Soul, No Survivor

Ch. 1- Lucky

The day of the reaping was disgustingly lovely.

The sun's light pierced the clouds with glittering rays, dust being highlighted in the bright atmosphere. Clouds were scarce. The air was light, but warm. It'd rained overnight, and dew scattered the grass in District 10. Occasionally, when stirred, the bright sun struck the raindrops, scattering color across the gray asphalt.
Those prismatic lights skipped and jerked around the boots of one teenager as she made her way back from one of the farther pastures. A young cow dutifully in tow, Razmouhi Greene pushed gently through the fields of grass towards town.
As everyone in district 10 was well aware, today was the reaping day. Today, two teenagers would be sent to compete and probably die. And though her friends often called her Rose, or Rosie, or even Moohi, since she was a designated herder, today 4 papers listing her full name would be mixed into the bowl of citizens.
Rose's older brother, Roman, was 18. His name should have been in the men's bowl 7 times, but to support the family he'd put his name in more. 12 paper slips read, "Roman Greene", something that caused their mother to worry quite a lot. Their father was often too busy to worry, off at work in the farthest pastures all of the time.

Rose's thoughts strayed as she walked along the dirt path. She was worried, of course, somewhere within. Who wouldn't be? The reaping was real, and the reaping was dangerous. But life was too short to worry all of the time, she told herself. And there were truly so many people in her district that she busied her mind with other things. Such as Harrier, the cute boy who fed the cows she herded. His blondish hair fell really nicely over his eyes, and his smile was quite nice. Or Maysie, her close friend from school and most trusted gossiping partner. They'd often talk about silly little things like boys or a pretty flower they'd seen or a neat bird melody, but their favorite topic was the Capitol. It was so intriguing, with its strange fashions and eclectic nature. Most district people detested the high-brow folk. While Rose wasn't terribly fond of them, she was completely enraptured by their quirks. Anything she could see on the screens on reaping day or hear in passing from peacekeepers or mayors, she'd file away like she was discovering and observing an odd species. It was a bit of a strange coping method, but no matter. It was hers.

Out away from the district center, the air was delightfully breathable, but the closer Rosie and her cow came to the square the more dirt-and-grime-coated things became. Rose brought her cow through the wide streets, hooves tap-tapping along behind, to an innkeeper just by the square. He looked up as she entered, face breaking into a smile.
"Rosie, Rosie, Rosie! Welcome back, sweetie. How've you been?"
Before she could respond, he turned to the young cow and whistled. "My, she's a good specimen. A bit skinny, but so long as she'll give milk I don't rightly mind." The roundish man winked at Rose, who nodded.
"Yes sir, she milks nicely. She's not got a name, though. That's down to you." Rose smiled pleasantly. The man thought for a minute, tapping his bearded chin and looking from Rose to the cow with wise eyes.
"How about Lucky? For the reaping day and all. Fitting, don't you think."

A horn blasted, the signal for everyone to gather for the reaping. The old innkeeper pressed a satchel of gold into Rose's hand, giving her a nod.
"This'll cover it. And Rosie?"
The girl looked up.

"May the odds be ever in your favor."

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A/N: Hello! This is my first time writing anything remotely like this. Critique is welcome and appreciated, I'd love to improve if I can!
PS THE NEXT CHAPTERS ARE BETTER PLS
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Be well,
StarKat