Author's Note: This is the longest chapter I have written as of March twenty fifth. I hope that you like it reader(s)!
It's another day for "school", and my fourth reaping. Everybody knows that District 1 trains for the games, but they don't know that "school" is when we train.
I wear the "uniform", flesh colored armor. Above that, you can wear anything you want. I felt my long scar that went up my cheek. When I was seven, I was curious to see if the throwing knives were sharp, and tested it on my cheek. I found out that it really hurts when you touch a knife blade that day.
My emerald green shirt matches my green eyes almost exactly. I'm ready for my possibly last day of training. I jump nimbly down the stairs, and high kick the kitchen door open, but I end up having to unlatch it. I drop by my mother, and say good morning, while I stuff my mouth with some toast with butter. As soon as I finish my slice, I rush out the door. I'm on my way to school.
As soon as I begin walking along the cobblestone path, I look around and identify some of the berries around me as deadly an poisonous. In the games, one wrong berry can kill you in a matter of seconds. Within minutes, I'm at the training center. I open the door to the sort of auditorium.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! We have decided who will volunteer for the first quarter quell! That means that we will be selecting two boys and two girls who we think are ready to volunteer. They have the choice, but you will forever be ashamed!" Announces the "principal" cheerily.
"Okay. For her strength in every skill here, we have Emerald Jones!" I gasp. Everybody dreams of their name being called, but not me. Another girl, who's a big show off and thinks of herself as superior to everybody walks along side of me to the principal. Next come the boys. My big brother and his best friend are called, and I just manage to hold back all but one tear, which I let trickle slowly down my cheek. We'll have to volunteer, because if we don't, we'll never hear the end of it. This means that I'll probably have to kill him.
"Everybody back to school!" Shouted the principal. Well, at least they weren't choosing another tribute. I run back towards the girl's training room and go straight to the bow and arrow target practice.
I hit each arrow in the same place every tim, splitting each arrow in half. It's an old habit that I've always done to get on every body's nerves. After the station master gets fed up with me splitting the arrows, he ends up throwing bird dummies in the air. I hit all but one, and the reason that I missed it was because I wanted to practice causing mayhem. I hit the generator, sending sparks flying, and the power went out.
I began to giggle, and go off to the other stations, making sure to leave an hour for going over edible/inedible plants, which I did very well at, and crammed as much information as possible into my brain before it's time to go.
After the school bell rings, my brother and I begin to walk home together. We both object the hunger games, so it's very hard on us that we have to fight in it.
"We have to volunteer Max, but I don't want to." I say.
"We have to." He answers. He's right. If we're chosen, but don't volunteer, we're poisoned.
As soon as I get home, I see one of my moms old reaping outfits laid out on my bed. There's an emerald green that is very elegant. It has long sleeves, and goes down to my knee. I look at myself in the mirror, and begin to brush my hair.
This time, there are forty eight tributes, so that dwindles my chances of surviving greatly, and the fact that victors can volunteer if they want to. Yeah. I'm going to die in a few weeks.
I finish thinking of the awful subject, and rush downstairs with the family, and begin to walk towards town square.
I sit next to the sixteen year old girls, waiting for my turn to volunteer. As the minutes drag on like hours, it's finally time for the girls to be drawn.
"Ladies first! Okay, we have- Emerald Jones with the most votes." She says.
Next, the other three are called. I suddenly come to realization. This isn't a dream. I really am officially part of the hunger games, and afterwards, if I win or die, I will no longer have a brother. The horrible truth hits me, but I manage to keep a blank expression for the capitol, unless I pretend to be a weakling. In the hunger games, it's always better to be underetimated.
I burst into tears. In the five minutes that feel like hours, I manage to convince everybody just that. All of a sudden, the peacekeeper comes and leads us to different satin rooms. I sit on a couch, and clear my face. I miss my family. Luckily I'll be able to say goodbye.
First comes my family, who are allotted half of my time to say goodbye.
"I love you mom, but I wish I could bring both of us back." I say sadly.
"Oh, about that. Max and I knew that this would happen, so we planned his death with the other girl volunteer." My mother said.
"I'm not letting him die for me. He can't do it. You can't let him!" I yell.
"I'm sorry, but we have to. You can't just die. He's lived a longer life than you." Says mother.
I try to smile, but can't.
"I'm touched that you guys would risk your lives for me, but I don't want him to die because I'd miss him." I say.
I glance at the clock. In what had seemed like five minutes, twenty five minutes had passed. Five minutes left to say good bye to my family, most likely forever.
I do the old rutine. I hug each one and tell them that I love them. The minutes pass like that, and my family is shoved out. Next came in a boy who had been my best friend for years. We had always lived next door, and I almost cry in seeing him again.
"Nice job." He says. I try to smile and nod, but can't bring myself to it.
"Here, take this." He says, as he hands me an emerald pin. "It's you symbol." He finishes. Before I can move, something hits my lips, and next thing I know, he's gone. The hour is apearantly up, and I'm herded on to a train, and shown to my quarters. I decide to explore before it's time for dinner.