CHAPTER ONE
Sunlight streams in through the shutters, lighting up the whole house. I hear the birds singing their songs, and everything seems peaceful, but not for long. I suddenly remember why I am in my bed, sleeping soundly, instead of working in the fields today. Today is the day of the reaping. It is my first year, and Leyna's last, while Robert is too young to be entered in this horrible world. My name is only in once, but Leyna's name is in forty-two times. Leyna won't let me take tesserae, but she takes it for our family of five. I look to the clock to attempt to stop the negative thoughts streaming through my mind. It is ten. The reaping is at twelve, because our district's tributes' journey to the Capitol takes exactly twenty-four hours. That means I only have two hours to get ready, and get through my weekly job, collecting food for the Widow.
I roll out of bed, letting Leyna sleep in. she shouldn't have to worry about the reaping. She should sleep, as long as she can. I take the light quilt we have and slip it on Leyna's shoulders, letting her long blond hair get tucked under the blanket. Leyna looks just like our mother, with pale skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. I look completely different from the two, having brown hair, faintly tan skin, and green eyes, just like my father. Robert looks exactly like Leyna, but in a three year old version.
I get up and look around, seeing that everyone except for me is in a deep state of slumber. I go over to the worn down shelf we have, and take my clothes. I pull on a sky blue tank top, black pants, and I am zipping up my short, worn out boots when someone taps my shoulder. I spin around, seeing the silly grin on Leyna's face. She just loves to frighten me. "Melody, you should really be more careful while leaving. At least leave me a note." She says, her eyes scolding me. She pokes me in the stomach, and I poke her back, making her giggle. "Can I continue getting ready, your majesty?" I say, bowing slightly. Leyna gives a slight nod of her head as she walks away to straighten our bed.
I get the toy wagon sitting next to the door, and I am slipping on my light jacket when Leyna says, "Melody, breakfast is in an hour." I nod and slip out the door, happy to be outside in my free time, and not having to work in the fields surrounding our district. Many of the people in the Resident's Row, or the poorer part of District Eleven, are still sleeping. The houses here look just like our house, all of them being small houses. They all are made out of wood, and almost all of them are poorly constructed. The roofs of the houses are made of tightly woven grass, with wood supporting the grass covering. When it rains, which is always plentiful during this season, we have to put a plastic covering over the roof. Still, many houses are completely destroyed by the rain at the end of this rainy season. When Capitol citizens come to film our district, they almost always avoid filming the Resident's Row. Wouldn't want a Capitol citizen to realize just how greedy they are. The Capitol citizens always film the Victor's Village and the Township, where all the peacekeepers and merchants of our district live. All of the houses in the Township have relatively nice insides, with beds, tables, and sofas, which are a luxury in comparison to our house. We have thin mattresses with a worn quilt as beds, wooden boards as tables, and chairs as sofas. Everything about our houses makes people in the Township shudder.
I continue on with my journey to the Patch, past the area of District Eleven where we work during harvest. I stop at the bicycle station to grab my assigned bike. Here, we get assigned bikes if our fields are far away, more athletic people getting fields further back in the district. My field is next to the Patch, the field that we use to get food, which is right next to the fence. We can only take enough to fit in our bicycle baskets, so I find ways to get more food in. Right next to the field is a lake, where we go to swim and fish in our free time, which is often only two or three hours daily during harvest. The Hunger Games and the Victory Tour are both during harvest, so only some people can attend both. As I cycle to the Patch today, I see the backup workers, who usually are merchants, watering the fields today. Their children gather food that is ripe, and put it in the train car used to transport food to the Capitol. These backup workers will come back in time for the reaping, the only time where the whole district gets a day off. Or most of the district. The merchants deserve being backup workers, which always makes the people in the Resident's Row chuckle.
When I reach the Patch, I see that dandelions have started to grow along the edge of the border, so I pick some. I then gather apples and strawberries. Soon enough, I come across the lake and I fish, getting a dozen fish in return for my patience. I put everything in my basket, and I see that I only have enough space for some berries and roots, so I gather some and hide them, making sure the basket is leveled. The peacekeeper at the bicycle station should be able to slide their hand over the basket and not feel anything poking out. If they do feel something, then the person gathering food is suspected of stealing food, which results in five lashes in public. I shudder, remembering the first time I saw a boy getting lashed for that very reason. I think the peacekeeper called him Solaris. When you get lashed, the peacekeeper whipping you publically announces the name of the "committer of treason" for everyone to hear. The peacekeepers have successfully attempted to do their duty – keeping fear alive in the hearts of the citizens of our district. They make everyone suffer, while they get the few luxuries that are available here.
I get back to the station, and the peacekeeper slides her hand over my basket. Suddenly, she stops. Everything has to be perfect. It just has to be perfect. I can't risk imperfection. "Honey, you have something poking out." She says. The words send a shudder down my spine. "But, since today is the day of the reaping, I'll let you go. No one, not even your family, needs to know. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor." She says this last part with what looks a lot like a sympathetic smile. I can't believe it. She broke the rules, out of pity for me.
