District 4
Chapter 1: The Day Before
I got up early and went to the beach. The sea lapped at my toes as I gazed out at the little sailboat bobbing just offshore. The person in it waved. My best friend turned the boat towards the shore and began gently gliding towards me.
"Hi, Myra!" she said cheerily, leaping ashore.
I smiled, "Hey, Joni. Have you been training recently?"
She sighed, "I know we're a career district and everything but I don't think we need to train."
"Because…"
"Look. We go onto the reaping every year and expect to be drawn out but we haven't been for 3 years!" Joni picked up two rocks off the beach and began fashioning a little dagger out of one.
"It would be so sad if this year we were and you hadn't trained." I said quietly, "You'd be so sad, and so, so dead."
Joni laughed and hurled one of the rocks further into the sea, "Says the girl who's a vegetarian but still hopes to-"
"Hey! I'd change if I was reaped!" I flicked my long, curly brown hair over my shoulder.
"Your stomach wouldn't be able to adapt!" her bluish grey eyes stared hard into my big brown ones.
"Hey-"I said angrily.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" our friend Amarilis stood between us.
We looked at her our gazes holding hers. "What? You were getting mad!"
Joni and I burst out laughing. I fell to my knees, my hands pressed into the sand. I minute later I got up, not sure what was wrong with me.
"It's the reaping tomorrow. That's why you two are laughing at random things." Amarilis said.
"Right." Joni and I said in unison.
"But seriously, Joni, you're so different from brother." Amarilis gestured with her hands as she spoke.
"Yeah, it's hard to believe you're twins!" I added.
Joni laughed. "You mean he's arrogant and I'm not?" she teased specifically directed at me.
"Joni!" I whined. I hated it when she teased me about Kurri, who'd had a crush on me since we were 9.
Joni laughed then glanced over my shoulder. "Amarilis! Here comes Kabel!"
"Shut up!" Amarilis hissed slapping Joni on the arm. We all laughed. Kabel was walking towards us, his black jacket flapping in the breeze.
"Hello!" he said, waving his arms in the air, "Joni, your brother's training again. Maybe you should stop him before he hurts himself or someone else. You know what he's like." His eyes flickered to me for a brief moment but went immediately back to Joni.
We had liked each other about four years ago but now we were just really good friends. He had told Amarilis, Joni and I that he liked someone but wouldn't say who.
"Myra, will you come with me? He's more likely to agree with me if you're there." Joni asked me, an edge of sarcasm in her voice.
"No..."I replied hesitantly, knowing I would be dragged along eventually.
"Please!" Joni begged, taking hold of my shoulders.
"Fine, just wait though." I said before turning to Kabel, "Will you tell me who you like if I beat you in a sword challenge?"
"It's the 74th Hunger Games reaping tomorrow, if neither of us get reaped then yes, I'll accept you're challenge." He said his eyes dark.
"Can I get that in writing?" I asked.
Kabel laughed a deep throaty laugh, throwing his head back. "You should probably go help Joni help Kurri." he said, gesturing towards Joni.
I fell into step beside my best friend, and we headed off to the training centre to help her brother.