District 8 Reapings
Polly Esther (16) District 8 Female
District Eight was an unusual place. Maybe that's weird to say but I have seen other places. District Seven will always be normal to me, I guess. The open air and woodsy smell was something I remembered fondly and missed, but there isn't much you can do when aliens abduct you, study you for some time, and drop you off somewhere else. I couldn't go back to District Seven, but I could make a life for myself here. I remembered landing here like it was the previous rotation of the Earth. I was discarded near the border of the district, and wandered into the nearest suburban area. A kind woman named Ms. Esther encountered me and welcomed me into her home. I couldn't tell her my name, (Cassandra), so she dubbed me Polly, and I have indeed grown accustomed to the moniker I was given.
In the three years I have lived here, I have remembered more of my time in the spacecraft. I have drawn diagrams of the things I saw and even attempted to construct a few. However, I do not possess the materials required to succeed. Life in District Eight is rather boring compared to my life in District Seven, due to the monotony of the occupations here with the primitive fabrication technology. On board the spacecraft, I saw much more advanced technology. Another problem I deal with is the basic everyday simpleton. People tell me I look like a younger version of President Meré but I don't see the resemblance. Do they imply that Trixie Meré is promiscuous? That could get them in trouble. Of course, I assume they don't mean that but some people are really alien to me. Today is Reaping Day, so I walk into the town center. Calculating the odds in my head, with around 123,000 people in the district, and approximately 15 percent of reaping age, there are 18,450 names in the bowls. Assuming half are female, then 9,225 in mine. The odds change with tesserae and age, but I do not partake in tesserae. Accounting for age, dividing my number by 6, 1537.5 is the result. Multiplying by 28, due to the 2 for 13, 3 for 14… the bowl without tesserae has 43,050 slips, 5 of which are mine. Add all the tesserae slips and I have rather good odds. The escort approaches the bowl, and the girls around me clench their fists or cross their fingers. I just smile.
"Polly Esther!"
Oh well, surely I will think of something.
Loom Weaver Basket (15) District 8 Male
I can't believe that the school burned down. Really, it seems like the cherry on top for all the bad luck we've had. The budget cuts, the gas leak, the school was bound to close anyway. My friends are all very sad, but I will do my best to cheer them up. That's what I'm good at, after all. They all cry and I smile, offering a pat on the back and some words of advice. I help them figure out how to pay for the private school that is the only one left. I can get a job and help out. It's not a big deal, I should get around to getting one anyway. I will be helping my friends, but also boosting the trade business here in the district, and helping the economy circulate. Maybe I will sew socks and I can sew cute pictures into them to brighten someone's day. Or I could knit cozy blankets, for people who are cold. Perhaps I should design shirts with positive messages. Whatever I end up doing, I know that it will be something I can be proud of. I am currently reading a book about career paths. The last one I looked at was about the hunger games but I was unaware due to the misleading title of Careers, and Everything About Them. I thought it would help me get a job, but I was wondering why it was in the banned books section of the library. I figured it had lessons so good, it was a crime to read it, to help keep too many people from getting jobs and not having enough positions.
On my way home from the library, new book in hand, I see a man asking for money. Most people are ignoring him. I sit by him, take the materials needed out of my backpack, and make him a sandwich. He gives me an odd look, as do passersby, but he eats it. I smile, give him the rest of the bread and the jars of peanut butter and jelly, as well as a dulled plastic knife, so he can make his own. I promise to come and check on him from time to time, and continue on my way home. I just love helping people in need.
What's this? A new chapter already? Thanks to LadyCordeliaStuart for Polly and ContemporaryDancer2 for Loom. These two will make a fine addition to the mess that is my story. ATTENTION: I still need a Female tribute from District 9 so please send one in. It's first come first serve but I do have mentor spots open. I need a mentor for District 3 and another for District 12 so please send some in. Thanks! -Willuna, signing off.