1 – Reaping Day
Hart smiles a little to himself as the new Peacekeepers seem to be unaccustomed to District 10's unique and eternally prevalent cologne. He knows he shouldn't find amusement in such things but it is hard not to; those that won't be staying past today's Reaping Day celebrations will have quite the time.
Those that arrived today as part of a personnel rotation will give up trying to keep their uniform such a sharp shade of white in a month; and stop smelling the animals a month after that.
For District 10 is the livestock district; where a lot of the Capital's meat and skins come from. Mind you the leathers will stop over in District 1 before making it to the Capital but still...
Cows, horses, birds...there is never a point when live stock aren't being moved along the streets so the idea that an animal won't brush up against a Peacekeeper is preposterous. Once some of them tried to make the locals ensure the animals were spotless at all times, but that lead to a failure to meet proper production quotas. Forcing people to do so much superfluous busy work is one of the few times where it was the Peacekeepers and not the people, who ended up getting punished.
The fourteen year old boy starts to sing to the bovine he is leading home; the cows always seem to respond better when he sings to them. If there is one thing Hart can do is sing; he may not have the most meat on his bones, or the best frame for raising cattle but he can sing and often does so to help raise everyone's spirits.
Today more so, people are stopping and listening to Hart's song as he walks by. He looks at them and smiles but most don't have the courage to meet his gaze today. Normally his smile can draw out at least a bemused head shaking from people but not today; today they all look so sad.
Hart can't hold it against them; today is Reaping Day. The day where two families will send a child to die for the amusement of the Capital.
Once long ago Hart had asked why this had to happen, yes he had seen the 'educational film' they play every year during the Reaping but he still couldn't understand.
What happened apparently was that the thirteen districts surrounding the Capital grew tired of never having enough to survive while the Capital had too much. The confrontation grew in scale until an actual war broke out, but the Capitol had machines, better technology and a whole bunch of people that are paid to stand around in case there was someone to fight one day.
They mutated the animals into monsters, rained fire down from the sky and even did something to District 13 that not only killed everyone there but made sure no one would be able to go back for a long, long time.
After that came the punishment; simply known as "The Hunger Games" which is when each District has to tribute a boy and a girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen. From there they are forced to fight to the death in an arena for the amusement of the Capitol. If you win the Capital gives you stuff and might make life slighter better for your District for a year.
Hart asked his parents; "When will the Capitol stop punishing us?"
Neither of his parents had responded.
People always get extra sad on Reaping Day when Hart is around; most likely because they know that the odds have never really been in his family's favour.
During Reaping Day there are those that take bets on who will be chosen, but there is an extra side bet you can take that says Hart Moore will not be selected. The odds on that one have been really high both years Hart's name has been in the mix.
Once the beast is safe in its pen Hart runs up to the house and as he does every time he comes home he throws open the door and happily greets his parents. Today though the somber mood of the room causes his constant smile to slip and his body to lose its exuberance.
"Hey there son. You get her home OK?"
Hart nods at his dad; who nods then looks down to his own feet. "You go on and get cleaned up. The bath is ready, and the clothes are laid out on your bed."
Hart goes to head to the bath but pauses for a moment to hug and kiss his mother on her cheek. "Hey momma.."
She doesn't respond in anyway, just looks forward as though Hart wasn't there. After waiting a moment hart continued on to his bath; his mother always gets like this leading up to Reaping Day. Tonight she will be the exact opposite; she will be smothering him in attention. All he has to do is wait until then.
On Reaping Day you have to make sure you look enough for the cameras; so Hart scrubs everything thoroughly even between his toes. Half way through that exercise he pauses and wonders why he is being that thorough; it's not like the cameras will be able to see inside his boots.
He finishes his toes though; you should never leave things half done.
On the bed he finds very nice, new looking clothes and as always his grandmother's pendent. The pendent was made of some kind of steel and was a stag surrounded by what looked like small roses.
The stag was suppose to help him find what he needs and guide him should things ever go astray. It had been hers, but when she died it had been left to him with instructions that it only be worn on Reaping Day.
Hart called it a good luck charm once but his father had corrected him; saying it was much more. What exactly, he couldn't put into words, but still far more than a simple good luck charm.
Once he finishes getting dressed he presents himself to his father for inspection.
