Ashley "Ash" Henns

How unlucky am I to have had my 12th birthday fall just a few weeks before the eligibility cut-off for the reapings?

Mama says I have nothing to worry about. I am only twelve years old, and only one slip has my name written on it. I believe her when she says it, and can't comprehend getting chosen for the games. I am too young, and my fate lies somewhere else. My mother is the medic of District 12, and I'm currently following in her steps. She calls me her apprentice. I have been taught about herbs, and remedies. I know how to cure simple things such as the common cold, to diseases such as the flu. I am currently learning to techniques of setting bones, and fixing injuries. With mining accidents happening all the time, my mother has a lot of time to show me.

"Ashley! Come here and help me please." I note the urgent tone in my mother's voice and quickly throw my hair back in a ponytail, and rush outside.

My mom is holding up my father who is coughing violently and possesses symptoms of someone who is about to pass out. My father suffers black lung disease from working in the mines for over thirty years. I want him to be retired because this disease will certainly kill him, but the authority figures have not agreed.

I try to help my mother support my father, but I am too tiny to be much of help.

"Ashley, grab the cough syrup, and the breathing machine." My mother insists, and I run to the medicine cabinets to pull out our homemade cough remedy.

I set the breathing machine up in the living room. It's small and light-weight, a gift from my mother's mentor to her. Apparently it's straight from the Capitol and has good uses for relieving breathing problems by providing fresh oxygen. It's this machine that is keeping my father alive.

My mother hooks him up. My father is almost to the point of unconsciousness. My mother tells me it's because his brain isn't receiving the proper amount of oxygen.

"David," my mother whispers to him. "Can you hear me?"

He makes a weird sound in his throat that I take as a yes.

"I need you to stay awake," she says.

He reaches up and takes my mother's hand. "Maggie?"

"Yes, it's me."

His gravely voice brings me to tears. I never was very close to my father, but I can't imagine him dying. I love him dearly and have the upmost respect for him and how hard he works for the family even though it's slowly killing him. He cannot go back to the mines to work he just can't.

Unfortunately the Peacekeepers will not agree to this.

"Mrs. Henns, you're husband needs to return to work," it is only the next day and they are already pounding on the door.

"No," my mother's voice is stern, "he needs to be put on medical leave. He can hardly breathe, let alone stand and work."

The Peacekeeper stares over my father who sits on the breathing machine asleep.

"If you want to get him up and carry him go right ahead."

The Peacekeeper crosses her arms. She will not admit defeat, but she is powerless to do anything. "I'll be letting my supervisors know about this."

My mother shuts the door in her face, and I scuttle out before she catches me eavesdropping.

"Pine?" I gingerly knock on my brother's bedroom door, and he opens it invites me in.

"What's wrong Ash?"

"The Peacekeepers are tying to take dad back to work. They're going to kill him!"

My brother pulls up his chair and leans on his knees.

"Ash, mom will take care of it. You need to worry about yourself right now."

"Why?"

"Ashley, the reapings are later today."

I shrug my shoulders. "So?"

"So… aren't you the least bit affected by this?"

"Mama says I'm too young."

Pine sighs and rubs his hand through his hair.

"Listen Ashley, you're twelve-years-old, you can get reaped today."

I shake my head. "My slip is in there once. Other people have seven."

"That doesn't mean they'll necessarily get picked before you. I don't mean to scare you Ash, but I want you to be prepared."

"I don't understand."

Pine walks over to his small desk and picks up three pens. Two are blue and one is red.

"So this is how it goes. There are two pens that are blue and one pen that is red. Which pen do you think will get picked?"

"Blue?"

"Now close your eyes."

I cover my eyes with my hands. "Now what."

"Pick pen 1, pen 2, or pen 3."

"2!"

"Open."

The second pen is red, the red pen symbolizes me, I don't need Pine to tell me so. Perhaps mother lied to me. A chill runs through my spine and I shake.

"I'm sorry Ash." Pine slides off his chair and pulls me into an embrace. "I don't mean to scare you, but you're old enough to understand. I really don't think you'll be chosen, it's so unlikely but it's a possibility. I would do anything to save you from it, believe me, but I can't."

I begin to sob. I am supposed to grow up and become just like my mother. I'm supposed to heal people and make them feel better. The thought of losing that makes my stomach feel so empty.

Daryl Rivers

My little sister is curled into my mother on our old beat up sofa when I arrive back at the house. The sight of my mother's old face and grey hair makes me shiver. I can't possibly explain how much I resent her for her selfishness.

Five years after my father died and she still lies in her depressive state day in and day out. Then there is my sister Missy, who is everything to me from her curly blonde hair to her sweet innocence that has not yet been tainted.

I lay my gatherings I have traded for on the table. I am the only one here to keep this family together by what little strings it hangs. I try my best to cut up the bread, but it is laden, and like a brick. I guess the little bit of milk I was able to get can soften it up. After I lay out the breakfast feast I call to my sister and mother.

My sister stirs slowly and lifts my mother's arm off of her.

"Shh, don't wake her."

I want to make a nasty comment, but I bite my tongue. "Well Miss you and I can at least eat then."

