Chapter 9:
District Three
Ryam Driver, 15
One Month Before
"This is going to be the best summer yet, boys."
Ryam shakes his head at his best friend as they head back to their houses, hiking his bag up his shoulder as it starts slipping down. "Coop, you say that every year."
"And each summer gets better than the last, am I right or am I right?" Cooper responds, elbowing Ryam in the side as they reach one of Cooper's friend's place. "See ya, man!"
His friend waves at the pair and they both wave back, before continuing on to Ryam's place. It feels like a load is off Ryam's shoulders now that summer break has finally arrived. Now he could just focus on making his music without the nagging in the back of his mind that there was homework he should be doing instead.
"You really think this will be the best summer yet?" Ryam asks his friend as they get closer to his house.
"Yeah," Cooper answers with no hesitation as he tries to wave at a group of girls a year older than them across the street, but they ignore him. "We're finally getting old enough that our parents don't care if we stay out later and you, my friend, are gonna get some gigs with your music and we're gonna party it up!"
"We'll see about that," Ryam says and chuckles, trying to hide the fact that he has had no gigs booked and hasn't even really looked into them yet. He's been using the excuse of school, but that wasn't really an excuse before and especially isn't now. But thankfully they reach his house, giving him a change in conversation as he unlocks the door. "So, what's up first on your plans for the best summer ever?"
"One word," Cooper says as Ryam uses his shoulder to shove open the door that always sticks and he steps past him. He turns to give Ryam a look, wiggling his eyebrows at him. "Girls."
Ryam rolls his eyes at his friend as he shuts the door behind them, but can't fight off a smile. "Of course that's your plan," he says, starting to chuckle as they head over to his room. "And what are you going to do when you inevitably crash and burn?"
"So little faith in me!" Cooper says, flopping down into Ryam's desk chair dramatically. "Just wait, I'm gonna use my mad charm and prove you wrong."
"Uh-huh, sure you will," Ryam says, trying to be serious, but he has no faith in his friend succeeding.
"Oh shut it," Cooper says and tosses a pen from Ryam's desk at his head.
As Ryam tosses it back at him, someone clears their throat in his doorway and he takes a deep breath before looking over at his older sister. When he sees the look on her face, he knows exactly what she is going to say to him. "Lena. What's up?"
"So, I was talking to my boss today," Lena says as she leans up against the doorframe to Ryam's room. "I'd say there's about a 75% chance I could get you an internship there this summer. It would be unpaid, of course, but it's something."
He immediately groans at her statement, having heard this same argument too many times to know exactly how it starts. "Lena, can I please just try to enjoy at least one day of summer before you get on my case?"
"You're fifteen now, Ryam," Lena throws up a hand in exasperation at him. "It's time you get a job. This is the prime time to start making those connections so by the time you get done with school, you might actually have a good job."
"I don't want to get a job," Ryam mumbles, even though he knows she's right. "I don't even know what I would do."
"Then look around, talk to people," Lena tells him and he gives a little grimace. "Ryam, you have to grow up eventually. It's time."
"But I don't want to! I just want to make my music," Ryam says, gesturing to the computer on his desk he uses to make it. The one thing he is actually good at compared to his overachieving older sister. "Isn't that enough?"
"Your music isn't getting anywhere," Lena answers harshly, crossing her arms at him in judgement. "If you can give me one idea you have right now for how to make a career out of your music, I'll leave you alone for a week – but only a week to make sure you're actually doing that."
Ryam runs a hand through his hair, feeling a bit exasperated by this same old argument. He should be relaxing right now! Not stressing about getting a job. "Can't I live a little?" he asks his sister. "School literally ended today. I need a minute to breathe."
"I'm waiting for an answer, Ryam," Lena says in her holier-than-thou attitude and Ryam catches Cooper subtly rolling his eyes at her.
Ryam really doesn't have any plans for how to get his music out to more people and from the look Lena is giving him, she knows it too. There's only so much a fifteen year old with a limited allowance can do. He played at his school's talent show this year, but that didn't exactly get R-Drive's music out there to the District, let alone the country. "I'll…" Ryam starts, looking around his room as he tries to think of a solution that will appease her for the time being.
But he has nothing. He never has any plans for the future.
"I don't know, maybe I'll go volunteer or something," Ryam says, half joking around about it, and Cooper knows it from the way he starts laughing loudly. Ryam gives him a joking finger gun, sending him into a bigger fit of laughter. "Just look at Amelia, she's one of the most famous people in Three now and she's not even from here."
"Don't even joke about stuff like that!" Lena says immediately, putting her hands on her hips as she judges Ryam with a sharp look in the doorway. She points her finger accusingly at him, "You think Dad could handle losing one of us to the Games after losing Mom? No way. So you need to get your head out of the clouds and finally realize you have to be just like the rest of us and get a job or something."
