DISCLAIMER- I am not Suzanne Collins or a bananna (if you don't get that joke, go over to YouTube and search 'I'm a bananna.' Hilarious!) And thanks a bazillion to Lillian for agreeing to beta this.
Chapter One- 'The Reaping'
When I wake up this morning, the first that I'm aware of is a pillow being whacked in my face. It really isn't a good idea to irritate me this early in the morning.
"What exactly are you doing?" I ask with a yawn. I turn to my twelve-year-old sister, Marcia, who just giggles.
"I can't believe you forgot!" she says defiantly. "Clove, this is your sixth reaping. I thought you would've remembered the date by now."
"Oh yeah." I really should have remembered. I've been looking forward to this for weeks. "I'm going to do it this time. You know, go in," I say to my sister.
"And come home too. Right?" Marcia asks, a glimmer of fear crossing her eyes.
"Well, that's the plan, isn't it?" I say, causing her to laugh and roll her eyes at me.
"Just get ready," she demands, unable to come up with a retort. She then holds up a dress. "Mom wants you to wear this."
I sigh, registering the color: soft pink. "Okay," I finally say, exasperated.
I get ready in a ten-minute whirlwind before running downstairs. When I get down there, I notice that Julian and Rufus, our fifteen-year-old supposedly-twins-but-are-nothing-alike-and-seem-to hate-each-other brothers are acting, as usual, like immature idiots. Right now, they're using the heels on our mom's three-inch shoes to stab each other. The fight ends when our family's crazy dog, Jaws, sinks his tiny teeth into both of them, drawing blood both times.
"Will you just calm down?" I shout at them. They don't, I glare, they stop. It's a familiar cycle.
Well, we somehow make it to the town square within the next ten minutes. Then again, it isn't a huge accomplishment when you live only about two minutes away. Almost as soon as we sign in, the mayor begins reading his yearly speech. Honestly, it's so dull that when I can't fall asleep at night, I recite it in my mind. Finally, it ends and the District 2 escort, Tessa Nova, mounts the stage.
"It's great to be here in, ah, where are we?" she says, "Oh, yes, District Three. Er, excuse me, Two? Well, wherever we are, the excitement is rising!" she squeals. Honestly, she is so stupid that she makes Julian and Rufus seem almost intelligent. If it's possible, that is.
"Shall we begin?" Tessa continues. Without waiting for an answer, she swirls her hand around in the glass ball labled 'District Two: Female.' After several minutes of grabbing one paper, dropping it, and grabbing another, she finally settles on one. "Congratulations to-" she opens it, and I'm crossing my fingers so tightly they bruise. "Clove Sanders!"
"Yes!" I shout, jumping in the air. I run up onto the stage shouting, "Volunteer and become my target practice!"
"Now that's the spirit!" Tessa says, patting my shoulder. I wince slightly as her purple talons pierce my skin. "Let's choose our next tribute." She walks over to the next glass ball, doing her ridiculous routine to make us wait. After a minute, she reads again. "Well, well, well. This certainly is interesting. I assume this is your brother?" she asks me. "Anyway, Rufus Sanders, come on up!"
"No." A semi-familiar voice commands. "I volunteer." Then he mounts the stage.
Tessa is ecstatic. "Fabulous! And your name would be-?" she asks, unable to stop smiling. Between my enthusiasim and a volunteering that actually went succesfully, this reaping will be unforgettable in the Capitol.
"Cato Marshall," he answers tersly. Of course, it's just my luck that he would be chosen. You see, the two of us are skilled with anything involving throwing pointy objects. We have been in rivalry for the last seven years. The high scores in the training centers going back and forth between the two of us the entire time.
Taking the cheering crowd to my advantage, I begin my first stage of the plan I have to get home: messing with Cato's mind. So, I half-whisper, half-hiss the blunt truth; "One of us is coming back to Two. It will be me."