Jordan Moore tries to force a smile as he looks at his son all dressed up for the slaughter but can't hold it up. He clasps a hand on the boy's shoulder and nods; his mind won't let him skip over how thin and lanky Hart is. Sure he might be strong for his size but his size isn't much; then there is the biggest weakness his son will have in the arena staring back at him. Those big brown soft eyes that would never hurt a soul and cries when he does something to make someone else sad or mad.
What happens if this is the year? Wait two weeks and watch him get cut down in the opening minutes? Jordan is uncertain he has the courage to do that again; he has had to watch the Games too many times with vested interest.
The idea of watching the final countdown knowing it will be his boy's last fifteen seconds in this world? The idea he may have to think about the option of doing that almost has him fall apart. He can't fall apart though, if he does then Hart will have no one there for him. Seeing as his mother checks out almost a week before the big day.
He knows he can't blame his wife but he does; he has the same pain she does. He wants to go as numb as she is; but they still have a boy to take care of. A fair, blond headed boy that taught himself to sing and must be terrified of this day in ways that either of them can imagine so no he can't blame his wife for checking out but he does anyhow.
"Dad?"
Jordan shakes his head, he must of drifted away for a moment. "You look fine son, you look fine. You wearing your grandmother's pendant?"
Hart reaches inside his shirt and tugs on the chain to bring the pendent to the surface. Jordan nods; "Hide it back in there; gram said to keep it as close to your heart as possible."
Turning to his wife Jordan says, "You ready?"
Unsurprisingly there is no response but she is dressed nicely and her hair is done up so at least she knows to go through the motions still.
Taking her arm in his and wrapping the other one around his son's shoulders he leads them out to the 'celebration'.
The town square has been decorated as though a festival is about to happen but the large screen set up to one side and all the camera about remind people that it is a day of celebration just not for them.
On the stage Mulroch already stands at the microphone; the representative from the Capital is a tall, imposing man wearing shades of grey and black. He is a monster of a man dressed in a series of trench coats; with black hair so long it can brush against his knees when he is standing.
On his face he always wears a pair of black goggles and a scowl; nothing ever changes at least in all the time that Hart can remember.
Hart hugs his parents once more before getting into one of the processing lines. The long single file line; the people at the end of the line that will tag you as you approach; what they wear in order to try and not to get dirty handling the children.
This is exactly how cattle must see things before the slaughter. It is said that people from District 10 have a different understanding of the animals they raise then people of other districts; that it comes from a life time of raising them. This couldn't be further from the case it doesn't come from a life time of raising them; it comes from a life time of killing them.
Every other day of the year District 10 gets to be the Capital they just don't make the animals wear pretty clothes.
When he reaches the desk the attendant asks that he puts his hand forward and Hart tenses up out of reflex. It hurts when the pins that cut the skin on his finger to get the blood they need to prove you are who you are and that you are in fact in attendance do their job.
It is a stinging pain and he always tears up; never cries but tears up none the less. He can see the other teens shake their heads, always wonder how he has made it this long and if he really is a boy after all.
Once attendance has been checked Mulroch motions to the screen; the Capitol's propaganda promoting the Hunger Games as some great event starts to play. Mulroch is a man of few words; he is grim and brooding at all times but apparently the people in the Capital appreciate it else wise he wouldn't get the job year after year.
The video ends and Mulroch motions to the bowl on his left and without looking reaches in, ruffles his fingers around for a moment then pulls up a piece of paper.
"Jaynette Horner."
The crowd begins to part around a tall, sturdy eighteen year old girl who is trying not to cry. No surprise that she was picked; not only do they add your name more and more each year you are eligible but you can gain extra rations by adding your name additional times. A practice Hart has been forbidden to do.
A couple of female voices call out from the crowd; most likely her sisters and she starts to call out to them; to remain where they are and that things will be fine.
Mulroch though isn't the type that likes pandering for the camera or dramatics; he motions to a Peacekeeper who moves through the crowd, grabs Jaynette by the arm and drags her to the stage. Mulroch points to a position on the stage and once he drags Jaynette there the Peacekeeper returns to his original spot.
'One for being twelve...two more for being thirteen...and this year there would be three more for being fourteen...I should be fine. The odds of being chosen are so small in comparison to others.' Hart thinks to himself as Mulroch motions for the bowl with the boy's names in it.
He pulls out the pendant and looks at its details in the light as Mulroch calls out the name.
"Hart Moore."