Hope In Our Eyes #GoldStarAwards2017Winner

Aspen Oleander

All chapters in the point of view of Aspen will be written by the great @xxshenevermissesxx Read her other stories, please!

I wake up late. Almost 9:00AM. Here in District 11, you're supposed to be up and working in the fields and orchards by 7:00AM. The last time someone was this late, there was a public whipping in the square.

I jump out of bed and am just putting on my old, worn out work clothes when I remember something. It's Reaping Day. I don't have to work.

I sigh and change into a nicer outfit reserved for this special day. I allow myself a few minutes to stare into the mirror leaning on my desk. I study my deep brown eyes, my mess of brown hair, my hollow cheeks.

After a while I decide it's time to wake my sister Olive. I make my way through the near empty house I share with my parents and siblings to her room. My parents, my older sister Violet, and my youngest sister Cedar are already at work. I find Olive still asleep in the twin bed she shares with Cedar, who is four.

"Hey, Oli." I whisper, leaning over her and giving her shoulder a gentle shake. "It's time to get up."

Olive slowly opens her eyes and looks at me in confusion for a moment.

"It's Reaping Day." She says. I can see the fear in her dark brown eyes.

"Yeah." I say. "Don't be scared. Your name's only in there twice. Two out o' thousands." The reason her name's only in there two times is because it's required, and I wouldn't let her take any tesserae.

A tessera is a year's worth of grain and oil for one person, that an eligible district resident can get in exchange for their name being put in the pool one more time per each tessera. My name is in twelve times. Six because it's required, plus one tessera for each member of my family.

"I'm still scared." Olive whispers.

I sigh. "Me too."

I have to practically drag her out of bed and over to the small dresser in her room. I leave her alone to change, and make my way to the tiny kitchen to make us breakfast. There isn't really much to prepare though. Just one of the rolls mother makes from the tessera grain for each of us. That's all we can afford to eat. We barely scrape by with the provisions we have, and even then we often go the bed with our stomachs grumbling.

Olive steps shyly into the kitchen where I'm sitting nibbling a roll. She's wearing a knee length light brown dress with buttons down the torso that used to belong to Violet, and her usual worn out brown leather boots. Her long, brown hair is in two Indian braids tied with pieces of twine. She almost looks like she could be headed for the orchards.

"Come eat breakfast, then we'll leave." I say solumnly. She sits across from me at the table and bites into her roll. Once she's done we just sit there for a while.

"I wish momma and daddy was here. And Violet and Cedar too." She says.

"Me too. But they ain't here and we gotta deal with it. Now brush your teeth and we'll head out."

Olive ducks her head and trudges from the room. I clench my hands together and frown down at them. I don't mean to be harsh, but I know I have to help Olive grow up nice and strong. I can't let her dwell on impossible dreams.

I brush my teeth and join her at the door. We're just about to leave when Olive turns on her heel and runs for her room.

"Olive! What the hell?!" I turn to run after her, but she's already coming back. She has something in her hands."What's that?" I ask, trying to grab for it, but she pulls away. "Olive, quit acting up!" I lunge for the object again, and she pulls away again, but this time she holds it up for me to see. I recognize it immediately. It's the crumpled family photo she keeps hidden in her dresser. I study the blurred people in the photo. Mother's caring eyes, father's square jaw and shoulders, Violet's hands, which have been ruined by year's working in the orchards and fields. A slightly younger version of me stands tall and proud with a hand on Olive's shoulder. Olive is staring down at a baby Cedar in her arms, a huge grin on her face.