Hey guys! I have another idea, I'll be doing person by person now, here's one by: Why live a life frowning! ENJOY!
District 3 Female: Ashes Oliver
A piercing scream penetrates my dream, oh, my lovely dream of my mother who's gently touching the piano keys with such gentleness and rhythm. Such beautiful notes! But my mother is dead and like every other day I dash out of my bed to the screaming.
That's my brother, Evan Recon Oliver, he's ADHD which is pretty okay but is seriously schizophrenic, which I've been trying to ignore but it's impossible. It's just getting worse, the pain is all over him now, in between days, in his dreams or when someone wants to talk to him. Right now, my father William is trying to calm him down failing.
"YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING! YOU WANT TO BRAIN-WASH ME! YOU WANT TO-YOU WANT TO KILL ME!"
My father sighed.
"Ever, I just want you to dress in your clothes!"
We call him Ever sometimes, in schizophrenia mode and it sometimes calms him down. In good days that is.
I peek in and sigh. I go up next to Ever and pat him. My father leaves the room, pushing past me without looking and says:
"Okay Ever, you won't have breakfast. Unless you obey."
My father left because of me, I'm his imaginary daughter. He cares more of my little brother and my big sister more than me. I'm a piece of trash to him, even thought I'm the only good child he has left. He uses bribing with Ever, he is harsh, demanding, violent and abusive if you know him like me. He hates me!
"Ever, what do you want to do?"
Ever frowns at that question and closes his eyes, squinting and he says:
"I want to go play ball outside! For hours and hours! Can I do that Ash?"
It was 7 a.m. and this was only Ever, there was still my older sister, Cassie Sierra, she's completely blind in her left eye, and partially blind in her right eye. She was also partially deaf in BOTH EARS. So I was doomed for now.
"Well Ever, if you put on your clothes and clean yourself up...I-I could think about it. Go outside and play?"
Ever nods enthusiastically and his schizophrenia mode fades and he's a normal 5 year old boy, cheery and eager to play. I don't know what to do with him, next year he's going to first grade and what if gets bullied? I won't be there, I'll be work, helping the family.
"But do what I said, okay Ever?"
Ever nods and goes to search for a shirt. I haven't even dressed myself and I've to work in 1 hour, but I have other duties.
"Cassie?" I whisper.
"Huh? Who is it? Dad what are you doing here?"
Cassie had been staring at thin air, dazed as if she were in another world, now she turns to me, her eyes squinting but barely giving her any sight.
"No it's me, Ashes," I say more loudly. "Dress in your clothes Cassie, it's waking time!"
"Already?" asks Cassie stumbling out of bed, at least she's more obedient.
"Can you help me-!" CRASH! She crashes against the wall and would fall if it weren't for my sturdy hands, burned and big.
"Gotcha!" I say and she smiles faintly.
"Thanks."
I help her dress up, brush her teeth, put her hands around to guide her, help her with some schoolwork she could not see and then helped her down the stairs. Even thought I had to do this every day I loved my sibblings, I loved them with my heart. I would do anything, even suicide myself if it were neccessary.
It's 7:35! Heavens! I run towards my room and plunge myself in my uniform, and change into my dull dark grey uniform, a long-sleeved grey shirt, oil-smeared grey pants and tattered sneakers. Put on my mom's old hat and her old smeared gloves and set out.
Downstairs my family eats breakfast, my father crunching as if nothing. Of course, my ration is not there so I go to the kitchen to see what I can have. And my anger boils.
My father, MY FATHER has used everything in our kitchen, PURPOSELY to HUNGER ME. To starve me! I mean, how CRUEL is that? He didn't cook my breakfast! I have nothing left!
Clutching my tears deep in my eyes, I storm out to work. But soon enough, the voice that I was waiting for says:
"Hey Sparky! Looking sad. Need this?"
He passes me a box of matches, and a muffin. How did he know?
