The Odds Are Never In Our Favor

chapter 1 good morning

  “Good morning, Frost,” said Jacop.

“Not exactly a good morning, Today’s reaping; you know that,” I said in an anoyed voice.

he slowly props himself up on his elbow and looks at me with a cold hard stare.

 "one day, one day frost. were gonning to move out off this dump and go somwhere better, somwhere far away from panndom."

"i know, i know." i said helping him out of bed, he pushes me away clearly anoyed of my help and he hobbles over to the stairs.

   “I can help you get down the stairs,” I immediately said. i always  have to help him get down stairs.

   “No, I can do it,” said Jacop. I watch him slowly get out of bed and limp to the stairs then slowly and carefully walk down each step. Like a young child confused on what to do, clearly needing more help. I go to get on my cloths. I look at my old rag of a dress; its blue with some old embroidery of yellow flowers that mom made for me. She always made the most beautiful embroidery. She was a seamstress, but that was before she....*sigh* it has been damaged beyond repair. The blue has faded to gray with little of the yellow still shining through time. But it still fits well enough. I put on my dress and walk over to the cracked mirror and slowly brush my pale blond ratty hair until it's nice and smooth. I open mom's old clothing box and take out a silk blue ribbon and tie it into a neat bow in my hair. Carefully studying my reflection, I am the opposite of my mom, skin and bones my dad would always say. My deep blue eyes and full lips can almost make up for my vampire completion.  

   A shrill voice sounds from the downstairs. “River! It's me, Helen and Maria.”

   A lighter voice, “May we come in?” said what must be Maria.

   “One moment,” said Jacop from downstairs. I walk down to greet them. jaycop has put on a nice collared shirt, and his last pair of good jeans.  Maria and her mom are in the doorway.

 Maria has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. It started on the first day of kindergarten. I just started school, and there she was sitting on the playground all alone. All it took was just for me to sit down next to her and we were friends. And we stuck together. Of course there is no forgetting her mom Helen. They’re so different, sometimes I find it hard to believe they are even related.

   “Hi River….” Helen cut off Maria. “We thought you two would like some company today!”

   “I know how much your dad works,” said Maria.

   "We appreciate your concern but we're fine," said Jacop. Maria is wearing a worn yellow skirt with her best white blouse, while Helen is wearing an old pink dress with whats left of a lace trim. She wears it like it's the newest fashion, but everything here is second hand, and i mean everything.

   "Whats that?" i asked, pointing at a small brown basket in Helen's hand.

   "Oh nothing, just a treat for the reaping," said Helen. Taken by surprise, Maria snatched the basket out of her mother's hands and looked inside.

 The smell of fresh baked pie filled the room.

with fuious anger maria starts to yell at her mom in spanish, my brother told me people used to speek many languages before the war, but i rarely ever hear her speak using spanish. People arnt alowed to speek in diferent toungs anymore. If the peacekeepers cant unerstand you, your automatticly treated like a comspearator agesnt pannom. evan the knowlage of these languages exsistance can mean certan death. i could never imaging hidding it for so long.

"If your so consered of how i got the pie then dont have any!" said helen

maria then grabed the basket out of her mothers hands and furoiusly threw it on the floor, and imedeatle regreted the desision and gasped while all watched the pie fall out of the basket, landing face up on the floor. her face was red hot and her eyes welled up, with a single running down her cheek she wispered "im sorry"

maria had tried to tech me some spanish over the years but still i only new enough to grasp basic conversation, she had said things like hore and money, so of corse it was a reasonable question, were in the world did she get that pie? I had never though helen would break her pride down so far as to offer up her body for money, even though its not uncomin for this to happen in the winter, when food gets scarece, somtimes a little extra coin can be the diference inbetween life and death.  not to mention shuch a delicasiy as pie was verry rare for most in distric twelve, just how far did she go?

jacob walks over to the pie calmly and scoops it back into its tin, clearly just exsited to see something sweet for once, he always did have a sweet tooth. well come on guys, a little dirt never hurt no-one.