The wind rustled the tall grass of the fields that the cattle grazed. Shaylin Herba sat on top of her brown mare, Stella, as she kept watch, making sure none of them strayed from the group. The wind picked up again, causing the blonde girl to look to the sky. Dark clouds started to roll into the area directly above her head, signaling the fast-approaching storm. What a wonderful omen, she thought, a thunderstorm storm just in time for the Reaping tomorrow. She just hoped it wasn't another tornado after the devastation the last one caused.
District 10, the livestock district, was the third poorest district in Panem. Mostly made up of large open fields for the animals, it was also one of the largest and least populated. The people in District 10 raised everything from cattle to chicken to sheep and more. The livestock were raised on ranches, owned by the Capitol. Outsiders looking in may think that they ranch managers were the owners of the ranches and think them rich and having more freedom than the average citizen but they were wrong. The ranch managers were under the thumb of the peacekeepers and President Snow just like everyone else even if their social standing was slightly higher than average. Not many people owned the livestock themselves.
The young blonde was shaken from her thoughts as the sound of another horse approaching next to her. She glanced to her right to see the ranch manager, Ruben Astoria, ride up next to her. Ruben had been like a surrogate father to her and her sister since their parents disappeared when Shay was only nine. His wife, Rosa, and he were friends of Mr. and Mrs. Herba and managed the ranch for the Capitol giving Shay a job when her sister couldn't work due to her pregnancy.
"You can head back in now," he said shooting her a small smile. "I'm sure Althea will be worried if you're still out here with use when the storm starts and the last thing she needs is more worry. Ash, Rosa and I can herd them back to the barn."
Shay smiled back at her father figure. "True. She's always anxious about something these days. I keep telling her it's not good for the baby but I think that just makes it worse because then she's worrying about the baby."
"You should take it easy on her. It's hard being a first time mother. Rosa was a wreck leading up to having Ash but by time we got around to Daniella, she already had two other tykes running around so she was a professional." There was a pause as the two smiled at the sentimentality of the conversation.
Althea was a great sister. The twenty-two years old was the only motherly figure she can remember aside from Rosa. She was fifteen when their parents disappeared and she definitely knew more about the whole situation but whenever the topic would come up, she would get oddly quiet and keep to herself. She'd gotten about a year after finishing school, when she was finally too old to participate in the reapings, to her longtime boyfriend Richter. He was a classically handsome guy with a devil may care attitude. Unfortunately, he was another kind soul taken from this mad world.
Richter worked in transporting. He transported the livestock from the ranches to the slaughterhouses. In the process of moving cattle, his coworkers, friends and him ran into some peacekeepers who had issued a road block on their usual route. The conversation quickly became violent when his friend started an altercation with a peacekeeper who wouldn't assist them in finding a quick, alternate route. In all the commotion, the bulls got ornery and broke free of their restraints, starting a rampage. In the chaos, Richter was trampled leaving behind his wife who was two months pregnant at the time.
"Yeah, I'll be sure to keep that in mind," she started to turn Stella in the direction of the ranch before Ruben's voice stopped her.
"Rosa and I will be by with the family to pick you and Althea up tomorrow for the reaping." Shay nodded solemnly in response.
"You must be so relieved. It's Dani's last year eligible."
Ruben sighed before running his hand over the sparse hair on his head, "I'll be more relieved when it's over with and she's safe at home tomorrow night."
"Understandable." Shay left the older man behind to round up the herd as she pushed Stella into a steady gallop towards the ranch. Once she set the brown mare back up in the stables, she gathered her bag and headed down to the road waiting for the rundown bus to pick her up and take her back to town. As she waited, a hand landed on her shoulder causing her to jump in surprise.
Turning suddenly, she found herself looking into mischievous, deep brown eyes. "You scared the shit out of me Dani!" The older girl laughed.
"You're always so jumpy and paranoid. It makes it pretty easy to startle you." Shay rolled her eyes and huffed at her friend.
"Whatever. Why did you come to the bus stop?" The older girl and the rest of her family lived on the ranch since her father managed it. It didn't make sense for her to go into town.
