I want to turn the whole thing upside down
I'll find the things they say just can't be found
- From "Upside Down" by Jack Johnson
Chapter 3: The Curious One
Name: Rye Wheaton
Age: 15
District: 9
Fate: Third bloodbath tribute
Rye is a very curious four-year-old. She doesn't know anything more than what most kids her age do, but she certainly wants to. "Why is the sky blue?" she asks her mother.
"Because God painted it like that, because all the birds that fly there like that color." Mrs. Wheaton explains. Of course, everyone knows that the sky is blue because molecules in the air scatter blue light from the sun more than they do any other color, but how does one explain that to a four-year-old?
Later that day, Rye walks with her family to the bakery, where she sees a woman towing two young children behind her while carrying a third. This sparks another question in Rye's mind. She looks up at her parents and asks innocently, "Where do babies come from?"
Mr. and Mrs. Wheaton smile at each other, knowing their inquisitive daughter would ask this sooner or later. Mr. Wheaton turns to the little girl peering up at him.
"Rye." He says, "far, far away, in the middle of Panem, there is a magic field."
"Like a corn field or rye or wheat or barley or other stuff?"
"Yes," her father replies. "Just like that. Except this field grows babies! And then, when mommies and daddies want a baby, one comes for them on the train!"
"Cool!" Rye pauses. "How do babies get on the train? And how do you know when mommies and daddies want them?"
"Mommies and daddies send a letter, and then someone picks a baby from the field and sends it on the train."
With that answer, Rye is satisfied. For now.
The Wheaton family has one of the biggest yards in District Nine, but Rye has still managed to explore every square inch of the property. As a result, the seven-year-old sits on her front porch, completely bored.
Suddenly, a bright flash of color catches Rye's eye, and a vibrant blue butterfly lands on a flower a short distance away. Delightedly, Rye gets up to follow it. The butterfly eventually leads her to a field, where it flies underneath a piece of machinery. The equipment is very advanced, and its motors run automatically for five minutes every hour in order to prepare the soil for the growing season. Curiously, Rye reaches underneath the machine in attempt to catch the butterfly. Suddenly the machine roars to life, and Rye lets out a blood-curdling scream as a sharp blade slices through her skin at the wrist. She yanks her arm away, and sees it gushing blood. He hand is complete severed off. Not realizing exactly what happened, but also terrified, Rye faints at the sight.
Luckily, Rye's ten-year-old brothers Maiz and Husk find her and alert their parents immediately. A few hours later, Rye wakes up in her bed with her family by her side. Her left arm is wrapped in a bandage and ends in a stump.
"What happened?" She asks.
Mrs. Wheaton sighs. "The machine in the field sliced off your hand. The healer couldn't fix it. What on earth were you doing, anyways?"
Rye looks a little sad for a moment, but shrugs it off. "A butterfly flew under there, and I wanted to see what it was."
Mrs. Wheaton sighs again. "Oh Rye…"
"Haven't you ever heard curiosity killed the cat?" Maiz asks, earning him a stern look from his mother.
"Does it really?" Rye asks worriedly, afraid for the cat.
"No, of course not." Mr. Wheaton replies. At least, he's pretty sure it doesn't.
"Maiz! Husk! Wait up!" After chasing her brothers through the corn field, it appears Rye is lost. The ten-year-old has never been alone in a corn field before, yet she isn't afraid. After about an hour of wandering, she comes out of the field at a point she doesn't recognize. However, she sees a tall, grassy hill, and decides to climb it, wondering what's at the top.
The hilltop has a beautiful view of a lot of the district, and Rye can see her house in the distance. She is about to head down, in the direction of home, when she spots beautiful purple flowers scattered along one side of the hill. Rye picks some flowers happily, because now she does not have to share her mom's mother's day gift with her brothers, and sets off for home, thinking how lucky she was to find this place herself.
The gong goes off. Rye needs a weapon if she is to survive. She's one of the quicker tributes, and gets there in plenty of time. She grabs a pack and a knife and is about to set off, when suddenly she spots something glistening in the sunlight, and picks it up.
"What is it?" Rye wonders aloud. The object is about six inches long and cylinder. One end is wider than the other, and each end has a piece circular piece of glass. As she puts it to her eye, everything around her magnifies, and Rye nearly drops the object in surprise. Before she has any more time to decide whether or not the object is useful, a cold, sharp spear enters her back, and Rye falls to the ground.
"Well, well, well," Emerald from District Two says, pulling his spear out of Rye. "Looks like curiosity killed the cat."
