p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"I head to the square with Jacob and Savannah. My mother and father are watching the Reaping in the Field. The Field is a big, grassy area with a huge television screen attached to a big, tall boulder so that even from far away you can see the screen perfectly. Unless you're blind, of course. Never forget those blind dudes. The Field is for watching the Games if you don't have your own television set. It shows the Reaping, the recaps of the other District's reaping, the Interviews, and every other obstacle to Capitol throws at the Tributes. My parents can't afford their own set, so they will be watching there. Me and my sibling will, too, be watching everything else if none of us get chosen, but right now, we get a better view of the Reaping./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Every kid ages 12-18 are in the square, lined up in age order. The boys are on one line, 18-year-olds in the front and 12-year-olds in the back, and the girl's line is like that too. I'm 17, so I'm near the front./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"I glance back at Jacob. He looks scared but is obviously trying to calm himself down. I wonder if the camera is pointing at him, or me, so I look around and catch a glimpse of myself on television, with all the other girls. I like attention so I grin. I wonder if my parents caught that./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"You can choose to watch in the Field or not if you have your own television set, but during the Reaping everyone who is not 12-18 in age is required to be there. Attendance is mandatory, unless you are on death's door. The penalty is death./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"In two years, when I'm 19, I'll be safe from the Games and I'll watch everything with my parents. Of course, by then I might be a victim of the Games, or a victor of the Games. If I actually won, the Capitol would send me money and food monthly. That is the prize of winning the Games, It doesn't really seem worth it, so I don't see why people would volunteer./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Yes, volunteering is an option. If Savannah's name was called, I could volunteer to take her place. If Jacobs's name is called I wouldn't be able to, because only boys can volunteer for boys and only girls can volunteer for girls unfortunately. I'm not sure he really understands that, but I'm not going to try and explain because it's the only thing keeping him from freaking out on the Reaping day. He thinks I'll volunteer for him. I know, it's sad, but if he got chosen and there wasn't that rule, I'd definitely volunteer for him. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Sure, I feel bad about lying, but the truth is worse. I really love Jacob, even though I don't show it much. He's only 13, so he only has to take out 2 slips of paper with his name to be in the Reaping./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Which is about to start./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"After quite a while, our escort, Kalli Pepse, comes out from behind the stage curtain. Her green wig is slightly ruffled, as is her hot pink ugly dress, and I wonder why. Maybe she got into another fight about being promoted to a Career District, or, how I put it, leveling up./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"But, really, District 7 isn't so bad. My whole life I've worked with axes. I know how to use them. Our District's principle is lumber, so every day I take my ax and cut down a few trees, which isn't easy. I can also move swiftly through trees, because I grew up with them. I'm swift and strong, as are most of the kids my age, and I think that's good enough. At least Kalli's not in some loser District, like 12 or 10./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Careers are kids from Districts 1, 2, and 4, who train their whole lives for the Games in special training centers in their District, so they are strong, fast, cruel and they know how to use real weapons. It is technically not allowed, but they do it anyway. The Careers volunteer in the Reaping, because apparently it is a great honor to go to the Games. During the Games they ally with each other and hunt down the other Tributes. When only a few people are left they turn on each other and fight to the death with their own allies. Ugh. I'm against the idea of alliances. They're hard to start, and it takes too long to trust your ally. And when you do end up trusting them, you start to get attached to them, so that you can't end the alliance or kill them in their sleep like you planned to when you first decided to ally, so it ends up coming down to you and your ally, and you don't want to kill them so what to do?