Charlotte Heidi Posen, 15
Corduroy lies next to me on cot, and I can feel his body heat seeping into me. I immediately roll out to make some breakfast, trying shake off the feeling of dizziness that always comes with waking. We live in a tiny two-room shack, I can walk from one end to the other in under four seconds. I go to the next room and try to procure breakfast.
There's some leftover tesserae grain in a tub, but that's for tonight. A shriveled banana that Corduroy managed to smuggle home sits stashed away in a cupboard. That and a few freshly plucked mint leaves boiled into a tea are a poor substitute for a meal, but it's all we've got. I set a pot of water to boil, toss in some freshly plucked mint leaves, and dampen a cloth. I enter the sleeping room and drape it over Corduroy's forehead, he always seems to be hot from his work. Twelve hours a day tending to exotic fruit in a hothouse is very tiring, too, hence the dark circles under his eyes.
Now, I check on the littles. After Corduroy and I found each other, we effectively adopted three young children. We found them at different times, places, and ages, but they're all part of the family here and now. Our eldest, Levi, is only nine, not even old enough for the reaping. We took him in three years ago, when he said he hadn't eaten in weeks. Arden is seven, we found her after the reaping two years ago, she was crying about having no parents. She reminded me so much of myself, and I just can't bear seeing anyone like that, so we took her in. Alexander is the littlest, only four years old. He calls Corduroy and I 'mummy' and 'daddy', he doesn't know any better. There's nothing romantic between us, but Corduroy's been my best friend for a long time. Both of us lost our sets of parents to a capitol bombing when we were young, it only made sense for us to work together to survive. I find Alexander awake, crying softly.
"What's wrong?" I ask him quietly, wrapping an arm around him.
"Mommy, I'm hungry." He whispers.
"I know, I know." I reply, trying to comfort him.
"I'm hungry." He repeats.
"I'll tell you what. You can have some of my breakfast this morning. That way you won't feel so hungry." I assure him.
"Thankyou mummy!" He replies, hugging me. Even though it means less food for me, I'm happy for him.
"Now, let's go wake the others!" I say, trying to make it fun.
Corduroy Jett Sui, 15
Charlotte leading the excitable littles into the kitchen is the first thing I register. Breakfast time, I think groggily. I feel a damp cloth on my forehead, Charlotte must have put it there. I absent-minded slip it in a pocket, thinking in my half-awake state that it could be useful later. Rolling out of bed, still hot and tired, I traipse into the kitchen and join them.
"Morning!" I greet the littles, trying to sound lively, despite feeling exhausted. Charlotte looks concerned. I turn my eyes to the dirty plastic table and see a single banana. I feel deflated, but remind myself it's for the littles. Charlotte takes a knife and cuts the banana into five equal pieces. Not one part is wasted, even the peel. We each take one, grateful for even having breakfast. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Charlotte slipping Alexander some of her piece. I check the sun through the window, and see that it's almost nine o'clock. We've slept in.
"The transport leaves soon." I whisper to Charlotte, who is already playing with the littles. She nods.
"Everyone, listen up!" She says playfully, commanding their attention. They're rowdy, but they're good kids.
"Today, we're going on an adventure. We're heading into town!" She says excitedly, plastering a smile onto her face, despite the truth. For the next five minutes, I supervise the littles whilst Charlotte tries to brush her hair with her hands. It's very long, and always knotty. Once everyone's finally ready, Charlotte takes Arden's hand, I take Levi and Alexander's. When the time comes, we'll be separated based on gender.
The sky is a perfect blue, and the littles have fun pointing out the shapes in different clouds. We walk down the dirt road, past the dozens of other dwellings, and join the growing throng to wait for the transport. Normally it would require days of walking, but with a transport it only takes a few hours. When the great chugging machine finally arrives, it's already half full. The kids and teens here waiting say goodbye to their parents and stoically march onto the transport. We join them, taking a seat near the back. The littles can't enter the reaping, and they technically shouldn't be here, but we sit them on our laps so they don't take up extra space. They're kids too, so the officials let it slide. With a jolt, the transport begins rumbling away.
"Why are they crying?" Asks Alexander innocently, pointing to a tearful couple waving to a kid sitting next to us.
"Because they have to leave their children for a bit. It's okay though, they'll return."
"Will you leave us?" He asks, worried.
"Never." I assure him, giving a tight squeeze. "I promise."
Julia Topaz, Head game-maker
Everything in district eleven is dark. The dirt, the buildings, the earth-clad crops, even most of the people. The only exception to this is the justice building, the same ugly grey as every other district. Thankfully, the speeches have already been recited. The escort, clad in a mass of multicoloured feathers, skips to the female reaping bowl. The crowd is completely silent as the name rings out.
Charlotte Heidi Posen. I've noticed that in recent years they've started reading out the middle names in eleven, it must be because there are so many people. Charlotte herself is one of the skinniest I've ever seen, even thinner than most in twelve. Her skin is unusually light, hair long and brown, eyes the same colour. She's shorter than average, likely due to malnutrition. Not uncommon. She wears a grey long-sleeved shirt and tight-fitting black pants, despite the heat. Most chillingly, she's holding the hand of a young child, which looks like a younger version of her. She squats in front of her, says some words, and walks to the stage, eyes reddening. The child starts to bawl, prompting a nearby girl to take her hand, hushing her.
Making up for the delay, the escort hurriedly grabs a slip from the male bowl, without even waiting for the tribute to reach the stage. Sprout Williams. Thankfully for Sprout, another boy shouts his wish to volunteer. He's as skinny as she is, and clothed similarly. The long sleeves on his dark grey henley shirt are rolled back, and his black hair is plastered to his forehead. He's stooping to the level of a two small children, to which he seems to be giving instructions. Some peacekeepers start in his direction, but he sees them coming, pats the children on the head, and makes his way to the aisle. He has a stern expression, and stares directly ahead. Onstage, he gives his name as Corduroy Jett Sui. The pair hug, rather than shake hands, and the escort looks somewhat disgusted.
The screen cuts to the commentators, who are speculating about the children and the pair's relationship.
A/N: Hey guys, thanks so much for reading! This one was a bit different, but I thought it was the best way to tackle two tributes who lived together. If you have the time, I'd really appreciate if you submit a tribute, I'm starting to run out. Details are in my bio. Thanks!