"Did you really forget? The Rapture is tonight!" Shay groaned in protest. She was not looking forward to the Rapture.
The Rapture was this big gathering of all the kids in town that were eligible for the reaping the following day. It was kind of this party to signify the end of days. Shay was confused by the whole concept of it. The idea of a party before the reaping seemed like such a Career thing to do. And District 10 was definitely not a Career district. That was solely Districts 1 and 2, as well as occasionally District 4. They trained for the Hunger Games. They thought it was an honor to participate, to bring pride to their district. The other participants in the games rarely shared the same attitude. Also, the thought of a party, in which two of the attendees would most likely be sent off to their death the following day, seemed morbid at best. Daniella always countered and explained the event as a way to vent the stress of their situations and try to forget the world they lived in. The world may be about to end for them so enjoy the time while it lasts. The concept still seemed bizarre to Shay.
"I don't want to go. It's so stupid. You make me go every year," the younger blonde whined. Daniella huffed and crossed her tan arms in front of her chest stubbornly. Shay already knew she was going to lose this argument just like last year, and the year before.
"This is a day to not just survive but to actually live. You only live once so you may as well enjoy it while you can. I'm as nervous as anyone for tomorrow but I don't want to look back at my life on my death bed and remember only just getting by in life. I want to remember good things that made it all worth it. I want some fun. Even if it's just a little bit." Shay recognized how passionate her friend was about the topic and sighed before turning back to the road as the bus approached.
Dani took that as her cue that she won this round. Waiting for the bus to come to a stop, she pulled her long brown hair up and off her neck where sweat from the humidity was starting to appear. The older girl glanced at the younger blonde who was like a sister to her. With two older brothers, the Astoria girl quickly attached herself to Shay growing up. Glancing at the blonde's outfit, she scoffed as they boarded and took a seat towards the back of the almost full bus. "I don't understand how you can wear long sleeves and pants like that in this heat."
Shay glanced down at her denim pants that she wore while working at compared it to the shorts and tank top Dani was wearing. "The heat doesn't bother me too much. Maybe I'm just used to it," she said, shrugging before jokingly adding, "Or, maybe I'm just cold-blooded."
The brunette laughed, "That's definitely the reason, you snake." Snickering at each other, the two fell into a silence as the bus stopped to let more people on. An elderly couple stepped on and the girls gave them their seats realizing that the bus had filled up. Standing and holding onto the bars on the top of the bus, the two remained quiet until they got to town. Shay remembered how until her growth spurt the year prior, she could barely reach the straps hanging from the metal bars and often lost her balance every time the bus lurched.
Getting off the bus just outside the main square of District 10, the two girls walked to the Herba residence. They talked and Shay teased Dani about her crush on Zeke, the mayor's son.
"Pfft, I do not have a crush on Zeke," Dani denied as they approached the meager household.
"What was that you told me earlier about 'only living once,' maybe tonight is your night to make a move." Shay waggled her eyebrows at the brunette suggestively, and Dani knew that she got her on that one. The conversation was halted as Althea walked out of the decent sized shed just outside of their home.
"Hey, how was work?" Althea called to them. She was wearing an off-white apron over her rotund stomach. She must've been milking their family cow, Millie. The Herba family was lucky in that one sense. They owned a cow, which not many families owned animals. The mayor owned a couple of horses; one for his wife and another for Zeke. Some families had goats or chickens of their own, and a few had their own dogs that they used for herding. But, cows were rare. After Richter's death, the Astoria family helped them purchase Millie so that Althea could barter with the milk around town. It was one of the many ways the Astorias helped the sisters.
"It was alright. Ruben sent me home a little early since it looks like it's going to storm."
Althea must've been in the shed for a while as she too looked to the sky, after brushing her dirty blonde hair from her face, and noticed the overcast of clouds. "Oh, alright." The older blonde then turned to Dani and greeted her with a hug, "Hello Dani, what brings you over?"
Before Dani could answer, I answered for her, "We have the Rapture tonight so we're going to grab something to eat quickly and then head to the Rundown." The Rundown was quite literally a rundown, dilapidated, old barn that was probably way too dangerous to go into yet the teenage population of town used it for a variety of things. Thus, it was used for the Rapture.
