Harmony Calesque POV
I petted Clover's nose and fed him some grass. He nibbled my fingers and I giggled.
"Harmony! Time to water the field!" my mother called. I frowned sympathetically as Clover nudged me and sniffed.
"Sorry, boy. I'll be back," I said. I ran off to help my parents get the hay field watered before the sun rose. It was Reaping Day, but since I live on a farm, I'm always up pretty early. I had time to feed the cows, eat breakfast, and pet Clover before I had to go.
Along the way I wondered about who would get picked. In fact, I wondered so hard I lost my way and was a few minutes late. I snuck in during the speech and thought back to previous Games. We finally had one winner, and last year the boy got pretty far in. Maybe if everyone picked someone really strong…
Fluvius was wearing a navy blue suit and blue shoes. As far as mentors go, he's not terrible. He doesn't seem as crazy as a few escorts I'd seen.
"Ladies first!" he said. He read the name.
"Harmony Calesque!"
Me?
Why would anyone vote for me? I minded my own business, and I rented out Clover so people could breed foals. I didn't know what else to do, so I walked up and stood beside Fluvius. My mind wandered to who the boy Tribute would be.
"Mouse Parentii!" Fluvius announced.
"What, Mouse?" I blurted out. I covered my mouth with my hands and my cheeks turned red. Nobody seemed to notice, so I guess the fuss drowned me out. Mouse was even younger than I was. Who the heck votes for a twelve-year-old? He might be a troublemaker, but that's a bit harsh. Mouse stood next to me, and I smiled at him. We were in this together, after all. We took each other's hands and raised them overhead.
"Let's have a big round of applause for Harmony Calesque and Mouse Parentii!" Fluvius chirped.
My parents looked as confused as I felt when they came backstage.
"Who would vote for a little girl?" my father said to no one.
"At least I'll get to see the Capitol. I bet there are all sorts of cool things there," I said.
"Just keep your head on the ground and focus on the Games," my mother said.
"Take care of Clover, okay?" I asked. My mother pulled a necklace out of her shirt pocket and gave it to me. It had a little horse on it.
"He'll be waiting for you," she said. I hugged her and my dad as well as I could with my little arms.
"Love you," I said.
"We love you too," my father said. I heard noises in the hallway after they left. They were probably talking about how I got picked.
I fiddled with my necklace. Bad things happened in the Games, but I'd just have to hide out and hope people forgot about me. I had to get home to Clover.
Mouse Parentii POV
"Hey Mouse, how's work?"
"Watch your wallet, Mouse is back!"
"Hey Robin Hood, what's cooking?"
I really should have dissuaded the other kids from calling attention to me, but it is flattering. The kind of people I stole from weren't listening to them anyway. I'm a very moral thief. I only take from people rich enough not to care, and I only take what I need to feed my family. I'm hardly notorious.
"Mouse, heads up!" a boy yelled. He pointed out an approaching Peacekeeper. Okay, maybe I'm a little notorious.
I darted into an alleyway. The Peacekeeper called out and followed after me, but he ran right by me. It's nice to be a short little skinny kid. An overturned garbage can might save the day. I poked my head out after he was gone. The coast was clear, so I continued toward my house.
When I got in, my mother was helping my little sister Rin sound out a picture book. Mom looked up when she saw me.
"Shouldn't you be at the Reaping?" she asked.
"I just wanted to drop these off," I said. I took out the package of flatbread and shiny watch I had hidden under my shirt.
"Mouse, you know you're not supposed to steal," Mom said.
"Yeah, but I also know we're supposed to eat," I said.
"Just be careful," she said.
"Don't worry, I will," I said as I left.
I was a little on edge, so I didn't risk taking anything on the way to the Reaping. I stood with the other boys and waited as Fluvius picked the girls' name. I didn't know any Harmony Calesque, but she was awful young to be in the Games. She must be a piece of work. Fluvius took out the last slip.
"Mouse Parentii!" he announced. Guess I shouldn't have picked the mayor's pocket that one time… or maybe those three times.
Boy, we make a pair, I thought as I stood next to Harmony. Better watch out, here comes District Ten! Harmony smiled at me, and I smiled back.
Mom was carrying Rin when they came back to visit me. Rin was too little to really understand, and my mother was trying to keep it together for Rin.
"Don't worry, Mom," I said. "I taught Rin to pick pockets. She'll take care of you," I said.
"Mouse! Rin is not picking anyone's pocket," Mom said. After a minute, she added, "I don't have much for a token, either."
"It's all right. I took care of it," I said. I held up Fluvius' wallet.
"Your token is a wallet?" my mother asked as she shook her head.
What the heck, 10? You sent one preteen and one dreamer to the Arena? This is not a proud moment for Cornflower's home.