Wrong Place, Right Time - Cato Hadley x OC

Chapter 1: The Reaping

I woke up to the sound of rushing water coming from the bathroom. My brother is always up early on reaping day. I roll over and look at the time to find it 8:12, not having to get ready for almost 2 hours I don't get up quite yet. 

I've never been too scared of reaping day, coming from District 4 there's usually someone to volunteer but you can never feel too safe. My brother and I are twins; our parents made us attend the training academy, not to volunteer, but to be prepared if we're chosen. After training for 4 years, I feel confident in my ability to use a spear, for survival and fighting. 

After a while of thinking to myself about the day, my brother Morgan knocks on my door, dressed in his nicest clothes, hair still damp from his shower.

"Are you gonna get up anytime soon or...?" He drags on the last word

"Not everyone's as excited to see who's being shipped off to the Capitol as you are, Morgan," I reply, standing up and stretching my arms over my head. "Besides, it's like," I look back over at my clock, "8:30. They won't be here until almost 11"

He shoots me a smile, "Well sue me for trying to be prepared. I'm gonna make some breakfast." And with that, he's out of my room.

I stifle a yawn and make my way to the bathroom. While I'm looking at my reflection in the mirror I can't help but appreciate how different Morgan and I look. He has wavy dark hair that constantly falls in his eyes, and I have pin-straight blonde hair that reaches my shoulders. Although our hair is different, our eyes are where the resemblance is seen. We both have warm honey-brown eyes, which somehow complement the both of us pretty nicely. 

I strip down and wait until the water is at a pleasant temperature to step in, hoping there's still hot water after Morgan's shower. Once I'm done cleaning myself and rinsing my hair I step out, gently drying myself with my towel. 

I had laid out my prettiest dress, a gift from my parent's for my 16th birthday last year. I've only worn it a handful of times and I'm starting to question why. It's a soft purple color, with a slight puff in the short sleeves and bust area. It falls to my mid-shin and is flowy enough for me to walk with ease.

I section the top of my hair and carefully braid it, leaving it to rest over the straight bottom section. Once I'm satisfied with myself I walk out to the kitchen to find my brother polishing his shoes.

"There's a few pieces of toast there for you," He says without raising his head.

I mutter thanks and start to bite the green-coloured toast. I find it funny how our bread typically is made with seaweed in it, giving it that greenish tinge and salty flavour. It makes me wonder if all of the District's signature bread is made with their specialty, and then I chuckle to myself thinking about District One eating diamond-embedded loaves, or District Twelve munching on a coal loaf. 

By the time I'm done, it's 9:30, so we pack a few things and start the walk to Center Square. In no world does it take an hour and a half to get there, but we like to be able to take our time and meet up with our friends on the way. My Mom had told me the night before that she and Dad wouldn't have time to come home first, but would meet up and walk home with us after the reaping.

"Hey, Hali!" I hear someone call. I turn around to see Joss Hinds, the gossip of my school, walking towards me, and I can't help but think how I wouldn't be upset if her name was pulled. "Pretty dress," she starts, eyeing me up and down with a smirk, telling me she's being insincere "I got mine yesterday, I wouldn't want to look, you know, bad, if I'm picked." She spins around in a short white dress making me mentally roll my eyes.

We make small talk the rest of the way, stopping to talk to some friends before we reach the Square. It's 10:45 now and people are rolling in. I give Morgan a hug for good luck and sign in with the girls around me. We make our way up to the front, where the 17 and 18-year-olds are to be.