DISTRICT 3

I wake up with a crick in my neck and a mark on my cheek from where I had fallen asleep on my arm. I sat up hesitantly and twisted my head to retain my ability to move it freely and sighed. The slits in my concrete walled bedroom let in an uncomfortable amount of light into my dark sleepy eyes and I flinched away from it. I then look forward at what I began before I fell asleep. Codes met my eyes, numbers and symbols typed on my screen. I understood all of it but a few random letters that I mustve hit right when I fell asleep. My keyboard lay at the base of the paper thin monitor, and I pulled it forward. I had meant to stay up all night finishing my coding and I cursed at myself – letting my fingers tap on the keys in swift motions. That's when I heard the knock on my door. I looked over curiously.

Nobody ever bothering me and my work, by law I had to work on it. For both school and for my apprenticeship.

"Come in." I said, my eyes still plastered to my faintly glowing screen.

A man walked into my room, a short man with dark brown hair and large ears. I immediately knew it was Lenard, my coding mentor

"Why aren't you dressed, Ingrid?" He said, his naturally loud voice filling my room. I peered over.

"I thought I could-" She noticed she paused for a while when Lenard cleared his voice and she turned in her chair. "I could finish it today." I said, pointing by nodding my head at the direction of the screen.

"Its reaping day." Lenard replied, crossing his arms. "The power is going to be turned off soon and you're not even dressed."

The reaping, I thought, Of course! How could I forget?

Well, we all knew it was a holiday. A day to be celebrated – but it was something I always wanted to forget. It was something different, a complete and utter 360 from what I normally did all day. It took the schedules our District loved and stayed on and turned them off for a day. Not to mention, people didn't quite work as hard for the longest time. You could tell when it was almost time. Just from the way people would rub their hands together or walked without picking up their feet entirely from the ground. It didn't end when the two were picked either, people would walk around in a daze in till the victor was crowned on tv or, if that year was especially tragic, not in till the victor stood before us in the middle of our District on our Justice Building's stage. I didn't know it was like that in every district, but I guessed so.

Of course, I was lucky. I was 17 and only had to put my name in 6 times. I knew a few people who had to put their names in more times for food, a few of them had their names in almost 40 times for their share of grains and oil. But of course, you had to facture in I didn't have anyone to put my name extra times in for.

I was an orphan. My parents had died in the revolt 10 years before, when I was young. That was almost something added to my favor,though. Most children in my district were dragged down by having parents, but with mine gone I was assigned a mentor. Although I was only given those opportunities because District 3 always needed more minds and hands to work then they had. They couldn't afford to lose a young clever girl who's parents were blown to pieces.

"I'll be out soon." I said, stand up and out of my chair. "I'll see you downstairs in 5 minutes, promise." I begin for my closet when Lenard leaves my room. I pull the metal doors of my closet apart and I glance over my clothes.

My hand goes for the single piece of bright color in my closet. It was the only dress I owned, a green long one. It was given to me a few years back by Lenard when my littler dress turned to rags while washing. I thought it looked ghastly expensive but once I touched, the weight gave away that its fabric was light and inexpensive.

I pulled off the previous days light blue clothing and slipped into the green dress. I had to struggle to zip the back up myself because I wasn't sure who I would ask for help. After a minute of almost bending backwards to zip it up, I got it far enough up to not care. I reach up and touch my hair. It didn't need to be done, it was cut short to my ears. And I had washed it yesterday, so I simply made my way to my bedroom door.

I walked outside and down the concrete stairs. My bare feet we're cold on the steps so I moved quickly down them. 30 children ranging from 9-18 we're at the bottom floor, sitting on the bare old couches. Other apprentices, children who's parents are dead or too poor to support them. They all lived in the same building with me. We didn't really ever talk to eachother, we were normally always busy with our homework or programs. One of the 5 mentors said something about leaving soon.

I walked to the door and grabbed my slip on shoes. They we're as cold as the air and floor, and I crossed my arms to stay warmer.

I noticed a boy crying and an older girl comforting him as we all walked through the door onto the street.

It was even colder outside, and I cursed at myself for not bring a jacket. The sky was a light blue, littered with clouds. The buildings we're a darker blue off into the distance, all of them factories and pumping smoke into the sky. They we're huge as almost, scraping the sky almost.

"Hurry up," Lenard yelled over the Reaping bell. The sound of feet began as we neared the Justice Building. People's heads bobbed down the street, clumping at the front of what probably was the check in.

We sloppily got in line and soon I was at the front. A woman with bright white hair reached out her gloved hand.

"Finger."

I reached forward and she pricked me. Her machine beeped and she nodded.

"Okay." She said as a cue for me to leave and I faintly heard her call for 'Next' when I weaved through the people to my age section. Being around so many people made me anxious.

I was usually alone at school; I had only one friend I talked to in math and at lunch. So, so many faces and eyes to meet with mine stressed me out slightly.

I jumped when a hand touched my shoulder. I looked over to meet a girl with a big grin and tied back dark brown hair.

"Ingrid, right?" She asked, her voice was very high. I tilted my head, she looked familiar. "I'm Lucie." I must've been looking blankly because she added, "I'm in your History class."

I nodded, "Oh, I helped you with your homework…Right?" I spoke quietly even though she was loud. Everyone else was stone silent or whispering ruefully and her tone seemed out of place.

"Yeah, I just wanted to say thanks for that." She pulled her jacket closer together. "Good luck," She put a hand loosely on my shoulder and grinned.

