I wake up to the sound of rain pelting our tin roof. The sounds is vaguely familiar to gunshots, so the sound allows no silence. I try to rub the sleep out of my eyes, sitting up in my make-shift bed. I haven't seen a mirror, but I can tell my hair looks like a bird was nesting in it. I stifle a yawn, and look over to see Greyson, my twin brother, older by two and a half minutes, in a mess of sheets, his mop of raven black hair sticking gout in the weirdest places. I roll my eyes, about to smack him in the head, when he jumps up and yells "wah!" I jump back and yell out a little scream, but it was soon covered by uncontrollable giggles.
"You idiot! You about scared me to death!" I cry, throwing my only pillow at him. He just laughs.
"Yeah, and that would be SO bad." He teases. I just roll my eyes again, swinging my feet to the floor. I walk to the kitchen, pulling out strips of dry meat and building a crude fire to cook them on. The rain is still pounding, which makes me wonder. It doesn't usually rain in District 12 at this time of year. I just shrug it off, thinking about the day before me. Today is the reaping for the 77th Hunger Games. I shudder at the thought. Having kids fight to the death? Not my idea of fun. My name is entered 38 times, out of desperation. Greyson's name is entered 30 times, mostly because I would rather enter the games then have him enter. The thought of him in those games makes my heart want to cry out. Instead I think about what I will wear there, for we have to dress our best. Just as I put the meat out for breakfast, Greyson and father walk into the room. Dad has the look he always has when the Hunger Games come around; distant, sad, pain. His childhood best friend was chosen for the games when he was younger, and he never forgot about it. Greyson and I have never asked him about it, it was an extremely touchy subject for him. I sit down at out old wooden table, and take a bite of one of the strips, chewing the tough meat. Greyson sits down, smiling, and takes one of the strips, taking a huge bite, chewing it slowly, a weird look covering his face. I try my best not to laugh, but fail. Dad cracks a smile, which actually means a lot. If you didn't know any better, you'd think we were a normal family, in a normal world, having a normal breakfast. But no, we are not so very normal. We live in the Seam, which means we have the usual jet-black hair and gray eyes. It's mine and Greyson's last year in the reaping, which we are all happy about. When the time comes, Greyson and I get into our good clothes, mine being a floor-length, pale yellow dress, Greyson's being a white, long-sleeved shirt and tan pants. I pile my hair on top of my head as best I could, but it's nowhere near as good as mom used to do it. She passes away three years ago from a sickness nobody has ever seen before. She was the only case, which made is even weirder. As we approach the Center, Greyson and I separate, not before we gave each other breath-stealing hugs, like we did every year. I went to stand with the other 18 year-old girls, and stood next to my best friend; Rosie Keenan. She grabs my hand, gives it a squeeze and smiles warmly at me. I try to smile back, but I can't muster the spirit. Effie Trinket walks onto the stage, a huge smile covers her face. I hear some of the younger kids giggle, he hair is a bright pink, which stands out here so much, you could probably see her from a mile away.
"Hello, Hello everyone, and welcome to the reaping for this years Hunger Games!" She says in a shrill voice. As she goes through all the lists and rules, I stand there in a daze, staring at my father in the crowd. He looks back at me, sorrow in his eyes. I tune back into Effie as she says, "Now, lets meet our tributes! Of course, ladies first!" She says as she reaches for the bowl of girls names. All is silent as she pulls out a small piece of paper.
"Aubree Valisea!" She calls out in the silent air. My world crashes to a halt. Did she just call my name? My question is answered as Rosie cries out next to me. I give her a quick hug around the waist, then will my feet to move to the front of the stage. I don't say anything, just stand there. A lump forms in my throat as I look out into the crowd, tears stinging in my eyes. I force myself to look at my father, and immediately wish I hadn't. He is being supported by his friends, tears streaming down his face as he cries out. The tears brim over my eyes a I see this. I close my eyes and bow my head, I can't stand to see him this way.
"Now, for the boy tribute!" She calls, and again reaches for the large bowl. My heart stops as she pulls out a paper identical to mine, and reads out in a clear voice. "Greyson… Valisea. Are you two related?" She asks me in a puzzled voice. I can't answer her. I cry out, against my will. I choke back more tears as Greyson stumbles forward. He comes to me and wraps his arms around my neck, and I cry into his shirt. I hear my father in the distant crowd cry out again. I pull out of Greyson's hug, and turn to face the crowd. I try to put a straight face, but tears still escape. I look at Greyson, and for the first time since mom died, saw him crying.
"Okay, well, you two shake hands, and you can have visitors at the Justice Building. Now, go along! And have a Happy Hunger Games!" Effie shrills, the Greyson and I are ushered to the Justice Building, and when they have to separate us, they have to rip us apart from each other, both of us screaming. When they finally have me alone in my room, I release my heart-wrenching sobs. While crying, I hear a Peace Keeper call into my room.
"You have a visitor. Make it quick." He snarls. I look up in disbelief as I see my Father rush into the room. I cry out yet again, as a new wave of sobs come crashing over me. We hug, both of us crying. He leans back, and I quite down for a second.
"You can take one thing in there with you, right?" He asks, his voice shaky. I nod my head, wondering what he meant.
"Good. I want you to take this." He takes a leather string from around his neck and hands it to me. I see a flash towards the bottom, and see my mothers wedding ring, with the leather looped through it. I start shaking my head in protest as he slips t over my head.
"You'll have both of us with you now. You're never alone." He whispers, and a Pease Keeper comes to tell him his time is up. I cry, give him another hug, and he's gone. My next visitor is Rosie, and she's crying almost as much as I am. We hug and she tries to give me some pointers, but they aren't very good, and I can barely understand because of her tears. I end up just hugging her, right when the Pease Keeper tells her she has to leave. I look up at the Peace Keeper.
"You know, you are really annoying!" I exclaim, and he just shrugs. When someone comes to tell me its time to leave, I panic. As we walk through the square, all our friends, neighbors and family is out there, joining each other in sorrow. As they see Greyson and I, they all stand up, creating a path for us. Many of them reach their hand out to touch our shoulder, or just try to cheer us up. When we see Dad, he gives us each a quick hug, completely ignoring the yelling Peace Keeper. When we finally have to part, all of us cry. We cry for loss, sadness, and fear of what happens to us next.