In which sixteen-year-old Barley Miller from District 9 is thrown into an arena to fight to the death with not only 22 other children but with her younger brother as well, Barley has to figure out how she can keep both of them alive as well as deali...
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AS THE SUN BEGAN to rise over District Nine, Barley Miller was already awake and preparing herself for the events that July 4th brings every year. The sixteen-year-old girl sat on the steps in front of her home hard at work scrubbing the dirt of her shoes for The Reaping, she had to be presentable and put together just in case.
Barley didn't like to dwell on things beyond her control, if fate had decided this year was her year to die then so be it. Nothing in this cruel world could change that.
Mornings in District Nine tended to be loud and busy with people rushing about getting themselves to work and their children to school but not this morning, everything was silent like the whole District was in the morning for what was going to happen today.
Barley was brought out of her thoughts by the creaking of the front door to her home opening and a small figure sitting down next to her, it was Adam. Barley turned to look at her brother who turned twelve a few weeks ago, today would be his first reaping.
"Can't sleep?"The older girl asked placing down the small scrubbing brush.
Adam looked like he was about to cry but attempted to put on a brave face not wanting to worry his sister. "I slept fine"the young boy replied but the quiver in his voice betrayed his words.
Barley sighed she remembered her first Reaping like it was yesterday, she remembered how terrified she was.
Barley pulled her brother into a side hug. "it's going to be okay, do you trust me?" The older girl asked
The younger boy looked up at her, his beautiful brown eyes full of innocence looking back at her. "of course, I do, Lee" Adam replied.
Barley stood up a smile on her face, she extended her hand out to Adam which he took without hesitation. "Then trust me when I say you smell, you need to bathe before The Reaping, "Barley told her brother with a smile on her face.
"I do not smell"the twelve-year-old replied angrily.
"Oh really, they can smell you in the next District over, we've been getting complaints about you little one" Barley says with a grin on her face.
Adam lightly shoves his big sister enjoying one last moment of peace together before the world pulls them apart forever.
BARELY STOOD IN FRONT of the mirror buttoning up her shirt, it was a hand-me-down from her dad so she had something nice to wear to The Reaping. Barley refused to touch any of her mom's clothes, no matter how much her dad insisted she could borrow something just for one day, but to Barley it was wrong she couldn't wear a dead person's clothes.
Footsteps approached from behind her as she finished fixing her shirt, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see her dad, a fake confident smile on his face as he looked at his eldest child.
