The Reaping

He could hear everyone in the house downstairs, making noise and talking. He rolled over and brought the blankets closer to him, wrapping him in. He knew that his parents would let him lie in bed as long as he wanted providing he was not late for the reaping. He really hoped that he could just lie in bed and skip today al together. It was the first year his little sister would be eligible for the reaping. His brothers had been eligible for a while now, one older two younger. And yet here they were, all together and well. May the odds be ever in your favour. He hoped that today they would be. It was one day every year, and it terrified him. For the most part he tried to act like today was no different from any other day of the year. And he was lying to himself but all he cared about was the fact that it was working. Sometime it did and sometimes he caught a glimpse of his siblings playing or laughing and he was thrown back into the harsh reality that was his life.

"Blight?" He poked his head out from under the covers at the sound of his sister's voice. "Did I wake you?" Her voice was soft and he shook his head causing her to smile. "Great!" He knew what she wanted, so he moved back the covers allowing her to crawl into bed with him.

"Come here Terra." The girl obliged and he covered both of them back up.

"Blight why do you always stay in bed today?" It was something that she asked him every year since he had been allegeable for reaping and every year he answered the same thing. Because he could. Today though, it was her first reaping so he figured he could tell her the truth. Even though she told their parents last night she wasn't scared she was shaking like a little leaf next to him.

"Because today scares me and I like to pretend if I stay in here long enough it will just leave me alone."

She giggled and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't let Taryn hear you say that. He'll call you a girl." Blight laughed along with her knowing what she was saying was very true. His words had the effect he was looking for; she had clamed down and wasn't shaking as bad. The first year he supposed was always the worst though the last year would be hard to get through too. One last ceremony, one last possibility to hear your name. Or at least that was what Taryn was telling him seeing as this was his last possible year to be reaped. Which meant his brother would be able to relax after the reaping and start thinking about starting a family.

He stayed in bed wrapped up with his sister for just awhile longer before he decided that he was hungry and should probably go get something to eat. He climbed out of bed and told Terra she could stay there if she wanted to, which she did and made his way downstairs. His mother was there, but they avoided talking about today and what it may hold because then she would just end up upset. After a short breakfast he went back upstairs to get dressed. He ignored the clothes that were already laid out, his reaping clothes, instead he grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt he knew he could get dirty.

He still had a bit of time until his reaping so he decided just to go off to the lumberyard where he worked with his father and Taryn. He was able to sign out an axe, the capitol he supposed didn't want then to keep axes in their houses incase of a rebellion or something along those lines. He liked the feel of the axe in his hand, it felt right. His father always said he was a natural. Blight threw the axe up in the air and caught it. He liked being alone and able to do things with an axe that were generally frowned upon by the adults. He knew that one day he would join his brother and father in the lumberyard, it was something he didn't mind. He liked the workout and it gave him time to clear his head. He threw the axe up in the air again and this time when he caught it, he immediately threw it into the nearest tree. It hit its mark and stuck in the trunk. He went to retrieve it, just to have it back in his hand. He figured it was almost time for him to go back home.

"Don't let dad see you do that or he'll have your head." Blight nearly dropped his axe.

"Don't scare me like that Taryn." Blight snapped playfully back at his brother, while turning to face him.

His brother laughed. "Knew I could find you here. Come on mom wants you home it's almost time for the reaping."

Blight nodded his head. "Right meet you at home, I have to return the axe first." Taryn nodded his head and left. Blight returned the axe and began to head home. He was glad that Taryn wasn't waiting for him, as they would have just walked home in silence. It was a tradition of theirs to walk to the reaping together and go home together. It reminded them of what they were able to avoid.

Once he was home he ran up the stairs and change into this years reaping outfit which was the one Taryn wore last year. A pair of black pants with a nice shirt. He really didn't care what he wore but it was tradition and the capitol wanted everyone in the districts to look their best. With the hunger games first impressions were everything. He grabbed Terra's hand who grabbed Alder's hand who then held Ajax's hand who was holding Taryn's hand. His other two brothers were fourteen and fifteen. Once they reaped the area in front of the justice building where the reaping ceremony took place every year they were forced to separate. The reapings segregated the girls from the guys by age. The older you were the closer you were to the stage.

