Reaping day is the worst day of the year by far. I really hate it. Especially these last few years. Having to wonder which one of my friends would be taken away by the Capitol for the "amusement" of all. Its by far the worst feeling that I've ever had to endure.
I am very fortunate in many ways. My mother, Shelby Ashcroft, is a victor. Being a victor means you and by extension, your family, are rich and never have to go hungry. I know that I'm one of a select few in District 12 that does not constantly have that on their mind. Most families, especially the ones in The Seam, are the poorest of the poor in Panem. Most children have to sign up for a tesserae just to survive. Every tesserae means another slip with your name on it for The Hunger Games. A better chance of being killed in the arena. I've never had to take a tesserae thanks to my mothers status as a victor. I've considered it to help out others, pulling 2 tesserae and handing out the grain and the oil to families in The Seam, but my mother won't allow me. Maybe its cause she had to take out a tesserae to survive when she was a little girl. Maybe because that's probably what lead to her going into the arena at age 12. She doesn't want the same to happen to her only son .
When I was young, Reaping Day carried, a very different meaning for me then the hoards of other children in District 12. Until I was of reaping age, it meant a few weeks to a month of eating anything I wanted, wearing expensive clothes and meeting strange and extravagant people while my mother spent hours training and preparing the tributes for District 12. When I turned of age to go to school, they didn't allow me to go with her to the Capitol, probably to prepare her for the fact that I could possibly be in the games when I turned 12. Then when me being in the games became a possibility two years ago, forget it. She didn't even want to get out of bed, knowing that there was a chance she would have to mentor me and possibly send me to my death without any power to control my fate. With every year that passes I know it must feel worse and worse for her.
I finally manage to drag myself out of bed and my feet show just as much enthusiasm about being awake as the rest of me. I shuffle around the house and approach my mother's door and knock on it gently. I hear stirring and half-baked claims of being awake from the other side of the door, so I decide that shes awake enough for me to leave.
"I'm going to make some trades Mom, Ill be back around noon." I shout to the door. "Just make sure that your back in time to dress properly!" My mother yells back in reply. I nod even though I know she can't see me. I put on some black pants , a light coat and my shoes. I run into the kitchen and grab some goat cheese and a roll to eat before I finally head out the door.
I really like to help out the people of District 12. Its something to do to keep my mind from other things. Like my mother going to the Capitol to prepare someone that I know from District 12 for the games. Or that it could be me that my mother is mentoring some day. Or what my mother had to do or who she had to kill to get to this point. I hunt game out in the woods. Its something to do, and it gives families in The Seam something to eat without a tesserae. I can't help everyone, but I help where I can, and it keeps some of the younger kids in the Seam off of tesserae. But I can't save everyone. It's a really hard thing to deal with, but when someone turns 19 and is finally exempt from The Hunger Games, it's the greatest thing in the world knowing you helped give them a future.
My mother has made an effort to prepare me if I am ever chosen for the games. She has trained me on basic weapons and bow and arrows. Residents of the Districts cannot own weapons of any kind since the last rebellion, so all weapons that are in Districts are few, or owned by Peacekeepers. For my 11th birthday, my mother bought me a compact bow and a sword, which she has insisted that I train with at every opportunity. As soon as I could, I cut a hole into the fence surrounding the end of District 12 and stashed my weapons outside the district. No one seems to notice the hole in the fence, as its hidden by a rather thick tree that has grown near it. Even so, the fence is rarely on. My mom is the one who told me about going outside the district, but she had a different method for it, just climbing over the fence, which I was never a fan of. Besides, she would get stuck outside the district when the fence was on, so I decided on the cutting a hole through the fence route. At least if the fence was on and if I was willing to sacrifice an animal pelt from the days hunt to guard my body from the electric current, I could get back into District 12 easily.
I pass through the hole and grab my bow and quiver and begin to hunt. It's not very long before I have 3 birds and a rabbit, all skewered through the head. I take some time to hunt another rabbit and a turkey before I decide my haul is enough. After spending some time separating the meat from the pelts with a knife, I stash my weapons return to the District to visit The Hob.
I've read up a lot on the history of District 12, not from the Capitol though, most of that is propaganda disguised as history. A while ago, I found a makeshift book about the history of District 12 in the trading post, and traded it for some turkey meat. I found out so much about Panem reading that book.
In the history of Panem, there have been 2 rebellions against the Capitol that I know about. The first one was very unsuccessful, and lead to The Hunger Games as we know it, as well as District 13 being wiped clean off the map. The second was more successful,and started with 74th Hunger Games Victor Katniss Everdeen, the Mockingjay, as they called her. To make a long story short, the Capitol fell, and the Hunger Games stopped for a long time. I have no idea how the Capitol managed to regain control over Panem, or how The Hunger Games restarted, but I do know its been a very long time since Katniss won her Hunger Games and freed the people of Panem from the horror of the Hunger Gamesz.