I sniffed. "Thanks Matches. Matches," I smirk at his gift. The very gift he gave me when I was 7 and well, I burned my house down. It is a coincidence that my birthday has to be in the date of the Hunger Games. It sucks, really. It's like:
Happy Birthday Ashes! Today, your birthday gift is watching 23 kids going to their possible deaths! Congratulations!
I mean, seriously? What a better date.
"I figured your father wouldn't give you breakfast today and you'd be late for work. So I brought you this!"
I bit into my muffin, warm and buttery. How can he afford this? Matches, my best friend and only friend is poor. He has 2 little sisters to take care of and a sick mom. Earns a few dollars an hour. Works for 5 hours a day, non-stop.
"Oh Matches!" I say. "You shouldn't! How could you AFFORD this?"
He grins. "I have my secrets Sparky. Plus, I'm not THAT poor you know!"
I laugh. Matches, oh Matches. We split into our places, Matches to his factory and I go to my part-time engineering job who turns out to be in the factory next to Matches'.
There, I'm in charge of burning the metal which has a rotten smell combined with smoking fish and hard tobacco. You could suffocate in that room, but I'm fire-borned.
It's what I do, I love fire. Everybody here is scared of it, of it's power but I think, how the flame moves and dances is the most beautiful thing ever. I love it, just like Matches. Or Alexander James Farrel.
After burning the metal, it is recycled to make a new machine since the Capitol doesn't bother to give us some metal for our machines.
I work for 4 hours non-stop. My hair is sticky and sweating, my muscles burn, my joints almost crack and my face is red when I finish and I sigh as my face touches the cool air. I count my money earned. 4 dollars and 80 coins per hour. So it's 19 dollars and 20 coins.
It can buy some things.
But before, I have to do something.
Me and Matches meet in the summoning place, a huge apple tree in the middle of District 3.
In my hand, I've got a bunch of explosives and he has a small measure of glue, feathers and oil. We go towards, Remuldon Jenkins, the Head Peacekeeper. They killed my mother and I hate them but not only that. They help the Capitol with the Hunger Games. So I do my best to annoy them.
I walk towards my house and it's about 12. I go to the grocery store and buy a bit of meat, cheese and bread. Not too much, 5 dollars. Just for me, Cassie and Ever. No father. No for good-for-nothing father. For the selfish one.
After I eat my meat and cheese, I feel good. Powerful, even. And it's going to be the Reaping. I dress in a simple metal-grey shirt, faded jeans, and sneaker who's soles are ripping off. My dark, copper brown bangs bounce in front of my face and I wipe them off. Annoying.
After I help my sister dress, she's beautiful really. Blonde hair like sunshine and blue eyes like the sea. I get her in mom's old tattered white dress, she looks like an angel. Despite everything, she's the most beautiful in the world.
My brother is cute too, I give him my hat and he looks cute in a black shirt, black pants and over-sized black boots. Like coal I tease and for the first time, Ever looked normal. Like a normal 5 year old boy, grinning mischievously.
When the procedures were in the plaza were done, we lined up in our lines. Father held Ever close and Father looked at Cassie, worried. Not about me, I could rot up in hell as long as he would care.
Amanda Cresthallow, the Capitol representative babbles on with her pitch, high-squeak voice. Beautiful, and the last names, I love them! Right? Pft, that was sarcasm guys.
Anyways, she finally got into the reaping, I hold my breath and then she says the words I was afraid all day long.
"LET'S WELCOME CASSIE SIERRA OLIVER!"
My sister. My crippled sister who has trouble dressing up! I can't let her die, not today. Not today. She wouldn't even survive a step in the arena, slashed up by a Career.
So I step up and say:
"I volunteer."
I, a scrawny 14 year old girl! I'll die, but...no. I can't die. My sibblings need me. I can't leave them. I'm good with explosives, I can make a bow shoot firey arrows and I can make explosives easily. I am with a knife, I'm fast and tall. I can climb trees swiftly. Surely, I'd get some sponsors and maybe, I'd kill a few people. Hide somewhere. Yes, it sounds good. I'll survive, and that is a promise I will keep FOREVER. For Ever and Cassie.
I climb up to the stage, hesitant but confident.
I will survive.