The curfews in District 10 weren't too heavily enforced. With the workload of the everyday citizen, people rarely had cause to start trouble with a few rare occasions and so everyone continued with their dull existence without protest.
"Alright, will you be staying the night like last year then Dani?" Dani nodded. Althie tried to smile but with the mention of the Rapture brought thoughts of the reaping. And with thoughts of the reaping brought thoughts of how many times my name was in that bowl. Thirty-seven. Not nearly as much as some but more than the minimum possible amount. "Alright, well I hope you enjoy yourselves. I'll probably be asleep by time you get back, but I'll see you two at breakfast in the morning." She forced a smile, though her worry was evident. She had always been a little neurotic and worrisome; Shay supposed that sort of ran in the family with her slight paranoia. However, Shay hated that the reaping caused her sister more stress every year. If something happened to Shay, Althea wouldn't have any more family left. It's why she just needed to get through these next few years unscathed.
The two younger girls said their goodbyes for the night before going to Shay's small, simple room and getting ready. Dani was ready to go for the most part but Shay fixed her hair into a half-up half-down style with braids pinning her hair back. Shay shed her heavy clothing for a lightweight, white cotton dress and put back on her worn work boots. Comfortable in her changed clothes, the two girls were ready to go for the night.
The walk to the Rundown wasn't far, the girls running into some school friends on the way and making light conversation. Aside from the teens walking the street, it was like a ghost town. Much like the curfew, the Rapture party was not heavily monitored by peacekeepers. It was the one night they could have for themselves. As they grew closer to the Rundown, Shay and Dani could hear the guitar music and sound of the crowd.
As the duo entered the barn, there were people already people fully into the party. A large group was on the makeshift dancefloor, another group gathered in the corner around Boone, the local troublemaker, who was serving his famous moonshine. The girls stood at the entrance, trying to decide what group to migrate to and eventually deciding to grab a drink.
"'Sup!" a voice shouted from behind them over the noise of the party. Shay jumped, as usual at the sudden voice, while Dani gracefully turned to see who was there. Dani's face instantly lit up seeing Zeke in all his grinning glory. Glancing back and forth between her best friend and the mayor's son, Shay smirked in amusement. Seeing Dani get so excited and flustered around this boy was refreshing to the blonde, who was so used to the older girl's nonchalant attitude on a day to day basis.
Zeke was attractive, Shay could admit. He was tall and tan with a lean, muscled build. He had friendliest, warmest brown eyes and a bit of a baby face that was framed by shoulder length, dark brown hair. It wasn't just his appearance that was attractive, but his personality too. They say that eyes are windows to the soul and in Zeke's case that was true, because like his eyes, he was one of the friendliest, warmest people she knew. Shay could see why Dani liked him so much, but she just didn't share that attraction towards him. Maybe he just wasn't her type. I guess kind and cute isn't my type, Shay thought to herself.
Shay didn't know she had zoned out until she realized that both Dani and Zeke were staring at her expectantly. "What?" she asked dumbly.
"He asked if you were doing the Triathlon tonight," Dani repeated for her, handing her the other cup of moonshine that Boone gave her.
"Oh, absolutely!" Shay answered with genuine excitement. Every Rapture party, there was the Triathlon. A tournament of three games that were specific to skills learned in District 10. Shay may not have been the biggest fan of the Rapture, but she did like participating in the Triathlon and saw the merits of doing well in it. The games involved a lasso competition, whipping targets, and knife throwing. They involved skills that could actually help anyone who was reaped for the Hunger Games. The blonde excelled at with lassos and whips; she used them at work. Knife throwing she was another story though. She was alright with them, but knives had always been her brother's specialty.
Kraven Herba was reaped at fifteen years old, three years prior when Shay was fourteen. When it came to preparedness for the Games, he wasn't as lucky as some but he did well enough. Before he was reaped, he didn't work in the fields like Shay did, but he knew how to utilize his free time and his boredom. After his first Rapture, he spent his free time practicing for the Triathlon, honing his skills. He excelled in the one area Shay didn't, throwing knives. By time Shay's first Rapture came around, Kraven took to showing his sister all his tricks. When Kraven was reaped, those skills he learned for the Triathlon ended up keeping him alive. He made it to the final four before being killed by the District 1 male.