During the second rebellion, after the 75th Hunger Games, District 12 ceased to exist. Everything in District 12 was leveled except the Victors Village, in an attempt to stop the second rebellion in a similar fashion to the first one. After the rebellion was successful, District 12 was rebuilt from the ground up to have as similar of a layout as possible. A few buildings have moved slightly, but between whats in my book and what I've seen televised on the old Hunger Games, its pretty much the same.
The Hob is a lot less secretive than it was before the second rebellion, and now the traders trade in broad daylight without fear. The Peacekeepers in 12 mostly keep to themselves and very rarely bother business. Head Peacekeeper Clarence for our District knows he could make life very difficult for a lot of us in 12, but the traders are sure to give him and the other Peacekeepers good deals in The Hob, so they know its best to leave us be.
I head to my favorite spot in The Hob, a little shop that sells small trinkets made of rock or metal. I show the shopkeeper 2 of the birds and a rabbit pet from earlier and she smiles.
"Got quite a fine catch for me today don't ya Landon?" the woman smiles at me with a half toothless grin.
"Well I got more, but I'm passing it out to families in The Seam before the Reaping later today. I'll trade you what I've got here for some of those arrowheads if you have any." I smile and hold up the two birds and the rabbit pelt a little higher as if holding it higher would increase its value.
"You are such a kind kid. Risking yourself for The Seam." The old woman runs her hand under her table and returns it holding 4 steel arrowheads. "These are all I have today, will that be enough?"
"Perfect!" I exclaim as I hand her my catch in return for the arrowheads. I stuff them into my game bag, wave to the woman and head towards The Seam.
I quickly pass out the rest of the meat to the families of The Seam. Most of them so they can have some fresh meat for the festivities after the Reaping. I always try my best to remember which houses have the younger children, or only one child. I really feel for the poor families and I couldn't imagine how my mother would feel losing me to the games, especially if I was her only source of food and hope. When I finish handing out the rest of the meat, I head home to wash up for the Reaping.
I'm really nervous for it this year. I know that I'm only 14, so that means my name is only in the bowl 3 times, but I cant help but be scared. I've seen 12-year-old kids dragged off. There is no mercy involved. These thoughts plague my mind. I hate it when I start thinking about the Reaping too much, I worry about dying in the games. How my mother would feel watching me bleed out, cold and alone, and I shiver with fear.
I walk up the steps to my room and gather a pair of khaki pants and a button down shirt. I hop in the shower and quickly clean myself from the blood, sweat, and dirt of the mornings hunt, then I dress. I knock on my moms door again after I emerge from the bathroom.
"Mom? Are you ready?" I question. Suddenly the door flies open and out of the doorway comes my mother, looking beautiful in a simple black dress with her hair up in a braid. She messes up my hair and smiles at me.
"My very special boy." She gleams at me, then kneels down to my level. "No matter what happens today, know that I love you so very much." I find myself wrapped in her arms as she finishes her sentence. My face won't allow me to do anything other than give her a soft but warm smile.
"I love you too, Mom. This is gonna be harder for you than for me." I tell her. She frowns a little, knowing it's true. Whoever gets picked, shes mentoring them until they go to the arena, and most likely to their death.
"Go ahead and catch up with your friends, I'll meet you before I get on the train after the Reaping" She smiles and kisses me on the forehead. I give her a long hug, desperately hoping it's not the last one I give her in our home, and run out the door.
I run back to the Seam and knock on one of the doors. My best friend, Maggie opens the door and greets me warmly.
"Landon. I was expecting to see you sooner today." She smiles and hugs me tight. I can't help but hug her just as tight as she hugged me. Its been a rough year for her, and my presence around her house really helps.
"Yeah, I know. I decided to go hunting this morning to help out people in The Seam" I smile at Maggie then frown at the floor. "I hope you don't get picked today."
Maggie laughs at me. "You say that every year. Besides," her exprression changes drastically from cheer to sadness. "Nothing can be as bad as what happened least year."
I shudder at how hard it must have been for her. Having both her sister Martha, and Roy, her boyfriend, chosen as the District 12 tribute. Watching them in the arena was tragic to say the least. Both of them were 18, and they both died gruesome deaths in the arena. The career tributes sliced Martha's body apart until it was unrecognizable. They forced her to scream with what energy she had left until Roy came to try to rescue her. He saw her just in time to receive a knife directly into his right eye. Lets just say Maggie and her parents don't like talking about it too much. My heart aches for her and I hug her again. Only the words "I know" can stumble from my mouth.
Maggie looks at the ground with me, then finally mumbles out. "So you ready to go?"
