Chapter 3
When I wake up I change into my school uniform and put on the small necklace that Ella gave me. I have sworn to myself that I will wear this every day for the rest of my life. As I walk downstairs I hear my mom and Ella talking. "Ella honey, the Capitol will be fun! Most girls can't wait for this day to come." I wait for a response but all I hear is a muffled sob. As quieltly as I can, I walk over to where Ella is and rub her back.
"Ella, you will be home soon and if you like it, you can stay there forever. The Capitol has a retirement home for anyone who wishes to stay there. At least, that's what they tell us." I say, trying to calm her down. It didn't seem to work though, because her sobs got louder.
"Clover, eat your breakfast, you have to go to school soon." My mom instructs. Reluctanly, I stand and eat slice of bread before I leave to catch the bus.
Ugh, I think to myself. I'm late for the bus again, and now I have to walk in this extreme heat. I guess I don't mind though, I never really talked to anyone and it always smells of rotten eggs and oinos. I kick a pile of gravel which sends rocks flying. A few of them jump into a nearby stream and makes the dance. The sun is beating down on me and I start to sweat in my 100% wool socks. What type of evil person would make inosecent girls wear wool socks in the middle of spring? Looking at my watch, I see that I'm already late for school so I decide to cool off with a quick dip in the stream.
I take of my smelly, itchy high socks that aren't the right length for me because I'm so tall and throw my clunky brown shows into a bush. Rolling up my skirt, I jump in and hit my foot on something hard. I roll up my sleaves and reach in to see what I stubbed my toe on. The dirt around the object slips away and I pick up a small stainless steel box. I try and pry it open, but it won't budge. As I examine the box more carefully, I realize it needs a key. The key hole is a bizzare design of curves and twists that doesn't seem to make any shape. While I'm in the midst of studying my newly found object, I hear footsteps from off in the distance. Startled by the sudden noise, I quickly rise from the water and throw the box into my bag. I start to put on my socks, but I catch a glance at my watch and stop what I'm doing. I make a break for my jail looking school but step on a jagged rock and have to stop for a moment while I use my ugly tan colored long sleved shirt to mop up some of the blood from my foot.
As I limp into the gray and brown lobby of my school, I am greeted by my infuriated principal, Ms. Brown.
"Clover Mince, can you please explain to me the reason you have blood stains on your shirt, why you're an hour and a half late for school and why you are dripping wet and limping into my school without your shoes or socks on?" Wow, I think to myself, I really messed up this time.
As I try dry off in an uncomfortable leather chair, Ms. Brown calls my mom letting her know that I was tardy to school again and that I will be receiving three weeks of A.S.C.'s which is short for After School Classes. It really just means that I have three weeks of detention, but we're not allowed to say or use that word anymore.
Once I leave the foul smelling principal's office, I throw my stuff into my locker and head to history class. We're learning about something called the Hunger Games. They Capitol used to host it every year up until about 200 years ago when there was a rebellion. What they used to do was to send two different types of kids from each district to fight to their death in an arena. In the end, whoever was the last one alive would receive fame and fortune. Nobody really understands what "two different types of kids from each district" means, but we are required to know our country's history to pass.
The whole rest of the day was a blur to me. All that I was thinking about was a way to open the box and Ella. I wish she was at school today, but after you turn 18 you're done with school forever. Unless, of course you wish to be a surgeon or teacher or something along those lines, then you gain another eight years of school in the Capitol to train and learn about your new job. However, that costs a lot of money, and very few follow this path. Most of us find a local job or choose to work at the capitol when we're sent there at age 18. Life is getting boring, everything is the same. Every day you go to school and learn some idiotic thing that you will never use in your life again. Then, once we have summer break, we go to camp every day and learn how to sow or fish. I'm tired of the plain life that we live in, and I hate the matching uniforms and backpacks, the identical houses, and the stupid jobs that our moms have to work to get money. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I turn 18 yet, but I know, I will make a difference.
