The 100th quarter quell

The reveal

I sit at the old clunker of metal we call a tv and watch it sputter to life. "Mom, come here. They're revealing the theme for this year's quater quell." I call to my mom whose in Lala land. She stares out blankly. I pick her up and plop her down in the old rotting couch. The tv makes a few more weird nosies before it finally turns on. A grainy image of the President appears holding a box. "Dear residents of panem. The day we've all been waiting for, the 100th quarter quell theme reveal!" She shouts into a microphone. I hold my breath and clutch my mothers hand. She pulls a yellow envelope from a stack of envelopes and reads carefully, "Two boys from every district offered for tributes. No females." She reads before closing the box. "How exciting for the boys, double the chances to win honor, sorry ladies not this year for you!" She cheerily smiles. I gasp. My mom still blankly stares out. I'm 16 my names in there 24 times. I need to run. Escape. "bye mom." I shout pulling on my old leather boots and grabbing my coat. I sprint towards Uraraka's house. I knock and she answers. Together we flee into the forest. For safety, comfort, to calm myself. We slip under the loose part of the fence after checking for electricity. She hugs me and i sob. "How many?" She asks. "24." i gasp. "It's ok. It's ok. I know the Riggs boy whose 14 has his name in there 50 times." She says. "You have a chance. You'll be ok." She coos hugging me. Shell be 18 soon. It's her last year in the reaping. She's so lucky. She doesn't have to worry his year. "Izuku. Lets hunt. You'll be fine." She says. I nod and grab my bow and arrows. I creep around the forest silently until i spot a rabbit. Thwick. The arrow sticks in the rabbit's eye and its writhes until it flops down. I collect the rabbit and hang it from my belt. A squirrel next. Thwick. It falls from the tree. I pull the arrow from its eye and hang it next to its rabbit friend. A young deer laps water a few hundred feet infringe of me. It's a baby. It's soft antlers only starting to grow in. I almost dont shoot. But that young, fresh meat will sell well. Thwic. It makes a noise and tries to escape but trips and promptly dies. "Uraraka." I call. she meets me with a belt full of birds and fish. I point at the animal and she smiles. "Lets go." She calls happily. "It'll make good reaping money." She smiles. Ah yes. We are supposed to celebrate after the reaping. Most do. Because it wasn't them this year. But two families will suffer and close their homes and try to eat. when i finally get home with a bag of money and some bread my little brother kota stands there. He's 12 its his first year in the reaping. I drop into a seat nearby and listen as he tells me random things he learned in school. He and I support our mother. He's a master healer. Since no one can afford doctors, apothecaries are our healers. He's got balls of steel and never is scared of whatever is brought in. Shortly our door is practically knocked down. A family carrying the fourteen year old Riggs boy whose foaming at the mouth. My face goes as green as my hair as Kota starts clearing the table. The boy is set down. "What happened." He shouts as he checks for a  pulse. "He tried to kill himself!" His mother sobs. I get it. He's 14 and has carried his family on his back with the tessera. To have 50 slips and have double the chances to be called this year. I too would probably kill myself before my name is pulled for a game. Blood pours from his stomach as he tries to breath. My brother starts ordering me around and i grab whatever he mentions. My brother can keep anything alive. I wait in the kitchen cutting up the small bunny i hunted earlier to make soup. That's why i bought the bread earlier. I remove its guts and cook and feed some of the cooking rabbit to the ugly cat who sits near my feet. "Scram obsidian." I say to the ugly black cat. My brother insisted we keep it. He found her in a dumpster when we were looking for food. Belly swollen with parasites, half dead. He nursed her back to full health and fell in love with her. The dumb cat hates me. I think because i tried to drop it off in the forest a few times. I ended up letting it stay even though it meant another mouth to feed because it was great at catching the rodents and bugs. The cat blinks at me with its ugly yellow eyes. It reminds me of the black coal dust that is caked on to everything here. Hard to get rid of, dirty, and a matte black. My brother named her obsidian insisting her cost was like the shiny gem that we see on tributes sometimes. I bend down to pet the cat thinking it wants attention but it hisses at me and runs off. "Fine i dont like you either freeloader." I call to the cat. My brother enters the kitchen to wash blood off his hands. "Fighting with the cat again?" He says staring at me. "yup. Want soup?" I sigh. "later. He's only just stabilized. Do we happen to have some extra money where you could get me a new needle and some alcohol?" I almost puke into the soup I'm stirring. "Yeah ill go get it." I say grabbing my bag of money. I sprint towards the illegal market called the Coal. It gets its name because it used to store coal before we got actual storage buildings made. It's covered in coal and smells like life. I head towards where i know the needles are. "Hey Posie. I need the sharpest one you've got." I say pointing to the needles. She silently hands me one. And smiles as i give her a couple coins. "Thank you for the tip." She says. "No problem. Good luck tomorrow." I call. She doesn't reply. She has four boys. It's well known that theyre all in there several times. I really wish her good luck. I hold the small needle carefully stopping to buy some alcohol. After i hurry home carrying the small bottle of alcohol and the needle. My brother pours some alcohol out and drops the needle in watching it soak. "I gave him some sleeping syrup, but... hold him down he's woozy but isn't out yet." He says washing his hands again with some of the soap i bought him. He pours a bit of alcohol on his hands after and carefully grabs the needle and some of his expensive sterile thread. He strings the needle and marks with his finger where he's going to sew doing some math i dont understand in his head. "Got it.Everyone hold him down." He says as he holds the needle near the boys skin. I grab the small boy's muscular arm and close my eyes and bite my lip. What i wouldn't give to run away into the forest right now. The gut wrenching scream sounds as my brother begins to close the wound. After its finally finished he sends the family home with some soup and medicine for him and explains how to change the bandages. He washes his hands again and begins washing the table. i rush to the sink and begin puking. "You can kill animals but can't see a wound?" He says as he pats my back. "Yes." I gasp in between gags. My brother giggles as he grabs a bit of bread and i watch his force it into my mothers mouth. he sits on her lap after and i watch my mother mindlessly hug him. She's gotten better. ON reaping days its like my father never died. The stress breaks through whatever illness she contracted after our father blew up in the mines. My mom is only in her 30s she remember katniss and the terror she reigned upon our land. I remind myself of all the trauma she has. "Lights out." I call to my brother. My mom gets up and lays in her bad and my brother curls up on the bed we share. Eventually I can drift off to sleep.