Marlow Denning, 18, D7F
The cracked bark of the old oak tree beckons for climbing. It just wants to be mounted. Wouldn't any great tree? I grab the nearest branch and place my foot another lower branch. I boost myself up and continue the trek upwards. I situate myself on a sturdy log jutting out from the tip of the trunk and pull out my book. I'm sorry old tree for reading your relatives but its all too tempting. My book is titled 'Escape' and it's about a girl who is in the Games and wins using a twig, some copper wire, and a toothpick. It's really quite interesting and appropriate considering it's Reaping day. I always come up here and read this book once every year to calm me before the big event. It soothes me so I don't freak out. My mom took me to the healer to check out my constant panic attacks but she says I need medication for it. Expensive medication. We can't afford that! Not my family. So instead I just sit back while I panic over the simplest things. It really gives me grief. Ugh.
"Marlow, I swear to God, if you don't get down here NOW there will be consequences!" That was my sister Blossom. Even though she's two years younger than me she treats me like I'm her troublesome kid. '"Consequences' Pfft. Please, like what?" I hopped down anyway because it came to that gushy part in the book where the perky girl kisses the shy boy for the first time. Eh. Not really my style but it calms me down nevertheless. "Thank you." She says calmly yet so irritatedly. "I didn't do it for you. We gotta get ready for the reaping. " I pushed past her as her face started getting cherry red. She grumbled and kicked a toadstool growing on our only tree. I wish it was edible because that would be lovely. Cabbage and mushroom stew anybody? Mmm. My stomach grumbled at the thought and started writhing around inside. Get a hold of yourself, stomach. We don't have much food to spare. Bad stomach. It's persistent moans convinced me to nick a bit of bread with butter. Just a smidge and that's all. My stomach concentrates on the little crumb and lets me continue on getting dressed. I look over my closet. A stained black turtleneck, nope. A light grey t-shirt, no. A brown dress made of old floral fabrics, it might do I guess. I slip it over myself and look it my old mirror. It was my grandmother's and it has white roses all over it painted on the wood frame. I carved my initials right next to my mom's and grandmother's when I first got it. It still looks beautiful, just not with me in it. I had cut my hair into a Bob type style. Very short. I have a scar on my right cheekbones from when I fell out of my tree. I put a small white rose clip in my hair to keep it from getting in my eyes.
"Come on, we might be late, Marlow." Blossom tugged at my arm and nudged me out our door. Our mother isn't feeling very well but she decided to come anyway. She coughed and wheezed as we helped her through the door. She couldn't go far so she had to stay at home. "If only father came home, he could help her-" I interrupted her insane thoughts. "Don't ever speak of father! Never." She looked at me horrified. I never yell at her, ever. "I'm sorry I..." I choked on the rest of the sentence and couldn't bring myself to spit it out. "It's okay..." We didn't speak again until we finally reached the Justice Building in all its glory. I took a sharp intake of breath and swirled my eyes all around. I'm getting panicky again. I held my sister's hand and we walked up to get our fingers pricked. It little machine did it's work and the liquid splotched on the little spot. "Next." I scurried away and held my little finger. It didn't really hurt but there was something about it that gave me the willies. I couldn't put my pricked finger on it. Anyhow, the escort Casta Jussick came out looking pretty normal for a Capitolite. She had "natural" brown hair and regular makeup (besides her icy blue contact lenses), and a red dress with a little flower on her hip. She wobbled on her heels all the way over to the girl's "fish bowl". Her gloved hand prodded and poked around until she was satisfied on one. I wish it wasn't the one she was satisfied with because it was the wrong one. "Marlow Denning! Oh, Marlow! Hoo Hoo! Come on out." No. I don't want to come on out! "I am furious! I said as I stood out. "This is outrageous! You can't do this, I have a family you know!" Two peacekeepers came up from behind me and but their hands on my shoulders. One of them looked at me in the eye and said, "I'm sorry kid, but it's the law and you gotta go." I think this was the nicest peacekeeper in existence, although he was still being very stern. As I looked at his cleanly shaven features I calmed down and regained myself. "Thank you, I can take it from here."
Ash Maynard, 18, D7M
The breeze blew right through me. "Knock it off you goof!" I kicked my friend Brune in the ribs just to jolt him up. He jumped from his house to the ground flat on his face in a weak attempt to scare me. I don't get scared, especially not of him. He just makes me either laugh or get angry or sometimes both like in this case. He nearly got my clothes all muddy. I've been saving these for the Reaping. Maa told me to save some good clothes for the Reaping just in case I'm on television. My baap tells me not to worry and that it won't happen. But what if it does? What if? I do have seven tesserae in there and seven more for the grain. 14 is a lot. But I guess not as much as others. Brunei apparently has 53 tesserae in the lot. I get really worried for him. What if he's reaped? What if?
I shake all of these what ifs off my head but it's wrapped so tightly around. I go to my baap after talking to Brune about it. "Do not worry. Everything will be fine. You will be perfectly alright." Even though it helped, it still has a firm wrap around my brain. I spent too much time worrying and now I missed breakfast. Maa says there will be food on the train. Baap scolded her for saying such things. "He will NOT be getting on that train! Never." I hid away in the dark place in my mind and curled up in the corner of it until we were at the reaping. Does she want me gone so there can be more grain for them? More bread and milk to spare? What if she never wanted me? What if no one ever liked me? What if?
Maa and Baap got situated for our last Reaping day. I stood in line to get my finger pricked and then walked over to my fellow 18-year-old boys. I couldn't see Brune anywhere and I could tell they were about to begin the reaping. "Hello all of you eager young children! Welcome to the 125th Annual Hunger Games." The escort said. "Now for the young and beautiful women." She reached her hand in and snatched a name out. The girl's name was Marlow. I think I've heard that name before. Surprisingly, she started shouting about how unfair this all was. Of course it's all unfair but you should just keep that to yourself. She was beckoned up to the stage by the escort's charming voice. "And now how about the men?" She raised an eyebrow like the shape of a question mark and walked over to the boy bowl one long leg after the other. She twirled her hand deep into the glass sphere and yanked out a name. Her long painted fingernails brushed up against the thin sheet of paper. She cleared her throat and spoke, "It is… Ash Maynard." What? Hell no. No no. Oh no, no, no. Tsk, tsk, maa. You got what you wanted. A dead boy in the clutches of the Capitol. Is this what you wanted, maa?! Did you want this? I spun my head over to my parents and looked at my baap's deep, sunken face. He wasn't looking at my maa but instead the stage. If he was younger, he would likely volunteer for me. He's kind like that. But maa was looking sternly at me. It was only for a moment because she couldn't dare to look at me. Why does she look sad? She got what she wanted. Whether I win or lose, I won't ever see her again. Never. I walked up the the stage and almost tripped on the third step. I could get a good view from up here and I scanned the crowd until I found Brune. He looked faint as if he was called instead. "Volunteers? Anyone?" The escort asked the hushed crowd. No one responded. I turned to the tall girl with the scar. She looked tough. Scarily tough. I don't want to do this, but I don't have any other choice. I shook her hand and we both walked into the Justice Building.