The Hunger Games (Writing Contest) [CLOSED]

Leya Brooks - Reaping

Name: Leya Brooks

Age: 15

Gender: Female

District: 9

Appearance: Leya has light golden brown hair that comes down just past her shoulders. Her eyes are a dull shade of grayish blue. She has a small rounded nose and a perfect cupid's bow to compliment her smooth lips, which are almost always pursed tightly together. She is about 5'6," and has a slim body figure. Her skin is light but tanned.

Personality: Leya is a somewhat shy person, but can open up a lot once she knows you better. She is extremely nice, but is also very intelligent and can turn on you quickly if need be. If she does, she will abandon you, avoid you at all costs, or take revenge in order to make her point that she now despises you. Leya is not afraid to show emotion, but because she is fairly shy she usually keeps things to herself. Leya will never fully trust people, but can get very close to it.

Four Skills:

1. Can tell approximate time based on sunlight.

2. Good at finding and rationing water.

3. Good at using sickle/scythe because she works with them in grain fields.

4. Quick to make up her mind.

Weapon of Choice: sickle/scythe

Played by : coolkidsread1

Reaping:

I awake to the bang of pots and pans hitting the kitchen floor, and my mother's grumble about not having enough space for all of our dishes. She then attempts to pick them all up without making too much noise, but that fails and they rattle against one another as she tries to shove them back into the tiny cupboard. Chuckling, I get out of bed to go help her make breakfast. While she makes a large bowl of grainy mush from the tesserae that I receive every month, I race towards the Victor's Village where Sera and Tommi live with their parents. They have a giant garden in their backyard, and allow me to pick some fresh berries every now and then. I reach the house and skip around to the back where the girls agreed to meet me. As I walk up, they grin and lead me over to one of the large berry bushes that surround the yard. They look around first before speaking.

Tommi begins, "So... What do guys think is gonna happen today?" Sera replies with a moan.

"I have no idea," I say. "I just hope that nothing goes wrong." We have to be at the reaping at eleven o'clock this morning. All three of us are anxious about the results, just as we are every year. We always expect either Sera or Tommi to be picked because of who they are related to, but we have been lucky so far. Jacy Quinn, their mom, won the Games nearly twenty years ago. However, none of us have any training to help us if we get picked, so they have no luck associated with being born to a victor. That is, except for having more money than most families in Nine. And the berry bushes, too, although we're technically not supposed to eat them. I'm very lucky to be able to call them my friends. Most people have avoided me since the incident, which just goes to show that not many people in Nine are kind enough to accept others.

When I was thirteen, I started working in one of the huge grain fields with my father to make a bit more money for our family. I quickly adjusted to working under the conditions- hot, sunny days spent sweating and harvesting different types of grain with a crude wooden sickle, all with very little water. I made progress throughout the first week, but that was mainly because I had to be trained for the job first. Once they saw that I could harvest wheat on my own, they gave me daily quotas that I had to fulfill in order to leave for the day. The work was tiring, but I managed to stay motivated until I finished the job. That is, until I thought I had finished the job. That first day, I was given a large cart to fill with wheat. I spent the day filling the wheelbarrow and finally left the field, lugging the heavy load towards the main buildings where they checked the carts. The guard stopped me. I asked about what I had done wrong. He told me that I hadn't filled the wheelbarrow with enough wheat, but I kept trying to show him that the whole thing was filled. He got frustrated very quickly, and called a Peacekeeper over. I tried to explain that my quota was fulfilled, but he also wouldn't listen. The guard told him that I was being uncooperative. I was then dragged out and the Peacekeeper smacked my wrists multiple times until they were a screaming cherry color. I left that night feeling as though I was burned. I went straight to Jenni. She wrinkled her nose at the sight of my wrists, and wouldn't listen to my story. Priscila simply refused to believe me, and agreed with the Peacekeeper that I must not have done my job correctly. Even Fiona wouldn't agree with me. Disappointed, I went to Sera and Tommi in hopes that of all people, the daughters of a victor would believe me. Luckily, they were kind enough to hear me out. They were shocked to find that three of our friends wouldn't stay on my side. I later found out that I hadn't filled the wheelbarrow all the way. I was off by less than five millimeters. The next time that I reported to the field for work, I filled the wheelbarrow far more than I was supposed to. And have done so since. As a result, I have never gotten in trouble again. I've also never trusted anyone again. After all, a majority of people wouldn't take my word. Plus, I was given a quota to fill but they wouldn't cut a teeny bit of slack for a thirteen year old on the first day of her new job. I think it's safe to say that you can never trust anyone wholeheartedly. You can definitely get very close to it, but never fully. Because I can't trust too many people, I'm always wary of those around me, which in turn causes my lips to always be pursed together. No wonder I never made any more friends. After Jenni, Priscila, and Fiona left our friend group, people avoided us. But that still doesn't make much sense to me. It seems like Sera, Tommi, and I are three of the nicest people in Nine.

We finish picking the berries and Sera drops them into a bag for me to take home. I smile in appreciation before hurrying back home. My mother is pouring the mush into bowls for my father, herself, and me. I grab the bag of berries and divide them into the bowls. The three of us look eager to enjoy breakfast, as it is a treat. We normally get a small bowl of grainy mush for each meal, but this is a larger portion and is being paired with some sweet berries. Might as well enjoy something before the grim reaping with its haunting possibilities. Especially since I have twelve entries in the reaping. I would have had to take tesserae for all three members of our family had I not joined my father in the fields. But because I did that, I only take two extra entries per year in exchange for tesserae. Still, any extra entries in the reaping makes you more nervous. After we finish eating, I go back into my room to put on my reaping outfit. I wear my mother's old yellow dress with lace that lines the collar, and my hair is pulled back into a small bun. My parents walk into the room and smile at my reflection in the little mirror. I smile back with a worried look. We take a deep breath, and head towards the reaping.

After a Peacekeeper checks me into the square, I walk over to the area for fifteen year olds and find Sera and Tommi. They look just as nervous as me. We face the stage where the huge glass balls sit, carrying the names of every twelve through eighteen year old in Nine. The Capitol escort walks onto the stage, and gives the same speech as always, about the Dark Days and the Hunger Games and everything else that applies. Finally, after what seems like hours, the escort walks over to the female reaping ball and calls a name. I hear the name, and wonder for a second whose name this is. Leya Brooks. I think I've heard this name before. I look at Sera and Tommi. They look frightened, and are staring at me with wide eyes. And then I remember. That's my name. I take short steps towards the stage and finally reach it. I see my mother and father crying into each other's arms. And Sera and Tommi still staring at me with wide eyes. And then their expressions change, as if they want to volunteer. I look them in the eye and shake my head back and forth. They look defeated after that. Something inside me collapses as I fully realize what is happening. I return to a dazed state of mind. I hear another name and see another boy come stand beside me. I hear the escort tell us to shake hands, and we do so. I look back at the crowd one more time. I may not know most of the people in it, but I will certainly miss them while I am gone. And suddenly I know that I have to win. I have to win for the few people who care. And for the many who don't.