I gave her a smile and then looked forward. Her hand lifted when our escort and mentor fill-in walked onto stage.

The mentor fill-in looked nothing like an average district 3 resident. Probably because our district had never won before, so to fill in for the absence, one was assigned to tributes. This years was the same as last years, a tall bulky woman named Gretchen Mackgeller. I had heard she was a trained soldier and veteran from the war. You couldn't almost tell that she was from the Capitol, with her peach skin, light blue- grey hair, and stern brown eyes. She walked quickly behind the escort.

The Escort made up for Gretchen's plainness. They had green hair to their ears and a long clean face with dyed pink skin. They also didn't appear to identify with any gender, so I always used 'they' to address them. Sterling Clishhoon cleared their throat over the mic.

"Hello!" They chimed, the speakers blasting an echo back. "Hello! Let me be the first to say, Happy Hunger Games!" They laughed, adjusting the mic. The crowd's mumbling stopped.

"So," They said, smiling a white grin. "Let's get started with the fun part, shall we?" They walked down to the bowls, hovering a hand over and giving one last smile before plucking a single piece of paper out. They hobbled back over to the mic in their heels with a grin and seemed to mumble. "Im excited, are you excited?" They turned the paper over in their hand and my stomach fell to my feet.

It always did before they picked. It could've been anybody, and I was anxious.

"Ingrid Gatwuck" they said, frowning at the name like the way it was pronounced wasn't quite right.

I mustve gasped because the girl next to me turned in a snap to face me and looked at me directly. My hand was over my mouth and I felt like my insides started to burn a bright red inside of me. I cringed. The pain of fright was almost a physical one, and I couldnt move. For the longest time, nobody moved and it was dead silent. I had dreams like that before, my name being called and slowly brought up to the stage. But Lenard told me those we're the dreams of small children, children who didn't know how little the chances of being picked we're. That I should calculate it, and I'd feel better. And I did. But maybe the fear was something I should've kept because it hit me hard.

"Come on up, Ingrid." They said again, scanning the crowd. Peacekeepers looked down the row, and I knew I had to move. I hesitantly walked down the row, thinking maybe someone'll volunteer. It had happened once, maybe again. I look back at the girl and she stares at me still. Then she looks away.

I feel my eyes get wetter and burn against the blue light as I walk down the middle section. I start to speed up and I make my way to the stage. My hands shake as fists at my sides as a sort of tremor and I cant make it stop. Sterling makes their way up to the top step where I stood and guilds me over to where they wanted me to stand. They put their hands on my shoulders from the back and I can almost sense how much taller than are they were.

"Smile." I hear them whisper softly. I almost try but I couldnt.

All the faces look up at me, and I feel completely obvious and bare. I gulp down hard and stare away from the crowd and instead focus on a blank nothingness off to the side.

"Now that we have our lovely lady," They started, making their way to the other bubble of glass that held names. "Let's see the gentlemen." They quickly dive for one that they seemed fit and cleared their throat.

"Lyndon Crengsheller"

I didn't recognize the name.

I try to not, but I cant help but look over to the crowd. The people stopped looking at me and now seemed to turn towards a small boy who was making his way down the row. He was walking slow so a Peacekeeper just behind give him a small shove and he hurried up. The peacekeeper followed him a bit behind till he walked up the stairs. He was a bit shorter than me, with dark brown eyes that looked almost black in the dim light and his head sligh. He was looking down at his feet, his hands folded in front of him. It wasn't intill there was a cry from the crowd that he looked up.

The screams and sobs of a woman from the far back and suddenly a peacekeeper moves towards her and I hear Gretchen rustle in her seat behind me.

Lyndon looked out to the crowd, probably towards the woman and his eyes fill with tears.

"We have our tributes!" Sterling adds before Gretchen popped up and motions for them to leave the stage. Sterling starts to object and then in a hurry says "Happy Hunger Games, May the odds be ever in your favor!"

I feel the hand of a peacekeeper put pressure on my back and I'm pushed into the backstage.

Im walked into a room with curtains and a few upholstered chairs and when I turn around the door is closed in my face.

I'm not sure what exactly to do in till Lenard walks in.

"Ingrid." He says plainly as he walks in, standing. I look up from the chair I sat in. He walks quickly to me and takes my hands. "You're okay." He nodded as he talked. "You'll be okay, I know you will."

I try to match his smile but all I can do is nod.

He put a hand to my cheek and his smile faded. "Listen to me," He says, "You're a smart girl, Ingrid…You can do anything you if you get your mind to it."

"Thank you." I tell him back, my voice choking.

"Be strong, for me, okay?" He patted her cheek and stood. A peacekeeper soon opened the door and he began to walk out. "I'll be watching," Is all he can say before the door closes.

It wasn't in till nobody else showed up that I wished I had more friends. Not even the girl who had talked to me before, not that I expected her to. I took the five minutes of privacy they gave me to think and put my head inbetween my hands.

I was happy for Lenard coming to see me, but I couldn't help but think how pathetic is was. Lenard and I never had a real friendship, inless you counted editing my work and occasional small talk. The only reason that I could think of was that he didn't want anyone to leave without feeling like someone would miss them.

Then I thought of the smaller boy, Lydon, and the woman who called out for him. I guessed she was his sister or maybe his mother. I tried to imagine her being at ease when she saw him again at visitation, but I knew that that wasn't what was going to happen.

I wasn't sure what else to do, so I just sat and thought.