Chapter one

I woke to the smell of freshly cut grain, outside everyone was working in the fields. Row after row of people cutting and piling. An ordinary day in district nine, everyone busy in the grain fields. I am too young to work there yet, but not young enough to get away from the reaping's. I swing my legs over my bed and my feet touch the ground. The stone is cold under my bear feet. I hurry to where my clothes are, in a small wooden box. Inside there is two dresses, five pairs of socks, a blue cotton shirt, cotton pants, seven pairs of underwear and of course my black leather shoes.

I pick out my nicest of the two dresses I own. A yellow one with small pink flowers all over it. I pair it with socks and my shoes. My hair is getting too long, I just put two braids in my blonde hair.

"Tristan" I whisper to my little brother "We have to get up now come on"

My little brother moans and turns his face towards his pillow, he's all I have. Mother died in the rebellion and father is too busy at work and when he is home he sleeps and drinks.

"Come on buddy" I pull the covers away from him and he looks at me with big brown eyes "I know, but we have to get going"

I move to our cupboard in the other room. Our house has two rooms only and dad usually takes the small couch in the main room. I light up a fire and cook a small piece of meat over it. The couch is empty so dad is probably out, but I don't care.

Tristan stumbles out into the main room, I notice the buttons on his shirt are done up in the wrong places.

"Here, let me help" I kneel in front of him and fix his shirt, and then I give him a reassuring smile.

"What would happen to me, if you went?" he asks nervously.

I know this already, he would be sent to a boy's home, because there's no way people wouldn't find out dad doesn't take care of us.

"I won't" I tell him "I promise"

I sit him on an old rusted chair and I put the meat on the table. I run outside and fill our two cups with water from the stream. When I get back Tristan is waiting patiently.

"Ok, dig in" I sip my water and he ingests his food quickly, I cut him the bigger piece, he needs it more. I eat mine and it's salty. Adam brought me the meat a few days ago, he buys it in the market when he gets paid and he brings some to us, most times.

He shouldn't though, he's in the same predicament as us, except his dad is dead too. He has two little sisters to take care of; Mindy and Trina.

"Let's go for a walk?" Tristan asks me.

"Ok but we need to get back soon because…" I let the thought trail of; he doesn't need to be reminded.

I put on my hat; it's so warm here that it keeps the sun of my head. Tristan puts his on too.

"Fauna!" I hear my name called from somewhere in the fields "Fauna, come here!"

It's my father great. We walk over to him and he stands towering over us.

"Don't be late today" he says sternly "And…ah…don't get picked" he turns and walks away, great talk dad.

Tristan and I walk down the dirt road that should lead us to town. We turn right so we near a lake. It's beautiful here and there are children swimming around, too young to know what today means.

"Can I get in?" Tristan asks.

"Ok but not to long"

Tristan runs out into the water, and I grin. He's having so much fun, and i'm not.