I continue my day, walking to the Township, where I see mothers standing outside with their children, who are dolled up for the occasion. Some mothers hang on tightly to their children, while others look around grimly, trying to bring up a nice subject to talk about. The Hunger Games. It is the only thing that makes everyone, poor and rich alike, feel the same. There is no one who is better today, no one who should feel superior.
I go around, making sure to stop at my trading areas. I give the baker half of my fish for 6 loaves of bread. The grocer takes some apples and gives me some salt and pepper. The butcher takes half the dandelions and gives me money. The head peacekeeper takes some roots and strawberries, but I get nothing in return. The citizens of our district always give things to the head peacekeeper without expecting anything in return, so that there is a glimmer of hope that he will forgive us. That really doesn't help anyone, though. He stays mean, just as he was taught.
I continue on my way to the Widow's house. When I reach the old, shabby, house, I see that the shutters of the house are closed. Since the Widow never leaves her house anymore, that only means one thing. She is watching television. She only watches one thing: the reaping for the 70th Hunger Games, three years ago. The games that Annie Cresta of District Four won. Well, she has to watch the current games too, because it is required by law, but she always watches these games. They are the only ones she has ties to. The Widow's husband died ten years ago, while he was loading food onto the train bound for the Capitol. She lost her daughter, eighteen at the time of her death, to the Hunger Games, three years ago. When she died, the Capitol gave the Widow a video containing all of the scenes in which her daughter was in, including the pre-arena days. The video also, unfortunately, contains the full scene of her daughter's death.
I tiptoe, not wanting to disturb the grieving woman, but my foot catches on a wooden plank, making the house sound of a squeak. I lay the contents on the table, and I am leaving when she gestures for me to come to her. I walk over, hesitant at first, and the second I get there, she embraces me. "Melody, I hope you aren't chosen. Don't be scared. It's only actually five minutes in which they reap the girl. "She says, her voice only a faint whisper. I look at the television screen, which now shows the District Eleven reaping. The girl is tall, and her blond hair sways in the wind. Her deep, blue eyes can tell you all the fear she felt. Suddenly, the scene changes to her training score. 4. Pretty low for an eighteen year old, but it is immediately known in the Capitol that this girl will not live to tell the tale of surviving the games. The scene changes again, and this time, the girl walks up the stage to be interviewed, and she wears a blue dress, one that matches her eyes. The last words you hear her utter in her interview are, "I will never, ever, give up." She died the fifth day of the games, being killed by a Career from District Two. He took a knife and shoved it right in the middle of her heart. She placed 10th, another death adding on to the long list of deaths since the first Hunger Games.
The Widow, at once after releasing me, opens the door and goes outside; she only does this once a year, only on the day of the reaping. She picks a flower, this time it being a pink rose. She places it gently in front of the picture of her daughter. Then, she tells me children should be getting ready, and then she closes the door, once again disappearing into her realm of grieving.
I head home and my fear of the reaping increases the closer I get towards home. I finally pull my wagon up the long road in the Resident's Row, when it is almost eleven thirty. Uh-oh! I still have to eat breakfast and get ready. I run with all my might towards home, since we live at the end of the long road.
When I get there, my parents and Leyna are ready to go, all of them dressed up in the finest clothes we have. We only have one pair of clothes to wear to the reaping, and Leyna bought me my dress for this year. We always buy the clothes in a large size, so we can wear it until we are too old for the reaping. My parents buy one pair of clothes every ten years. We don't gain a lot of weight since we barely have any food. My outfit this year is a fine pink dress, with pink flats that have a blue ribbon made into a bow on each. I tie my hair into a half-ponytail with a matching blue ribbon. I look at the old mirror leaning against the wall, or where it used to be. We sold it last year to get money to rebuild our house after the rainy season. It was an elegant mirror that was made before the creation of Panem, so it sold for a lot of money.
We eat our breakfast of tesserae bread, and we also drink milk, which I bought on my way back home. My mother has made the roots and dandelions into a soup, and she preserved the fruit for tonight. She kept the berries to make into jam, a rare delicacy, even without sugar. Robert tries to make everyone happy by telling us stories about his "job" helping our mom clean up. He gets a little reward, like getting to pick us up from school, if he helps clean up. He notices everyone is sad and quiets down, making his face into the glum face we all wear. He always copies us so he can fit in.
After breakfast, we head to the Justice Building to sign in, and I freeze when I see everyone in line for the reaping. I don't want to go. I want to go home. Leyna says it will be fine, and if I am chosen, she will volunteer. It makes me feel better. I go and sign in, and then I go to the line for the twelve year olds. Everyone wears grim expressions on their faces. I take a last look at Robert, who seems to be spending his time playing with his shirt. All of a sudden, Serena Inchcape, our escort comes out of the Justice Building, followed by the mayor, the mentors, and a couple peacekeepers. They start the reaping right away. While the mayor, a tall and skinny lady with black hair, blue eyes, and pale skin, reads the history of Panem, I look at Leyna. She has some determination in her eyes, and I try to copy her. Then, she announces the names of the past victors, we have had four, two male and two female. Then, comes the dreaded part. Serena walks up the stage and talks for a long time about how wonderful our district is, on and on. Then, she pulls the girls name. I scream. It's me.