Let The Games Begin.

Chapter 3: Reaping Day.

Kaida's POV

It's early morning when i wake up. Very early. I can only faintly see the sun rising over the hills. 'happy birthday Kaida' I think to myself. Yes it's my birthday. It's also reaping day. How exciting. I'm very worried for today. Not because of the reaping but because of whats happening after it. After the reaping today i'm leaving. I'm leaving district 3 and i haven't told Erin yet. He'll probably look for me after the reaping in the square. He's good at finding people even me. He found me last night after i ran away from him. No. I don't want to remember what happened last night. I don't want to remember any of yesterday. He kissed me. He kissed me and i kissed him back. No. I can't. I can't let myself fall in love again. But there's just something about him.

If you wondering why i'm not worried for the reaping then you've come to the wrong place. I don't know what it is but i just know i woun't be picked. i just know it. I mean it's not like I'm excited about the reaping. I don't like the idea of the hunger games. In fact i hate it more than anything else in the world. But that's just my option. Well and pretty much everyone else's.

When i was little my father and I would stay in a district for a few years and then leave just after the reaping. But before we'd leave We'd visit each tribute. My dad would go see the boy and i would go see the girl tribute. We would each give them something to wear in the arena. That's how the tradition got started. Each district we went to we gave the tributes something from their district. We didn't speak to them we would just walk in give it to them and walk out without a word. We attached little notes to each thing saying 'Wear in the arena' i made allot of the things from stuff i found in the woods with my father. Or if there wasn't any wooded area's the things i found around town. I don't remember much of what i made but i do remember in District 12 i made a small ring out of some twine and on the ring was a little bead, that looked like a mocking jay bird. It was really pretty to me and i think the girl tribute really liked it because she smiled and cried a little. before i left she gave me a little hug and whispered 'thank you' I smiled and left. What i made for her was special but what my father made was even more impressive. He was a very good black smith. One day one of his friends who was working in the coalmines found a small piece of gold and gave it to my father. I don't know why but he did. My father took the gold and made it into one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. It was a small pin. A circle but inside it was a mocking jay. It glittered so beautifully the first time i saw it. My father made it. The day of the reaping an 18 year old boy named Oak Everdeen was reaped. I new him. Not well but i did know him. i remember i was walking in the woods one day outside of district twelve. He caught me out there while he was hunting. i was lost and tired so he took me over my a small lake to sit for a while. He showed me what he had been building. It was a little white cottage sort of thing. It was really pretty with a small fire place and every thing. He told me about his family and his son at home. I don't remember the name of his son though. Finally he Started to walk me back to the fence. On the way back he started whistling. And then he started singing. it was a song i'd never heard before but the words haven't left my brain since that moment.

As he sang the birds, the deer, and every other creature fell silent.

Are you are you coming to the tree, where they strung up a man they say murdered three, Strange things did happen here no stranger would it be if we met up a midnight in the hanging tree.

If you didn't already guess it's called The Hanging Tree. I love the song. There are three more verses to the song and i know them all by heart. I sing the song all of the time just to keep it fresh in my memory. After a while i sung along with him. But my voice couldn't compare to his.

He was reaped for the hunger games that year and my father gave him the mocking jay pin. 

That was my fathers last time attending the reaping. Alive. We moved to district 2, were he died. As for the mocking jay pin I continue were it is. When oak died in the games he wasn't wearing it. I haven't been back to district 12 since then but I hear it's over there somewhere.  Who knows maybe someone will find it someday.

I should be getting up now. I don't like laying here in bed remembering all of these hurtful things. Besides need to get ready. I bathed and washed out my messy hair. I already had my outfit picked out. A knee length black dress with a green/blue/silver ribbon around it tying into a bow in the back. That dress matched with black flats with small silver bows on the toe part. And I couldn't forget my dragon claw necklace. My most treasured object. I tied my hair into a bun with a small braid going from the side of my head back. I looked pretty nice I guess. This is how I look pretty much every year.

