ever since The Dark Days, our main city, the Capitol, have put together a little something they like to call the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games involve throwing two Tributes, one male and one female, from each of the twelve Districts into an arena and having them fight to the death. The last one living wins. 

     So each year, on the day of the reaping, each child's name from the time they turn twelve is tossed into a bowl to be chosen from. Since I'm sixteen, my name has been entered a number of times. But because this is Anna's first reaping, her name is only in there once. This brought me a small amount of peace. Ever since our parents died it's been up to me to take care of the two of us. I'd do anything to keep Anna safe. 

     "Alright let's get going," I said. I opened the door and Anna and I headed toward our town square. We had been walking for about five minutes when Anna said quietly, "Elsa?" I looked down at her. "I'm really nervous." I grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. "Don't worry," I replied, "your name's only entered once. The odds are in your favor. It's me that should be the one worrying." Anna looked down at the ground and whispered softly, "that still doesn't make me feel any better". 

     We walked in silence the rest of the way. When we reached the square we both filed into line with our age groups and genders. I stood quietly, almost holding my breath as District Seven's escort approached the stage. "Happy Hunger Games!" She exclaimed loudly. I adjusted my gloves and took a deep breath. Conceal it, don't feel it. I thought to myself. Don't let it show. 

     I glanced over to where Anna was standing. She looked so nervous I thought she might vomit. My arms were shaking as the escort made her way over to the female reaping bowl. Her hand hovered over it once before she pulled out one of the name cards. I felt as though my heart was in my throat. I adjusted my gloves again, praying the name would not be mine. I closed my eyes as the escort's voice boomed over the square. The name she read was not mine. It was my sister's.

     I could physically feel the blood drain from my face as I saw Anna emerge from the crowd, her red hair pulled back in a tight braid. Her face was pale white and she looked as though she would burst into tears. My eyes darted around the square frantically. Not one person made a sound. My heart was pounding in my ears as I ripped off my gloves and pushed past the crowds of people over to my sister. "Anna," I tried croaking out as I plowed through the mass of people. 

     I stumbled to the center isle and lifted my hand to send a blast of ice up toward the stage at the escort and the bowl full of names. I haven't quite mastered my powers yet and the icy blast came out with a lot more force than I had intended. I large wall of ice appeared across the stage, growing bigger as it pushed back to almost sandwich the escort between it and the wall behind the stage. Now in a panic, I lifted my hand once again and created an icicle barrier around Anna. The force was so strong that it knocked me to the ground. I tried to stand up and regain my footing but two Peacekeepers, the Capitol's police force, ran up to me, grabbed me, and dragged me to the direction of the stage. 

     I felt my consciousness slipping away from me. The Peacekeepers were roughly dragging me across the ground, one on each arm. The one on my left heard me call Anna's name and whacked me over the head as I felt reality getting further and further away. "Take this one away," I barely heard the one on my right say just before I blacked out, with nothing but Anna's name over the speaker replaying over and over in my head.

     

     