"Awesome," Zeke replied, "I'll let them know to put you on the scoreboard for it." Turning to Dani, he offered her his arm, "Wanna dance?" She nodded eagerly, but hesitated and looked to Shay as if to ask if it was alright to leave her alone.
"Go!" Shay encouraged. "I'll find something to occupy me while I wait to kick ass in the Triathlon." The two wandered onto the dancefloor while Shay finished her moonshine, cringing at the burn. Getting a refill, she leaned against the wall, watching the other teenagers have fun and shed their worries. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone lean against the wall next to her. She turned and met Boone's gaze.
"Aren't you supposed to be manning the bar?" Shay asked, with a slight slur. The moonshine was strong and her tolerance was very low.
"Aren't you supposed to be having fun?" the happy-go-lucky teen countered.
"Who says I'm not having fun?" the blonde girl said, pretending to be appalled. "I love being wallflower. It's kinda my thing." She took a sip from her cup, glancing over the rim at the taller boy with a humorous glint in her eyes.
"And what a pretty wallflower you are. But, I think this particular flower would bloom out on the dancefloor," he held a hand out to her and Shay couldn't hold back a small laugh.
"Did you really just say that? That was pretty cheesy, even for you Boone. How drunk are you? On a scale of one to ten?" Boone rolled his eyes, goofy smile still in place.
"Stop busting my balls, Shay. Let loose! Just one dance before the Triathlon," he stuck out his lip giving me a pitiful pout.
"One," she agreed, and he pumped his fist into the air in victory. "Try not to trample my toes."
The two met up with Dani and Zeke on the dancefloor, loosing themselves in the music. Shay's worries started to fade just like everyone else's and one dance turned into two, then three. Eventually, the dancefloor and it was time for the Triathlon.
The first event was lassoing. With a couple drinks in her, Shay was feeling overconfident and flashy. When her turn came, before lassoing the designated dummies, she threw in a couple tricks. Her friends cheered her on as she hopped over the lasso loop and spun it around her body. Others cheered her on too, her past performances in the Triathlon made her relatively well-known around town. She may not have been as extroverted as Dani but that didn't mean she was invisible.
The next event was target whipping. Cans and other targets were set up at different distances. Person after person tried their best to knock the targets off their posts. Some did well, others not so much, but none did it with quite as much flair as Shay. She was in her element in that moment.
The last event was knife throwing. Shay knew that there were others present that were better than her, and honestly, with her alcohol buzz, she was a little uncertain about how well she would do. Sharp pointy objects and intoxicated teens was probably not the safest combination, but no major incidents had happened that Shay knew of. She tried her best, remembering the lessons from Kraven, and she performed well. Not the best, but she managed to bury the knives in the targets.
The Triathlon was over and Shay was happy to have let off some steam. The dancefloor filled back up with teenagers including Boone, Zeke, Dani, and Shay. The group partying until a deep exhaustion set in and it was time to leave. The music came to an end and the crowd dispersed, leaving the Rundown and heading home. Boone and Zeke continued to walk with the girls, Boone because he lived near the Herbas and Zeke because he just wanted to spend more time with Dani.
Dani was perched on Zeke's back, legs wrapped around his waist, as Boone and Shay sashayed ahead of them, joking and goofing off in the moonlight. As they approached the Herba home, they quieted down so to not wake Althea. Dani dropped off Zeke's back only to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. Shay gave Boone a friendly hug as well and when the two pulled away, they saw their other two friends sharing an intimate kiss.
"Get a room," Boone teased, causing the embracing couple to split apart, both blushing. They said their goodbyes and the girls went inside. Changing into comfortable clothes, the girls curled up in Shay's bed, facing each other as they relaxed after their eventful night.
The room was pitch black but the best friends knew the other was awake still.
"Are you scared?" Dani asked, referring to the reaping.
"Yeah," Shay answered without hesitation. Although she wasn't scared for herself. She was scared for Althea, for Dani, even for Zeke, Boone and the other kids she had grown up with.
