"Fucking shit, Ems. Slow down. Not all of us can maneuver through the forest like we're Artemis' lackey." I chuckle and stop my trek and wait for Katie to catch up. It's not often I bring my twin Katie hunting with me, as she makes more noise than a rampaging cow and scares off all the game, but today is an exception. Today is the day before the annual Hunger Games reaping; our last reaping. It's a sick sort of celebration, in a way, commending ourselves for not being among the 12 names that have been drawn for District 12 since we've became eligible as tributes. But there's not much to celebrate in our lives. Around here, you have to make your own happiness.
75 years ago the thirteen districts of Panem tried to lead a rebellion against the Capitol. The rebellion was squashed in a matter of weeks, completely obliterating District 13 in it's wake, and establishing the Hunger Games as a reminder to the districts of the Capitol's power. Every year one boy and one girl from the ages twelve to eighteen are selected to duel to the death with the other tributes from the remaining twelve districts. The battle is televised to both the Capitol and the districts, who are forced to watch their children be slaughtered.
75 years ago tomorrow. Which makes this year's Games the Quarter Quell. Every 25 years the Capitol adds an added twist to the games. The Quarter Quells are usually the most talked about and the bloodiest of the games. I try not to wonder what this year's twist is going to be.
I feel something hard hit the back of my head, effectively breaking me out of my thoughts. I whip my head around with a scowl, only to find Katie with an amused smirk on her face.
"The fuck, Katie?" I bark at my smug looking twin.
"I've been trying to get your attention for the past 5 minutes. Fuck's sake, all this fresh air you've been getting has really turned you into an airhead. I repeat, where the fuck are we going and when can I eat?" Katie asks with mock annoyance in her voice. I know she doesn't mind the walk. She always begs to come hunting with me, but we both know that we just can't afford the risk that often. Hunting isn't exactly legal in our district, but we're all so desperate for food that everyone mostly turns a blind eye. But sneaking Katie underneath a small hole in a fence with her loud mouth is not an easy thing to do. If I were to bring her out here often, her howling and barking of curse words would be too obvious for the Peacekeepers to keep ignoring.
I just roll my eyes and turn my head back forward. "We've got three more traps to check, then we can sit down at our spot and eat those two squirrels I shot earlier." I hear Katie make a gagging sound behind me, but she knows not to complain. I pretty much singlehandedly have to keep the whole district fed, and I can't afford to eat any of my bigger game myself.
We checked the last three traps and were awarded with two wild turkeys. The last trap was empty but soiled in blood. This is why I avoid using traps at all costs. Besides how time consuming they are to set up and check, and the fact that they're a complete gamble, they don't kill the animal quickly as I do with my bow. When I'm out hunting on my own, I usually can kill twice the amount of animals as I can catch using traps, and I shoot them through the eye every time so that their death is quick and relatively painless. But when I know Katie is going to be coming on the hunt, I don't have much choice other than to set up traps, because she makes too much noise. I still bring my bow in case Katie happens to shut up for long enough for some game to come along, but usually all I shoot when she's around is a squirrel or two.
We reach our spot and sit down on two rocks overlooking a sea of trees. Katie chatters on happily about all of her suitors to fill the silence, and I start a fire. She gets quiet and looks away while I skin today's catch and cook our squirrels. I know she finds the way we live repulsive and barbaric, but we all know there's no other way. Our district is very poor and dirty, being the coal district, and if it weren't for a few rebels' hunting, many of us would've starved by now. I hand Katie her squirrel and she pretends to look pleased.
We eat in silence, occasionally glancing at one another and making goofy faces at each other. Katie stands up and tosses her finished carcass off the ledge and turns to me with a solemn look on her face. She goes to speak, but chokes back her words. The silence we had shared during our meal hadn't been uncomfortable, but suddenly the quiet was itching at my skin. I've never known Katie to be one to hold back words, so seeing her struggle with what to say was a bit disconcerting. "Why haven't you left yet?" she asks in a barely audible voice, with her eyes trained on the ground. I'm confused by her question, and apparently she can tell by the look on my face, because she breaks out of her nervous resolve after looking up at me. She sighs angrily and her face contorts into one of annoyance.
"Here. Why haven't you left here? Why haven't you run off into the forest and lived like some forest nymph with your fucking squirrel friends? You so know you could; we all do. If anyone could get out of this hell it would be you. Yet here we are, completely ignoring the fact that tomorrow either one of us could be sent off to our death, when you could be miles away from here, moving closer and closer to your fucking freedom, you twat!" Katie shouts at me, gesticulating wildly. The entire forest is quiet after her tirade, and she stands looking at me fiercely for a second before collapsing back onto her rock. She sighs greatly and cups her face in her hands. "I just don't want to watch you die," she mumbles into her palms.
