CHAPTER 10

POV of Matthew Evans

Today's not a real day for us.

Our real days start at five in the morning because the roosters don't shut up, and soon its a symphony of animals screaming for your attention. But for some reason today our rooster, Sunny, knows to keep his damn beak shut. And the rest of our animals do as well. On real days we begin milking the cows and feeding the chickens and the pigs, making sure the goats are grazing well and keeping the wolves and snakes away. Sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but we've got many hands, with 6 brothers and a sister.

That's how it is in ten, we all have big families, to work on our own plot of land. you need enough hands or you'll struggles. Like the McHawks, when Mrs McHawk had her third kid, there were complications which the district doctor can't fix. She can't have any more kids, though they've been trying. I heard the children wake up at four and finish work at midnight. That's a tough life.

I know district life is supposed to be hard, but it ain't that bad to me. Sure, I have to share my tiny house with 9 other people, but there's always the hen house and the haystack to sleep in, and it's alright. My brothers are a pain in my hind, but they do their work, so its not too hard on any of us. We all work 5 days a week and we go to school on weekends. All my brothers are over eighteen, so they don't go to school anymore, but they follow any way, and after that we'll play racing around the square. I might be the smallest, but I'm the fastest too, I got a good pair of legs on me. My sister likes school alot more than I do, she likes reading and calculating, wants to become a big shot when she grows up.

But no one grows into a big shot in this district. Most of us grow up and have 8 kids, if you're slightly better off than maybe you'll be a vet for the sick animals, and for the sick people as well actually. That's about as good as it gets in this district.

It's been hard on the family this week, we lost our favorite cow to the slaughter house. She was a gorgeous thing with black eyes and pure while skin, which almost shone in the sun. She was growing so well and so big, and she gave us the very best milk of course. We realized she was going to hit weight limit, and starved her to our best ability, but she hit it last week end, feeding on the grass was enough, she didn't need our hay. So the slaughter house came for her, and there's not a thing we can do about it.

It hit May the hardest, I think she loved that cow more than anything. The rest of us are back to feeding the chickens and milking other cows, but Mays been avoiding milking duty, switching it for pig feeding and wolf watching. We don't have too many wolves here, but we gotta be careful. Every time an animal dies we lose some we learn to shoot wolves. My aim's pretty good, I'm handy with the gun. In fact, many of us in district ten are, but they never give us guns in the games. That's why we've only had four victors.

I guess ten isn't too bad off, we're strong from carrying the heavy buckets of feed everyday, and from all the farm work around. It's gotten us some stamina too. Keep moving from seven till eight at night or so. And we're wary in the dark. At night we have to watch for wolves and snakes, we know how to listen for them. The rustles in the bushes and how to identify paw prints and the distinctive imprint of a snakes long body. I guess that's why we win the games sometimes. The careers may have trained all their lives, but we have life long lessons too. Just different ones.

"Matty I'm real scared." Of course she is, May has always been the baby of the family, and since Mason turned nineteen this year, it's been the two of us alot. "I know you are darling, but it'll be alright you know." She's two years below me, fourteen. May has always been rather small, but she can lift buckets of feed like they weight nothing. But I know she's scared, she wouldn't survive if she was picked.

"Matty are you scared?"

I'm not scared of many things. You can't be in ten.

You can't be scared of worms because you got to feed them to the chickens.

You can't be scared of animals because we're ten

You can't be scared of the dirt, because those animals are full of it, and usually at the end of the day you will be too.

You can't be scared of charging animals because if you think at all instead of run, you'll be dead.

You can't be scared of guns, because you need to shoot the wolves. And well that means you can't be scared of wolves either.

You can't be scared of the dark because you need to keep watch for those rattle snakes, can't have them eating your animals.

But there's one thing everyone in ten is scared of: The reaping.

"Aw May, you know me, I'm so strong, you'll never see me scared!" She flashes me a small smile, but it's clear she's still terrified.

"But hey, you wanna know a secret? I'm real, real scared May." She smiles more at this, I guess the thought of having someone scared with her is comforting. With most of my brothers out of the reaping, i had to take alot of tesserae this year. When There were 5 of us in the reaping, it wasnt so bad, but Now I have to take 4, an May has to take many as well. I only worry when I'm out and May has to take it for all of us. But hopefully by then we'll be bringing in more money with the milk we've been selling,and more from the slaughterhouse since they say we've got some good meat.

Before we know it, our mother is calling for us, we need a good twenty minutes to walk to the square. My brothers are already there, chasing each other around, I would usually join, but not today. Today I have to look my best.

When we reach the square, I bring May to sign in and she runs of with her friends. I run of with mine. I don't have many friends, no one in ten really does. We're more of a family kind of district. Since our families are huge, we don't need more friends. But Cody and I just hit it off. We're in the same year at school, we both love chicken duty, hate wolf watching, and run pretty fast. We've been friends for as long as I remember.

Cody's family isn't as big as mine, there's only 6 of them kids, and all are out of the reaping, Cody has two more years. Cody's dad owns the slaughterhouse, so he's not too bad off, and I don't think he takes tesserae. Kids hate him for that, but I don't, It's just the way it is, and he's a swell guy.

"How many slips you got in?" He asks me. "Too many to count I say." But of course I count It's twenty-five slips in for me. Not too many, but not too little either. She could very well draw my name. But I wasn't about to tell that to Cody. "Well don't worry Matt, there's kids with plenty more than you." I just nod in return.

The escort talks about how he hopes for another Victor this year, following Jordan Chesters who won last year. But he got real lucky, smart kid though. Good at hand to hand, not all of us are like that, but the escort has high hopes anyway.

Jordan sits on stage. I didn't know the kid before he was reaped last year, but he seemed nice and charming, but on stage now he's anything but. He's serious and solemn, almost... scared. But this name is not in that bowl anymore, mine is.

For the girls she calls Jessie Chesters. She's twelve, and we all know that the odds were in her favor, the Capitol was not however. They love throwing relatives of victors into the mix, just for laughs, and Jessie is just their next victim.

"Matthew Evans!"

Cow Crap. That's me.

I'm not even thinking when I run. I make a dash for the woods, behind the city center, maybe I can get lost and they'll reap some other sucker. The peacekeepers chase after me, and It's just like playing with my brothers, and I'm always faster.

I dodge a few of them like I do to my brothers and keep running.

And that's when I feel it. The searing pain up my right leg. But I still try to make a break for it, I'm almost there. But they grab me by the arms and start dragging me. I see the blood on my leg and It instantly feels more painful. I try harder to fight back. I can see the woods! but they drag me further and further away. I start groaning, because my leg hurts so much I wish It was cut off. And the peacekeepers throw me to the ground and my leg is dragging on the concrete.

I'm going into the games. If make it to the stage alive.

My vision is blurry, and I barely register Cody going up on stage. Suddenly the peacekeepers let go and I'm just squirming there on the ground.

I need to say goodbye to Cody. He saved my life.

I ran. But I'll probably never be able to do so again.

And then I think I die.

AN: So guess who gets reaped next year, and has to go into the games with a serious limp? This chapter was so fun for me! Review and tell me how you liked it! :)