Nayeli Morte – District 5
They say that your life flashes before your eyes moments before you're about to die. I wonder if that would happen to me in the arena if I should be reaped. Then, I think about what I would think of before I die. Would I be thanking the heavens for all they'd given me? Would I wonder if I had really lived at all? What would my killer's eyes look like as they delivered the final blow? How would I die? I've heard being stabbed in the stomach and being drowned are two of the worst ways to die.
I've had nightmares years before the Reaping about the Hunger Games set up by the unforgivable Capitol. Two years ago, my brother went to the Games. He had volunteered to keep a younger boy from having to go that hell hole. I pleaded, but he went anyways. He did not return.
"Mom. Nayeli. Stop watching," he muttered to the camera moments before a Career killed him. My mom told me to leave the room, but I saw it anyway. Every night, the images crept into the back of my mind. They left imprints, stronger each time they appeared.
I stand in front of the mirror, tugging on my dress neckline. My mom made it herself. I watch as she fixes my hair into a long fishtail braid. In my hands, I hold my brother's token, a necklace with an infinity pendent, given to him by my father. After my mother finishes tying back my hair, she instructs me to take my younger sister, Mayella, to the Reaping. She's only ten, so she won't have to face the terror of being picked. Mom leaves shortly after to check on an ill friend.
Holding Mayella's hand, we skip to the Reaping. She understands the point of the Games, she just chooses not to. She doesn't want to admit how much my brother's death has affected her. She was just eight and I'm her only sibling now. Mayella's too innocent for the Games. She wouldn't last long if she were in the Games.
I arrive to the Reaping on time, just barely. Mayella breaks away, searching for mom, who is somewhere in the back of the square. I stand next to my best friend, Felix, with the other children. Felix just had his sixteenth birthday and there he is, standing, hoping the odds were in his favor. Maybe he won't go to the Games. I pray I won't go to the Games. My sixteenth birthday is in five days. I don't have time for that. I don't have time to go through the process of going to the Hunger Games. I don't have time to die before I turned sixteen.
"Nay-nay," he whispers, "you made it." He smiles at me, his blue eyes sparkling.
"It's Nayeli, and you know it," I reply, nudging him. He chuckles under his breath, running a hand through his spikey, dark hair. We've been friends for a long time. It all started in primary school when I punched some kids trying to beat him up. I'd gotten into a lot of trouble with my teacher, but on the brightside, I'd received a great friend.
Splendora Trionfo, the escort for District 5, steps up to the stage, her long green curls bouncing on her shoulders. She delicately runs her long fingers across her short matching green dress that had sparkles and gems galore. No matter how many times she attempts to smooth the wrinkles, they're still there. Her irritated expression is enough to make me snicker to myself.
"Welcome to the District 5 reaping!" Her voice booms, emanating from the large speakers. Her tone is overly joyful, enough to contradict my snicker and make me want to hurl. She continues with a history of Panem and why the Hunger Games exist to this day. Finally, she gets to the part that set me on edge. "Ladies first," she says, grinning.
She reaches her bony fingers into the glass bowl sitting on a podium beside her. Agonizingly slowly, she grabs hold of a folded piece of paper. I bounce on my toes nervously. I'd entered my name extra times this year for tesserae. My father recently lost his job, my mother is a housewife, and I'm unable to find work. Without the income to buy food, our supply was growing short. Within a couple of weeks, we'd probably run out if my father didn't find a job soon.
"Vita Rene!" Splendora calls out.
The name sounds familiar, but I don't know the girl. A young girl emerges from the crowd, beginning her way towards the stage stairs. I can't help but notice that she was so small. I'm even skeptical that she was even twelve. I have no idea who she is, but my entire mind goes to my brother, volunteering for that little boy.
When I was younger, I looked up to my brother. He was three years older than me, very tall, and we looked alike. He was kind, fun, and a happy person. Everyone liked him. I wanted to be just like him. During his time in the Games, I couldn't help but wonder what he did to deserve it.
"I volunteer!" Everyone turns to look at me. I hadn't even realized the words came out of my mouth. I can't recognize my own voice. Suddenly, everything sounded like it's echoing. Not many people ever volunteered. The last person to volunteer in my district was my brother. After he died, everyone knew me as the poor girl that lost her brother in the Games.
Finally, I find my voice. I swallow with difficulty and repeat my words. "I volunteer as tribute." The words sting my tongue and my throat like acid as they're processed in my brain. My eyes meet the young girl's. Her brown eyes are huge, but full of thanks and shock. I can't understand why I'd just volunteered to be sent to my death in the place of a girl I'd never met. I just gave her another chance to live for a year.
"Splendid! A volunteer!" Splendora says, clapping her hands together. "Well, come on up. Don't be shy." She opens her arms up to me as I make my way to the stage. I glance back over my shoulder at Felix. His eyes are solemn and sad. He knew my brother well and it hurt him just as much when he died as it did for me. I open my mouth to call out to Felix, give him comforting words. Only the words are stuck in my throat, unable to break free. If I die, Felix would be alone.
My gaze lands on Splendora, the mayor, then Dominare Cacciatore, our District mentor. I stare at the crowd, searching for my mother. Her face is covered by her hands, shoulders shaking. Mayella leans against my mom, holding back tears. Soon, she'll have to face the harsh reality. Another swallow. What would happen to my family didn't even occur to me when I blurted out the words. If I die, not only will Felix be alone, but my mother will lose two of her children for the Capitol's entertainment.
"What is your name, sugar?" Splendora asks.
"Nayeli Morte," I say with a strong tone. I want to show everyone I'm not weak. It was my choice. I will win. I'll bring honor to my family. We'll live in a Victor's Home. My parents won't have to work again. I'll make my brother proud.
"Lovely name." She smiles widely, her dimples showing on the edges of her mouth. She wraps one of her skinny arms around my broad shoulders. "Morte. Aren't you Solem's sister?"
The 'e' is silent, I think to myself. Everyone adds an 'e' at the end of my last name.
I nod, running a light hand over my hand-made dress. I want to wriggle away from her, but I know it'd look bad in front of the cameras if I did. Instead, I fidget with my long, black hair. Usually it was in a high pony tail, but today, my mother pulled it back.
"Excellent!" She points me over to the seats, having me sit next to Dominare. He's a strange man and I'm curious about how he won in the arena. Dominare's a man in his early thirties and I'm not sure which Hunger Games he won. He's not a bad person, but at times he can be a bit bipolar, going from one extreme to another. I'd heard stories about how he won his games. It was something like he acted kind of crazy, fooling the other tributes. Then he'd stab them in the back. Literally.
"Now the boys!" Splendora jumps up and down a little, sticking her skinny hand into the bowl. By now, my face is warm, and my limbs are numb. I'm too out of it to hear who the male tribute would be. I rub my hands together, counting how many times I go from one hand to the other. It has become a nervous habit and I'm definitely nervous at this point.
A boy, about my age, climbs the stairs and stands on the stage as Splendora smothers him. When she lets him go, he runs a hand through his brown hair that's sticking up. He walks over to me to shake my hand. "Kage Hartenn," he says with a smirk. I know him. I don't personally know him, but he's in my class. He's a loner and rebellious. He causes trouble every now and then, but doesn't ever get into trouble.
"Nayeli Morte," I tell him, mirroring his smirk. I give him a firm handshake and study him. I might have to worry about him, but then again, the Careers can deal with him.
We sit down next to Dominare, waiting for Splendora to close the Reaping ceremony. All I can think of is will my life flash before my eyes when I die?