"I'll think about it," Ryam tells his sister, but both of them know that means he won't actually do anything about it. But he's only fifteen! How the hell is he supposed to know what he wants to do with his life at this point?
"Maybe don't just think and actually do something about it, okay?" Lena says with a huff, giving him a long look for a few seconds to convey her displeasure with his lack of motivation to be just like her. Finally, she turns and leaves them be.
"Man, what caused her to have such a stick up her ass?" Cooper shakes his head at the retreating back of Ryam's sister, and he can only shrug in response. "She needs to unwind. Smoke something, get laid, I don't know, just something."
"She's the least likely person to do either of those things and you know it," Ryam answers with a shrug, flopping back on his bed and putting his hands behind his head. He lets out a sigh of relief and turns to grin over at his friend. He isn't going to let his sister's nagging keep him down. "So come on, what's our plans? It's summer, we're supposed to be having fun."
"Oh hell yeah, my dude!" Cooper lets out a whoop in excitement before tackling Ryam, making him groan in pain at the elbow that jabs him in the stomach. "Your music is gonna totally get us like, all the girls!"
"You think I'm gonna share with you?" Ryam teases before he shoves Cooper off of him and he hits the floor with a small groan. Ryam peeks his head over the side, making sure his friend is fine, only to dragged down with him.
"Not share?" Cooper asks in disbelief before he gets him in a light chokehold, giving him a big noogie as Ryam tries to push him away. "Come on, why do you think I'm friends with you?"
"My wit and charms," Ryam jokes back and the boys start roughhousing, only stopping when a voice yells at them from the doorway.
"Woah, boys chill!" Mr. Driver tells them and the two stop, Ryam pushing Cooper's face into the rug, and look a little guilty. But Mr. Driver doesn't look mad at them, just a little exasperated by them. "Go outside or something. Please, I don't want to hear it from Lena if you break something."
Ryam lets go of Cooper and drags him up with him, giving his dad a thumbs up. "No problem, Dad. Come on, you," he tells his friend, grabbing his arm to drag him outside with him. He doesn't know where they'll go, but who cares?
It's summer. He can worry about the future another day.
Riley Roomer, 15
Three Days Before
Riley puts her hand up to squint at the harsh sun beating down on her as she steps out of the school, wincing a little at the blast of heat that hits her.
"Sweet mother of pearl, it's hot as balls!" Dallas exclaims next to her as he steps out after Riley.
Riley shrugs at her one school friend as she starts down the steps and towards the bustle of people walking home, mostly from work. Most of the other kids in the District have the summer off, but not Riley. But she'd much rather be in the air conditioned classes than sweating at home. "It's summer, that's what happens," Riley points out to him as they start weaving their way through the crowd, heading towards the crosswalk.
"Yeah, but talk about a shock to the system," Dallas says with a shrug as they slow near the crosswalk. Someone has already pushed the button, so all they can do is wait and fan themselves to try and cool off in the summer heat. "But also, we should talk about our project."
Riley nods her head, already excited thinking about what they might do for it. But then again, nearly everything in this school excites her. "Yeah, once we have an idea, just let me know and I'll do my part."
"Oh I know. Why do you think I jumped to have you as my partner?" Dallas asks, laughing a bit as the light changes and they walk with the others waiting across the street.
"Gee, good to know you picked me for my work ethic," Riley teases him as she slows her pace, enjoying the bustle of downtown surrounding them.
Dallas rolls his eyes at her, but she knows he's just messing around. "Do you want to work on it together this weekend? The Reaping's early enough that we have plenty of time."
The Reaping. What a bizarre thought to not be in a panic at just the mention of the Reaping. No fear that she'll be picked, or one of her siblings will, with the many slips they have from taking tesserae.
"I don't know," Riley tells him as they get to another crosswalk. She glances over at him, finding disappointment in his eyes. "I have to babysit my siblings and you know I work better on my own."
"I could go to your place…" Dallas says softly and Riley immediately shakes her head at him, not leaving it up for debate for even a second.
"Sorry Dallas, but no, we're not working at my place," Riley tells him as the light changes, but she waits to cross, knowing this is where they go separate ways – Dallas off to the wealthier homes and Riley to keep walking to the much farther away poor parts. "If things change, maybe. We'll talk tomorrow at lunch and go over our parts, okay?"
Dallas cheers up a bit at that and gives her a small smile and a thumbs up. "Sounds good, Riley. See you tomorrow."
"See ya," she replies before quickly jogging across the street as the timer counts down the last few seconds. She glances back to see Dallas heading the other way and looking over at her, so she gives another wave before focusing on where she's going.
