The Hunger Games | Max Verstappen

1 | Reaping Day

"Ilaria" A rough shake "Ilaria you have to wake up it's Reaping Day,"

"I wish it wasn't" I muttered to myself before I yawned and sat up as my younger brother Lando left the room.

I really really didn't want it to be Reaping Day. For the sake of my little brother Lando who had just left the room and for myself. I had managed to avoid The Games for six years already and seeing as I was 18 now I hoped that that was the same for my final reaping day. I wasn't exactly winning material. I wasn't the weakest girl in district 7 but I definitely wasn't the strongest either. District 7 was in charge of lumber and after chopping down trees all day everyday nobody in the district was weak by any means. However, no matter how strong District 7 thought their tributes were, the Careers from Districts 1, 2, and 4 were always stronger.

"Ilaria you have to get up. The Reaping is in an hour." My father said as he walked past my room.

"I'm up, I'm up," I said as I got out of bed and walked out of the small bedroom that I shared with Lando. I walked down a short hallway and into the kitchen of my childhood home. My family never had enough money to move to a nicer part of District 7 but at least we didn't live in Rottenwood Meadow. Though that wasn't it's original name. It used to be a nice neighborhood called Cottonwood Meadows but over the years the wood that had been used to build the houses began to rot and fall apart hence the name Rottenwood Meadow or Rottenwood for short.

"Morning Ilaria," My mother said as I walked into the kitchen and took a piece of toast from the plate on the counter "Any idea what you're going to wear for the reaping?"

"I was thinking about wearing some of my less worn out jeans and my green top," I said with a shrug as I put a small amount of honey on my toast.

"Oh why not that pretty blue dress you wore a few years ago?" My mom asked disappointedly as I rolled my eyes internally.

"I wore that dress when I was 14 it doesn't fit anymore," I said as I joined my father and Lando at the table.

"Ilaria and I haven't gotten any nice clothes in years," Lando chimed in "We just get new work gear whenever ours doesn't fit anymore,"

"Your clothes are a lot more expensive than they used to be," My father pointed out and Lando rolled his eyes.

"Maybe if you could go one night without drinking at The Lodge then we could afford some new Reaping clothes," Lando shot back and my eyes widened in fear. My father was a relatively short tempered man and this comment definitely wouldn't slide. Especially not on Reaping Day.

"You ungrateful little shit! Why don't you volunteer for The Games and buy your own goddamn clothes!" My father retorted and I looked from the angry look on my father's face to the angry look on Lando's face then lastly to the concerned look on my mother's face.

"Why don't you just borrow some of my clothes for today Ilaria, dear," She said trying to change the subject "and Lando we can go out on Saturday to get you something"

"Yeah ok," I said as Lando rolled his eyes and went into our bedroom as I followed my mother to my parents room.

I sat on the edge of the bed and fidgeted with the thin leather bracelet I always wore as my mother rummaged through her wardrobe for something for me to wear. "How about this? You look lovely in blue," My mom said as she pulled a dress out of the wardrobe and showed me. It was definitely dated and nothing like the dresses I saw in the windows of the shops in the city center but it was still much nicer than anything I had ever worn.

"It looks lovely mama thank you," I said and I took the dress to the bathroom where I would take a quick shower and get changed into my mother's dress.