I swung the axe against the tree. I pushed a strand of my black hair out of the way as I swung the axe again. The tree was barely holding on, one more swing and it would be down. I raised the axe above my head one more time and swung,
"Timber!" I shouted,
Everyone in the area of the falling pine tree move out of the way. A couple of my partners, Robert and Jonah, grabbed the tree and started to drag it off. Sweat beaded my forehead and my hands bled from sores. Every day starting at seven thirty in the morning, my boss would pick me up and drive us to today's location. My boss is Harry Fitzgerald, he's a middle-aged man with hairy arms and is very tall. He has a warm smile and comes to work every day in a plaid shirt and jeans. We've been working in this forest for weeks now and the tree I just cut down I've been working on for a week now. I rubbed my blisters and walked over to a new tree. I swung the axe hard against this tree. It barely made a dent. The axe I'm using has been in my family for over four generations, mom says that my great-grandfather had used this axe in the rebellion against the Capitol. This axe had such an exciting life before I did, and now it is only used to cut down trees.
This axe first belonged to my great-grandpa Erik. He was a soldier and a great man before he died sometime around the 25th Hunger Games. The it was passed down to my grandfather, Matthew. Matthew was apparently an amazing man, he would cut down wood for the poor and give it to them. He was kind of like Robin Hood, but with wood. He was given the axe at the age of seven when Erik died. He started working as a lumberjack at eight. When he was older, he got infected by sickness and died. The axe was then given to my father, Victor. Dad's sister, Emily, was the original owner. Then she was chosen for the Hunger Games. She gave the axe to my father, knowing she wouldn't make it out alive. She tried her hardest but in the end didn't make it. My dad started to work as a lumberjack with the axe after that. He was an amazing one too. I could remember him coming home every day, his face covered in sweat and his hands covered in bandages. He would then collapse on the couch and fall asleep.
The couch in our house is old. It is green with three yellow stripes and has many holes in it where the stuffing inside sticks out. In front of the couch is the wall where our TV projects. Next to the couch is a small kitchen with a fridge, an oven, and a microwave. That's where mom used to prepare the food. She died last year, and its been hard on dad ever since. Next to the couch is a door, behind the door is a hallway. Lined in the hallway are four doors. Behind the first door is my parent's room. In the second there is a small bathroom we all share. The next room belongs to my brother, Parker. At the end of the hall is my room that I share with my sister, Eve. It might not be as luxurious as the Capitol, but it is good enough to call home.
Ever since mom died we each started to work harder. I started to work full-time as a lumberjack. Most kids are in school until they are eighteen, but almost no one makes it all the way. I dropped out when I was eight and dad started to take me to work with him. I would help him cut down trees with a small axe I had. When I was eleven I started to work with Harry. Once I started to work with Harry, my dad gave me his axe, my great-grandfather's axe. There are no words to describe how joyous that occasion was. Ever since I would go to work every day and be a lumberjack.
What does the rest of my family do? My dad still works as a lumberjack, except far away. He works on almost the other side of District 7 and he doesn't come home until late at night. My sister is surprisingly good at housework. She usually stays at home and takes care of Parker until I get home. Once I get home she goes out to a paper factory and works there until dinner. Then she comes home and cooks for us. Parker still goes to school but next year he will drop out and start to work with me and Harry. Each of us does our fair share to earn money. I swung the axe against the tree, it was small and wouldn't take long to chop down. The bark was thick, but it wasn't as thick as the last one.
After an hour, I chopped down the tree. I didn't need to scream timber because it was so small. I looked up at the sky through the trees. I've learned to use the sun as a clock, and right now it was positioned in the middle of the sky. It was twelve o'clock. My stomach grumbled and I started to walk back to Harry. I grabbed the small tree I chopped down and dragged it towards him,
"Twelve trees!" he shouted,
Twelve trees meant it was lunch time. That meant we could each take a break and eat the lunch we brought. Through the trees I saw Harry's pickup truck, the back was loaded with trees. Harry leaned against the side, his hairy arms burned with a farmer's tan. I walked up to his truck and lifted the tree up. I dropped it in the back of his truck and walked over to him,
"Hi Alex!" he chimed, "how many trees?"