"I wish I wasn't." I say coldly. "How many more people have to die for the Capitol to be happy?"
"23 a year for the rest of our lives." Maggie moans morbidly. She throws on some shoes just as an announcement plays.
Attention District 12. Attention citizens of District 12. The Reaping of District 12 for the 121st Hunger Games will be at 2pm. It is now 12:30pm. It is highly suggested that you start making your way to the Justice Building. Attendance is mandatory. All 12 to 18-year-old children must sign in. Failure to do so is punishable by arrest or death. Thank you.
The anthem of Panem plays as the announcement ends. I roll my eyes to mock the announcement and Maggie giggles a little. She offers a hand to me and winks. "Be my escort to the square?" She says, trying her best Capitol impression.
I snort loudly and chuckle "Well of course ma'am" I offer up my best Capitol impression in return but it's clear mine needs some work. This sends Maggie into a laughing fit.
Soon we are at the square near the Justice Building and we are standing in our respective lines to sign in, which causes us to separate as the lines are by gender. Soon I reach the front of my line and a Peacekeeper pricks my finger and presses it to a book and records my name. I look over to the girls line to see Maggie doing the same and she gives me a thumbs up and a wink. It's not very long before I am in my spot with all the other 14-year-old District 12 boys, then, its time to wait.
Kids in each age and gender stand in assigned areas. Boys on the left side and girls on the right. The 18-year-old kids stand in the front and the 12-year-old kids are in the back. I remember being in the 12-year-old section, scared for my life. As a matter of fact, I don't really think the being scared for your life thing gets easier the closer to the stage you are standing.
It's not long before the District 12 escort shows up. It's painfully obvious she's new to being an escort. She's dressed in a bright green suit with what I hope is a bright yellow wig and golden accents around her eyes. She looks more like a doll than a human being. This girl has no idea where she's supposed to stand, and it takes every ounce of self-control that I can muster to not laugh at her. The Mayor, Mr. Hubbleston has to interfere to get her on course before the cameras start rolling. She begins to speak in her thick Capitol accent, as if she's trying to make as big of a scene as humanly possible.
"Happy Hunger Games! May the odds be forever in your favor." She beams. "My name is Amelia Blackheart and I'm the new escort for District 12!" Amelia exclaims. She seems a bit too excited to be chosen as the escort for a District that has only had 5 victors in 120 Hunger Games. She frowns a little as if she was expecting a better reception. "Let's choose who will be the tributes for District 12, shall we?" Amelia gleams again and moves to her left to the large glass bowl for the girls. Amelia runs her hand throughout the bowl as the crowd falls silent. After what seems like a lifetime, she finally decides on a slip and retrieves it from the bowl. Amelia scurries back to the microphone at center stage and slowly opens the slip.
"Whoever it is, don't let it be Maggie. Please not Maggie." I whisper to myself.
Amelia looks at the name, confused how to pronounce whats written on the slip, then the sounds come to her. "Alicia Longhorn. Please come up to the stage Alicia."
The 16-year-old girls section opens up to show one brown-haired girl; wide eyed with disbelief. She looks over in my direction and I try to remember why she looks so familiar. Then it hits me. She's Roy's younger sister. Whispers all around me only confirm my suspicions. All of the color has been drained from her face now, as cries of pure agony ring out from the back of the square. Amelia stares ahead of her, as if what is happening isn't registering into her head. I'm happy Maggie didn't get called, but it's no solace. Amelia gets a clear look at Alicia and smiles at her. "That's right sweetie, your name was called. Come up on the stage here." Amelia motions towards Alicia. 4 Peacekeepers start heading down the aisle to collect her. Alicia notices this and gets her feet working again. She knows she can't seem helpless by standing still long enough for the Peacekeepers to have to drag her to the stage. Amelia smiles at Alicia as she climbs up the steps. Last year she lost her brother to The Hunger Games and now she's going into the arena to most likely lose her life as well. Words wont come to me, as I stare into her eyes, now empty and hollow with worry. I find my thoughts wandering to my mom. How does she deal with such hopelessness from the tributes here year in and year out?
By the time I snap back into reality, Amelia is back at the glass bowls, this time shuffling around the slips for the boys. I grit my teeth as she pulls a slip from out of the bowl. She approaches the microphone slowly and opens the slip. I then hear her speak the only two words that I had hoped she wouldn't say.
Landon Ashcroft.
I stood there. Stunned in silence. Did I hear Amelia right? There must be a mistake. Did she actually say my name? The silence of the crowd says it all. The other children begin to move away from me as I snap back to reality. Realizing fully that I was reaped. The loving kid from District 12 who never had to take out a tessera, who spent his free time helping the poorest families survive. The kid whose mother is the only District 12 victor since the games returned. I was going into the games. And there was not a thing anyone could do about it.