/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"In the past Games, allies at the final two often leave each other on their own, saying that they won't fight and the losing ally will either die from hunger or dehydration or savage animals./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"But still, I don't want to ally with anyone./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Kalli reads the list of the past District 7 victors. We haven't had many. Our mentor, Blight, is a victor. Our youngest girl mentor-who is like 50 years old- isn't mentally stable enough to mentor us, so we're stuck with one. If I win the Games, it'll be my job to mentor the girl from my District./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Mentors help you when you are in the arena. If someone supports a tribute, they can buy food and water and medical supplies to sponsor a tribute. The sponsor gifts go to the mentor, who can send them to their tribute in the arena./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Blight walks up onstage calmly and nods to the audience. They all cheer. Everyone loves Blight, though I don't see why. He's very full of himself. The camera's turn back to Kalli, who introduces herself with a grin. "HI EVERYONE! I'M KALLI!" She waves vigorously. I roll my eyes. Kalli has a habit of speaking too loud. Sometimes I think that maybe she thinks that we're deaf. Ugh./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"The Mayor walks over and whispers something in her ear. Kalli sighs and says, "Oh, oops! I did it again, didn't I?" Everyone nods. She clears her throat. "Let's try again, shall we? Hello, and thank you for coming. It is such an honor to be here. I'm Kalli Pepse, your escort. NOW LET'S GET THIS STARTED!" She reaches over to the boy's Reaping bowl, which confuses us because she always starts with the girls. She glances back at the crowd, sees our confusion, and laughs. "I know I usually start with the girls, but I'll give the boys a turn this time." She reaches into the bowl and pulls out a piece of paper. Before I can ever wish that it's not anyone I know, she reads in a high, clear, voice: "Jacob Mason."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"I don't really understand, or really care, because I'm preoccupied with being annoyed at Kalli. Her laugh, from before, somehow unnerved me so much that I can't think straight. What's so funny about boys getting sentenced to death before girls? Why does she have to laugh at everything?br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /And then I hear the name. First I think, em style="box-sizing: border-box;"why is she talking to my brother? How does she know him? /emThen, I realize the sour truth. She's not talking to him, or seeking him out for a conversation. She basically just killed him. Kind of./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"And suddenly I get angry. They think that they can just control us! To make us send off our children every year to their deaths. They try to make nobody ever doubt the power of the Capitol. The reaping is a warning. A warning that says, 'look how we take your children and kill all but one. Imagine how many more people we could kill if we had to.' And if they kill Jacob, then they'd better kill me too. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"I try to stand up straighter. I glance back at the stage. Jacob's taking his time, walking very slowly. He's looking around the crowd, trying to catch my eye to signal that I should volunteer, but I can't. I'm not a boy. Tears well up in my eyes. Not Jacob. Anyone but Jacob. "Jacob Mason, please come on up!" Our Mayor calls. Jacob finally reaches the stage, and I watch, helpless, as he slowly and shakily walks up. He is stalling, making this longer than it should. Finally he reaches the stage and climbs up. "Wonderful, Jacob! Do we have any volunteers?" Kalli calls. The crowd is silent. No, no, someone should volunteer! Someone em style="box-sizing: border-box;"has /emto! I can't lose Jacob. No.. no… "Ok, then, let's go on to the girl-" Her voice cuts off as someone in the crowd shouts, "I volunteer for Jacob!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"My heart floods with relief. Through the crowd I spot a strong-looking boy walking up to the stage. Jacob is back in the crowd so I run up and grab him. "I'm so glad you're safe!" I say tearfully. "Why didn't you volunteer?" He asks, not mad but curious. "Girls can only volunteer for girls, not boys," I say with a sigh. He nods. "I guess I knew that, but tried to forget it. But that doesn't matter. I'm safe." He says. I glance back at the crowd. "You are. But maybe not me…" Kalli pulls out a slip of paper and reads the name. "Johanna Mason!" She calls./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"I freeze. No. What did she say? Did she call my name? Have I panicked so much that I'm hearing things?/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"My brother, looking at me with tears in my eyes, confirms that I'm not imagining things./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"I've been expecting this. I'm not going to die. em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Remember the plan, Johanna, /emI remind myself. My first instinct is to walk up to that stage, head held strong, chin up, like my mom taught me. But that won't help me with much. I need to fake being weak. It'll be hard, but I'll be underestimated and ignored. Then I'll win, and get back to Jacob. I'll do it. For him. I take a big breath, and burst into tears./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"I walk to the stage, tears flowing down my face. I look like a pathetic little nothing, probably. Through my tears I see that Kalli is looking mildly disappointed. Probably thinking that I'm no victor. The Careers watching will ignore me, put me on the bottom of their threats list./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"But really I should be on top./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';""Looks like we have another Mason! Is Jacob your brother?" She asks. I nod, too afraid to say anything because my strong voice might give away what I'm really feeling. She nods and bites her lip. "Any volunteers for Johanna?" I glance at the crowd, fake tears flowing down my face./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"No