Missy takes our mother's breakfast and places it in our little refrigerator for later. We sit in silence and eat. I can only think about how abnormally crunchy this bread is.

"Scary day, huh?" Missy finally says.

I don't realize what she's talking about right away, and then I remember. I was too busy looking after this family that the whole Hunger Games slipped my mind. I just shrug my shoulders as an answer. Maybe if I did get reaped my mother would finally straighten herself out and take care of her children.

My father has been dead for five years. Five years is a long time, and although thinking of his death still makes my heart feel as wretched as the day I saw the life leave his eyes, I have still provided for this family as I could. The day my father died my mother went insane, worse than she is now, and ran away. She attempted suicide by hanging, but somebody found her and brought her back. I wonder how she could leave her children behind, especially Missy who was only five years old at the time. How could I at the tender age of eleven have provided for us then?

Mother has never been the same. She often lies around sleeping. I don't blame her because sleeping is when I don't have to think. I don't have to think of my father, of the rebellion, of the Capitol, of starving, or of the Hunger Games, but there comes a time when one must awake and face this reality.

"Well I'm scared. I'm scared that the Capitol will take you away and I'll be alone. Mom is too sick, and I'll miss you so dearly."

"Don't worry Missy I'll always make sure you're taken care of. No matter what."

She stares down at her half-eaten loaf.

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"Put it away and save it for later then," I remark and I drown the rest of my milk.

"I want you to have it." She shoves it towards me, and runs off to curl back into my mother. I guess she wants to sleep her fears away as well.

My mother finally wakes up a few hours later, and I ask if she will help me find something to wear for the reaping. She doesn't answer me but waltzes off towards her room, and I follow.

"Mom?" I say when we enter her room and she starts sorting through her clothing.

"I'm looking for something of your father's," she whispers and pulls out a pair of khakis and a nice button-up. "These will look good on you."

She hands them to me and leaves the room. I am frustrated but at least she helped me like I asked. I put the clothes on, and they are a little loose, but they'll do. When I walk back into the living room my mother is gone and my sister is staring out the window.

"Where's mom?" I ask her.

"She's outside walking. I'm looking out for her."

Missy was so protective of our mother. She didn't seem to understand the actual woman she was. Instead Missy looked at her and thought of a sick woman who needed help, and could be cured. The only person who could cure our mother was our mother herself.

"Missy, I have to go."

Missy pulled away from the window and stared at me her mouth agape.

"No! You can't go! I thought you'd forgotten."

"Missy if I don't go they'll come and find me. I have to choice. Whether I'm there or not they'll still be able to pull my name."

Tears immediately appear in her eyes, and she grabs my hand. "Stay with me for a while then."

"I'd love to Missy, but I can't. I'm sorry."

I pull away from her and she stands there. "I'll be back soon, okay."

"No you won't!" She yells, and she stomps her feet as though she is five again and runs outside, probably to seek solace from our robotic mother.

I am somewhat late to arrive to the square, but they check me in anyways and point me to where I'm supposed to stand.

A woman dressed in green, with a matching green wig approaches the stage. Her heels click across the wooden stage that looks like it's about to cave in.

"Hello, my name is Iris Trinket, and I'm your district escort. I'll be in charge of getting the tributes to their destination safety and on time. I will also be the guide through the Capitol! This is quite an exciting time, so without further ado let's see who will be coming with me to the Capitol."

There are two large glass bowls on each side. They are filled with paper slips which I'm guessing have the names of each and every child between the ages of twelve and eighteen.

"We'll draw the male name first."

Here we go.

"And our male tribute is… Daryl Rivers!"

All that crosses my mind is Missy. How I will be leaving her alone, and how my family will surely starve. Why did I make that wish earlier to be reaped to fix my mother? Had Missy known this was going to happen? How will my family ever go on without me?

"Now come right up here!" Iris grabs my hand and helps me onto the stage.

"Daryl it was? Let's see who your lovely district partner is!"

Ashley Henns

I sigh with relief that Pine is safe. I don't know what I would do if I had lost him. Now I just have to get through the other half and I can return home to help my mother, and everything will go back to the way it was. Everything will be fine.

"And the female tribute is… Ashley Henns!"

Am I hearing things?

When nobody else moves I realize that the red pen was indeed chosen from the bowl of blue. I saunter out slowly and stop when I make it to the aisle. The other children are staring at me. I can't tell if they're pitying me or waiting for me to break down. I suddenly catch my brother leaving the crowd. He is my rock and I gain the courage to walk to him. He puts his arms around me and whispers something about finding me before I go. His support allows me to make it to the stage in one piece.

"Why you look very young. How old are you Miss Ashley?"

I lift myself up on my toes and lean in towards the microphone.

"I just turned twelve-years-old."

A few of adults in the back gasp in horror, but they're disproval will not be saving me now. I will not be going home to help save my father, or be able to help my mother prepare remedies, or hang out in my brother's room while he tries to teach me life lessons.

"Wow, you'll have to keep the older tributes on their toes then! Won't you?"

"Mmhmm," my throat feels as though it will close.

I was supposed to grow up to be a medic, but now it's all ruined.