"Evelyn Denny! Come on already we seriously have to go!"
I sigh and take one last breath of the clean, fresh air. Who knows if I'll ever see it again? I glance once more at the flat, smooth ground of the pasture in front of me, I'm from District 10, livestock, and I of course live on a farm. I run the tips of my fingers on the top of the rough wood fence and then turn away. The bawling of baby calves, hungry pigs, and the whine of my little dog accompany me as I leave. My white, knee length dress flaps in the wind and I'm constantly pulling it down as I follow my sister, Catherine, down the dirt road that leads from our little farm house on the outskirts of town to the center of town. I am careful to avoid the mud puddles so I don't ruin my black shoes.
It's Reaping Day, and to make it worse than it usually is, it's the Fourth Quarter Quell. This year the twist on the regular fight to the death is interesting. Each district will draw four names, two boys and two girls, like the Second Quarter Quell, but this time they will compete on a team of four against the other districts. It's supposed to be a sign of the Capitol's 'generosity' by giving us the opportunity for four victors. But team members can die so not the whole team makes it out and eleven other districts loose twice as many children.
As we get closer to town the puddles increase in size and quantity. To Catherine's dismay, I am forced to jump and skip over them to keep clean. My bangs flop into my face and I stop at a puddle to check my reflection. I sweep my chestnut colored hair out of my eyes and run my fingers through the long side ponytail to comb out the tangles. There are dark circles under my deep, brown eyes. If I do get picked today, I sure don't look as presentable as Catherine with her bouncy, golden curls, baby blue eyes, and natural beauty. I'm the plain one of us two, the boys at school flocked to my twin (surprised aren't you?) and avoided me like I was a mutt. At seventeen, I've never had a boyfriend, Catherine has had too many to count.
We must be getting close because I start to see more kids traveling down the same road as us. Catherine finds a friend and they chat, she seems to think nothing will happen to her, which it probably won't because I've always been the one to take tesserae. While her name is only entered six times, mine is entered twenty-four times. Despite my jealousy of her, I love her too much to let her risk her life. It does hurt a little to see how unconcerned she is, she doesn't even seem to realize what I've sacrificed for her. I would give her anything, my life even, just for her to notice me. I don't think she even cares for me at all. I embarrass her and she ignores me, never has she acknowledged my presence. Maybe she hopes I will get chosen as tribute so she doesn't have to deal with me anymore.
I walk in silence, consumed in grief, and no one approaches me. There's a few people at school that i talk to, but I'm not the social butterfly my sister is. I'm too shy and reserved. People are drawn to her and repelled by me. It's not that I'm a mean or unfriendly person; I just hide from people it seems. I continue into town without companionship on this bleak day that is the start of the worst few weeks of the year.
"Happy Hunger Games everyone and may the odds be ever in your favor!" Fovlias Redema shouts, his electric blue curls bounce in excitement. His outfit is the weirdest yet this year, instead of sporting suits that match his hair; he is clad in a suit with thousands of 100s stitched on in so many bright colors it hurts my eyes to look at him. I suppose the 100th year of The Hunger Games means many Capitol folk will be dressed in ridiculous apparel to celebrate it. Fovlias's shoes change colors with every step he takes and his fingers are covered in glowing rings.
I don't even pay attention to the same video they show every year about the first rebellion of the districts that gave us The Hunger Games and the second rebellion that showed the need for The Hunger Games. Following that is the memorial service for the first President Snow who led Panem out of the second war and then we see the replays of the execution of the leaders of the second rebellion. Now I pay attention, this is the part that always has my full attention. It's the part that shows the moment our fate was sealed.
Two women, one old and one young, are led onto a stage. Their hands are bound behind their backs and their feet are shackled so they can only shuffle along. The old one, District 13's President Coin, holds her head high and proud as she walks her last few steps. The other one, The Mockingjay, The Girl on Fire, the face of the rebellion, Katniss Everdeen, follows her with her head bowed. Both are thin and pale from starvation, their hair is matted and dirty. Their filthy clothes hang off of them pitifully. Coin tries to look strong, but behind the façade you can see the pain in every step, every breath that she takes. Katniss on the other hand, doesn't hide anything. Her face scares me everytime I watch this. In her eyes you can see everything she has gone through. They are empty, hollow pits of gray. The horrifying part is that she has nothing left; everything was taken already, her family, her home, her pride, her hope, and Peeta Mellark.
