73rd Games

Chapter one

The day of my reaping was scorching hot...

The sun is beating down on my back as I stand outside my house, watching the world go by. Everyone is especially quiet today though; they are all getting ready for the reaping. I can hear my mum calling me from inside the house, telling me to get dressed into my best clothes. She is still getting Tommy ready. Tommy is my younger brother - he's only five - and can be extremely stubborn and annoying hen he wants to be and apparently today he doesn't want to get dressed.

My dad is over at the mayor's house, where he works, probably helping him or his daughter get ready for today. Cassie, my 18 year old sister, is over at her boyfriend's house, spending some quality time together incase it is the last time they ever see each other. So I'm pretty much on my own at the moment. I remember two years ago I was almost crying at this point I was so terrified. But this is my third reaping and I'm not too scared this time. I've only had my name put in one extra time because Cassie has only just let me claim tesserae this year. Her name is in there countless time by now as she has always insisted on providing extra for us. We're not too poor anymore since Dad got the job in the mayor's house a few months ago but before that we were almost starving.

As I stand up to go back inside, something catches my eye: a boy, maybe a year or two older than me, running out of a house trying to conceal tears. I suppose I can't really judge him, I don't know why he's crying. For all I know he has had his name put 100 times and knows he will never come home after today. I would be crying then too. But I still have a relatively good chance of coming home tonight and sharing a meal with my family, happy in the knowledge that we will be safe for another year. Although, of course, the wheels of fate don't always turn in our favour.