It was still dark when I woke up. I stretched out in my bed, feeling my bones click and shift. Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, my bare feet touched the cold tile of the floor and I shivered slightly. Usually I would be getting ready to head to work, down in the cold coal mines of District 12, but today the mines will be empty. I peer out of my window, and instead of seeing weary men and women trudging to work, it's empty.
"Tana? Are you awake?" I hear my mum call me from the main room of the house, where she's cluttering around, filling the bath. "Come on, we have to sort out your hair."
I sigh inwardly, already dreading it. Reaping day, I'd have to be sparkling for the cameras. I head to front of the house where my little brothers sit, sparkling clean, while my mother cuts their hair. They only get haircuts on reaping day, even though neither of them is old enough to be reaped yet, one 11, one 5.
I strip down, not bothered about the company in the room, and start to scrub the coal dust from my body, which is hard when it lies on every surface in the house.
My mother approaches me and picks up an old tin from the floor, filling it with water from the old tin bath and pours it over my head. I grit my teeth and keep my mouth closed.
At 17, this would be my second to last reaping, and since I'd applied for tesserae every year since my father had died, my name would be in there a lot. Tesserae are tokens, of sorts. In exchange for adding your name into the draw for tribute extra times, you are given a meagre supply of oil and grain. You can do this for every member of your family, and I've done it every year, for the past 5 years, since my father died in an explosion in mines.
When I'm done bathing, I return to my room where my mums laid out a dark blue dress on my bed. It's dark because the coal dust that will inevitably get on the dress before I get to the town square.
By the time everyone's ready, it's time to head to the square, and stand in the roped off area reserved for 17 year olds. I notice my mum stand next to Mrs Everdeen and her youngest, Primrose. Her husband was killed in the same explosion that killed my father, and 7 others. I look over to the pen reserved for 12 year olds, and see the older Everdeen, Katniss, standing there, looking stony faced as ever. I don't think I've ever seen the kid smile.
I'm pulled from my thoughts by the mayor taking to the stage, his eyes darting down to his daughter, who's stood in the 12 year old pen next to Katniss. His older son is stood in the 18 year olds pen, he won't be drawn this year, he's only got his name in there 6 times. It just proves that no one is safe from the Capitol. Behind him sits our only Mentor, victor of the last Quarter Quell, overbearing Sue Sylvester, she's grinning cockily although she's yet to bring home another victor.
We're the first district to get drawn, so there's no waiting around, anxious. The mayor makes his usual speech, and then April Rhodes takes the stage.
"Happy Hunger Games!" She announces, spreading her arms wide. "And may the odds ever be in your favour!" I scoff at that, earning some weird looks from the people around me, but I don't care. April fires off the usual speech about the rebellion and how glorious the Capitol is, and then she's on to the draw.
That's when things start to move in slow motion, I hear my name called, and I feel myself moved but it's like I'm not attached to my body. I can hear my brother screaming, and my mother crying, I can hear people murmur around me, but I'm not there, I'm floating in the sky.
I stand on the stage, and I can see the pained faces of my family, and the people that know me. I see myself on the screens around the town square and my face is blank.
Next the draw the boy, and I'm not paying attention until I hear the strangled cry come from the mayor. I look up to see Jesse St. James ascending the stairs to the stage, face as blank as mine. I see his sister crying and trying to get past the guards and to her brother. Her face is twisting in anguish as she falls into the arms of Katniss.
I look up to see my own brothers crying in the arms of my mother, and my heart breaks. Tears fall down my cheeks freely and suddenly I try to run to my brothers but the peacekeepers stop me. I scream and pull against them, but it's useless, they're pulling me into the justice building and locking me into a room.