District 3 Reaping

(Bella File and Leo Terran)

Leo Terran (16) - D3

"Leo. Leo! Wake up!"

I open one eye groggily. Joshua stands over me, his hair rumpled from sleep.

"What?" I say, sitting up slowly.

Josh pulls me out of bed and drags me out of our room. My other two brothers are still asleep, their chests rise and fall rhythmically under the threadbare blankets.

I stumble after Joshua, through the main room and onto the back porch, which was little more than some planks set on the dirty ground. Josh simply points to the sky. I gasp in wonder.

The black outline of the trees outside the fence stands starkly against the orange sky. Puffy clouds are scattered around like cotton balls with orange stained undersides and black topsides.

I hold my breath in wonder. This is one of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen.

The sound of footsteps behind me break the reverie.

"That's really something." Dad says. He's dressed in an old shirt and torn shorts. In his hands, he grips a glass of water.

"It really is." I say in a whisper as if any noise might disturb the magic. It was also much quieter than normal. Most of the power generators were unmanned because of the reaping, so the silence was almost deafening.

I turn to my younger brother. His gaze is fixed on the sky, the sun reflecting off his eyes. He has such an eye for art and beauty. I turn around and hug Dad.

"Go wake up your brothers." He says and sends me off.

I leave the porch feeling bouncy and full of energy. It was as if the sun had given me some of its light. I practically skipped back into our bedroom and over to the younger boy's bed.

I gently shake Cody's arm. He snorts and turns away from my hand. I shake him a bit harder. "Cody. You have to get up." I say.

Cody opens his big brown eyes and glares at me. "Why?" He grumbles.

I stifle laughter at his annoyed face. "It's reaping day."

"Oh." He sits up slowly, rubbing his eyes.

I walk to the other side of the bed and touch Michael's arm. My youngest brother snaps awake and sits up sharply, nearly busting my jaw.

"Did you sleep ok?" I ask.

Michael nods and takes a deep breath.

"Don't be nervous. It's not as bad as you think." I say and pat his back. It's Michael's first reaping and he is very nervous.

I leave the boys to get up and go out to the kitchen. Josh is cooking eggs for all of us and the delicious smell wafts through the house. I walk over to Josh who's standing at the stove.

"Do you need help?" I ask, watching the eggs sizzle in the pan.

"If you could get out the bread." Joshua doesn't take his eyes away from the pan.

I walk over to the pantry and look for the bread. It's not in there, so I check another cupboard. When I find it, I pull the bag and the bread down, as well as bringing some plastic cups down. The noise is sharp and unexpected. I wince.

Joshua comes over and helps me pick up the fallen cups. "I can handle it from here." He smiles at me.

I smile back. Somehow, Joshua reminds me of mom before she died. She had an eye for art and loved to cook and provide for her family. I sigh and turn away.

The younger boys come bounding out of their room and jump on Dad, who nearly spills his water.

We all chuckle and head to the round, kitchen table to eat Josh's eggs. Once we've finished breakfast, we all go to get ready. We all wear varying shades of shirts and pants and freshly polished boots. My shirt is navy blue and I have a black jacket over it. Josh claims that it doesn't look right, but I don't care.

Dad inspects our outfits. "You all look great." He says with a sad smile. I tighten my lips. I don't want to reminisce on Mom and the fact that she's dead. I'd rather forget it for today. It's the one day where we get to see Dad for more than an hour or two.

Together, we leave the house and walk down the street. The streets are busy with people talking and children playing. The magnificent sunrise has eased into a beautiful day. The sun shines down and the sky is a deep blue.

I inhale the fresh air. Whenever you can spend time in the sun in District 3, you spend all the time you can. As we wait by the bus stop, I can almost feel Michael's nerves radiating off of him.

"You ok?" I ask.

He nods, but his hands are shaking.

"You're not going to get reaped." I say. "How about this, even if you do, I'll volunteer for you, ok?"