He hated the way it was set up. This way he was so far away from all of his siblings it hurt not to be able to be close to them, to hold onto them to make sure they were safe. The closet person to him was Taryn, and he would only see the back of his head. His two other brothers would be behind him and Terra was behind him and to his right in the girl's section. The reaping started and he tuned out their mayor. Up on stage next to the mayor sat Gaius the capitol guide who this year had died their spiky hair a deep green colour. Also on stage were the four living victors of district four. With

"Blight Mason" He felt his blood run cold. He had been so preoccupied with his family that he had almost forgotten about his name. It was the one name he hadn't even thought was possible to come out of the reaping ball. Already everyone was stepping away from him, creating a wide path so he could walk up the stage and stand beside Kari. He did so with his head held high. It was a game and how you walked up to the stage was the first impression your competitors would see. He didn't want to look weak; more so for the capitol this was their cruel game and if he was going to be a part of it he would let them know he wasn't afraid.

He shook hands with Kari and then stood to face the rest of his district and Panem. He refused to look over at the various places were he knew his family were standing, because if he saw any of them he jus might cry. And if he stood a chance he needed to look indifferent if not a little determined. Even in his wildest dreams, and he had some very vivid nightmares around reaping time, he never saw himself in the arena. And now he was going to see what the hunger games were like first hand.

Once the treaty of treason was read the peacekeepers came to escort him and Kari inside the justice building. The peacekeeper escorts were relatively new, they were added about two years ago with the second quarter quell and it kind of stuck since one of the boys from ten tried to escape. But he wasn't stupid; he followed his peacekeepers quietly and was lead into a large room. It was massive, all Blight could do was look around the room for the few minutes he had alone before he would be allowed visitors.

His first visitors were Terra, Alder and Ajax. He wasn't surprised that his parents wanted to talk to him alone but he was surprised not to see Taryn with them. He hugged them all and chose his words carefully. He didn't want to promise to come home incase he couldn't win and come home. He didn't want to disappoint them, but at the same time he wanted them to know that he would try. He told them all to be good for their parents and to be strong.

Next were his parents and for a moment the thought that Taryn wasn't coming to see him crossed his mind. His mother had him scooped up in her arms before he got his hello out of his mouth. She was blathering on and he only caught a bit about what she was saying. He knew this was going to be hard on his parents. His father was trying to console her and Blight was hugging her back as hard as he could. "I'll be fine mom." The words were coming out of his mouth mostly to stop her tears. "You'll see. But mom, promise me, whatever happens you'll be strong." He kissed her on the cheek. "And mom, don't watch the games, it will be easier on you I promise." He wasn't sure if she could get away with not watching the games but he hopped she tried. She did stop crying and promised him she would be strong for her other children.

The peacekeepers came in and told him that his time with his parents was up already. His dad just before they left told him to be strong and he was proud of him. Blight smiled and waved as his parents left.

He was surprised when the door opened and someone else came in. "Taryn."

His brother laughed. "What you didn't think I would come?" Blight shook his head causing Taryn to smile. "While I am here." His brother sat down opposite of him. "Actually I was just making sure I could come and tell you something important. I wanted you to be the first person to know." The unspoken because you might die passed through Blight's head as Taryn continued speaking in a hushed tone. "You remember Ebony?" It was a silly question she had been Taryn's girlfriend forever and ever assumed the two were going to get married. Blight rolled his eyes and Taryn continued talking. "She's pregnant." Blight almost fell off of the chair. "I just wanted you to know."

The last few words Taryn spoke hit Blight hard. His brother was telling him this because he believed he wasn't coming back. And that was fine, he would rather his family accept he was going to die and be surprised if he actually managed to live. "A baby?" Blight repeated the words sounding odd. "I'm going to have a niece or nephew?"

Taryn nodded his head and grinned. "If it's a boy we decided that we wanted to name him Blight. If it's a girl…well I figured you could name her."

Blight smiled back at his brother. "I would like that." He wasn't sure what he would name a girl so the two of them sat in silence for most of the time. It wasn't too long before the peacekeepers were already leading Taryn out of the room. Frantic Blight blurted out the first name that came to his mind. "Joanna." Taryn nodded his head on the way out to show that he had heard. It was all a bit surreal to Blight; he was taking in too much information for his brain to process all at once.