Alex Rayack, 15, D5M, Before the Reapings
It all happens as I'm just relaxing in my little corner at the end of an alley. I'm not used to having company there, especially not this type of company.
"The Reapings are mandatory, kid." A tall, burly Peacekeeper yanks me up from my already falling apart bed. How could they know I'm here? For the past year, I've been devising a little plan to get myself out of the Reapings. After two years ago, I can't risk getting Reaped. I mapped out all the places Peacekeepers are willing to go in Five, found the smallest, most cramped, dingiest spot in the entire district. I've even stayed here for a week so no one would follow me here. Not to mention I cut off all social contact with everyone months ago, so people could think I'm dead.
So how do they know? "How do you know who I am? Who told you I was here?" My brow is furrowed as I try to resist the Peacekeeper to no avail.
"You can't hide anything from the Capitol." His words ring like an echoing bell through my head. Something about that statement feels familiar, yet so utterly creepy. "Now get up. You are going to be late." Terror rises in my chest as I realize that my master plan has really failed. And I'm going to the Reapings, The Death Row Picker, as my older brother used to call them.
A terrible, sinking feeling of deja vu hits me at the mention of my brother, and I remember this exact day, two years ago.
2 Years Ago
My brother Dean and I walk down the street matching in our new Reaping outfits, gifted to us by our guardian, our aunt. Unfortunately, whenever I think of my aunt, (which is a lot because I live with her) I always think of my parents, rebels who were killed for treason. They were executed when I was only 7, but you would be surprised how many memories a 7 year old can hold.
Dean never seems to think of this stuff, though. Overall, he is just a positive person, which don't get me wrong, is pretty annoying sometimes, but even negative people like me need something positive in their life. He mostly jokes about the whole idea of the Hunger Games, and just tries to make the death of our parents easier to cope with.
Our hole-in-the-wall little house is farther from Town Square than probably wanted, but it's usually never terrible walking to the Reaping Ceremony. Already being over halfway there, the walk is even more bearable.
"Alright let's take a bet," Dean starts, "What age do you think will get Reaped, and whoever is closest to correct gets to choose a punishment after the ceremony."
Nonsense like this has never really appealed to me, but for Dean, I go along with it. "Hmm, a 15 year old for the girls, and a 17 year old for the boys." I say truthfully.
Dean punches me in the 'arm', which he happens to miss and hits my head, because he towers over me. "I'm 17 you jerk." He says with a toothy grin.
"I'm just getting a feeling Dean. Watch out I guess." I respond, giving into the side of me that just wants to be serious and nothing else. He chuckles as we arrive at the Square and face a bunch of other people our ages.
Dean disappears into the crowd just as I look down to see if my laces are tied. Without him, I trudge along to the Peacekeeper table where they draw your blood. The Peacekeeper is sternly lecturing a young boy, probably a year younger than me. "But this isn't fair, if the Capitol is going to make me possibly go into a death arena then why should I have to get my blood drawn too?"
"Remember you did this to yourself. If you hadn't rebelled years ago, you wouldn't be here. And no matter what you think you and your silly friends can do about it, this is how it's gonna be forever. You can't hide anything from the Capitol." He grits his teeth through the last words. He stabs the kids finger with more force than what seems healthy, and shoves the kid aside. I have no idea what that kid and his friends were planning, but whatever it is sounds a lot like something that would get them hung by the Capitol.
I sigh as I walk up to the Peacekeeper, knowing his anger from the last kid, is gonna rub off on how hard he stabs me. Sure enough it does, and I grunt as he injects the needle into my index finger. I find the crowd of other 13 year olds and find an empty spot to stand in. I look over to the 17-year-olds and sure enough I see Dean, seemingly in conversation with one of his many friends. Friends. Never really had many of those.
The mentor, mayor, and weird lady with a poofy dress whose job I do not know the name of, are in conversation at the stage. Their conversation abruptly stops and the ceremony begins.
The speech and blah blah blah that the poofy lady and the mayor give are endlessly boring, but it finishes and now comes the exciting part. Well sort of exciting.
The poofy lady gets a slip of paper with a boy's name on it. She is doing the boys first. It doesn't really hit me that I could be Reaped, because I'm just staring at the paper, wondering which boy is doomed to die next. "Dean Rayack!" She pronounces incorrectly.
Dean looks more sorrowful than he even looked when it was announced that our parents would be publicly executed. Me, I just froze up. It's my fault. I said that it would be a 17-year-old. My brother is going to die because of me.
Present time
After Dean's death, my aunt had some sort of seizure or stroke or something, and because she had a cholesterol problem or something, she died, and I had no one to take me in, so I became homeless. Living the dream
Being brought back to my current situation, I recognize the large crowd that's already there. It looks like it actually has already started. If it were just me, it would take another solid 15 minutes to get here, but the Peacekeeper was kind of half-dragging me, rather than just walking with me. I mean, what I did is punishable by law in Five, so I guess I kind of deserve it.
As the Peacekeeper and I walk towards the table with other Peacekeeper's I see the president's wrinkly face on a projector. When he smiles it almost looks like he's been coughing up blood. Hey, maybe the next president will ban the Hunger Games. I think to myself, even though I know no such thing would happen. Besides, I'm gonna get picked this year, I can feel it.
