Chapter 1:
The world seemed to spin. The ground seemed to crumble. Everything started to give in…
"Hey."
Johanna glared. She looked up and down at him before yelling. "Couldn't you see everything was perfect?!"
"Perfect? Perfect for what?" Under the moonlight his glassy eyes shone. Blue, then green then a bluey greeny hue.
She laughed. She looked at him before whispering, "You trained?"
The boy stared at her. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Johanna pushed herself up and put her finger on the boy's chest. "Little boy, reaping's in two days."
"Little? I'm older and taller than you!" He straightened his back. "What's my name?"
Johanna kicked the dirt whileaverting his eyes. "Jackson… Hill…"
"Yeah you got it."
Johanna looked at him she looked out in the dark before asking, "Hey Jackson. How many times is your name in the bowl this year?"
"Twelve."
Johanna looked up and sighed. "I'm in thirty two times."
Jackson stared at her. "That's kinda lucky. There are loads living here you know." He held a sparkle in his eye.
"Since when did you know how to joke?"
"Hey Jo…" He whispered the rest of his sentence slowly. "You want to see who can chop down the trees quicker than the other at work tomorrow? For the benefit of both of us."
"Yeah…Yeah…"