Time to go. People will be there by now.  I'm worried about Erin. Yesterday he said, that no matter what he'd do whatever he had to do to protect me. Now with any other person that wound't be a problem but with me well..Never mind. I know i won't get picked but i cant be so sure about Erin. He put his name in extra times so he can feed his family. He supports his entire family alone. His three siblings, his mom, and his grandmother. His dad is an alcoholic who refuses to live with them  so he lives on the street. Erin takes care of all of them even his dad, just because his heart is to big to leave any of them out. And he never complains. He just works and works and dose whatever he has to do to keep them alive even if it means risking his life. And know he's added me to that list. I feel so horrible that he care's so much about me, That he wants to protect me just like he dose with his family. i hate putting just that much more on his shoulders. I wish i could take some of his pain away. Just take it off his shoulders and put it on mine. he's just so pure. So innocent. He understands me like no one else ever has or ever will. On the outside he is strong, his past makes him feel weak on the inside, and his Hateful feelings of weakness make him strong on the inside.I'm thinking about all of these things as i walk to the square, were the reaping's always held. yippee. They pricked my finger and told me to head over to the sixteen year old section. I closed my eyes and tried to drown out all of the sound.

"And may the odds be ever in you're favor"  I open my eyes to see a capital lady one the stage dresses like a giant swan This is Candria Tottleick, The capital freak who's in charge of doing the reaping every year in district three. "as always ladies first" she said and walked over to the big glass bowl containing the names of hundreds of girls from this district between ages twelve to eighteen.  Candria dipped her hand into the bowl and pulled out a small piece of paper. "Destiny Everheart" Destiny. i knew that name. I knew her story too. Two years ago she became ill and her family spent every dime they had for her to get better. She eventually did get better, but her family had no money and starved . she hasn't eaten a full meal for months. i don't know what it was but seeing her on that stage just killed me inside. She was so pale and small. Just a little twelve year old girl, so helpless and innocent. i had to do something she'd be killed within an hour of being in that arena. Her frail bones are just too breakable. i knew i had to save her.

"I volunteer" i said aloud. No one heard me. I ran out into the middle of the path leading up to the front of the stage. " I volunteer" i yelled. I felt my self being dragged away by peacekeepers. I squirmed and screamed . "no no..please.... i..i volunteer" i yelled. I kicked myself out of there grip. knocking them to the ground. "I volunteer as tribute for the Hunger Games" i said. This time every one heard me, and they where shocked.There has never been a volunteer in the hunger games before. Well not here anyway. District one and two has had a few volunteer's over the years, but not many.  I walked up to the stage and climbed the over sized steps. "what's your name dearie" Asked Candria. it occurred to me that everyone here but Erin never learned my name. here it goes "Kaida....kaida Rose"  I said loud and clear into the microphone. "Great great great" said Candria obviously excited to send me into the arena where i could possibly die. " now for the boy tribute. once again she dipped her hand into another big glass bowl. " Cal..." " I volunteer" Someone yelled from the seventeen year old section. oh no. He walked up to the stage. "no..No..No Erin please" i said as he approached me and Candria who was still overly excited. "What's your name young man. He  looked at me, staring straight at my eyes looked right through them like he could see all of the commotion going on inside my head. "Erin Colt"  He finally said not taking his eyes off mine. "no" i whispered. "kaida you seem to know Erin is he a friend of yours" Candria said coming closer to me. "No" "Is he a boyfriend"  she pushed the microphone up to my face. "no' "than what is he" she asked. " this time i looked straight into his eyes. Then i took the microphone Candria was holding and looked right at the camera, and the whole country. "He's an innocent" 

***************HEY GUYS HOPE YOU ENJOYED NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE OUT THIS WEEK!!!! tHERE'S A PICTURE OF DESTINY EVERHEART ON THE SIDE!!!!! SPECIAL THANKS TO MY FRIEND DEANNE FOR SUGGESTING THAT CHARACTOR!!!!! iF YOU WANT ME TO MAKE YOU A CHARACTOR SEND A MESSAGE TO MY INBOX SAYING WHY YOUR THE BIGEST HUNGER GAMES FAN. THANKS HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING LOVE FOREVER     -writeitout32423