District 6: Cecile Woodland Pov-
"Should I wear my hair up or down?" Leah asks me, fiddling with her red hair.
"I don't think it's really going to matter…but I guess down." I say. Leah smiles, and gives her head a good shake, so her red curls run down her back.
We pass by a group of guys from school.
"Hey, dudes! Happy reaping day, and may the odds be ever in your favor!" Leah shouts over to the group of them. The laugh, and wave over at the two of us. I press my lips together, aware of how much I'm blushing. See, I would never talk to guys like that. And Leah isn't really afraid of anything. She'll act crazy and never even take notice of it.
Sometimes I think my best friend couldn't be any more different from me. But, that just might be why she's my best friend. My calm and her outrageousness complement each other perfectly.
Leah and I make our way to the reapings, and settle in with the other fifteen-year-olds.
"Oh, hey!" Leah greets a couple of girls around us. Leah kind of knows everyone. I smile at the girls, and then turn my attention to the stage.
District 6's escort is probably one of the fattest women I've ever seen. Her name is Barbara Slip and she always looks really joyful. I think it has something to do with how fat she is; sometimes I think people that are fat are automatically happy.
Barbara Slip never does much of an introduction. She goes straight to the girl's names. Or, she waddles over to pick a name.
"And our lucky girl will be Cecile Woodland!"
Yuuki Nyturu Pov-
Some brunette makes her way up to stage. I turn around in the crowd to look over at my little brother, Hiro. It is Hiro's first reaping, and his normal mischievous smile has given way to a pale, terrified grimace. When his eyes find mine I see him relax a little.
No one volunteers for the girl. So, Barbara goes straight to the bowl full of boy's names.
"This year's lucky guy is…Yuuki Nyturu."
"No!" Hiro is making his way from the section for twelve-year-olds. "I…I volunte-" I grab him, and clamp my hand over his mouth before he can finish his sentence.
"You can't volunteer for me, Hiro." I whisper, I make it forceful. I know that my brother never disobeys me.
He just stares at me as I make my way to the stage.
Cecile Woodland Pov-
It's been Dad and me since I can remember. Mom died when I was little. But, Dad and I have coped perfectly fine. Every night we sit outside and look at the stars. And every night he'll tell me a story about the stars.
And some people might say that being fifteen; you're too old for bedtime stories. But, when I'm with Dad I'm too old for nothing.
So, that's why it's so hard to say goodbye to Dad.
He comes in to say goodbye. But, I can't. So, I just talk about anything but the fact that I'm not going to be sitting beside him tonight looking up at the stars.
"Cecile…" Dad says. I close my mouth, and look up at him. He takes his watch off his wrist, and he tightens it so it fits around mine perfectly. That watch has been Dad's since I can remember. And whenever I hold his right hand, I brush against that watch.
Neither of us says a word. We just stare at each other for a while. Then I wrap my arms around him, and I tell him I love him.
Dad says he loves me at least three times a day. But, I never tell Dad I love him. Because I just assume he knows. And I just assume there will always be another day to tell him.
Yuuki Pov-
My mother wraps her arms around me, tears streaming down her cheeks.
I do my best to console her.
"Yuuki, you have to come back home, you understand?" Dad tells me seriously. "You know that means killing people, right?"
"But…I can't kill an innocent kid."
"You have to, Yuuki, if you want to come home. So, do whatever it takes, they'll be trying to kill you too, do whatever it takes."
They don't leave until I promise I'll do whatever it takes to come back home. I'll even kill.
