District 11: Adelia Faye (15) Pov-
The best thing about District 11 is that it always smells like a mixture of coffee, pineapple, and summer rain. Rows of crops glisten in the warm summer sun and rustle in the breeze. You'd think we live in paradise, not in District 11.
I eat my small breakfast in silence as I gaze out of the window at the sea of crops. My family chatters behind me. By the sounds of their voices, it's Atticus and Dariela, my siblings. Mom and Dad must still be sleeping. Yesterday was a big day of work and they must be exhausted.
"Are you nervous for the reaping?" Atticus asks.
I set down my spoon and watch it sink into the porridge before turning around.
"No. District 11 is the second largest district in Panem. Pretty much no chance of being reaped."
"Fourth largest," Dariela corrects. "But still."
Once I've scraped out my porridge bowl and eaten my small piece of bread, I push away from the table and walk to the sink. I can't help but feel peeved that the water doesn't work for me to clean out my bowl. It's not like I wasn't expecting this. We only get a few hours of water and power a day if we're lucky. But I've always had a bad habit of getting impatient when things don't go my way. Makes me sound like a jerk now that I think about it.
I set down the bowl and spoon in the basin and sink down onto the couch next to Dariela. In the few moments I was gone, Dariela has pulled out a textbook and pencil and is making notes on a small piece of paper.
"Seriously?" Atticus demands. "Studying the morning of the reaping?"
Dariela makes an annoyed face. "It's my last year of school. I don't want to end on a sour note by failing my exams."
When you compare us to some other siblings that go to our school, our age gap is massive. Dariela was the firstborn. I was born four years later. Atticus was born eight years after me. That means that Dariela is nineteen while Atticus is only seven. People sometimes give us weird looks when we tell them we're all siblings. But I've never minded. In a way, it makes us unique.
The little clock in the corner chimes once.
"The reaping's in an hour," I pronounce. "Better get going."
When I walk to my small room to put on my reaping clothes, I can't help the pit forming in my stomach. The fear from being the only person in my house eligible for the reaping is indescribable. It's all I can do to tell myself that it'll be over soon and I'll be back home safe and sound tonight with my family.
District 11: Jaro Veldt (15) Pov-
I shift uncomfortably in my seat, sweat running down my face from the stifling heat. I've always hated the doctor's office in District 11. The small and crowded building is probably the place with the most bad memories attached to it.
A child screams from one of the check-up rooms.
This is getting really bad. I know it's crazy but I have this thought of the walls coming in to crush me. Closed spaces are not exactly my cup of tea.
Relief washes over me at the white flash of a doctor's uniform. Dr. Roth walks into the waiting room, holding a clipboard. He calls for Patient Cora Veldt. Cora, Mom, Dad, Acker, Avis, and I get up at once and file into one of the patient rooms.
"How are you all today?" he asks, gently closing the door behind him.
"Good," we say in unison.
We seat ourselves as Cora sits down on the patient bed. Cora's had her illness ever since she was born. Ever since, it's been getting progressively worse. It's a curable disease, but one that can cost crazy amounts of money to treat. More than we have. Saving up all of our money has allowed us to get her one doctor visit a year.
Dr. Roth checks her reflexes, blood pressure, and those kinds of things. The rest of us stay quiet, sitting with wide eyes in the corner of the room. The patient room is much less crowded than the waiting room, but still not big enough for me to feel at ease. Even someone without real claustrophobia would surely feel uncomfortable in here.
I drum my foot up and down against the carpet as the doctor starts administering more tests. He hands Cora a thick solution or something that's supposed to increase levels of something somewhere inside her.
I try to listen, but the doctor is talking so quietly that I can't hear him. At one point, he uses a needle to pull something bad out of her blood. Cora hisses and starts crying out that it hurts. There's nothing I can do about it, but seeing my sister in pain isn't neccesarily something I can just watch without feeling awful inside.
We leave quickly after the appointment is over. Dr. Roth has lots more patients and we don't want to stick around in the horrible building. It's the best feeling in the world when I'm finally outside in the open.
And a thought runs through my head that I can't take any more of life's lemons. I know there's a way I can help Cora. I can cure her. But it would certainly be risky...
District 11: Adelia Faye (15) Pov-
I'm pretty sure that if Marble Hydra's hair was any longer, it would be too heavy for her to carry. Her long red locks easily go down to her waist. Pink and purple threads are woven into her tresses.
"How's it going, District 11?" Marble bellows.
Silence.
"Wonderful," she says quickly.
Marble reads the Treaty of Treason and then approaches the girls' reaping ball.
"Adelia Faye!"
No, no, no. What on earth? How is it me? These games are horrible! I stand rooted the spot, unable to move for shock.
The first tear slips, and I have no choice but to move. I break into a run, trying to focus on how my hair rustles behind me. I've managed to stop crying by the time I reach the microphone, but I'm still shaking fiercely.
Luckily, Marble isn't one to dilly-dally. She zips toward the boys' reaping ball faster than I can wonder what boy will be joining me in the games.
District 11: Jaro Veldt (15) Pov-
I think back to the hours I spent poring over this decision. It'll be dangerous, but I'm sure it's the right one. Cora would do the same for me.
"Harris Newfind!" Marble shouts.
I raise my hand into the air. "I volunteer!"
Someone blindfolded nearby might well think that Marble had just won the lottery. She leaps back and forth, shaking and laughing. Her hair waves behind her. I can't blame her. Her job must be boring and she must be excited beyond belief to finally have a volunteer after so many years.
"Can you give us a name, dear?"
"Jaro Veldt."
"Spectacular! Well done, Jaro!"
Marble requests a round of applause. The response is rather pathetic, but her mood does not seem to be diminished at all.
"I give you the tributes of District 11!"
District 11: Adelia Faye (15) Pov-
Mom and Dad look distraught when they enter the Justice Building, their hands on Atticus' shoulder.
I can't stop the tears that start running down my cheeks.
"I don't want to die, Mom!"
"Nobody said you were going to die, sweetie. You don't have to be trained to win the games," Mom reassures me.
"But it helps," I say, finding my tone sour.
"Remember that boy last year that just hid and survived? He made it to the final three."
"Yep. And then he died."
"Don't be so pessimistic, sweetie. I know you can win the games. Just never forget how much your family loves you."
District 11: Jaro Veldt (15) Pov-
I can't help but notice the angry expression on my parents' faces when they stand in front of me.
"Why?" they ask as one.
"Because… because Cora… sick…" I stammer. I swallow hard and find my voice. "You know how much money those victors bring in. We might finally be able to afford her treatment."
Dad sighs and kneels in front of me.
"Jaro. Son. I love Cora very much. But she has many angels looking out for her. You're the best son I could ask for, and… I could never forgive myself if you didn't come home."
Holy cow! 100 reviews! You're all the best. Thanks to CandleFire45 for Adelia and Writer207 for Jaro :D
Question 1: What three things does District 11 always smell like?
Question 2: What phobia does Jaro suffer from?