Chapter 1: The Sun Arises
It's still dark outside when I wake up, and it will stay like that for about two hours. Believe me when I say it's better being up early than waiting for dawn to start working, specially when it's mid-August and you live in the warmest district in Panem. I get up, grab something to eat later in the morning and walk silently out of my house, not wanting to wake up my family.
I only find drunk people lying on the streets while I run towards the outskirts of the city. You see, district 9 is quite varied. We have the main town, where most people live, and all those golden grain crops surrounding it. Yes, we are the grain district and no, we are not district 11 like most people think. Apart from recollecting cereal, we process them inside enormous, fume exhaling "bread factories". We are the bakers of Panem (Yay!). That being said, we are not an important district since 11 does part of our job too, so the Capitol doesn't care much about us and leave us mostly alone.
So, we are not a pain in the ass for President Snow, but we still need to participate in the fantastic event that are the Hunger Games, and that's why I wake up before anyone every single day of the year, that's why my sister died four years ago and that's why I continue training, because I want to have a chance to live.
After running around for a few minutes, I enter the abandoned building where I train. It's an old warehouse, entirely covered in dust. I keep some knives hidden here - they are by far the easiest weapon to find and hide, you know - and throw them at wooden posts or try to fight with them. The later is a tricky affair, taking into account that I haven't found a training partner. And I know it's not right to I say it, but I'm naturally skilled with them (or as skilled as you can become when no one shows you how to do something).
While I practice my aiming, I start to think about my family. What would happen to them if I got reaped? My father and I are the only ones that are able to bring some money home. My mother can't work now – her health is fragile. Dad is the manager in one of the factories, though he is rather underpaid, while I work in the cereal crops for a misery. However, without that misery my two little siblings would probably be starving to death. That means if I get reaped, they'd have to survive until I came back – because I will come back if I'm chosen, no matter how hard it is.
When I stop throwing knives I take a good look at the old warehouse. This desolated place has been my scape gate since my sister went off to those awful games and never came back to us. I see it every day, and for some reason, I have a bad feeling that I might never be here again. Then it dawned on me that it could perfectly be true. I got out of there as fast as I could.
I was standing in front of my house half an hour later. The sun was already up. I could make out my parents behind the kitchen window, my siblings probably still asleep. We lived in a tiny house with only two bedrooms, a bathroom (only cold water of course, though that wasn't a big deal here in district 9), and a kitchen/living room. I knocked three times on the door and my mother opened it so fast I was impressed. "Where have you been Dorian? I was so worried about you." She always gets apprehensive on Reaping day - no wonder.
"You know perfectly where I've been mom" I say tenderly, and kiss her on the cheek. She seems to relax a little, but I can see in her eyes she has been crying. Dad is as expressionless as always. We aren't close, my father and I. He is not a bad parent, and we love each other deep inside, but that's all. He is always serious, and hates it when I answer with a sarcastic remark – not an unusual thing, really.
At last he speaks. "Go have a shower and dress yourself. Kelly came here a few minutes ago to pick you up. She wants to arrive soon." Kelly is our neighbour's daughter, and my closest friend. There was I time when my parents thought we were together, but I've never been attracted to her, and now she has boyfriend.
I go upstairs without saying a thing, and enter my bedroom. I wake up Layla and Robin after watching them sleep for a minute. Both of them are six, they were so young when Trisha died they don't remember her. Layla has bronze hair, hers shoulder length in beautiful locks, and green eyes just like Robin and my father. I, on the other hand, have a weird shade of brown. When the sun hits me, my eyes turn a deep coppery colour, just like my hair.
"Good morning, Dorian!" they say at the same time. Being twins and so, it's a bit creepy when they do that, like they have some kind of connection.
"Morning, sleepyheads! Mom has already cooked breakfast. You both should go down and eat while I have a shower, okay?" They literally jump out of their beds at the mention of food, and I smile to myself.
I get undressed when I'm in the bathroom, and stare at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes look tired, and my body feels like it's made of stone – not really resistant, but heavy. I try to push negative thoughts away, although they keep coming back. I might not see my family again after today. I may never see Layla and Robin grow, and turn into the great people I know they will be. I shake my head and open my eyes again, to see myself at least one last time. I'm skinny, with defined muscles from working in the crops but little volume nevertheless. I'm not tall either, just average height. But I have trained. I'm as prepared as I can be.
When I finish my shower, I put on the best thing I can find – a forest green shirt and jeans. I go down to have breakfast, and talk with Robin about his school until it's time for me to leave. My family will arrive later to the town square, since they aren't eligible, while I go walking with Kelly. When I say them goodbye, my mother has tears in her eyes, whispering something I can't hear. I smile weakly and get out.