"What do you think of this dress, Klaire?" It has large purple roses all over it with a black belt at the waist. No one in district 10 has dresses with such vibrant and colorful patterns. I would look like a fool. I swing my legs over my bed and Im about to refuse. She sees this and quickly pulls out black shoes that match with a with a purple stap and small heel. She looks at me pleadingly and I know she wont take no for an answer. I sigh and say "If only it were for a different ocasion," She gives a small smile, drapes the dress over a chair, and quietely leaves the room. I stand and study the dress for a little while. Something about it seems familiar but I brush it aside and go to wash. My grandfather is in the kitchen preparing though we have plenty food we hardly ever eat a real meal because theres work to be done early. Hes already in his nicest clothes. I hardly ever see him dressed up, hes always in his dirty overalls and boots from working on the farm. I pass Zads room and hes still in bed, his clothes are hanging on the dresser knobs. Once Im done cleaning myself up I stalk back to my room. This time theres stockings over the chair as well. I pull on the stockings, slide the dress on over my head, and slip on the shoes. Im just pulling my long mix of dirty blonde and brown hair out of the back of my dress when theres a knock on the door. "Klaire I have a few things for you," says my grandmother through the door. I rush to unlock the door and she brushes past and places a wooden box on my desk. She pulls the chair in front of it and pats the cushion. I instinctively sit down in it. Without a word she pulls out a lipstick, blush, and mascara container. Now Ill definetly look out of place. "Purse your lips," she instructs. After a few minutes she sticks a mirror in front of my face. My lips are a pale pink, and so are my checks. My lashes look huge in camparison to the short lashes most people in district 10 have. "Well, what do you think?"
I hesitate and say "Suprisingly good,". She laughs and pulls out a hair brush. The bristles are from our own horses. She lightly detangles my very knotty hair carefully and stands back. "Should we leave it down?" she asks. I shrugh and a lightbulb goes off in her head as she grabs the sides of my hair. She lightly twists them and pins them at the back of my head, almost touching each other. She pulls out my fringe which is shorter than the rest of my hair, it reaches my chin while the rest reaches my bottom. She parts it on the side and pulls out more hair on the other side. She reaches in the box and pulls out two clips with small white bows attatched. She pins them at either side where the twisted hair ends. She brushes the rest of my hair. "There you go," she says as we both look at my reflection. "I should see how Zadian is doing," she says and leaves the room. I look at my clock above my bed. Its 12 oclock. We must be at the Town Square by 2. I peer out my door and across the my grandma and my grandpa have to help Zad into his collared shirt, plain black pants and loafers. His shirt also vibrant, bright red, very expensive. I see that the pail we keep by the back door is empty, its usually filled with berries. I check to see if anyone sees me, which they dont, and go outside, bucket in hand.I walk down the path to the stables, which is also overlooking a blueberry patch. Some of the horses whinny as I pass, but the goats and pigs seem indifferent. I place the bucket on the ground next to the rock Im sitting on while I grab handful after handful of berries. The back door opens and my grandma comes out with a few carrots for the horses. I try to keep quitet but she notices me. "Klaire what are you doing?" she says "Youll soil your dress!" I jump up and grab the bucket. "Im sorry!"
I say "There werent any berries!" She shakes her head and says "Klaire we dont need berries for tonight. We are going to the mayors house for dinner after the reaping, dont you remember?" My face feels hot but I calmly shrug my shoulders and say "It couldnt hurt to get them early," and stalk back up the path.
My family and I are waiting at the edge of the street in front of our house. Im fiddling with the clutch my grandma gave me to put small items in. A peacekeeper friend of my grandpa promised to bring us to the Town Square in his car. We are wealthy, but only pacekeepers have cars here. It dosent matter though, mostly everyone in district 10 uses their livestock for transportation. Zad is standing a few feet away from us, next to the front steps. I walk over to him and sit on the first step. I expect him to do the same but hes zoned out, staring at the grass. Im not surprised, the reaping takes a toll on everyone. I put my chin in my hands when I hear a familiar motor. Ive been in it a couple other times before. Grandma turns around and motions for us to come over. "Come on Zad, we gotta go," I say and we both reach our grandparents just as the car rounds the corner. My grandfather sits in the passenger seat and Zad, grandma and I squeeze into the back. The car starts down thestreet towards the Town Square. Grandpa and the peacekeeper make small talk, but Im just staring out the window. Even though its not my first time, the speed of thecar fascinates me as we zip past houses in seconds. It doesnt take long to reach the Town Square at the speed. Were early, its one 1:15. It says so on my watch.
It was a gift that grandma got from the finest jewler in the district on my first birthday here, my seventeenth one. The peacekeeper bids us goodbye and goes to work.
"Meet us right here when youre done," my grandma says. Her and grandpa find a spot stading at the back of the square. Zad and I walk up to the table where the peacekeepers will account for us. Zad seems nervous around the needles so I go in front of him. I give him a reassuring look as the peacekeeper takes my finger, pricks it, and presses my hand onto a booklet. He clears me and I wait for Zad. He joins me with small traces of tears in his eyes. "Dont worry" I say while looking straight ahead "Theres thousands of names in there, and more than once. We didnt even get a tasserae." He looks a little better now and we both part ways, finding our spots with the 18 year olds, up front. As I wait for 2:00 I watch workers set up the screens and cameras, and watch more and more people arrive. The bowls on the stage that store the possible triutes names looks emptier than it should be, but I ignore it. Im not very good at guessing amounts anyways. Once everyone is accounted for the mayor makes the same speech each district does at each reaping. The speech that explains the rebellion years ago, and how The Hunger Games were created to prevent another one. Kids around me look either terrified, or very angry, but I for one dont get worked up too easily. Our district escort who Ive never bothered to learn his name, steps up to the podium. He greets us in his cheery, capitol accent. "As you know," he says "This year is a Quarter Quell!" He looks around expectantly as if he wants us to cheer. He clears his throat and continues. "This year the tribute pool consists of opposite gender siblings!" This time he actually claps a little to urgently and yet again no one joins in. I feel my stomach start to ache and I feel dizzy. Paniced, I try to find Zad but his short body must be hidden behind the larger boys. I look behind me but my grandparents just stare blankly at the man onstage. I turn back and kids around me all relax. They dont have an oppisite gender sibling, like me. "Well" the escort says a little to loudly "Lets pick our female tribute!" A blue tinged capitol hand reaches into the bottom of the bowl and pulls out a slip of paper. Only few of the people around me hold their breathes. The escort unfolds the paper and smirks at the audience and I fear I may have a heart attack if he stalls any longer. "Klaire Lockhearst" I feel the weight of a thousand eyes on my back. This time I see Zad and we both realize, if Im reaped, then he is too.