I move to sit down next to her, taking her head and cradling it in my arms. "Hey, don't talk like that. We've made it 6 years without being called, alright? Neither of us has had to take out any more tesserae since I started hunting. We're fine, Kay. C'mon, we're supposed to be celebrating. This is our last reaping, this will be number 7," Katie's tense back loosens under my touch, and I can tell that my words have comforted her a bit. "Now stop being such a sappy cow and ruining my party," I say while continuing to rub comforting circles on her back. Katie chuckles at this and wipes at her moist eyes.
"Sorry about that. You know seeing you skin those squirrels always puts me in a weird mood… Now get off me you fucking lezza." Katie shoves my shoulder and we end up just laughing and shoving each other for a bit. But Katie's words are echoing in my head. I must admit I had considered running away and living in the forest alone many times, but I could never leave everyone in my district. Not just Katie, but the rest of my family, the mayor's daughter, my only semblance of a friend other than Katie, all those people who look at me with such gratefulness in their eyes whenever I bring them dinner to their back door. Every time I think of running away, I see all the people I care about deteriorating into tiny skeletons and looking at me with those same grateful eyes, and I realize just how selfish I'm being. Those are the days I bring home the most game, having to make three or more trips to get it all back into the district. I could never let these people starve.
"C'mon, let's go. It'll be sundown soon, and we're picking berries on the way," I stand abruptly and throw my pack full of game on my back. Katie seems a bit confused in my sudden change in demeanor, but doesn't question it. I hand Katie the lighter pack, which she takes begrudgingly, and we start on our way.
"Why do we have to pick berries? We've got enough meat to keep your customers until you can sneak out here again. I fucking hate picking berries, it's boring as hell and they stain my hands," Katie grumbles grumpily after a few minutes of silent hiking.
"You know how the mayor likes her strawberries. And they wouldn't stain you if you didn't have such ogre hands and squash half of them, Kay," I say teasingly. Katie throws another pebble at my head and I hear a cold bitch come from behind, which I can only assume is accompanied and eye roll. I just chuckle and continue on.
Truth be told, the mayor doesn't much like strawberries. But her daughter is quite fond of them. Katie never would have agreed had I told her that the true reason I wanted strawberries was to give them to the weird, spoiled rich girl, though. The mayor's daughter and I have had a strange sort of friendship since I saw her waiting by the hole in the fence I usually climb under when we were both about 14. I had tried walking past her as though I wasn't intending on going outside the district at all, but she had chased after me.
"Aren't you going out hunting?" she asks, a bit of confusion in her voice.
"Hunting's illegal," I reply indignantly.
"I'm not daft, I see you go out there all the time," she scoffs.
"Must have the wrong twin," I reply with a shrug of my shoulders and turn to walk away. She grabs my wrist.
"Shut up, I can tell you two apart. You're Emily, you climb under that fence nearly every day and come back with more meat than you can carry, and then you give it away. Katie would never do that." Her icy blue eyes are looking directly into mine. I'm frozen for a moment.
"Let go of me," I mutter after a second and yank my hand free of her grasp. I turn sharply on my feet and head the opposite direction.
"Wait!" I hear her call after me after a few moments. I don't know why I stop, but I do.
She finally catches up, a little winded. "I just wanted to know if there are still strawberries out there. On the other side of the fence." And she's pleading me with those eyes so I can't lie.
"Some," I respond, trying to sound uncaring, but my voice cracks. Her entire face cracks into a huge smile, and I made a mental note to pick strawberries the next time I went hunting.
And I did. And have done every time I happened to pass some wild strawberries. And I always stop by her house last to drop them off. Some days she invited me in, most days she dismissed me cooly and shut the door in my face. Some days at school she would allow me to sit next to her at lunch, other days her backpack would be in the seat that was reserved for me. I didn't mind the days she acted cool and aloof; it made the days I was allowed to speak to her even more special.
I smile beside myself at the thought of my strange friend as we approached a strawberry plant.
When we're back on the other side of the fence I take Katie's pack from her and tell her to go home and tell mom and James that I'll be back shortly. She hugs me and thanks me for taking her with me today. I feign disgust and call her a sappy cow in response. She gives me a half smile and turns away. It's not often Katie is sentimental, so I know something must really be wrong. The reaping is tomorrow, but in past years we've always just ignored its coming. But I know how Katie is feeling, like this year is going to be different. Like something terrible is looming. While I'm making my deliveries, my mind drifts off to how terrible it would be if my twin were chosen. I can't muster up a smile at any of my customers. Katie acts rough and tough on the outside, but she can't look at me skinning a squirrel without passing out. She'd never be able to hurt any living creature. I'm just arriving at the mayor's house when I come to the decision that if Katie's name is called, I will take her place.
