"Joe. Wake up! You are going to be late for school!" My mother yells.
"Mom, school doesn't start at 7:AM." I yell back. Anyhow, on the week before the reaping, no decent teacher will give a damn if I'm late. They treat all the students nicely, because it might be the last time they'll get the chance to. I drag myself out of bed, tired and already wanting this day to end. I pick up a shirt from floor and a pair of pants from my desk.
My mother says I could be really gorgeous if I took care of myself better.
I personally have no interest of making myself look pretty.
Before I go downstairs I check with my twin little sisters. Like I thought, they are still sleeping. I smile to myself. This is my favorite part of morning.
"The aliens are coming! Wake up!" I yell in a frantic voice. Leah and Alexa wake up that instant.
"What shall we do Captain?" Lila smiles and salutes me.
"I'm going to... Tickle you to make them run!" I start to tickle both of them, not an easy task considering they are both trying to escape. They laugh and try to push my away, but I am too strong for them. Eventually, I let them go, after their faces are blushed form all the laughing and screaming.
"I like waking up this way." Leah says after she catches her breath. She then sits on her knees, waiting for me to braid her hair. At first I braided her hair so we could tell who is Leah and who is Alexa, because they look so alike. But then, in her ten birthday, Alexa cut her hair short. But Leah liked the braiding thing so much, that it never stooped.
"So, what are you up to today?" I ask as I braid Leah's hair.
"Well, I've been planning to visit Megan after school." Alexa says.
"What about you? What will you do?" Leah shrugs. She's not like Alexa, she's more like me. Neither of us us good around people. We like to be alone. Or with each other.
"Don't know. Probably read or something."
"Joe! Come down! Now!" My mother screams again. I roll my eyes.
"Fine. Be there in a sec." I mumble.
I finish braiding Leah's hair, and kiss them both on the cheek.
They giggle and hug me back.
"Bye Joey!" They both call to me as I close the door. I sigh. I hate that nickname.
Only my sisters can call me like that. And survive.
I roll my eyes and run downstairs. My mother waits for me. The breakfast is already on the table, fresh and warm. Since my father is a welder we live in the better side of town.
He sells and designs axes for the richer people.
I sit next to my mother and start to eat. She's only sipping her tea and stares at the floor.
"Did you brush your hair?" She suddenly asks. I shrug and I continue to eat. She takes another glance at me and sighs.
"I wasn't like that when I was your age. It must be from your father's side." She mumbles to her self. I look nothing like my mother. And she doesn't hide he disappointment from that.
"I guess so." I answer to her. She checks her view in the mirror and sighs again.
"Oh, those damn wrinkles. You know, I've heard that in the Capitol they have something that makes them vanish." She tells me in a dreamy voice.
"I've heard they kill children every year. But wait..."
"Johanna!" My mother knocks her fists in the table. That kind of talking is not allowed. My mother strongly believes that the Capitol knows best.
She watches the games religiously every year.
"Sorry mom." I mutter. She nods at my direction, not saying a word. My mother sighs and closes he eyes.
"Fine. I forgive you. Just don't forget about the party we are having next week. Everyone who's anyone will be there. That means your little friend can't come."
She's referring of course to my best friend, Adam. Every year my mother holds a big party to celebrate the games. And every year Adam helps me to sneak out.
I hate those parties. Celebrating the fact that children are going to get killed. You'd think that people would think the same. But they don't. In fact this partyis the highlight of the reaping. Few weeks before the party every girl at school tries to be my best friend, just to get invited. Its really stupid, thinking about it. I could be reaped, and my mother celebrating it? Its too twistet for me.
"Of course." I mumble.
"Hey.. Whats up dude?" Adam smiles to me. He sits next to me. I smile back.
"Fine. My mother is going crazy though." I smirk.
"What did Sandra do this time?" He raises his eyebrow.
"She tried to make me brush my hair!" I say dramatically.
"Why?"
"She says I'm not pretty enough." I fake a sigh. He laughs.
"Oh please. Half of the boys in school has a crush on you!" He calls.
"Yeah right. Bet you can't say one!" I roll my eyes. Adam shrugs ans says nothing.
Adam is my best friend ever since we were little. He is two years older than me, and like me, he used to be on the better side of town until his brother, Nate, committed suicide when he was reaped to the hunger games. His family never recovered. His father became a morphine addict, and his mother never leaves the house. I guess I am pretty lucky comparing to Adam. I have a normal father, and.. I have a mother. And of course I have two beautiful sisters. But I'm still terrified of the day they'll turn twelve.
"I can't believe this is my last year for the reaping though." Adam smiles to me.
He can't go to the games. His parents will lose any chance they have left to recover.
"I know. Lucky baster!" I mumble. He looks at me suddenly, concerned.
"But both Alexa and Leah will join the reaping ball next year, won't they?" He seems to realize it for the first time. I nod and sigh.
"Its just not fair, you know? They are too young to be dealing with this." And they are.
They won't survive the games. Alexa is tough, but she has so much mercy in her.
She cried her eyes out when our neighbor died. And she never talked to him. I don't believe she'll be able to kill someone with her bare hands. And even if she will, the guilt will kill her. Leah on the other hand is more like me. But she has troubles with her breathing.
She can't run much or fight without taking a half hour break. She'll be gone in no time.
"How to people mange to live with this fear?" I ask myself more than I ask Adam.
"I don't know. I think people can forget some thing if they try really hard." He says in a harsh tone. He is of course referring to his mother, who sometimes forgets her second son is dead, and spends hours waiting for him to come back.
I say nothing, because there is nothing to say. I could say I'm sorry but we both know its not enough. I could tell him that everything will be alright. But I can't. Although I am pretty good lair, I can't lie to Adam. He knows me too well. Instead, I put my hand on his shoulder. He caresses my hand with his and closes his eyes. I know he is thinking about his lost brother. Nate was a good friend of mine. He was smart and sweet and couldn't harm a fly. He had no chance. He killed himself the moment he entered the arena.
Its really unbelievable how easily a person could be forgotten. At the first few days people came to comfort the family, give them food and a sad smile. But after a month Nate was old news. He was replaced in his work, his girlfriend moved on... Besides Adam's broken family it was like he never was here.
Nate and Adam were never really close to each other. They were completely different in fact. On the day of the reaping they had a huge fight. Adam told Nate that he wishes they weren't brothers. I never knew what the fight was about. But I know Adam feels incredibly guilty, even though he said sorry before Nate left. Adam and I just know thing about each other. Words are not needed in out case. We understand each perfectly without them.
Adam opens his eyes and releases himself from my grip.
"You shouldn't feel sorry for me so much. I'm fine." He says in a cold voice. Like my. He doesn't like feeling pitied.
"I can reassure you this. I am not." I smirk at him. It seems so relax him and he put his hand around my shoulder.
"Sorry Joe. I guess I was..."
"An idiot? Yeah you were. Never mind that. I forgive you." I pinch his arm and he laughs.
"I am sure glad. I would probably died if you didn't."
"Yeah. You probably would. Lucky for you I am a compassionate person."
He then burst into laugh and I join him.