I parted my lips and huffed softly, releasing a cloud of steam. It was clear that winter was here. The air was getting colder and the sky was getting dark much more quickly. I hated the winter. Food was even scarcer than it was during the rest of the year, and even my skills with traps and arrows rarely helped me during the cold winter months. The animals all went into hibernation, their bellies full. Because of this, I had always slightly envied them.
Of course, I only hunted in the woods around the Seam when absolutely necessary. Despite the lax law enforcement of District 12, it was still illegal, and severe punishment was likely. When my father is away all day working in the mines, I become the man of the house, and, all other sentiments aside, my family can't afford to lose me.
"Gale," my mother called. "Come inside, and close the door. You'll freeze the whole house."
I shut out the last rays of light from the setting sun. My mother stood by the fire, stirring the thin soup that would be our dinner. Her face was pink and sweaty from the heat, which was a good sign. Some people in the Seam couldn't afford to heat their own houses.
My little brothers, five-year-old Vick and seven-year-old Rory, played quietly on the floor with some simple wooden toys. Our family was large for the Seam, since most other families didn't have enough food for five people, soon to be six people. I glanced over at my mother again. My newest sibling was on the way. It was difficult for me to fathom why my parents thought we could possibly afford another child. I knew that once the baby was born, it would be my responsibility to take care of it. I had looked after Rory and Vick as they grew up, being thirteen and the oldest in the house. Applying for tessarae multiple times over had also helped provide extra food. I knew a new baby would mean I would have to apply for more tessarae. I had been fortunate enough not to be sent to the Hunger Games yet, but my chances of avoiding it were getting slimmer and slimmer.
I looked at Rory again. Before I would know it, he would be eligible for the Hunger Games and tessarae. By that time I would be eighteen, my last year of being in the reaping. If I made it past that, it would be off to the coalmines for me, the fate of every boy in decent health from the Seam.
I sat down with my brothers, waiting for Father to return from the mines and waiting for dinner to be ready. It was quiet in our house for several long minutes.
Then, I heard the explosion.
I sprang to my feet, leaving my mother and my brothers alone as I burst through the door. My mother cried out, "Gale!" but I ignored her. My heart was pounding, and I could hear it in my ears. I ran towards the mine entrance, hearing friends and neighbors emerging from their homes also. Some, like me, were running, others yelling, and some didn't have the energy to do either and instead just moaned in fear.
Smoke and ash was spewing out of the mines. People around me were screaming, uselessly calling out for their loved ones who wouldn't hear them hundreds of feet below ground. I had seen numerous mine explosions in my life, but none as bad as this. Still, my father had lived through dozens, escaping relatively unscathed.
"Gale!" a voice called. I turned to see my mother, jogging as fast as she could, with Vick on her hip and dragging Rory by the hand behind her. "What were you thinking?" She pulled me away from the entrances. I was much too close.
Miners started to emerge from an entrance on the lift. Some people cried out in relief and staggered into the arms of their loved ones. My family was not among them. A hand clenched my stomach, because I knew my father didn't work in that part of the mine.
The minutes were agonizing as everyone was evacuated from the stable part of the mine. My father was not among them. I clenched Vick's clammy hand, thinking to myself, He's safe. He's safe. He has to be safe.
My mother desperately stopped one of the workers. "Sir, please. What… where is… what happened in there?"
He looked burdened. "The entire left wing collapsed. Numerous fatalities are expected. It could take days to reach them." His gray eyes couldn't meet my mother's.
Tears stung my eyes, and my face grew hot. Impossible. This couldn't be happening. I sank to my knees. Vick looked frightened, but he was too little to understand what was going on. I let the tears drip off the tip of my nose into my lap. This couldn't be happening.
"No!" I heard a girl cry frantically. I looked up to see a girl, only a bit younger than me, her face full of horror. She stood with her blonde mother and sister, but she had smoky gray eyes and dark hair in a long braid; features similar to mine. She was pretty, but her face was twisted in fear and anguish. I couldn't make sense of anything. The world was a blur. I didn't know this girl, her smoky eyes full of tears, but I knew exactly the pain she was feeling.