Kairi Pesce, District 4.
I really hate Reaping Days. I do. Most of the people in my District, being Careers, are always excited. Not me, though. I've never been one for crowds. It's times like now, standing ankle-deep in water with a fishing spear in hand, watching the sun make shining speckles on the water, that I really feel comfortable. I don't like getting dressed either. Therefore, Reaping Days, when I have to dress fancy and stand among hundreds of hyperactive people, are the worst time of the year.
There's a flash in the water. The fish have gotten used to me standing here, and they just think that I'm part of the scenery. I wish people could do that, just think of me in the background. I've never liked attention. The fish don't either, and they don't care to give me any.
Very slowly, I turn my body. There's a fish by my ankles, drifting lazily. I position my spear so I don't stab my foot, and plunge the spear in to the water, just below where the fish should be. I can feel the impact of my spear in the fish's side. A perfect hit.
When I was younger, I never understood that you had to aim slightly away from the fish, because of the refraction in the water. I have to wonder who figured that out. If they hadn't, would we have food on the table every night?
I pull the silvery body from the water. It's kind of small, but it can always be pet food. That's part of my family's industry. We don't need much, as my mom's a victor, but my dad has always wanted to be sure we had money in reserve.
The fish around my feet scatter as I move my legs and return to the shore. There, I sit down. My legs are stiff for standing for so long. By our family's standards, that was wasted time. I could have caught many more in that hour or so. Today, though, I'm really just fishing for sport.
By now, the fish impaled on my spear has stopped thrashing, and is now only opening and closing it's mouth slowly. I look at it closely.
"Tell me, do you fish ever want to be humans?" My question goes unanswered, and I pull it off the spear. It gives a spasmodic thrash, and then dies in my hand, still gulping for air. I drop it there, on the sand, and return to my house.


Back at my house, I take a quick shower. When I step out, I find my mom has laid out a new outfit. I outgrew my old one. When I put it on, I realize it's very dark. It's a short black dress, along with black heeled ankle boots. Except for the stylish design, I could be going to a funeral. Running a comb through my hair, I decide I don't look too bad. I have large eyes, and red hair, and this makes me look both young and colorful. My eyes are brown, though. I've never really gotten over that. My parents both have the typical sea-green eyes of the District, where mine are brown. Just when I want to blend in, I stand out. Strangely enough, if I were in a different District, I'd look normal.
I flounce down the stairs, wobbling a little in the heels. My mom is in the living room, putting on shoes.
"Kairi, darling, you look wonderful. Just on time too, it's almost time for the Reapings! Your father is out with a friend, he'll be here in a moment. Are you ready?"
I nod. She gives me a hug, and I halfheartedly hug her back. Then, she just talks, and I pretend to listen, until my father arrives. He smiles at me. "You look lovely, Kairi. Let's go, huh?" Together, we walk out of the door.
When we arrive, I walk straight to my spot. I stare straight ahead until the mayor comes out. I can hear everyone around me fidgeting, and occasionally whispering, and I shift my gaze to the packed dirt below. I dig my toe in to it until I manage to excavate a small hole. With a swipe of my boot, it's filled up. By then, a cheer has gone up from the crowd. The glass balls have been wheeled out. The fidgeting quiets immediately. The escort prances erratically around the stage, prolonging the moment for as long as he can. Then, with much pomp and ceremony, he reaches in and sifts the pile around several times, finally removing a slip of paper.
When he reads it, he ridiculously mispronounces my name. Ten options run through my head at once. I'm not surprised that my name has been drawn, nor frightened. But do I want to go? If I refused, everyone in the District would fight for the title. Someone who knew they wanted to go could go. On the other hand, I know my mother has always secretly wished for me to go. She's never voiced it, but it's in her actions. And all that's what's special about us Careers. We have a choice.
The escort calls my name again, this time hitting closer to the mark as far as pronunciation. I make a split-second decision, and carefully extricate myself from the crowd of disappointed girls. As I climb the wooden stage, my boots make hollow clacking sounds. The escort praises me enthusiastically, but I'm ignoring him. I'm mostly trying not to look at any specific person in the crowd. For that reason, I completely miss the boy's Reapings. It's only when the crowd is roaring for the reaped tribute that I look up. Within moments, he's right in front of me, hand held out. I shake it, trying to remember his name the whole time. I remember him from school, but I'm not sure of his name.
When we're finally allowed in to the justice building, I'm relieved to be away from all of the upturned faces. In my private room, I sit down and close my eyes. I snap them open a few moments later, though, as my family walks in. I am alert completely and instantly. My dad has his face turned down, but I can see that his eyes are moist. Has he been.. crying?
When he looks up at me, though, any signs that he has have vanished. Both of my parents are exclaiming their pride to me, but it only means anything when Dad holds my shoulders in his large hands and looks me in the eyes.
"You be safe, okay, Kairi? You have to promise me that you'll survive. Okay? Make Daddy proud."
For no explicable reason, I feel a lump in my throat.
"Yeah, Dad. I promise."
He hugs me. "I'm glad. Are you wearing the necklace?" I nod and show him the shark tooth on my neck. I'll use it as a token. My dad looks like he'll say something else, but then the guard pokes his head in.
"Time's up." My parents both hug me one last time, then walk out. I'm left alone by the shiny window, fingering the tooth. In the corner of the blue sky, grey storm clouds have begun to form.