The Games to Remember

CHAPTER 1

"Kestrel! It's time to get up"

The voice pulls me out of my dreaming, but slowly. I want to linger in the peace of sleep where nothing is wrong and everyone is safe. In reality, no one is safe because today is Reaping Day.

I open my eyes to see my brother Tyler standing over my bed. When he sees that I'm awake, he steps back from my bed and says, "Mom told me to get you up. She said she wants us to get ready."

I sigh. "Already? The Reaping isn't for hours. We have plenty of time."

Tyler huffs. "I'm just repeating what Mom said. She's downstairs making breakfast. Dad's outside doing something. I don't know what." He nudges my arm before leaving the room.

I sit up in bed and stare out the window at the rooftops of District 12. My home. I pull my knees up to my chest and rest my chin on them. The sun has risen and sheds its golden light over the whole district. The day looks bright and cheerful, in stark contrast to how I feel. I sigh and get out of bed. I  pull out a green long-sleeved shirt and a light brown vest from my closet. Then I go to my dresser and pull out a pair of soft light grey pants and plush socks. I dress quickly, not bothering with shoes, and head downstairs.

From the kitchen, I hear my mother humming a song while she makes breakfast. She turns from the stove when she hears me enter the room. Her face lights up with a smile. 

"Good morning dear," she says.

"Good morning Mom," is my reply as I cross the room to give her a quick hug and kiss on her cheek. She hugs me back, very briefly, and turns back to her cooking. 

"You slept in, Kestrel. Caden came by earlier looking for you."  Mom smiles slyly as she mentions my boyfriend.

I slap my forehead. "We were supposed to go hunting this morning," I groan.  How could I have been so stupid! Caden and I only get to see each other  and hunt on Sundays because he works all week. The mines are closed today, however, and we had made plans to hunt. And of course, I ruined it by sleeping in. I sigh and pull a chair out from the kitchen table. I spin it around and sit on it backwards with my arms crossed over the back. 

"What did you tell him?" I ask.

"Just that you were still sleeping. He said not to wake you and left," Mom replies.

"You could  have woken me. I wouldn't have minded." 

Mom shakes her head. "No, I couldn't. Caden wouldn't have it. He insisted that you needed your sleep. So I let you sleep. Your boyfriend can be very stubborn sometimes," she adds with another smile.

Despite my efforts to look mad, I feel a smile break out at Mom's observation of Caden. He could be stubborn at times, especially when it came to me. I had discovered that years ago and I loved him for it. But sometimes it did get a little annoying.

My quiet time with Mom is interrupted by the entrance of my father. He shrugs the leather bag off his shoulder onto a chair. He puts an arm around my shoulders, since I'm still sitting down, and kisses the top of my head. "Morning Kessie," he says.

I smile up at him. "Morning Dad. How was your morning hunting?"

Dad hugs Mom and kisses her cheek before answering. "It was very profitable. Found quite a bit of katniss around the lake. Thought we'd have some for dinner tonight."

Mom's face falls at her husband's words and I know many memories are flooding her. Memories of her early life, her older sister's death in the Games, and seeing her own children fight and die in the Games. And those memories rekindle the fear that comes every year. The Reaping and the Hunger Games in general.

Being the daughter of not one but two victors means that I have it better than the average District 12 citizen, physically at least. I live in the Victor's Village in a house with running water, heating, electricity, an abundance of food, and a very nice TV set. But in one respect, Tyler and I are just like ever other kid in the district. Our names are still entered in the Reaping every single year. We can't sign up for tesserae, much to our parents' relief, but our names are still entered more than once and there is a higher chance that we will be chosen. So overall, I don't see any difference between me and any other District 12 kid.

Dad has been hunting for years. Before he won his Games, he had to hunt to survive. Afterwards, it became a way to escape the memories and trauma of the Games.   We don't use everything he finds. Instead, we give the game, the herbs Mom doesn't need, and any other finds to people who need them more than we do. Caden and I do that too. That's another reason why I love him.

I'm jolted out of my thoughts by Dad asking me a question. I shake myself back to reality. "I'm sorry, Dad. What did you ask?"

Dad laughs as he starts unpacking his game bag. "I was just asking why you and Caden didn't join me hunting. I thought that was our plan."

"I slept in," I say chagrined. "After our intense training session yesterday, I was more exhausted than I thought." I grin sheepishly. "I'll go over and apologize to Caden after breakfast. I can take some katniss over too. It looks like you picked more than enough."

Mom interjects before Dad can respond. "You won't have to wait that long, Kessie. I invited Caden and his family to breakfast. They should be here any minute."

I jump up from my chair knocking it over. "You mean to say that you watched me sit there and mope about missing my chance to see Caden when you knew all along he was coming over?" I exclaim. Dad laughs at my outburst and soon Mom joins in too. 

"It was hard to keep it a secret that's for sure," Dad says as he leans down and rights the fallen chair. "But your face was worth it. Wasn't it Prim?"

Mom smiles. "Your face was very funny, Kessie. But," she finishes briskly. "Now that prankster hour is over, I need both of you to help me finish breakfast."

I smile. Even on the worst day of the year, my parents can always find some way to make jokes and keep me smiling. I put the chair back in its place and cover the table with Mom's favorite tablecloth. For a moment, it almost seems like a normal morning.