"Six" I answered,
"Six, huh?" he asked, "that's…"
He ran his fingers through his beard as he calculated the money,
"Thirty-six dollars" I answered,
"Yeah...thirty-six"
Harry dug through his pocket for money. Harry pays me for each tree I cut down, six dollars each. Each dollar goes into a jar that sits next to the stove in our kitchen. The jar is filled with the money we use to buy things. He handed me the money and I shoved it in my back pocket. I grabbed my lunch and began to eat it. I opened the brown paper bag and grabbed the peanut butter sandwich out of my backpack. I quickly ate it and then then shoved the grapes down my throat. The other kids between the ages of twelve and eighteen appeared. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Cole. Cole looks like me, but a boy. He had messy black hair and pale skin that contrasted. My eyes were forest green, but his were brown,
"I can't believe the Reaping's today" he said,
"Yeah" I replied, "hope I don't get picked"
"If I do though, I'm taking this with me as my token" Cole said,
He held out a small, smooth piece of white wood. It was smooth and beautiful. I reached forward to touch it but he jerked it back,
"Nah ah, not yours, I found it"
The others, Yvonne, Corey, Haley, Terry, Winnie, Peter, and Liam came out as well. Peter is the oldest of us, he's tall and grumpy and strong. If he got picked, he might even win. Winnie's the youngest, only twelve. She's little and petite and would have no chance in the games. She can barely cut down a tree,
"All going to the reaping get your butt in that car!" Harry shouted,
I jumped in the back of the pickup truck and climbed over the trees. Cole sat next to me and smiled,
"I think you could win the games" he said with a smiled,
I punched his shoulder, "no way, I'd die on the fist day"
Cole shrugged, "Johanna was weak, she won"
"Correction, Johanna pretended she was weak, when she actually wasn't" I corrected, "that's how she won"
"Whatever" he grunted,
The car grumbled and started. Harry drove around the trees and I held on tight to one. Sweat came out of my hands and I had to re-grip,
"God, you even get scared holding on to a car" he teased,
"Shut up!" I shouted,
I let go of the tree and threw my hands in the air,
"That make you happy?" I asked,
"Yeah" he replied, "so what's your strategy for the games?"
"Not die" I joked,
"No, I mean seriously" Cole replied,
"I'd run for an axe in the cornucopia and then I'd run as far away as I can and hide until everyone dies" I answered, "what would you do?"
"I'd try and ally with the careers" he answered,
"They'd kill you on the third day" I said,
He shrugged, "that's still longer than you'd survive"
The car rattled out of the forest and onto the street. Yvonne got out first, we stopped at her house and she left. At each stop, another person left. The car began to empty out,
"Cole!" Harry shouted, "get out!"
Cole got out of the car and jumped off the side. He smiled at me,
"See you at the Reaping" he said,
The car drove away and he walked into his house. A couple more stops were made before Harry stopped at my small house,
"Alex!" Harry shouted, "you're turn!"
I jumped off the side of the car. Harry drove away and and I walked up to my house. I fumbled around my pockets for the keys. When I grabbed the keys, the door swung open before me. Eve stood in front of me, smiling. Her smile turned to a frown,
"Peacekeepers!" she cried, "get inside!"
She grabbed my arm and pulled me in, closing the door behind me. I walked over to the window to see a line of Peacekeepers walking down the street. They were in a perfect line. After the line of Peacekeepers, a bunch of cars drove by. Then the blinds closed in front of me. I turned around to see Eve, her hand on the string. Eve hated Peacekeepers, ever since her boyfriend was killed by one. I love how they call them Peacekeepers, even though they cause violence. The rules here in Panem are simple, obey the Capitol or die. Her boyfriend didn't abide by that rule, and I watched my sister cry as he was whipped to death in town central,
"Hi Alex!"
I turned around to see Parker on the couch. Parker looked like Eve. The both have wavy brown hair. Parker's hair is messy, today he was wearing a green t-shirt and jeans. One of his blue eyes were covered by hair. Eve wore a grey skirt and a white blouse, she was already dressed for the reaping. Her brown wavy hair was parted and she had beautiful blue eyes. Everyone in seven likes her, I've never heard anyone say the words, "I hate Eve Vice"
"Go get dressed for the Reaping!" Eve scolded, like a mother,
Eve is eighteen years old, this is her last year. Her name has been in that glass ball for six years now. Her name has not been called once and I doubt it will be called this year. Parker is eleven, so he doesn't have to go to the Reaping. Next year he has to though, he has too. Parker has no idea what is going on in Panem now. I opened my bedroom door to see our bunk bed. I have the top bunk and she has the bottom bunk. On my wooden dresser that my mother made was my clothes. On it what my white button-down shirt. I also had my black skirt. I also had my black flats on the ground. I decided to wear something other than what Eve put out for me. I've been wearing the same thing ever since I was twelve at my first Reaping. I'm now fifteen, and I've worn that on the same day for three years. I slipped off the red plaid t-shirt I was wearing and put on the button-down shirt in its place. I grabbed some black jeans instead of the skirt. I threw on some sneakers and opened the door. I ran across the hall to Parker's room and grabbed a fancy vest. Parker and I can share clothes, he's almost as tall as me. I slipped the vest on and ran back to my room. I looked at myself in the mirror, I was wearing my white shirt and a black tuxedo vest along with my pants. I tied my hair up in a ponytail and put a flower in the ponytail holder.
I walked out of my room and into the living room. Eve looked at me in disgust,
"What are you wearing?" she asked,
"Let's just go" I grumbled,
"Parker, you'll be okay alone, right?"
"Yeah" he answered,
And with that, Eve and I opened the door and filed in line with the other teenagers marching down the street. We are on our way to the Reaping.