one says a word. That was what I expected and actually, to be honest, what I hoped. My reputation would be totally messed up if someone volunteered./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';""Well, let's give it up for the District 7 tributes, Wayne Shene and Johanna Mason!" Me and Wayne shake hands. I fake-cry into my jacket while we go to the Justice Building./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Every kid ages 12-18 are in the square, lined up in age order. The boys are on one line, 18-year-olds in the front and 12-year-olds in the back, and the girl's line is like that too. I'm 17, so I'm near the front./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"I glance back at Jacob. He looks scared but is obviously trying to calm himself down. I wonder if the camera is pointing at him, or me, so I look around and catch a glimpse of myself on television, with all the other girls. I like attention so I grin. I wonder if my parents caught that./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"You can choose to watch in the Field or not if you have your own television set, but during the Reaping everyone who is not 12-18 in age is required to be there. Attendance is mandatory, unless you are on death's door. The penalty is death./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"In two years, when I'm 19, I'll be safe from the Games and I'll watch everything with my parents. Of course, by then I might be a victim of the Games, or a victor of the Games. If I actually won, the Capitol would send me money and food monthly. That is the prize of winning the Games, It doesn't really seem worth it, so I don't see why people would volunteer./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Yes, volunteering is an option. If Savannah's name was called, I could volunteer to take her place. If Jacobs's name is called I wouldn't be able to, because only boys can volunteer for boys and only girls can volunteer for girls unfortunately. I'm not sure he really understands that, but I'm not going to try and explain because it's the only thing keeping him from freaking out on the Reaping day. He thinks I'll volunteer for him. I know, it's sad, but if he got chosen and there wasn't that rule, I'd definitely volunteer for him. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Sure, I feel bad about lying, but the truth is worse. I really love Jacob, even though I don't show it much. He's only 13, so he only has to take out 2 slips of paper with his name to be in the Reaping./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Which is about to start./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"After quite a while, our escort, Kalli Pepse, comes out from behind the stage curtain. Her green wig is slightly ruffled, as is her hot pink ugly dress, and I wonder why. Maybe she got into another fight about being promoted to a Career District, or, how I put it, leveling up./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"But, really, District 7 isn't so bad. My whole life I've worked with axes. I know how to use them. Our District's principle is lumber, so every day I take my ax and cut down a few trees, which isn't easy. I can also move swiftly through trees, because I grew up with them. I'm swift and strong, as are most of the kids my age, and I think that's good enough. At least Kalli's not in some loser District, like 12 or 10./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Careers are kids from Districts 1, 2, and 4, who train their whole lives for the Games in special training centers in their District, so they are strong, fast, cruel and they know how to use real weapons. It is technically not allowed, but they do it anyway. The Careers volunteer in the Reaping, because apparently it is a great honor to go to the Games. During the Games they ally with each other and hunt down the other Tributes. When only a few people are left they turn on each other and fight to the death with their own allies. Ugh. I'm against the idea of alliances. They're hard to start, and it takes too long to trust your ally. And when you do end up trusting them, you start to get attached to them, so that you can't end the alliance or kill them in their sleep like you planned to when you first decided to ally, so it ends up coming down to you and your ally, and you don't want to kill them so what to do?/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"In the past Games, allies at the final two often leave each other on their own, saying that they won't fight and the losing ally will either die from hunger or dehydration or savage animals./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"But still, I don't want to ally with anyone./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Kalli reads the list of the past District 7 victors. We haven't had many. Our mentor, Blight, is a victor. Our youngest girl mentor-who is like 50 years old- isn't mentally stable enough to mentor us, so we're stuck with one. If I win the Games, it'll be my job to mentor the girl from my District./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Mentors help you when you are in the arena. If someone supports a tribute, they can buy food and water and medical supplies to sponsor a tribute. The sponsor gifts go to the mentor, who can send them to their tribute in the arena./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"Blight walks up onstage calmly and nods to the audience. They all cheer. Everyone loves Blight, though I don't see why. He's very full of himself. The camera's turn