I awake as the bright sun starts to shine through the curtains. Why is the sun happy though? There is nothing to be happy about. It's reaping day. One boy and one girl will be drawn to fight to their death. The Capitol will expect us to smile about, to watch it with anticipation, which the career districts always do, since they have a good chance of winning.
But I don't. District 5 was one of those no chance districts, along with District 10 and 12. Dad made sure I had a plan if my name was drawn. I had to use the only survival skill I had, smarts. He says not to worry though since my name is only in there 5 times. Most people have their name in there at least 40-something times but when you come from a wealthier part of town you don't need that.
Pulling myself out of bed, I look at myself through the mirror. My red hair untamed dancing around me like fire. My brown eyes almost like a rough dirt color show no sign of emotion. My pale skin looks like I'm a ghost, not a human.
"Get dressed Marissa!" Melanie, my older sister storms in. She already dressed in a yellow dress with orange satin bow around her waist. She looks almost like a clone of me, except she was taller and she had my dad's nose. Melanie storms out of the room. She's stressed though; it's her last year of being able to be reaped for the games.
I reach into my closet for the green reaping dress I saved. It was my grandmother's, who my mother says I look just like. She wore the exact same dress when she was 16. The dress was in good condition except for the layer of dust around it. I undress and step into the dress. I pull it up and tie with a white satin ribbon, just like my grandmother did.
"You look just like your grandmother did." I jump as my mother speaks softly.
"How do you even know what she looked like, You weren't even alive." I snapped.
"She used to show me the tapes she recorded every of the hunger games. In case I was somehow to be in the hunger games. Did you know-"
"Yes I know she won the hunger games so we have better chances than anyone in this district." I cut her off. The same story every year about how she survived and her strategies and such.
"Well when you're ready come down stairs. I made your favorite breakfast." She slowly walks to the kitchen.
I know I shouldn't be like this, but my emotions are far too high. I reach for my little box on top of my nightstand, the only one in the house. I open it and reach for my necklace. My best friend gave it to me last year before she died. Before the hunger games took her. It's a brown string with a little gold charm on it, some sort of a bird or bird like creature. Perfect.
I walk to the kitchen. The wooden floor creaks with every little step I take. My mother sees me and smiles. She is dressed up, like everyone else in my family or in District 5 for that matter.
"Hello Lissy." My dad chuckles. That is his nickname for me. It annoys me most of the time but today I just smile at it. I sit down at the little round table in front of the bread and jam. I bite into the warm flaky bread. Never has jam tasted so good. I quickly finish it.
"I'm going to the market." I say blankly.
"Spend some time with your family, Marissa." My mother said.
"No. I cannot right now I have to go to the market." I put on my black shoes. They barely fit but I act like they do.
"Listen to her Marissa!" My dad yells.
I quickly rush out of the house. The sun shines, brighter than usual. It's clearly mocking us since it doesn't have to be in the reaping. It helps the flowers in my other's garden though. I pick a flower like I have been doing every morning since I was 8. Quietly sneaking over to the graveyard, I jump over the little fence. No one's aloud in here unless there is a funeral. It's the rules so we mourn the dead easier. If I'm caught I could be whipped.
I carefully go to a grave with a pink flower on top. The other flowers that I bring are placed in the willow tree near her grave. I place the sunflower I'm holding in the tree. I go to her grave. Marissa.
"Grandma." I whisper. "Today is the reaping. I'm scared. What should I do?" Not even the wind blew. I know nothing will happen, but I just hope she will come out from a hiding spot and hug me. Tears form in my eyes. Then I start sobbing.
I remember the reaping starting soon. I hope the fence and run towards the town square. I'm on time. In front of me a twelve year old is crying. She holds her brown hair and walks up to the sign in table. She screams as the blood is drawn. People are staring at her. Was I like that my first time around? She is led to the twelve year old area. I sign in and she draws my blood.
Walking over to the sixteen year old division, I stand next to a heavyweight girl with curly brown hair and a blonde hair girl who obviously is more scared than the twelve year old.
"Welcome!" Mayor Cambridge takes the stage. He explains the dark days and then how the hunger games started. He says each district must provide one boy and girl. I almost pass out, the same story every year. "And now our lovely, Mimil." She walks out on stage. She's short and has tons of Capitol things on her face yet she still silences the whole district 5.
"Happy Hunger Games and May the odds ever be in your favor!" She says. Her voice is so squeaky, it's like the sound those birds make in the forest. "Girls first!" She reaches in the gray ball and pulls out a slip of paper. "Marissa Hotchkiss!" She says happily. I don't even know what's going on. I just walk blankly to the front. The crowd's hush whispers behind me. I can hear my mother's faint cry as I step on the stage. "Marissa Hotchkiss!" She repeats herself as if I was some prize. Everyone claps just like their supposed to.
