Volunteering for Love

by Amity Ravenclaw from District4

What if Katniss couldn't volunteer, and had to watch the man she loved and her little sister fight to the death in the arena? Katniss has feelings for Peeta when he is reaped and her privilege to volunteer has been rebuked, Peeta promises her that Prim will come home. But what about that little dark haired girl from district 11? The one that Prim can't seem to let go...

1. The orchard

Rue POV

I reach out to pluck an apple from the tallest branch. It's the last one on the tree; a red and green ripe one. My mouth waters at the thought of ending my hunger with one crunching satisfying bite from this apple. But of course I would be punished for even holding this apple for too long. I can't bear to think of what would happen if I dared to eat it.

I twist the fruit from its branch and drop it into my woven pouch that stretches over my shoulder and around my middle. The sun is starting to set now, and right on time the red flags that signal closing time rise into the air. Since I am the smallest I am always on the highest, thinnest and most slender branches. I am always the first to see the flags so I have a special job every day at closing time. I let out a four note melody that rings out across the orchard; a simple melody. The mockingjays soon pick up my tune and overlap the notes. One by one, heads pop out of trees, a light smile spreading across their faces. Closing time means payment, payment means food and food means a little less growling in your stomach before you go to bed.

I love this melody. I close my eyes and sing it out again. I love to sing, but it is strictly forbidden in the laws of district 11. They try to take away every little piece of freedom we have, but they let me do this, mostly because it's useful for getting everyone out on time with no confusion. Soon I have to climb down. If you are late out they assume you stay to steal food, and the punishment for that is a public whipping.

I scurry down the branches of the tree and drop onto the rich soil that the tree rises from. I run towards the truck in the middle of the orchard, running and jumping over the roots of trees, carefully minding I don't spill my full pouch of apples. I reach the boxes and join the line for weighing and emptying your pouch. A man stands in front of me. His back is large from muscle build up from climbing trees and physical labour that he's had to do. Although his stomach is small and slim because of the limited nutrition he has consumed in his life. He's just like the rest of us.

You'd think that since we grow all of Panem's food that we'd get a better share of it than the other districts. Even if the food is over-ripe, it gets sent to the factories in District 8, to make canned goods for the Capitol. The concept is so unfair that many of us have died from starvation.

If you try to steal food from the fields, they call everyone into the square and make them watch as a peacekeeper whips you. 40 lashes are the usual, but it depends on the peacekeepers mood. After that you are fired from the agricultural sector and you might think that sounds great, but we rely on the grain that we get paid in to survive. If any of us stop receiving that, you would starve to death within a few days.

I come to the front of the line where a peacekeeper grabs my pouch and places the apples on the electronic scales. It reads 12.6kg, so the peacekeeper hands me the printed ticket that shows how much grain I will receive. I look down at the small piece of paper that lies in my palm expecting to see my usual order for grain, but instead see a mark for 10credits. Oh! I completely forgot, the day before the reaping for The Hunger Games, we receive a sum of money. I never have gotten this much before though. I look up at the peacekeeper in his white casual armour, his face is sad and then he says something completely unexpected, "Goodbye Rue, it was nice knowing you". I walk away confused by his remark. I am just walking past the potato patches when I realize that he must be transferring to another district, if he is lucky, maybe even the Capitol. Lots of peacekeepers are only temporary, since our district has all the strictest ones. I can't remember his name, but a few years ago there was a peacekeeper that always slipped you extra grain rations and sometimes even a small bundle of nuts or an orange at the end of the week. He was caught by another peacekeeper called Romulus Thread. Thread was immediately promoted to a higher position in some other part of Panem. The kind peacekeeper was sent to the capitol to become an avox, to serve the people of importance in the Capitol.

I pass the turnip and squash patches and decide to take a risky shortcut through the west wheat field. The sharp heads brush past my skin, making white scratch marks on my dark complexion. The sun shines through the long stalks. The harvest of the wheat is due to start next week, so there is no one here. I suddenly have a thought. No one will hear me, here I am safe. I open my mouth, and let my soul pour out.

'Time has leaped off the page for you my darling

The final page is near

The chapters on its last page now

Your time is closing up

But first I say to you

Take your heart into the next world

And I'll meet you there'

My notes hang in the air and the rustling of the wheat stalks sound like wind running through a wind chime. Soon I hear the mockingjays take up my song and they take it throughout the fields, the fruit orchards and the vegetable patches. I have to leave now; the peacekeepers will suspect something because of the mockingjays new tune. I turn around and head towards the payment collection station.