The Heroes of the Water

Maria Winston (District 4)

I wake up to hear my little sister crying my name from across the room we share. My mother or seventeen year old sister Ariel must not be able to hear Rete crying or they would have come before.

"Mia!" She calls out.

"I'm awake Re Re. What is it?" I quickly push the covers off my bed and get out, moving across the room to hers in a few quick steps.

"I had a nightmare." She whispers. I touch her head, an action that is reassuring to her but in reality I am trying to feel the temperature of her skin. Her face is flushed and when I touch her head it feels like she is burning up.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" I ask her, sitting beside her bead. On her bedside table is a small bowl full of water and a cloth. I dampen the cloth in the water and then place it on her head, wiping away the sweat and trying to cool her down.

"I can't really remember it. But it was so scary." She mutters, closing her eyes.

"Whatever it was, it wasn't real."

"I know."

We sit there in silence for a moment while I continue to wipe her head.

"Go back to sleep." I tell her. "Leave the cloth on your head and just go back to sleep." Rete grabs my arm as I try to stand up.

"Mia, have I gotten worse?" She asks.

"You haven't gotten worse but I just want to make sure you get all the rest you need." I tell her, smiling a little at my thirteen year old sister.

"Okay..." Her voice trails off as she tries to go back to sleep and I leave the room. I walk out into the kitchen area where my mother and sister are sitting at the table.

"She's gotten worse." I tell them, having lied through my teeth when Rete asked me how she was doing. My father is out fishing but if he was here I know that he would have been as worried as the three of us are about Rete. It was about a month and a half ago that she started to get feverish and sick. When we took her to the doctor about a month ago when she was at her worse, we were told that she is in desperate need of medicine but a type that is not accessible in the Districts.

Basically he meant that she is going to die.

A later visit gave us a prognosis of around two months.

We haven't told her that she is dying.

"What are we going to do?" Ariel whispers.

"There isn't much she can do. We probably won't even be able to get her to the Reaping today." My mother replies.

"That doesn't matter. We have the paper from the Doctor that says she is dying and that's suitable for exception." I say, knowing that she didn't need to be at the Reaping because even if she was chosen, someone would volunteer.

District 4 is a career District after all. We never have a shortage of volunteers.

My hand curls over the fishing net bracelet on my wrist, tracing the outlines of a little glass fish. Rete made it for me years ago and it has become a way for me to keep calm. Despite our conversation, I try to force a smile. I am usually one of the happiest people on the planet, with the exception of when Rete is in a bad condition which has been increasingly often.

"I don't want to draw any attention to her being really sick." My mother whispers. She was right of course, considering we didn't want Rete to know how bad her condition was. "We should just take her to the Reaping and Ariel or you can stand with her."

"No." I whisper, something coming to my mind as my mother spoke those words.

"What?"

"Don't take her to the Reaping." I reply.

"Why not?" Ariel looks concerned, her narrow eyes watching me as if she can see what I am getting at even though my mother is still clueless.

"I don't want her to see it." That is all I say before I dash back into my room. Rete is asleep so I am quite as I get ready. I dress in a strapless, sea blue dress and put my hair into a braided bun. My shoes are a pretty white like the pearl bracelet and necklace I also pull on. When I am ready, I turn around to look at my sister.

"I love you." I whisper, kissing her hair gently, so as to not wake her. She doesn't stir and I watch her for another minute before I leave. My mother and sister aren't in the kitchen anymore and I don't wait for them, deciding to head to the reaping on my own.

The Reaping starts about fifteen minutes after I make it to the square. I wait for the moment that the female tribute is announced, and because it is always 'ladies first', I don't have to wait for very long.

"Ann-"

"I volunteer!" I yell, bursting out of the fifteen year old section. Most volunteers are usually eighteen but I won by being the first to yell out and that is all that matters.

I come from a career district so I have been trained for the games for many years. I am not weak or unable to wield any weapons. I can be lethal and I won't hesitate to kill.

I like watching the games though I've never had any desire to be in them until Rete got even worse today. If I win, then I can get Re Re the medicine she needs and that is all that I care about.

Bracken Daly (District 4)

It is the morning of the Reaping and I standing on one of the cliffs. Unlike the children from other District's, it is pretty easy for us from Four to relax. I am standing, looking out at the sea and one of my best friends, Meghan White, is sitting under a palm tree reading a book. Her little sister is standing beside me.

I can't help but notice that she keeps edging forward, closer and closer towards the edge. Glancing back, I see that Meghan is still absorbed in her book. I take a step forward so that I am in front of her sister, Ripple, and nudge one of the cliff stones in front of her.

It isn't big, but it is just big enough to trip on.

I judged everything right, and Ripple takes a step forward and trips on the rock. The little girl tumbles forward, screaming as she starts to fall towards the cliff.

"Ripple!" I know that without looking that Meghan has looked up and seen what is happening.

Literally, just seconds before Ripple tumbles over the edge, I snake my arm out and grab the little girl.

"Oh god Ripple. Are you okay?" I pull the shaking girl in close and hold her to my chest. Meghan runs up to us.

"Ripple? Ripple?" She pulls her sister away from me so that she can hold her in her own arms but continues to look at me. "I thought she was going to go over."

"She must have tripped on that rock. I can't believe she got so far forward." I say.

"At least you got her. Gosh, thank you so much Bracken." Meghan looks so relieved, so happy and there is admiration on her face.

"You're welcome." I say, hugging the terrified little girl again.

"I'm sorry but I need to take her home. She's terrified and she needs to calm down before the Reaping." Meghan looks apologetic as she leads her shaking little sister away.

"Don't worry about it. I hope she's going to be okay." I say.

"She will be. Thanks to you." Meghan walks off, leaving me with the thought that her last few words to me were incredibly cheesy and I revel in that.

I've wanted to hear something like that from Meghan for a long time. For years I've watched for the people who needed to be saved, or orchestrated those moments myself just so that she could see and admire me for saving them.

She has spent so long just going on about how I was in the right place at the right time and she had never been truly impressed until now.

And all I've ever wanted is to impress her.

I worked out a while ago that I probably needed to put her sister in danger to gain the recognition and respect I wanted from this girl.

I want recognition and respect from everyone because of my heroic actions.

I want them to chant my name and call me a hero.

Thinking these thoughts almost makes me want to find someone else to endanger and then save, but I know that I have to go to the Reaping instead.

I've spent too many years training that it would be a crime to be late. I've never specifically planned on volunteering, but training has given me the strengths and reflexes to be a hero, so I've always participated.

When I get to the Reaping about an hour later, Meghan is already there. She has just signed and is heading towards the girl's section when she sees me. Her face breaks out with a smile that I have never seen before, even though she is my best friend.

Well, I've never seen one like that before.

And I love it, but I hate that it took so many heroic actions to finally get it.

I wave at her and then head to sign in myself before going to my age group, the fifteen years old. After that I wait around for about ten minutes before everything finally starts. Like everyone else, I tune out until the first name is announced.

"Ann-"

"I volunteer!" A girl, the same age as me, hurries to the stage.

I can hear a soft muttering, and I know that some people are unhappy about having such a young tribute but she ignores them. She looks kind of desperate, like she is doing this for more than the reasons of a usual career.

I don't know what the reasons behind her volunteering are, but someone with so much desperation and determination is a good person to rescue and be a hero for.

"I'm Maria Winston." She tells everyone and the reaping continues.

I'm pleasantly surprised by what happens next.

"Bracken Daly."

My name is called, and I can't help but let a sadistic smile break out on my face as I hurry to the stage before someone can volunteer for me.

The Hunger Games is the perfect place to save and end some lives.