I wake up, stretching my arms and legs. It takes me a moment to realise that today is the day of the reaping. This will be my fourth reaping, but this year is special. This year, I am definitely going in the arena.
I dress in the green skirt and white blouse embroidered with flowers that I wear every reaping. It almost brings tears to my eyes, as I remember the first person to wear this outfit for a reaping. My sister, Rue. She would be sixteen this year, if she hadn't died brutally in the Games. This year, though, I am avenging her death, not against the boy who killed her, but against the people who made that boy kill her. The Capitol.
The time to gather in the square approaches rapidly, and as I saunter over to the area for the fifteen year olds, I catch Rowan's gaze. We ready? I mouth the words as inconspicuously as I can. He nods back, just a slight movement, and smiles a little. I smile back, knowing what's coming.
Our escort, Olaf, is sporting bright green hair this year. It was blue last year, and the year before that, and as many years back as I can remember. I think it looked better blue. The green hair, combined with his slightly yellowy skin and plump belly, makes him resemble a pineapple. I stand next to Lavender, one of my best friends. I whisper the thought about a pineapple to her, and she attempts to smother her giggles. I poke her in the ribs as the mayor stands up and begins talking. The same old 78 year old speech about the rebellion, the Hunger Games being a punishment, blah blah blah. Finally, it ends, and Olaf steps forward. "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds-" I catch Rowan's eye and we both mouth "be ever in your favor." He walks towards the glass ball containing the girls names. "Lassiandra Kendall!" Lassie! My sister! I almost panic, when I realise this gives me an extremely good excuse to volunteer. I play my part well. "Lassie! No! Lassie!" I run up towards the steps and in front of Lassie, who is doing an extremely good job of looking scared. "I volunteer! I volunteer!" A lot of the adults are looking surprised, but Olaf looks delighted. We almost never get volunteers in district 11. "Excellent! What is your name?" I would love to stare him straight in the eye, but I get the feeling that might not go down too well. Instead, I look at his nose for a brief second, and then look down at the ground. "Azalea Kendall." He nods, and motions for me to stand to one side. I alternate between looking out at the crowd and looking down at my feet. Olaf bounces towards the ball with the boys names. "Rowan Lacarn!" Perfect! As we shake hands, I catch his eye and give a short smile, before dropping my gaze.
After we are taken to the Justice building, I receive a surprising amount of visitors between the ages of 12 and 18. They all say the usual things– "I hope you make it home"– "Promise you'll win"– "I'll be watching you the whole time"– but behind every one of their eyes is a mixture of pride, cunning, and success. The last person to visit is Lassie, and she doesn't say anything before she has tied around my neck a small wooden flower on a string made of grass. This was Rue's district token. When she hugs me, she whispers into my ear, "Remember why you're doing this." She gives my one last hug before the Peacekeepers usher her out, and I'm left to ponder the enormity of what I'm about to do.