Her mind thinks through the options on just how they were going to optimize a small wind turbine for their project as she walks home. The buildings start getting less shiny and become grimier, the people look thinner, and their eyes look a lot more defeated. It's always a sharp contrast leaving the school and returning home, but for Riley, it's just further motivation for the future she's working towards. And not just for herself, her family. Someday she's going to get them out of here and they're going to live downtown in one of the best apartments. Her parents won't have to work double shifts nearly every day just to feed them all, only for herself and her siblings' stomachs to still ache with hunger.
She just needs another year and three months until the applications open up for the summer program at the University. But who's counting? Certainly not her, nope, not at all.
By the time she gets to the grimy apartment building she calls home, she already has a detailed plan on how they could split up the work and get the best grades – there would be no need for them to work together since one of them can optimize the electrical components while the other builds the fans. Easy solution, no need for her to worry about leaving her younger siblings or the horror of Dallas coming to her apartment. He knows she is at the school on scholarship, but with everyone there so cutthroat about appearances…no need to let him know the extent of just how much she needs that scholarship.
She pushes open the rusty door to the building, the creaks echoing up the stairwell. If it's hot outside, the building might as well be an oven. No air conditioning here, that's for sure. She starts the trek up the five flights of stairs, working up a sweat from the heat. Her stomach rumbles and she feels a little lightheaded from the exertion, but she can't eat the food tucked away in her bag. Her younger siblings need the lunch leftovers way more than her.
Riley has to pause at the top of the stairs to catch her breath and she wipes the sweat off her forehead. She couldn't let her siblings see her like this. She had to look strong and happy for them, keep their hopes up that things were going to get better and little Macy was going to get over whatever sickness has been bothering her the past few days.
Once she catches her breath, she continues down the hall to door 514. She pauses for a moment, putting a smile on her face and bracing herself to get bombarded with questions by nine younger siblings. She doesn't mind the questions and loves teaching them, but it's a lot to handle first thing getting home after a day at school. But on the other hand, her parents have a tight work schedule around her getting home to make sure someone over the age of thirteen is watching them at all times.
Riley pushes open the door and calls out to her family, surprised by how quiet it seems. "I'm home!" she calls out as she slips the bag off of her shoulders and heads into the kitchen to put the food away. No one is in there, making her scrunch her eyebrows in confusion as she glances around. Where is everyone? It's impossible to go into any room in their apartment without there being at least one person there.
"Hello? Mom? Kyra? Anyone?" she calls out again as she opens up the fridge and puts her meager supply away on the bare shelves.
"Riley," her father calls over to her and she stands up, slowly shutting the fridge when she sees him there. He's supposed to be at work right now…
"Dad…what are you doing here?" Riley asks cautiously, fearful of the pain in his watery eyes. Behind him, one of her siblings clings to his leg and she can hear the cries from them. "What's happened?"
"It's…Macy…" he barely says and Riley starts running past him, over to the bedroom they all share. She doesn't stop as he calls her name and pushes past Kyra in the doorway clinging to one of their younger siblings. She has to see what has happened to Macy.
But God, she wishes she didn't see this.
The room is filled with the rest of her family, but her eyes only focus on where her mother sits on one of the beds, cradling Macy in her arms as she lets out a wail of pain. Holding a girl whose frail body isn't moving, not breathing at all.
"No…" Riley whispers as the room begins to spin. She drops down to the floor as her mother sobs, and she realizes this isn't some twisted joke. Her eyes start watering and she chokes on a sob. "Oh God."
The world comes crashing down around her as she sits on the floor, tears pouring down her cheeks but unable to move at all. This can't be happening. She's supposed to be helping her family with this scholarship, yet how could she let one of her sisters die?! What could she have done differently? Should she have not eaten anything from her lunches and brought it all home for them?
Would it have even mattered?
Her family can't wait another year and three months for her to apply and then longer as they hope she gets accepted. She doesn't know how many of them will still be alive by then…
Riley blinks as she looks around at her family torn apart, her younger siblings facing tragedy at way too young of an age. And Macy…sweet, young Macy, the youngest of them all… No, she can't let any more of them die. She's always worked her hardest for them but it hasn't been enough. Her dreams of university come crashing down as she realizes that she does have a reason to fear the Reaping still. The monetary compensation…it's the one thing that can save them.
She will not let another one of her siblings die. Even if it means she's probably going to die.
There we have the District Three pair! Thanks to tyquavis and chcolate for Ryam and Riley respectively! Two very different tributes despite being same age and same District.
With this, we're now 3/4 of the way through the intro chapters! The end is in sight - only the Capitol, Nine, and Ten left, so who will be up next? Guess you'll find out in a week.
RQ #9: Well it's gotta be a spooky themed question with Halloween tomorrow. If you had a pumpkin to carve, what would you carve into it?
Alright, see you next Friday with the next District!