The Peacekeeper stabs my finger with less force than I expect and I am shoved into the 15-year-old section. I glance around at what will probably be one of my last looks at District 5. If the Capital knew that I was hiding, I bet they rigged the reapings as well. They've done it before. I shift my attention to the stage as I prepare to accept my doomed fate.
Nicolette Cyra, 38, Mentor, Reaping Ceremony
Everything in the Reapings seems to be going as usual, pretty bland and boring, until a kid in practically rags shows up. He is escorted in by a large Peacekeeper as he looks disturbingly dirty, like he hasn't showered in months. Maybe he was trying to get out of the Reapings. Poor kid. I think to myself. He looks scared out of his wits, as if he doesn't know that there are other people who could possibly get Reaped.
No one else seems to notice his entrance even though I found it quite dramatic. Snow kept on with his pre-recorded speech and everyone glumly watched it. By the time it's over, half the crowd of kids seem bored out of their minds, and the other half look like they've just seen hundreds of ghosts.
"Oh I just love that speech." Our escort, Zeus Glamour giddily announced. He looks excited as ever to pick a few kids' names to go die in an arena. Their death is almost certain, in case you needed to know. I'm the most recent victor from Five and that was over two decades ago.
WIthout any other Snow-adoring words to say, Zeus found his way to the girl's glass bowl, telling everyone he would start with the ladies. He made an agonizingly cringey face to the crowd as he stuck his hand in the bowl. It swims around for a moment before landing on one piece. He dramatically unfolded the paper and squinted as he read the name. "Mauria Manski!" He exclaimed happily.
WIthout hardly any time or second of hesitation or denial or anything, a girl from the 16-year-old section walks toward the stage. She looks so calm, kind of in a creepy way. You would never be able to tell what was going on inside her head. When she reaches the top of the stage she slouches and yawns. She actually yawns. SHe acts like this doesn't even matter, like she hasn't been sent to an almost certain death. Ever oblivious Zeus pranced over to the other side of the stage to pick the one, unlucky boy.
He closed his hand around a tiny slip of paper. "Alex Rayack!" He exclaims giddily. A boy in the 15-year-old section nearly faints. He's the kid in rags who showed up late. I make a mental note. Unexpectedly, he bravely makes his way up to the stage. He looked as if he was giving himself a mental pep talk or something before he did such.
Then a realization hits me hard. He's Dean's younger brother. Dean was the closest to a victor that Five had gotten in a while. He got third place, but then got snuck up on by a thirteen-year-old who bashed his head open with a sharp rock. The memory makes me jitter. Unexpected anger rises up in me as I watch the kid walk up. He has nothing to do with Dean's death. One thought says. But whenever you look at him you are gonna see it. Another says. Either way, a strange loathing feeling creeps up inside me once he gets to the stage.
He arrives on the stage and I notice him look into my eyes. There is just something there that makes me know: There won't be a victor from District Five this year.
Maurie Manski, 16, D5F, After the Reapings
No one comes to visit me. I mean what did I expect, but it still kind of sucks. I could possibly be dead in a week and no one cares to say goodbye. I don't really have any friends at school, but wouldn't they at least want to say something comforting to me before I go.
And let's not even get started on my parents. It's like I don't even exist to them. I live under their roof, and they feed me, but they aren't really there. They probably didn't even attend the Reapings. They decided to be nice and walk me here, but I'm sure they didn't want to say. In fact, they are probably having a celebration right now that I didn't come back home. And the thing is, I didn't do anything wrong. It's been like this for as long as I can remember. For no reason.
Well if no one comes to visit, I better stop feeling sorry for myself, and start coming up with ways to survive. Or do I even want to survive? I have nothing here for me. When you come back as victor everyone will want to be friends with you, the real you. I actually find this thought comforting. Friends aren't something that I've ever wanted, but if someone just wanted to be my friend I feel like that would be cool.
I don't really have any experiences fighting. Or being charismatic. Or really super smart. It finally dawns on me that I'm not going to make it out of that arena, even if I actually try. I guess I'll go down as myself. My mind seems to sigh at that thought.
As I'm silently pitying myself, I hear a knock on the door. Before my mind can say anything, I answer the door. "Um. Come in?"
The boy who got Reaped walks into my shock. His eyes look red from crying and by the looks of it. "You didn't get any visitors either?" He asks blankly.
"No," I respond. I don't know him, and I don't even recognize him either, though I think he would be in my grade at school. All I know about him is his brother died two years ago in the Hunger Games when I was fourteen.
"I know I don't know you or anything, but I think we would both get farther in the Games if we work together. I think we both have qualities that could help the other survive." He tells me.
I think about it for a moment. Allies would definitely help me survive longer, especially since I know he's an emotional wreck who probably wouldn't betray someone who is helping him stay alive. Plus he will probably get sponsors because his brother was a fan favorite. "I agree. I'm Maurie by the way."
For the first time, the boy smiles a bit. "I'm Alex." He says. He sits down across from me and we start talking. About our lives at home, about our families, our nonexistent friends, our hobbies, our plans for the games, practically everything. Is this what having friends is like? Because it's really not bad. I think to myself. Allies? Friends? Well, whatever it is, I think is going to make the games a whole lot more bearable. As bearable as death gets at least.
Hi! It's leaf again. Welcome to District 5! I can't believe we are almost halfway through the reapings. We've had such a fun time writing this, and your support matters! This was a fun district to write, with Alex and Maurie each having different backstories. What did you think of them? Please review, constructive criticism is always appreciated, follow, and fav!