SPIETATO

REAPING

"Boys? Time to get up."

I awake to my moms voice. I stretch and get up, forcing Matthew to as well. I undress and throw on my white button up long sleeve shirt, black dress pants, red tie, and black dress shoes. Matthew dresses similarly, his shirt being red and his tie being black.

I comb my hair back with my finger, it stretching down to just above my shoulder and slightly in front of my eyes. Matt combs his own blonde hair back neatly. That's the difference between my brothers and I. I have tan skin, green eyes, and black curly hair. Matt and Brock have blonde hair, Matt's being curly, and blue eyes, partnered with pale skin.

I guess that kind of makes me the black sheep.

Matthew and I walk to the kitchen where my mom hands us both a piece of bread with jam and sends us on our way. They will join the other parents a little later after we go and sign in. Matt and I walk together, a few of his friends follow behind us. Once we arrive, we get into a line and wait to get our finger pricked and told to go with our age group.

After awhile our turns arise and we are told to give our names. "Dalton and Matthew Jacobs. 17 and 14 years old." I reply for both of us. "Fingers." The lady says with no emotion. I hold out my finger and Matt follows. "Go to your age groups and wait for it to begin. May the odds be ever in your favor." She says.

I squeeze Matthew's hand in comfort before smiling at him reassuringly and letting him go. We go in opposite directions and stand with who we did last year. I look around seeing familiar no name faces. Some nervous and others putting up a front. I stand and wait and soon the reaping begins.

"Hello, District 10! Welcome to our 57th Annual Hunger Games Reaping!" The announcer says as if she expects us to cheer. Not a sound comes from anyone. "Tough crowd..." She mumbles before waving her hand at someone. The same video from every past year plays. Showing the fall of the districts, the war, the rise of the capitol, etc.

The video finally finishes and the real terror begins. "Alright, now for the tributes for the games this year!" A man rolls the name wheel thing onto the platform. "Like every year, ladies first." She digs around for a moment in the wheel thing and finally pulls one. She opens the little note and pauses to keep everyone in the dark for a few extra moments. I feel the tension as everyone holds their breath.

"This years female tribute is..." She pauses again. They irritate the hell out of me when they do this. "Bee Harlow!" She says happily. There is motion in the girls 14 section as a path is opened for a girl with a head full of curly brown hair, sharp brown eyes and dark tanned skin. She looks to be about 2 feet shorter than me. She holds her head high but her shaking hands give her fear and anxiousness away. 

Once Bee finally makes it up to the platform, another wheel is brought out and the announcer reaches her claws in once again. She pulls one out. "And the male tribute for this year is..." Again with the damn pause. They are so damn stupid with this. I hold my breath as she speaks.

"Matthew Jacobs! Where are you Matthew?" She calls. My breath hitches, my eyes widen and I frantically look for my baby brother. I see him too stunned to move, to stunned to breath. He begins walking slowly toward the path. No. No. No!

I breath in and let my voice rise in volume. "No! I-I volunteer as tribute!" I yell. I push through the boys around me and get onto the path. They all look at me as if I just lost my mind. One tries to pull me back into the crowd of them, I shrug him off.

I hold my head high as I speak again. "I volunteer for Matthew." I say. Matthew begins to sob as he screams at me. "No!" He tries to run to me, but a peacekeeper stops him. "No! You can't!" He screams and sobs. I walk by him but stop for a moment and meet his eyes. "I told you. Never you." I pause and breath in.

"It was never going to be you."