Satire

The sun hung low behind the dark grey clouds that stretched across the sky like a blanket. I quickly shuffled into the back of my mother’s minivan next to my brother. “Could you move over a bit, Jenna,” he said condescendingly, “I feel like you’re practically on top of me. I need my space.” I rolled my eyes and smacked him in the arm. “Liam, shut up. We’re in two separate seats and I’m buckled in, how do you expect me to move over?” I spat back at him. Just as he was about to open his mouth to interject, my youngest sister, Allie, jolted around from the seat in front of us. “Can you guys stop fighting for once in your lives?” She spoke with the attitude of a fifteen year old, even though she was only nine. My other sister, Peyton, sighed heavily and dramatically turned the page of the book she was reading. I angrily kicked the back of Allie’s seat and stared frustratingly out the window.As a Christmas present to all of us kids, my mom promised that we could adopt a puppy. Tensions had been thick and moods had been sour since my parent’s divorce last year. So my mother, in attempts to bring a little joy and lightheartedness into the atmosphere, decided it was about time we got a dog.After about a half an hour of being cooped up in that metal prison of a car with my siblings, my mom made a sharp left turn off the main road onto a dirt path.“Where are we?” Peyton asked, looking up from her book. My mom turned the volume of the radio down. “We’ll be pulling into the shelter in about two minutes,” she responded. I shifted my position in my seat so I could see over Allie’s head and out the windshield at the approaching “animal shelter”. It looked more like a log cabin that you’d see in a horror movie to me. My mom parked the van alongside the curb as my siblings and I piled out. “Are you sure we’re at the right place?” Liam asked. My mom waved her hand dismissively. “Of course we are! This is the address I was told to go to in the email! Jenna, hand me my purse please.”The moment I opened the door I felt like I had gotten hit in the face with the worst smell I had ever experienced in my entire sixteen years on planet earth. It was like some awful mixture of wet dog, pee, old wood, and something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I looked over at Peyton and saw that she had her jacket zipped up to her eyes, masking her nose from that rancid stink. My mom walked over to the front desk with Liam as my sisters and I walked around the small lobby-ish area, checking the place out. That building was filthy to say the least. Dirty dog kennels, cat carriers, empty shampoo bottles, and more were scattered everywhere. I could hear distant barking coming from what seemed to be the upper level of the building.“Great! Thank you very much!” I heard my mom say to the man at the desk. Liam walked back over to me and my sisters. “They’re going to bring the dog in now,” he told us with a small smile on his face. After what felt like decades, we finally heard footsteps coming back down the stairs. “Eeeeepp!” Allie squealed. “I can’t wait to meet her!” The man from the front desk turned the corner with probably the cutest black lab puppy I had ever seen. My mom and sisters all screamed and ran towards the excited pup to pet her. Liam made his way over as well. I, on the other hand, stayed right where I was. What if it doesn’t like me? What if it bites me? What if it bites, like, a neighbor or something and we have to give it away? What if it whines at night and I won’t be able to sleep?“Jenna! You have to come over here and pet her!” My mother exclaimed as the small lab puppy licked her face affectionately. I glanced around the shelter nervously and approached the dog. “Hi there, little fella,” I cooed. I got down on my knees and the puppy stumbled over to me. I smiled and scratched her ears. “You’re just the cutest thing!” I said as I pat her, “I can’t wait to take you home with us!” The puppy was panting, wagging her tail, and obviously getting a little over excited. I felt more comfortable and sat down on the floor and continued petting her. All of a sudden, I felt this warm sensation on my lap. “Oh my…” I heard Liam’s voice trail off. My mother gasped and Allie let out a shriek. “What the heck, Jenna?!” Peyton was now shrieking too. I looked down at my lap and saw the one thing I had not expected to see. Dog pee. I let out a blood curdling scream and jumped up on my feet. “WHY?!” I yelled down at the dog, who, much to my annoyance and dissatisfaction, seemed remarkably pleased with herself. The dog scurried around behind me as I continued to stare at my pants in disbelief. By this time my entire family, along with the man from the front desk, was laughing hysterically at me. My mom was laughing so hard she made this horrific snorting noise.“You all think this is funny?!” I projected. “Getting this stupid dog wasn’t even my idea! It was just mom’s pathetic way of bringing this obnoxious family closer. Well, congrats mom, you’ve actually done the opposite. I hate you all twice as more now!” I was yelling so loud I felt as though a blood vessel would burst. However, my family (and the man from the front desk) did not feel even a shred of sympathy as they continued to wheeze with laughter.I rolled my eyes and screamed one last time before making my dramatic exit, “You know what...Whatever! I don’t even care anymore! I’ll be waiting in the car.”I spun around angrily, ready to stomp out of that dilapidated animal shelter and never look back. But, instead of leaving after proving my point, my foot landed into warm, freshly produced pile of black lab puppy excrement. My eyes widened as I felt my face redden, unable to process what exactly just happened. Outrageous fits of laughter erupted from behind me as I looked down at that obnoxious disgrace of a dog, who seemed to be happier than ever.  

List Poem

When your brother asks you for help on his homework, do not yell at him and kick him out your room. Help him. You were his age once too.

When your mother begs you to wear that sweater you hate, wear it once. It will make her happy.

When your best friend calls you in the middle of the night after a fight with her mom asking for a place to stay, clean your room, make up a bed for her, and welcome her in.

When your babysitting and the ten year old girl who looks up to you and strives to be exactly like you tells you about the kids who tease her, do not brush her off. Listen. Respond. Love her.

When you feel as though the walls of your bedroom could cave in on you, know that you are never as alone as you feel. It's okay to have a bad day.

When your coach does not cancel practice in a thunderstorm, do not complain. Run through the weather with a smile on your face and feel the rain on your cheeks.

Don't sit on the edge of the pool and watch your friends swim just because you don't want your eyeliner to run. 

When you contemplate not experiencing a part of life just because your afraid of what your friends will think, stop contemplating, do it, and dump those friends. They were never your friends anyway.