The 122nd Annual Hunger Games: The Anti-Careers

District 5 Reaping

V - Avena Cufften

"I just don't want to get picked," I told my older sister, Julia.

"Yes I know, but there is only one thing you can do; show up, and if you're called, hope for a volunteer. Otherwise, go to The Hunger Games." I nearly winced at those words. "And I know you might say that's easier for me to say, me being ineligible for the games because I'm nineteen now, but I need you to understand the fact that somebody has to get picked."

"That's a little blunt, Julia," brother said, also too old for the games at that point.

Julia looked to me, obviously questioning herself on how she said what she said, then continued on. "Well, Avena, just know this is something Carter and I went through for a painful seven years. You're fifteen now, on your fourth reaping. You're halfway through!"

"Yeah I guess," I replied in attempt to shake away my worries.

"Let's just go now," Carter said. "We're hitting close to the reaping."

The town square was only a few streets off so we arrived early enough. Carter, Julia, and our parents went to find a standing area outside the possible tributes section as I went with the other kids my age. Our escort showed up in no time after I arrived.

"Welcome, everyone! It's time to pick our tributes!" she boomed, seeming all too happy for these death games. "And we'll start with the girls, as girls are always first." She reached into the bowl to pick out a name.

I just don't want to get picked echoed in my head.

"Our first tribute, lady tribute," the escort began. I turned to Julia and she looked back to me confident. "Our first tribute is Avena Cufften," she said as my sister's confident smirk fell into a desperate frown. I waited for a volunteer helplessly. She looked back and forth to me and the front stage, eager to do something, but she wasn't even able to volunteer; what could she even do for me at that point? "Avena, where are you?" the escort called out again. A few of the girls around me began to point me out. "Ah, there you are. Come on up!"

I nervously shuffled my feet towards her before peacekeepers could force me over there.

"How old are you, sweetie?"

"Fifteen," I replied softly to the escort, not the people, after spending five seconds thinking of my answer.

"Lovely! And now we shall select our boy tribute to enter the games with you!" she added with glee. Her hand entered the male reaping bowl, pushing other cards away and taking special notice of others. Once she found the paper she wanted, she lifted it out of the bowl with one swift strike. "Our boy tribute to enter the games from District 5 is," she began, clinging to that final hissing consonant. "Festus Aretino."

Most of the boys knew who he was; I could tell because most of the seventeen year olds in their section looked to him, his dull black hair reflecting his disassociation with everything going on at that moment. I looked over to my family to see their angered and worried expressions, but tried to keep it to themselves. Upon returning my eyes to Festus, he was already walking up the steps to the stage where the escort put one hand on my back and the other to Festus, one for each tribute.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have selected our District 5 tributes! They are Avena Cufften and Festus Aretino!"

Festus and I looked to the crowd, trying to imagine even returning to home, District 5. The peacekeepers then moved us into the justice building where we would then be given a minute to say goodbye to some family, then off to the Capitol.