"Me too," Dani whispered. It wasn't often that Dani showed her vulnerable side. But this was Shay she was talking to, her sister in every way except for blood. The two girls closed their eyes, their hands subconsciously reaching out to hold on to the other's. Despite the evening they had, thoughts of the Reaping loomed over the children of District 10 that night.
The next morning, the sound of a rooster woke the teenage girls up. Althea had already been up, unable to sleep well that night like many others. She had prepared a small breakfast for the three of them, knowing that the nerves would keep the teens from being able to eat.
Shay and Dani entered the small dining area of the Herba home already dressed for the reaping. Dani's tanned skin stood out in contrast against her light blue Reaping dress. She had worn the same dress to the last two Reapings and planned on burning it when she got home later that day, if she got home. Shay, ever the opposite, had on a crocheted blush pink dress, her own tan on her naturally pale skin standing out as well. The blonde girl couldn't help but feel like a prize winning swine, prettied up and awaiting a slaughter. Dani had braided her hair back before pulling it into a high ponytail so that her face couldn't be hidden behind the golden tresses.
After nibbling on the meager breakfast that Althea had made, the three girls were shaken from their thoughts by a knock on the front door. Shay stood from her chair and opened the front door, seeing the rest of the Astoria family on the other side. Each member of the family, Ruben and Rosa, Dani's parents, as well as Ash and Beck, Dani's brothers, entered the Herba home, each giving the blonde girl a hug as they filed in. Similar greetings were given to Althea and Dani smiled at her family. The Astorias had caught the early bus into town so that they could all walk to the Justice Building together.
The families chatted for a little while longer, trying to dissolve some of the tension but with little success. After about fifteen minutes, the group started their slow trek to the Reaping. As they passed other families, looking just as solemn as they did, the dread really started to sink in for Shay. Her stomach churned with anxiety.
Eventually, the group split. Shay and Dani headed towards the rest of the possible tributes, while Althea and the rest of the Astoria family went to the sidelines, hoping that they would be leaving with their loved ones. The two girls got in line to check in, before going to the separate sections. Shay was ushered into the seventeen-year-old section while Dani moved past her and into the eighteen-year-old section. As the sections filled up and more people arrived, the older girl kept looking back to her best friend for comfort. Shay also picked out Zeke and Boone who were oddly standing next to each other in the eighteen-year-old boys section. Before the Rapture last night, Shay couldn't recall them spending much time together, but the Reaping always had a knack for bringing the most unexpected people together.
Feedback from a microphone sounded throughout the town square, silencing the crowd. Seconds later, Verona Vacca, District 10's escort, teetered out on stage. Donning a purple cow print dress, puffed out with a petticoat skirt, and a ridiculous pair of metallic silver cowgirl boot, she approached the microphone. Shay couldn't help but be distracted by her hair, pulled half-up, half-down, and fading from dark purple to magenta.
Verona, with her Capitol accent, introduced the same video we watched every year at the Reaping. The video on the Dark Days, narrated with President Snow himself, was repetitive and unnecessary. The districts were aware of how oppressed they were, they didn't need a reminder. The video wrapped up and Verona continued her speech, "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor! As usual, we will begin with the ladies!" On stage were two abnormally large milk jugs, one for the boys and one for the girls. All the name slips were in the jugs, reminding Shay that thirty-seven were hers. Verona dipped her hand into one of the jugs, moving it around before finally plucking one out. Moving back to the center of the stage, she opened the slip and read out the name.
"Shaylin Herba."
Breath caught in her throat and stomach churning, Shay thought she was going to be sick. Her worst fears came true and all she could think in that moment was that she wished that she could've sat on Stella, staring out at the fields of grazing cattle forever, because now her life was crashing down around her.
Her name was called.
She was a tribute now.
Haha! I finally got around to rewriting this story! I have decided to not unpublish the original story but I will unpublish the sequel. Thanks anyone who is rereading this new and improved version, and to any new readers. I wrote the original when I was 16 as my first fanfiction and now I'm 21 turning 22 and my writing has evolved a lot.
Thanks again everyone!