Michael looks horrified. "You wouldn't do that."

"I would." I grab his hand in mine. "We're a family and we look out for each other. I'd have the best chance of coming back home, so I would volunteer."

Michael looks slightly better, so I think I've done a good job of calming him down.

"Guess who it is?" I hear a sweet, high pitched voice from behind me.

"I don't think I can." I respond. I turn around and grab Kelly into a hug. Her blonde hair is braided neatly around her head and her green eyes sparkle.

"How are you?" She asks, grabbing my hand.

I nod. "Good. Michael's really nervous." I respond.

"Understandable." She looks with a sad smile on her face at my brother.

Dad catches my eye and he raises an eyebrow before smiling. He pretends to dislike me and Kelly, but he knows how close we are. She's been my girlfriend for 2 years, so he had better be over it by now.

I hold Kelly's hand as we board the bus and ride to the square. She's so pretty and kind, and sweet. I really do love her. The bus stops and more passengers flood on. I see my best friend Marcus coming towards me.

"Hey man." He hugs me and then hugs Kelly. We're used to his hugs. That's just how he is.

We don't say much but instead sit in a comfortable silence until we get to the square. Everyone steps out and all the children head for the check-in table. I follow my brothers closely. I stand behind Michael as his finger is pricked and his bloody fingerprint plastered to a sheet of paper. Kelly and Marcus follow close behind me.

I grab Michael's shoulders. "Don't worry." I say. "It'll be over before you know it."

He nods but looks like he's about to throw up.

I smile sympathetically as he makes his way forward to the 12-year-old section. I see Josh go to the 15-year-old section and Cody chatting with his friends in the 14-year-old section.

I turn to Kelly. "I have to go." I kiss her gently on the cheek.

She returns the gesture. "See you later!" She calls and skips off to her section. Is it possible to still love her this much after 2 years?

I go to my section and stand by Marcus until the ceremony starts. I keep my eyes on Michael's brown, curly head in the front row. I hope that everything goes smoothly for his sake.

Bella File (15) - D3

My room is still dark, the shades pulled down tight. I close my eyes and roll over, trying to fall back asleep. The warmth from my thick blanket keeps me weighed down into the mattress. I can hear the sounds of my family downstairs, but I don't want to wake up just yet.

My whole body jumps when my alarm clock goes off. The shrieking noise is excessively loud for a small clock. Shaking, I reach over and turn it off. I rub my eyes sleepily. Now I have to wake up. I climb out of my bed and onto the carpeted floor. I half drag myself to the bathroom where I splash cold water on my face, trying to wake myself up.

By the time I climb out of the steaming shower, I can hear my parents annoyed voices calling up to me.

"Bella! Get yourself down here this minute!"

I roll my eyes and get dressed. Today is reaping day, but I don't really care so I put on a simple white dress and some white sandals. I brush my short black hair and apply some light makeup to my face.

I walk downstairs and into the kitchen. The smell of food is overwhelming, but my parents have left me to my own devices. I cook some bacon, eggs, and butter toast. The kitchen table is big and wooden, with wooden benches along its sides. I sit in Mother's chair at the far end and eat contentedly. Once I'm done, I help myself to some orange juice.

I step into the family room where my parents are sitting. Callum, my father sits on a tablet, doing something that must be important, and Calico, my mother, is watching tv. I sit down on the edge of the couch and watch with her. She doesn't acknowledge my existence at all.

"Where's Zale?" I ask.

My father looks up. "How should I know?" He snaps harshly.

I sigh and walk away. Zale, my brother, is always away. He was the victor in the Hunger Games last year.

I walk through the big house, calling his name. Finally, I find him in the basement. In the very back corner of the room, Zale sits with his head on his hands in a folding chair.

"Zale?" I ask.

My brother startles up. "Bella. You shouldn't be down here."

I look at him, confused. "Why?"

"You should have just waited for me upstairs." His voice is harsher than normal and I can see his foot brushing something behind him.

