Making sense of the world is one of the biggest tasks I can set my mind to. Where do I, a skinny, freckle-faced girl, fit in? I'm just another mouth for my family to feed, a phrase which wouldn't mean as much if my family was only small, but I have four siblings and we live in the poorest area of District Five. My father works for the corporation that supplies power for the whole of Panem, so in my eyes he is very important, but he doesn't think so. Because of the area we live in, he isn't permitted to do anything too important, because he 'cannot be trusted'. They suppose he'll steal something to help our family, but he wouldn't, and I know it. My father is an honest man. He is no thief.
My mother stays at home and grows what she can in around our house to sell at the market, but it's difficult to grow things in the mud-covered ground that is District Five. I help as much as I can, cooking and cleaning and doing whatever else needs doing, and my mother appreciates it. It isn't long until Lear, my elder brother, will be able to join my father in his work. It's only three months until he turned eighteen. Luckily for him, that means three months until his name will be taken out of the reaping, although that also means he can't sign up for tesserae anymore. Lear has always insisted on taking enough tessarae for the whole family, meaning his name is entered an extra six times each year, so at this years reaping, his name will be in there over forty times. I just hope he doesn't get chosen. My other two siblings, Marta and Ria, and I are not signed up for tesserae, so our names our only there once extra each year, but next year, I will have to sign up for it, because once Lear has turned eighteen, I will be the eldest entered in the reaping in our family.
I lie on the blankets that we lay out on the floor of the kitchen each night so we can sleep in comfort. Everyone is out of the house apart from Ria and I and we lie there, talking about reaping day, that we both know is only tomorrow. Ria is twelve, and this is her first reaping day that she is actually an entrant. I remember how I felt on my first day. I was terrified, but since then it has just become a part of my life that remains terrifying, but I suppose I'm more used to it now.
"I'm scared Fenna," Ria sobs. I can feel her shaking beside me, but I don't know what to say. I'm not good with words.
"It'll be all right," I say, attempting to comfort her. I look at her face, wet with tears. "Think about it. You're name is only entered once. It's not likely you will be chosen," I finish.
"But it's possible," she replies. I hate that she's right. She inherited my father's logical mind. It's unlikely, but not impossible.
"If you're name does get called out, I will take your place, I promise. And I'm sure Lear will too," I reassure, but once the words are out of my mouth, I feel a knot in my stomach. A reminder of tomorrow, a reminder of things to come. What if my name gets called out? I have never considered it properly, it just seems unreal.