The fake romance between her and the other district twelve tribute may have been a sham in their games, but the bond they developed after wasn't. When Peeta was killed, something changed in Katniss. I've seen the public beatings on the tiny television in our house before. It's mandatory on the anniversary of the rebels defeat. She still had some fight when he was by her side lash after lash, cut after cut, until the day his broken body couldn't take it anymore. The cruelest part was how Snow ordered for her bonds to be released so she could hold the boy until his last breath. You could see her will to live slip away as his life did. I believe Katniss Everdeen really did love him, she might not have known it, but you could see it. Without Peeta, she truly had lost everything. Her and Coin were the last two to go, but you could see how much Katniss wanted to die. She no longer fought the chains or hardly flinched from the blows. She had nothing to fight for. When Snow put the bullet through her head, she was finally free.
"Being a true gentleman as I am, we shall let the ladies go first!" I'm brought out of my trance by Fovlias. This is it, the moment when I find out if the odds are in my favor or not. Fovlias's long, blue nails reach into the huge glass ball and dig around the bottom for a name. All eyes are glued to the stage. He finally pulls out a piece of paper and reads the name. "Caroline Volk!" he claps his hands together, no one else does. I feel guilty at my relief that it wasn't Catherine or me because this poor girl now is sentenced to death.
Caroline Volk emerges from the eighteen year olds. Her sandy-blonde hair is tied back with a blue bow. She calmly walks and takes her place on the stage. I can see her knees shaking. She looks delicate in her plain blue dress, definitely not one of the vicious Career tributes. She might not make it far.
"And now for our next brave young woman!" Fovlias must be getting bored because the next name is plucked right from the top. "Evelyn Denny!"
What? Faces swarm in my vision but I don't really see them. I stare down Fovlias's smiling, too white teeth. He must have made a mistake, I can't be reaped, my family needs me to run the farm so we don't starve. I can't be tribute!
I feel cold as gentle hands push me towards the stage. I hear a faint wailing but I can't really match it to a face. I don't really know who could be crying for me. My mother is bed-ridden and my father can't leave her side to come watch the reaping.
"Don't be shy now! We all are excited to see you dear!" I just want to punch Fovlias's wig right off his face. I don't really remember how I made it onto the stage but I stand by Caroline Volk. We don't look at eachother, if we did I might burst into tears.
"Now that we have two fine, young ladies to represent us, let's move on to the boys!"
I stare at the clear blue sky, determined not to show my fear. I feel my face mold into the blank canvas I use so often. I can't afford to be weak now. I think of home, of feeding the pigs, chasing the cows, catching a chicken for supper, anything but where I am now.
"Erik Van Rouge!" my eyes snap to the boys half of the crowd. I remember that these people aren't my enemies in these games. They are truly my allies. I should at least know who they are. Erik Van Rouge walks out of the sixteen section in a pair of black pants and a simple white button up shirt, he slowly makes his way towards the stage. He has shaggy black hair that keeps falling into his eyes faster than his shaky hands can push it away. His hazel eyes are tight with fear, but other than that he is keeping his composure.
For the first time I turn to meet Caroline's gaze, I see hope in her pleasant, light green eyes. Erik is a good sized kid, tan and muscled from farm work. He could be a good addition to the team, I'm sure some Capitol girls are swooning over him right now. Caroline may not be the biggest or strongest, but the way she studies things I can tell she is smart. She is cute too so that will help with sponsors. I'm strong for my age and for being a girl. My muscles are fit and in shape from work. At school I'm one of the fastest and most athletic, I can wield an axe pretty well I would say from having to chop fire wood or chicken heads off. A little training and I might have something to give. We nod at Erik as he reaches the stage and I see his face harden now that the initial shock is over.
"Let's wrap things up with our last tribute!" Once again Folvias scoops one from the very top and reads the name quickly. "Jason Fuller!" He steps out of the seventeen group; he's tall and strong looking. His short, dark brown hair rustles in the wind slightly as he calmly walks forward. His eyes are the darkest brown I've ever seen, almost black, and are resting in a face that will win us gold. It could have only been sculpted by the gods, and they must have been looking out for me when they chose him to join our team. You can see the strength in his broad shoulders and his athletic build even if it's covered in a faded blue button up shirt and tan dress pants. No way will we not get a bunch of screaming fan girls to spend their daddy's money on sponsoring us. He looks like a fighter too; maybe the odds are in my favor.
Jason takes the stage; his perfect face is blank, giving away nothing.
"Well now let's shake hands in good sportsmanship and once again, may the odds be ever in your favor!" Fovlias must want to get going, he sure is hustling us along. I don't protest when Caroline grabs my hand and pulls me over towards the two boys. She motions to me to stand between Erik and Jason and grab their hands. I do as she says and Jason raises his brow at me as I twine my fingers through his long ones. Following Caroline's lead, I raise my joined hands into the air in a show of unity. The crowd is silent for an immeasurable moment, then like a breaking dam, their applause bursts from their hands and they chant 'District Ten!' in support of us. I feel my face break into a smile; I'm touched to see their confidence that we can make it home.
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