"What is that?" I point to the floor behind him.

Zale's face flushes. Even in the dim lighting, I can see pain and panic on his face. "It's nothing Bub, go on upstairs."

"It isn't nothing," I say pointedly. "You wouldn't be hiding if it weren't important.

The lights flicker and I catch a glimpse of a bottle. I rush forward and grab it before Zale can stop me. It's obviously alcohol.

"Zale!" I half shout. "You're only seventeen! You know that's illegal."

My brother grabs my shoulders. His eyes look like dark pits of emptiness. "What else am I supposed to do, Bell." His eyes bore into mine. "I can't stop seeing the visions. What I've done. I can't sleep anymore. Last night was the worst it's ever been. Please don't tell. It's the only way I can escape."

I calm my breathing. Zale's been drinking. Not only is he underage, but I thought that he was my perfect brother.

"I won't tell, Zale," I say shakily.

Zale exhales loudly. "Thanks, bub." He smooths my hair. "Go on upstairs, we have to go." I head up the basement stairs, still shaken. I can't believe that Zale, the perfect boy, the golden child of the District, fell to drinking.

I go outside and sit on the front step. 10 minutes later Zale joins me and we walk to the square.

The sun is behind the clouds and it looks like it might rain. As we walk, Zale briefs me on what will happen next.

"Bella, when I leave, stay away from Mom and Dad. I won't be home until the end of the Hunger Games."

I nod. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." He hugs me with one arm and opens the gate out of Victor's Village with the other.

The square is already filled with people. Zale left me alone to get checked-in. I quickly get into my section and hide amid everyone. I can't believe that Zale will be gone for so long.

The escort walks out onto the stage dressed in an outfit that seems to glow rainbow colors as she walks. She pushes her hair, half green, half red, out of her face, and says in the microphone, "Hello District 3!"

As she talks, rain starts to fall from the sky. I wince and pray that the reaping finishes quickly.

Leo Terran (16)- D3

Rain is pouring from the sky. I'm wet, cold, and ready to go home. Peacekeepers hurry to rush the microphone and our escort under the awning of the Justice Building. Victor's of previous years, including the boy who won last year, speaks and then the reaping starts.

"Hurry up," I whisper under my breath.

"First the girls." The escort quickly pulls a piece of paper out of the bowl and reads the name, "Bella File."

Bella File (14) - D3

Tears fill my eyes. I got reaped. I stumble up the stairs and under the awning. The rain is freezing, but I don't even notice. The escort looks sadly at me and helps me stand under the awning. My legs are shaking, as well as my hands. I can't believe it.

Zale started up towards me, but the peacekeepers held him back. Tears fall down my face and my shoulders shake with the effort of not falling over.

Leo Terran (16) - D3

The poor girl stumbles up the stage. When I see Zale FIle, the victor from last year stand up, I realize why her name was so familiar. I feel bad for her. She looks so sad and scared. I'm so distracted and the rain is so loud that I can hardly hear the male tribute's name.

"Michael Terran."

I don't even think. Nothing goes through my head except for two words.

"I volunteer!" I shout.

Michael, who had started walking forward, whips around. "Don't leave Leo!" He shouts. His hug makes tears come to my eyes.

"I have to go. I promised, remember?" I leave Michael and walk up the stairs. I can't believe it. I promised Michael that he wouldn't get reaped, and now I'm going to the Hunger Games.

I shake Bella's hand and we are hurried into the Justice Building. I have to come home. I have to come back, for Michael's sake.

Hello Readers! I hope that y'all enjoyed this chapter! I want to thank Star Wars and Skillet and Finnick18 for these tributes! Than you all for being patient with me as I struggle to find the motivation to write more reapings and goodbyes. I love this story and will finish it, but there's only so many times you can rewrite the same story before getting bored. We're almost there guys so hang in there! I hope that everyone's doing great and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please leave a review! I love hearing what you thought! See you soon!