Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
I am awoken the day of the reaping by my Capitol-issued alarm clock. I roll out of bed and trudge over to the bed Odine sleeps in.
"Time to get up. We have to be ready for the reaping in a few hours," Odine groans and stumbles out of bed.
"Why do we even have to go to the reaping? None of us are entered in it anyways."
"It's just the rule. Go bathe or get breakfast. I think Ma put your dress on a hanger in our closet," my sister departs for the kitchen and I walk across the hall to the room my mother and two youngest sisters sleep in. Knocking quietly, I push open the door and prod my mother until she wakes up.
"What're you doing?"
"We have to get up. We can't be late for the reaping," upon being reminded that today the tributes will be chosen, Ma stands up and goes to wake Kendra and Cascada.
"Make sure Odine gets breakfast."
"Already done. Why don't you get the twins bathed and when they're done Odine'll go. I can get Kendra and Cascada dressed," my mother smiles at me and lifts my squirming sisters into her arms. Kendra starts to cry as soon as Ma starts walking.
I pad down the stairs and into the kitchen where Odine is making herself toast.
"Can you warm up a slice for me?" I ask and Odine puts another bit of bread onto the grill.
"Why are the babies crying?"
"They aren't babies anymore. They go to the same school you do."
"They are to me," retorts Odine, and I chuckle a bit.
When Kendra and Cascada are finally done being bathed, Ma sends Odine up to the bathroom to wash herself.
"When she's done you go."
"Okay," I say through a mouthful of bread. Ma and I sit at the table and talk about random gossip that we can both talk about until Odine is out of the bathroom. When she is, I bathe, cleaning myself head to toe until I'm sure my skin sparkles.
At the end of my bath I go into my bedroom to find my reaping dress. I have worn that very dress every reaping since I was 6. Originally my mother took it in in the back so that it wasn't falling off of me. Every year she's just unstitched a few things and added fabric to the bottom so it was fine. She says that for my first reaping I will get a new dress to wear, but right now it's just this periwinkle rag with frills on the sleeve.
"Are you dressed, Annie?" my mother calls from our living room. "I need to do your hair!"
"I'll be down in a minute!" When I'm done tying the ribbons on my ghastly dress I make my way down the stairs.
"Well don't you two look beautiful!" Kendra and Cascada are wearing matching green dresses, which are awful to look at, but they're admiring each other's hair. Just this year it got long enough to braid so it's the first time they've really had their hair done.
"Thank you!"
"Come on Annie, we have to leave soon and your hair is a mess," I walk over to the mirror hung up in our living room. I stand before it with my mother behind me. She brushes my hair and braids it in two plaits down my back. "I think that's alright. No one will really be seeing you anyways."
I thank her and herd my sisters to the hall closet to get their shoes on. After resolving an argument between Odine and Cascada, my family is ready to leave for the square.
We travel in silence with the rest of District 4. Even my youngest sisters know not to make any loud noises to respect the families who will be torn apart today at the reaping. District 4 has a lot of volunteers, but everyone knows that only one tribute will be able to return and even then it's guaranteed to be a kid from 1 or 2.
My mother leads us to the check-in desk for people not being entered into the reaping. The Peacekeeper enters our names into the database and sends us to the spectators area. When we get there I see who will be mentoring this year. All of the living victors are required to show up to watch the reaping but there are two assigned seats for the mentors. This year Mags and some new guy Navi are the mentors. Mags mentors almost every year but Navi hasn't had the chance yet. He won the 60th Games but nobody's really seen him since the Victory Tour.
We all wait patiently and watch the kids entered into the reaping go to their assigned age and gender section. I see Finnick Odair, a boy who attends my school, go to the 13 year old boy's section. Eventually the escort, Portia Goldfront, mounts the stage and walks up to the microphone. We all fall silent.
