Note: As this is my first fan fic I would love some constructive criticism, but please don't be mean, thanks (:
I can feel my feet pounding onto the hard ground, my hair drenched in sweat. I must have been running for ages. I eventually come to a stop and grab my hip; the stitch has been there for hours. I can't stop now though, I have to keep moving, or they might catch me. Yes I'm being paranoid, but it's the Hunger Games, it's normal to be paranoid, right? I start running again, faster than last time. I don't even notice the hole in the earth in front of me. All I can see is darkness, am I dead? No, I'm not dead, not yet, but of course, that's not going to last for very long. Suddenly, I can see the bottom of the pit; I close my eyes and brace myself. Any minute now, any minut-
My eyes open, and I'm lying on the floor. I sit up and rest my head against my wooden bed, I can feel it throbbing. "Wow, I must have hit my head pretty hard," I say to myself while rubbing the egg forming on my head. I hear my 9 year old sister- Jayne – running up the stairs. I stand up and she runs into my arms, I wrap them around her neck as she rests her head on my chest. "Honesty, are you ok? I heard a bang downstairs…" I sigh, she always worries too much, god help her if I get picked for the reaping today, "I'm fine Jayne, I just fell out of bed, it didn't even hurt," She sniffs and looks me in the eye, "promise?"
"Yes Jayne, I promise," I hug her again before she runs back downstairs. In some ways I hope I do get picked, if I come back, Jayne won't be at risk of the reaping, neither will my brother. I love them both more than anything in the world, and I'm terrified of what the outcome of today may be. Oliver is eligible for the reaping. As much as I want to, I can't do anything to change that. I wish I could see him before we leave, but he's probably already left to go and see Joe. Probably for the best, he may as well enjoy himself before we go to the square at 2.
I rush down the stairs, just to check if he has left yet. I'm in luck; Mother's just buttoning up his jacket.
"Don't get any dirt on this jacket, Oliver, it's the only one your brother had before-" she sighs. My older brother, Ryan, had left a few years ago, to train as a career tribute in District 2. They didn't take a great liking to him. We received a letter a few months ago; he had 'left' and now his location was unknown.
"Be back here for 12, ok?" Mother stares down into Oliver's deep brown eyes. He is so different to the rest of us; he looks so much more innocent and joyful. Well, he is. Jayne and I are practically identical; the only obvious difference between us is our age. Other than that, we both have the same fiery red hair, sparkling green eyes and pale skin, a rare sight in District 7. Most of the villagers here all have the same bright blue eyes and jet black hair. However, Oliver is different all together, with dirty blonde hair, always in tangles, tanned skin and dark brown eyes; he looks more like someone from 10.
I give Oliver a wave before he opens our battered door and runs outside into the woods. My mother turns to me, "Did you sleep well, Honesty? You were certainly asleep long enough,' she snaps. I roll my eyes and sit down on the wooden chair opposite Jayne. She tears off a part of her bread roll and hands it to me, I reject it. "You need to eat Honesty,' she mumbles,
"You need it more," I pass it back to her, but she just rolls it over to me again. I sigh as I pull off a chunk of the roll and begin to eat it before passing it back to her. My mind wanders and I stare at the clock, it reads 11:45, wow I must have been asleep quite a while. Mother gestures me upstairs to put my reaping clothes on. It's always the same every year, a light blue dress with green detailing. This year people might actually see it though, since I am 15, my name is in there more times than it ever has been before. Much more. My name is in that bowl 15 times, and I thought last year was bad.
I follow mother up the stairs and find that she hasn't laid out the same light blue dress for me. Instead it's a cream blouse, with lace on the collar and a deep blue skirt to go with it. I quickly change out of my brown gown and then take care while putting on my blouse and skirt. I feel so…beautiful. I've never worn something so magnificent. It feels, special, different. Jayne walks in and gasps, "Honesty, you look so beautiful!" she plays with my hair, tangled just like hers. My mother ushers her away and mumbles something about Oliver being late. Her attention then turns to the mess that is my hair. She begins by brushing it through, and then securing it in a bun on my head. She pins some other random pieces of hair back and then admires her work. I don't even have time to take a look myself before her arms are wrapped around me. We must have stood there, hugging, for a good 15 minutes, until Oliver runs in panting. He apologises for being late, and then scurries off to his room where he changes into his reaping outfit. My mother excuses herself and scurries downstairs.
"Hmm," I say, "It's a bit….big," Oliver sticks his tongue out at me then runs over. I open my arms and he rests his head against my chest. My hands play with his tangled hair. Oliver doesn't act like most 12 year olds; he's playful and crazy, different to the others in his year. To lose him to the games, would break me, a part of me would be lost with him. His crazy ways give our family hope and a sense of joy and happiness.
We are interrupted with the return of mother. "Time to go," she whispers. She's not a particularly quiet person, but on reaping day she always is. I take Oliver's hand and we walk carefully down the old staircase. I take in the scent of pine needles, like I do every year, before I leave. It comforts me, gives me something to hold on to just in case. I relax my shoulders, smile at Oliver and we leave for the square, followed by Jayne and mother.