I lay in my bed, staring at the dark, cracked ceiling. It was oddly cold up in the attic, but I still had my old blanket to protect my body from the chilly night air. I listened to the wind howl outside, sounding like an eerie lullaby. The moonlight cast a dim, gloomy light through my window, making shadows dance across the floor. I took a deep breath, anger still pounding inside of me. "How could Dane yell at me like that?" I think to myself, frowning. I bit my lip, wondering what to do. The reaping was tomorrow morning, and there was nothing I could do about it. My best friend, Dane, told me there was a good chance of him getting picked. My mind started to drift to thoughts of Dane dying in the Games. I shuddered, imagining someone hunting him down and stabbing him. "Calm down, he might not get reaped." I thought, taking in a deep breath again. Dane was practically family to me, and now he might be ripped away to go into the Hunger Games.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about ways he could die. I forced my eyes shut, trying to go to sleep. Eventually I drifted off, only to have nightmares about the Games.
It felt like I had only been asleep for a few minutes before the morning sun shined in my eyes, jerking me awake. I groaned in annoyance, it was going to be a long day. I slowly climbed out of my warm bed, then walked to my old dresser. Peering inside, I grabbed my purple cotton dress, the one I always wore to the reaping. It was the only dress I owned, I loved it dearly. I always felt so pretty and petite in it, I felt like a princess. Slowly I unfolded it, holding it up in the sunlight to admire it. I suddenly gasped in dismay!
"Oh no! It's ruined" I whispered, frowning. The once beautiful dress was now covered in holes, moths had gotten to it and eaten it. My heart sank. Now what would I wear? I tossed it on my bed as I crossed my arms. I couldn't very well show up to the reaping in my t-shirt and jean skirt, now could I? Suddenly, I got an idea.
"I could wear one of mother's," I say aloud, the words feeling like knives as I said them. I silently walked out of my room and down the stairs, to my parent's bedroom. I cautiously cracked the door open, glancing around for my father. It wasn't surprising that he was no where to be seen. I felt like a rebel as I tiptoed to my mother's old closet. I don't know why I was tiptoeing, there was a slim chance of my father being nearby. I swung the doors closet open, my eyes resting on all of her colorful dresses. I smiled, they were so beautiful! I gently ran my hand across them all, making the dresses swing on their coat-hangers. I bit my lower lip.
"Which one should I wear?" I ask myself, eyeing all the dresses. Then I spotted a pretty yellow dress; I instinctively grabbed it and held it close to me, seeing what it would look like. The dress was long, coming a good way below my knees. It flowed and swished gently when I moved it. It was plain, but mostly all of the clothes in District 9 were plain; unless of course you were rich.
"I like this one," I told myself, smiling slightly. I quickly ran back up to my room, changing into my dress. I excitedly grabbed my little hand mirror, wondering how I looked in my mother's dress. I blinked, I looked almost exactly like my mother. I sighed. Although I wasn't really hoping to look like someone else, I guess it would have to do. I hurriedly ran a brush through my hair, pulled on my boots, and ran downstairs to the kitchen. I froze when I saw my dad standing over the stove, cooking. My dad, my cold-hearted, macho dad was cooking. His back was toward me, he paused when he heard my footsteps. I swallowed hard, wondering if it was really my dad standing in front of me. He slowly turned around, his eyes widening when he saw me. He eyed me up and down, realizing I was wearing my mother's dress instead of my old purple one.
"That's your mothers," He said, a snarl threatening to form on his tightened jaw. My heart skipped a beat, wondering what to say.
"Yes sir, moths ate my old one," I stammered quietly. My dad hated being reminded of my mother, ever since she disappeared. He stared at me with his hardened eyes, as if wondering how to react.
"Well, young lady, you look..." He paused, making my heart lift for a second, "decent."
I frowned slightly, but I guess that was a compliment coming from my father. I smiled, nodding slowly. Dad cleared his throat, nodding at the table.
"Sit," He ordered, turning and grabbing two plates. I instantly plopped onto the chair, gulping slightly.
"I... I thought we should eat a proper breakfast, before the reaping," He cleared his throat, setting a plate of scrambled eggs in front of me. He sat down across from me, sinking his fork into his plate of eggs. I paused, feeling out of place. I haven't eaten a sit-down breakfast since mom left, it was like I had forgotten how to behave at the kitchen table. I slowly picked up my fork, beginning to eat.
"This is good! You should cook more often, dad," I say, smiling slightly. My father didn't react to my joke, he just wolfed down his breakfast.
After breakfast, I made my way outside. I frowned, glancing around the now noisy district. People were bustling about, getting ready to go to the reaping. My heart sank as I watched mothers and fathers hug their children goodbye, wondering if they'd ever get the chance to do so again. Peacekeepers were everywhere, making sure every person in the district went to the reaping. Each step I took hissed that it was time for the reaping. The sun beat down on me, as if taunting me. In the distance, the sound of women and children weeping whispered through the tense air. I glanced around at the other teenagers walking to the district, different emotions on their faces. Most of the expressions were worry and depression, though. I tensed when I saw the station where they drew each teenager's blood. I slowly approached, frowning as I did.