"Good morning, District 4! I hope you are all very excited for this year's Games! Now, it is time to select two young people for the honour of representing District 4 in the 64th Annual Hunger Games! Well, I think lady's first!" She walks over to the reaping ball and with great drama, pulls out one slip of paper. We all hold our breath as she makes her way back to the microphone.
"Marina Stehre!" She says, and we breathe a sigh of relief because we don't know this poor girl. The 17 year old girl's section shifts around and a Career girl walks up to the stage. I recognize her from the warehouses but never knew her name. The crowd is silent when Portia asks for volunteers, and I could be imagining it, but I think Marina is afraid. I can't blame her, but she's been training since she was 7, and I think is probably good enough to win.
"Now for the men!" Portia says and picks a boy's name. We are again holding our breaths, hoping that the male tribute isn't any of our friends. "David McGee!" a 12 year old boy walks, hands shaking, up to the stage. He stands on the stage beside Marina and I think he is trying to hide his tears.
"Any volunteers?" asks Portia.
"I volunteer!" shouts someone from the 18 year old's section. I see Calder striding down the aisle separating the girls and the boys, daring anyone else to take his place as the tribute.
"A volunteer! How exciting!" exclaims Portia, and David scurries down the steps and runs past us trying to find his family. I was right about the crying, his eyes are red and puffy.
Calder marches up the steps onto the stage and shakes Portia's hand.
"And what is your name, young man?" Portia is star-struck, as this is the first time she has seen a volunteer. Just this year she was promoted from District 11, where volunteering is rare.
"Calder Ville," he stares down the crowd. Maria and I were wrong about home. Maybe he really thinks he can win, and maybe he can. He is really good with a sword.
"Well, Calder, I'm sure you will make your district proud. You too, Marina," she adds as an afterthought. It's clear who will be the favourite from our District. Portia is still looking at Calder with adoration in her eyes.
The tributes shake hands and walk in to the Hall of Justice with the victors and Portia following behind them. I see Maria and signal to my mother that I'm going to see her.
"Didn't see that coming did you?" she says when I catch up to her.
"No! I really thought no one was going to volunteer. I'm glad he did though, that David kid wouldn't stand a chance in the arena. He's only been training for a few weeks because his parents didn't want to 'promote violence' or whatever but signed him up when they realized that he might actually be reaped," Maria nods and we continue walking along the shops near the square.
We talk for awhile about the reaping before making our way back to her place to watch the rest of the district's reapings.
Maria's parents are the most hard-working people I know. Her mom works 3 jobs so that they only need to take tesserae for one family member and her father is one of the few fishermen that don't live directly on the coast.
After we all greet each other, we sit in their living room to see who Marina and Calder will compete against. As expected, Cashmere from District 1 volunteers. There is a close up on her brother's smiling face. Her district partner is strong-looking but the Capitol will favour Cashmere, both because of her brother and because she has that cunning look that all the best victors have.
District 2 has has typical tributes. Both 18, both volunteers, and both look deadly.
When it comes to District 4, we see that Marina only looked scared for a minute, but regained her composure. We see David lose his cool, and the relief on his face when Calder steps forward.
Districts 5, 6, 7 and 8 all have very run of the mill reapings. In District 9 the female tribute tried to run, but was dragged up onto the stage by a Peacekeeper. The rest of the reaping went very quickly. As usual, the tributes from 10 are brawn and the tributes from 11 and 12 look starved.
I stay at Maria's for dinner. We talk about the reaping and who we think has the best chance.
"Cashmere will have the most sponsors for sure. Everyone loves her brother and the Capitol will think it's the neatest thing to have a brother-sister pair of victors," comments her father.
"Sponsors aren't everything though. The pair from 2 are terrifying."
"The girl from 9, though. She'll be dead in a second."
"Yeah. I think the kids from 8-12 will die in the bloodbath," interjects Maria. We keep talking about this until we're done eating. I help with dishes, say goodbye to her family and walk home.
Please review! Also I'm thinking of moving through these Games pretty quickly and going to Finnick's in the next few chapters.