I don't even need to knock on the door before the mayor flings it open and is regarding me warmly.
"Emily, love. Strawberries for Naomi, I presume?" The mayor is always very sweet to me. I know she's grateful that I spend time with her daughter, as most everyone avoids the both of them because they think that they're rich snobs. But I've come to realize through Naomi and I's arrangement, and underneath all Naomi's moodiness, that they're both really kind people.
"Yes, Ms. Campbell. Is she in?" I ask with a hint of hopefulness in my voice. We both know that Naomi is almost always in, but the mayor knows to tell me she's out if she's not in the mood to see me.
"Yes, she's up in her room. Why don't you pop in and deliver them to her yourself? And for the last time, Emily, call me Gina." I smiled my first genuine smile since leaving Katie.
"Thanks, Gina; I will." Gina smiles warmly at me and motioned for me to come inside. I follow her in and look around in awe at my new surroundings. This is not the first time I've been in the Campbells' home, not by a long shot, but the immense beauty and elegance of the building never fails to floor me. Most of the buildings in our district are barely standing, the roofs all caving in from the weight of the dust and dirt that litters every inch of District 12; every inch except for the mayor's house, seemingly. I felt hand on my back suddenly and I jump forward, pulling out my bow and aimed at it at my attacker. Thankfully I realize before it was too late that the person on the other end of my bow was just Gina, who was looking at me with an apologetic look. She was honestly the only woman I know who would feel sorry for offending someone who was about to send an arrow through her eye.
"I suppose I should've asked to take your pack for you before just getting all grabby. I'm sorry, love," Gina says as I sigh and lower my bow, trying to calm my nerves.
"No, Gina, I'm sorry. I'm just a bit worked up, is all. I'm sorry I almost shot you. I'll keep my pack, I think," I say sheepishly as I tuck my bow back into its holster. Gina just chuckles lightly and places her hand on the small of my back and led me back towards Naomi's room.
"Not to worry, dear. I was far too busy being impressed by your incredibly fast reaction time to be frightened, anyhow," Gina says as she reaches over my shoulder and knocks on the door I know to be Naomi's. A muffled 'come in' comes from the other side. Gina opens the door and smacks my butt into the room at this. I jump forward in shock at the contact and Gina just giggles. "Have fun girls," she says as she closes the door behind me, throwing a wink at the two of us before it shut in her face.
"God, she's so embarrassing." This was Naomi. I look up towards the voice to find Naomi sitting cross-legged on her bed with her journal in front of her, her face burrowed in her hands in mock-annoyance of her mother. I smile and make my way over to the bed to sit next to her.
"I think she's nice," I say as I took off my pack and set it down on the end of her bed, sitting down alongside it. Naomi looks up from her hands at me. Naomi has the prettiest eyes of anyone I know. They're endlessly blue, and they have the ability to show so much emotion, though they are often beautifully guarded. Naomi half-smiles at me, and we sit in silence looking at one another for a short moment.
"She's a cliché," Naomi mutters, not moving an inch in any direction, still staring at me, though now there's a hint of a smile gracing her lips.
"She's a nice cliché," I say with a smile. Naomi sighs and shakes her head in defeat and flops backwards on her bed. We sit in comfortable silence like that for a while: her staring at the ceiling, me at the foot of her bed. It's times like these that make me remember why I put up with Naomi's offhanded and often rude behavior; when she's not so busy muddying things up by being such a prick, simply existing with her is quite lovely.
I sigh contently and move for my bag. I pull the sheet I had carefully wrapped the strawberries up in out of my pack and unwrap it with delicate fingers. I silently offer Naomi one, who upon seeing it jumps up giddily. I giggle in response to her delight. It amazes me how soft and innocent Naomi can be despite how strong and uncaring she tries, and succeeds for the most part, to make herself seem. Naomi is a girl of contradictions, which can be very annoying at times, but I think it's part of the reason I like her so much.
"Whiskey?" I'm snapped out of my thoughts by a flask being shoved in front of me. It takes me a second to register what exactly it's doing in my face, but once I do I take it from Naomi's long fingers.
"How did you get this?" I ask while examining the nearly full flask. I twist the cap and sniff the contents, cringing when the smell infiltrates my senses. Naomi laughs at my reaction.
"I thought it would help take our minds off things." I'm fully aware that Naomi didn't answer my question, but I also know not to push her for an answer. I don't much care where it came from, anyways. Probably best I don't know. I brace myself and throw the bottle back, letting the harsh liquid sink down the back of my throat. I cringe and hand the bottle over to Naomi, who chuckles at my reaction. She lifts the bottle up in toast. "Happy Hunger Games!" she deadpans before tossing back a shot.