"Hand," The woman snorted, not taking the time to even look up at me. I frowned, extending my hand. She instantly stabbed my index finger then scanned my blood. The scanner beeped and the woman nodded, telling me to move on. I shot the rude woman a glare, then made my way to the 16 year old girls section. Extreme tension hissed in the air, only adding to my uneasiness. I glanced at the girls standing around me, most had expressions of despair and worry. But some, oddly enough, had excited smiles. I shot these obviously crazy people glares, then stared blankly at the empty stage in front of us. It seemed like the wind stopped, forcing the hot sun to pound us.
I frowned, trying to get my pounding heart to stop beating so loudly in my ears. It seemed like it got harder to breathe with every tense second. Suddenly, I heard boy's voices to my left. I glanced over, scanning the crowd of boys. I paused when I saw Leono standing in the 15 year old section. His dull green eyes met mine at the exact same time. He suddenly smiled, realizing I was looking at him. He waved obnoxiously, mouthing the words: "Hey girly! Good luck!". I raised my eyebrows at him, shaking my head. I drew in a sharp breath when I subconsciously looked over at the 16 year old boy section. Dane clearly stood out as he was the tallest of them all. His light brown hair was combed neatly and he was wearing a blue button-down shirt with jeans. He was standing proud and tall with his shoulders back; he was staring at the stage. His eyes were still filled with anger, and it was like he knew I was looking at him but refused to look back at me. I inwardly rolled my eyes, returning my gaze back to the stage. If he wanted to hold a grudge, that was fine by me.
Everything went dead silent as our escort stepped up onto the stage. She was short and round, dressed in a fluffy bright blue dress that dragged across the floor. Her hair was an obnoxious magenta color, pulled back in a weird side-bun. She was wearing colored contacts, making her eyes appear a deep purple color. It looked as if she had caked make-up on her circular face, but I thought it looked ugly and over-the-top. Her skin was dyed a pale purple, making her look like an alien as she waddled to the microphone. The white high-heels she was wearing echoed through the air until she stopped, tapping on the mic with her fancy nails. I was half expecting her to say "I can in peace." as she smiled broadly, opening her mouth to speak.
"Hello, people of District 9!" She said, nearly hopping with fake excitement. No one answered her, but it didn't faze the peppy escort.
"My name is Tuffi, and I am your escort! Who's excited?" She grinned, clapping at the silent crowd. My eyes narrowed at her, how could she be so happy about the Hunger Games? For the next ten minutes, we got the regular speech about the Hunger Games and why the Games existed. Boring, as always. I couldn't help but glance over at Dane, who still wouldn't look at me. My heart began to thud with anger, he was my best friend and he couldn't even look at me. I clenched my jaw, turning back to the clown on stage.
"Okay! Who's ready to get this party started?" Tuffi beamed, squealing with excitement. Everyone kind of scowled at the escort, it was anything but a "party". She paused, as if wondering why no one was cheering with her. The anger inside of me began to twist into worry as I glanced at Dane, his expression still the same. Angry and determined. Tuffi cleared her throat, never losing her overly-happy smile.
"Uhm, let's start with the boys!" She remarked, waddling over to the boy's bowl. I breathed in deeply, trying to calm myself down. "He's not going to get reaped, he's not going to get reaped." I thought to myself, clenching my fists. Images of Dane's family freaking out flashed through my mind, Dane couldn't get picked. I swallowed hard, never taking my eyes off of the escort. She gingerly shoved her hand into the bowl.
"Oooh, this is so exciting! Which one will I pick? Which paper will I choose?" Tuffi giggled, making everyone tense. She flicked pieces of paper about, making the boys shift around uncomfortably. I glanced over at the boys, they all had terrified expressions on their faces. Except Dane, he stared blankly at the escort. After what seemed like an eternity, Tuffi snatched up a piece of paper. She grinned, waddling back to the mic. Tension reeked in the air as she opened the piece of paper with her glossy nails.
"Our male tribute from District 9 is... Dane Harpet," She nearly shouted, smiling with anticipation. I was sure my heart had stopped beating as my head shot to my left, staring wide-eyed at my best friend Dane. All eyes shifted to Dane, who stood in shock. Dane swallowed hard, his eyes filled with confusion.
"No!" A little voice screamed from the sidelines. Dane's little brother was weeping, his parents and other little brothers close to tears as well. My eyes teared up as Dane began to walk toward the stage. He rolled his shoulders back, gulping hard as he bravely walked up the stairs and to the stage. I glanced over at Leono, whose face was pure shock as he looked from me to Dane. Tears threatened to roll down my cheeks, but I tried to keep them back. My best friend was going to the Games, there was nothing I could do about it.
"Oh my, what a handsome young fella!" Tuffi smiled, grabbing Dane's arm and holding him next to her. Dane breathed in deeply, but showed no emotion as he looked around. My jaw dropped as I watched him stand there. Dane stared out into the crowd blankly, showing absolutely no emotion. Finally, he glanced over at me. He tightened his jaw, looking away just as quick.
"I guess it's time for the girl's!" Tuffi remarked as she waddled over to the girl's bowl. She was about to pick a girl who could end up killing Dane; about to pick one more threat to him. Who knows, the girl Tuffi picks could be the one to kill him! I glanced at my best friend standing there on the stage all alone. His face was emotionless, although I could tell he was trying to look bolder than he felt. I swallowed hard as I watched the escort walk to the girl's bowl. Could I let her pick a girl that could kill my friend? No, I couldn't let that happen. Tears welled up in my eyes as I shakily opened my mouth, "I volunteer!".
Well hope you liked it! Sorry for the late update, been a busy week! I don't own the Hunger Games.
