As Sly as a Fox

As Right as a Wrong

 I was left with nothing to do except watch the minutes go by on the clock and wonder what was going to happen to me.

  I figured that one of two things could happen to me. Since i was still underage, I couldn't possibly be put to death or made into an avox. I doubt my crime was even that severe. You never know about the Capital, the can do some pretty messed up shit. 

  Of course, I researched the consequences about what I was about to do. At least I had that much common sense as a 14 year old kid. After school one day, I went to the very building I currently am waiting in. The Justice Center has a small library that anyone can use. Not that any one would actually want to visit it. It's filled with just about every law book written that applies to Panama. 

 Before I decided to change my age, I went through The Reaping. The Reaping had every single detail about the actual reaping. I was positive I was going to find a loop hole in it. Maybe even more than one.

 I took both of the volumes of the shelf, and sat down to devour their contents, page by page. The books were so big, that combined, they probably weighed more than I did. I was there the entire night, but the rules were to thought out. 

  I could only find a few rules that exempted anyone between the ages 12-18. If a girl was pregnant, she couldn't be a tribute. If anyone was extremely sick  they couldn't be picked as a tribute. One of the most interesting things I found was the intelligence factor. If one at or below the IQ of 70, they couldn't even put their name in for the reaping. This had been added 27 years ago. I guessed that they had put a mentally retarded kid in the hunger games. That probably didn't go down to well with the public. 

 Mental Retardation is the only disorder one can have that could save them in the reaping. That left me with only one choice. Everything had worked out perfectly. Until now that is.

 The second thing that could happen to me was being sent to the district five community home. I've heard it isn't that bad there. However, to me it would be like a prison.  I couldn't be in a position where everyone told me what to do all the time, and I had to obey their every single rule. Having to go back to school, where they taught you the various jobs you would fall into and work with until you fell old, and became useless. 

 The door opened at that moment. A tall man with a stubble of beard sat down in the over sized velvet chair across from me. He looked tired and annoyed, but not exactly angry. 

 "Alestra Sayval..." He rummaged around in a stack of papers that hadn't been there before. He finally pulled out a piece of paper. 

 "You have been absent from the hunger games for two years, and tomorrow will be your third year. Because of this, we have decided to make a rather unusual decision. It will be sent to President Snow after I explain it to you."

 I nod. " I understand you live by yourself, and have no reason to put your name in for tesserae. However, for each yeah that you missed, we have decided to put your name in 16 times. That comes to a total of 32 times. Additionally, you will need to put your name in five times for this year."

 "In total, your name will be put into the reaping 37 times."

 That's it? That was nothing compared to what I had expected. Some kids put their name in even more than that voluntarily.

 "That sounds acceptable. What if  I am not drawn in the reaping?" 

 "Then you will go to live in the community home here in district five until you come to the age of eighteen."

  That was the catch. I nod, and he says that I will be escorted back to my apartment to get some sleep. I will need to be up and ready by ten o clock the following morning, dressed in reaping clothes.

 Two peace keepers escort me out of the room, standing close to me, but not touching me.

 "Wait. How about B- . The little girl I came with." 

 "Her mother  came to pick her up an hour ago. Please go home now.:

 I nod, and straighten myself up. I am about to walk out the door, when the man speaks again.

 " Miss. Sayval?" 

 "Yes?"

  His lips upturn in a slight smile. "May the odds be ever in your favor."

 I laugh, and proceed out the door.