back to Kalli, who introduces herself with a grin. "HI EVERYONE! I'M KALLI!" She waves vigorously. I roll my eyes. Kalli has a habit of speaking too loud. Sometimes I think that maybe she thinks that we're deaf. Ugh./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"The Mayor walks over and whispers something in her ear. Kalli sighs and says, "Oh, oops! I did it again, didn't I?" Everyone nods. She clears her throat. "Let's try again, shall we? Hello, and thank you for coming. It is such an honor to be here. I'm Kalli Pepse, your escort. NOW LET'S GET THIS STARTED!" She reaches over to the boy's Reaping bowl, which confuses us because she always starts with the girls. She glances back at the crowd, sees our confusion, and laughs. "I know I usually start with the girls, but I'll give the boys a turn this time." She reaches into the bowl and pulls out a piece of paper. Before I can ever wish that it's not anyone I know, she reads in a high, clear, voice: "Jacob Mason."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"I don't really understand, or really care, because I'm preoccupied with being annoyed at Kalli. Her laugh, from before, somehow unnerved me so much that I can't think straight. What's so funny about boys getting sentenced to death before girls? Why does she have to laugh at everything?br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /And then I hear the name. First I think, em style="box-sizing: border-box;"why is she talking to my brother? How does she know him? /emThen, I realize the sour truth. She's not talking to him, or seeking him out for a conversation. She basically just killed him. Kind of./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"And suddenly I get angry. They think that they can just control us! To make us send off our children every year to their deaths. They try to make nobody ever doubt the power of the Capitol. The reaping is a warning. A warning that says, 'look how we take your children and kill all but one. Imagine how many more people we could kill if we had to.' And if they kill Jacob, then they'd better kill me too. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"I try to stand up straighter. I glance back at the stage. Jacob's taking his time, walking very slowly. He's looking around the crowd, trying to catch my eye to signal that I should volunteer, but I can't. I'm not a boy. Tears well up in my eyes. Not Jacob. Anyone but Jacob. "Jacob Mason, please come on up!" Our Mayor calls. Jacob finally reaches the stage, and I watch, helpless, as he slowly and shakily walks up. He is stalling, making this longer than it should. Finally he reaches the stage and climbs up. "Wonderful, Jacob! Do we have any volunteers?" Kalli calls. The crowd is silent. No, no, someone should volunteer! Someone em style="box-sizing: border-box;"has /emto! I can't lose Jacob. No.. no… "Ok, then, let's go on to the girl-" Her voice cuts off as someone in the crowd shouts, "I volunteer for Jacob!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"My heart floods with relief. Through the crowd I spot a strong-looking boy walking up to the stage. Jacob is back in the crowd so I run up and grab him. "I'm so glad you're safe!" I say tearfully. "Why didn't you volunteer?" He asks, not mad but curious. "Girls can only volunteer for girls, not boys," I say with a sigh. He nods. "I guess I knew that, but tried to forget it. But that doesn't matter. I'm safe." He says. I glance back at the crowd. "You are. But maybe not me…" Kalli pulls out a slip of paper and reads the name. "Johanna Mason!" She calls./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"I freeze. No. What did she say? Did she call my name? Have I panicked so much that I'm hearing things?/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"My brother, looking at me with tears in my eyes, confirms that I'm not imagining things./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"I've been expecting this. I'm not going to die. em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Remember the plan, Johanna, /emI remind myself. My first instinct is to walk up to that stage, head held strong, chin up, like my mom taught me. But that won't help me with much. I need to fake being weak. It'll be hard, but I'll be underestimated and ignored. Then I'll win, and get back to Jacob. I'll do it. For him. I take a big breath, and burst into tears./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"I walk to the stage, tears flowing down my face. I look like a pathetic little nothing, probably. Through my tears I see that Kalli is looking mildly disappointed. Probably thinking that I'm no victor. The Careers watching will ignore me, put me on the bottom of their threats list./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"But really I should be on top./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';""Looks like we have another Mason! Is Jacob your brother?" She asks. I nod, too afraid to say anything because my strong voice might give away what I'm really feeling. She nods and bites her lip. "Any volunteers for Johanna?" I glance at the crowd, fake tears flowing down my face./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';"No one says a word. That was what I expected and actually, to be honest, what I hoped. My reputation would be totally messed up if someone volunteered./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans';""Well, let's give it up for the District 7 tributes, Wayne Shene and Johanna Mason!" Me and Wayne shake hands. I fake-cry into my jacket while we go to the Justice Building./p