The details of my dream were already fading, but I know I had liked the dream. It had something to do with being treated wonderfully in the Capitol. Reality was much worse. Today was the reaping. It felt like today was my first reaping because during my first one year ago, I had been sick. Just with a fever. When I get sick, I have practically no memory of it when it's over. After miserably dragging myself out of bed, I walked over to my dresser. 9 isn't a very poor district, but none of our clothes are that nice. I decided to wear a dull,body-hugging red shirt with my nicest jeans. The shirt had a lacey border. I wish I could wear something else as this was bought for my sister's wedding. My sister, Slaen, had recently passed away from her husband beating her to death. Simply the sight of it made my already nerve-stricken body want to cry. But I put it on and came down the creaky stairs.
My mother was eating breakfast, bread and some blueberries to calm my nerves. Together we silently ate under recently patched roof of my house. I began to appreciate little things. Such as the way my mothers wavy blond hair sat on her shoulders. How much different we were from each other. The slight discomfort of the chairs. The way my cropped black hair framed my vision. How badly I wanted my dad to be here. I started whispering named of people I knew just to see how the sounded on my tongue. Slaen, Violet, my friend, Alvery, my mom, Jase, my dad. My mom placed the dishes in the sink, and as we headed out the door, she broke our spell of silence by simply saying my name while a sympathetic look took her eyes, " Sol,".
She never gets nervous, and cares so much about me, so seeing me shaken up really made her concerned for me. We walked past the wheat fields without saying another word. Her hand found mine and our tan fingers entwined. We seemed to arrive too quickly at the square, it normally takes about half an hour. I made myself leave my mom and walk to the 13 year old girl section. My feet found a spot beside Violet. Everything I did seemed to be automatic, as if my brain had no room to be conscious. As I saw my dad finally get back from work, my thoughts were consumed with worry. Violet started talking. To me, maybe?
I glanced at our victors, all but one chatting gleefully with the escort. 9 had 4. One of them, Bushel, the lonley one,was a morphling addict. Another, with yellow skin became a complete Capitolite after her games. The other two looked okay, with nothing wrong with them. Our escort, Gloria, altered herself to look like a butterfly. Her long, thin limbs were dyed black, and she always wore sapphire blue "wings" twice the size of her. She had a wig that looked like antennas. While she trotted to the balls to pick tributes, her long wings flapped behind her.
Suddenly all the intro stuff was over without me possessing any memory of it. I must of blacked out. I couldn't believe I was so nervous. Not even the 12 year olds seemed to be." Let's pick our tributes, shall we?" trilled Gloria in her horrible voice. She walked over to the ladies bowl. I desperately wish she wouldn't call out " Solem Rania Lance". We say middle names here in 9, it's weird. " Alume Ida Towe" Gloria yelled. I could barely make out a tall, thin, dark-skinned girl walk to the stage. Relief flooded me, I will live another year.