Wave ~ Hunger Games [1]

four

+ breakfast +

I stood over the stove in my kitchen, all three of my brothers sitting at the table behind me, half falling asleep as they tried to keep their eyes open. I pushed the shredded potatoes around the pan, letting them brown as I let out a deep breath, picking up the pan and walking over the table, all eyes opening as they saw the food.

"Here we are" I said, taking the frying pan over to each of their plates, pushing some potatoes into each of them as they picked up their forked, leaning forward as they waited for me to be done. "Thanks" Kai said bluntly as he pushed them around his plate, pushing some into his fork as he sighed lightly. "Thanks Waverley" Haf mumbled, picking up the crystallised salt from the middle of the table and sprinkling it over his breakfast. When I was younger I found out if we heated sea water and put a wet towel in it we could make salt, using it for cooking instead of using seaweed for flavour.

I sat down next to Zale, taking my own plate of potatoes and greens as I set it in front of me, picking up my fork. "How are we feeling today?" I asked them, taking a drink of my tea, looking at Haf who diverted his eye contact with me, staring at his plate.  He was going into his second reaping this year, and I can say from experience that it never got easier, no matter if it was your first or your 4th. "Fine" Kai said bluntly, taking another mouth full of food to avoid talking to me. "Haf?" I asked, looking at him, his brown hair complementing his sharp green eyes as he finally looked over at me, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm fine today, might not be so good tomorrow" he said quietly, pushing his food around on his plate as he shovelled it into his mouth. "You'll be fine H, you won't be going anywhere, no matter what happens" Kai said to him, clapping him on the back as Haf just sat there, staring at his plate. I don't know if Haf knew of Kai's arrangement if his name was to get picked out, but he was still nervous for the reaping, because if his name came out, someone in our family was going into the arena.

The morning of my first reaping I was a mess, I watched the games the year before, wanting to know what I was in for, and I had a nightmare every night until it was over, imagining myself in that arena. "Can I go fishing tomorrow?" Zale asked me, sitting up a little higher on his chair as he pushed his food into his mouth, a piece getting stuck to his lip. "Maybe in the afternoon, I'll take you" I said to him, placing my hand on his head, running it down the back of his hair.

He nodded his head excitedly, looking over at Kai, who also nodded at him. Zale didn't know what was happening, he was only 5 and my parents felt as if he shouldn't have to know what was happening to all of us. No one told him about it, Mom usually carried his sleeping body with her while we watched the reaping happen, not letting him know what was happening, telling him that if your name got picked out you won a special prize.

But there was nothing special about the hunger games.

"Dad could take you" Kai said, a small somber smile on his face as he leaned back in his chair, dropping his fork into the plate. We let mom and dad sleep in, hoping to have a quick talk about how everyone was doing without them telling us to not talk about it. "I think it will be an academy volunteer this year" Kai said, looking up at me as a i shrugged my shoulder, looking down at my plate as I grabbed my mug, letting the warmth heat up my hand. "Maybe, male or female?" I asked him, picking it up as a i let the steam heat up my cheeks, looking at my brother once again.

"Both" he said, shoving more food into his mouth, as if nothing could please his appetite. "I don't think there will be, they normally save it for the 5s and 10s" i said, knowing that the last academy volunteer was for the 60th games, almost 3 years ago to date.
Kai grunted in reply, once again shovelling more food into his mouth as if there was no maximum capacity for how much he could fit in there. I rolled my eyes gently, not impressed by my brother and his ways of eating.

"Haf does your shirt need ironed for tomorrow?" I asked him, noticing he wasn't eating his food anymore, instead staring at it as he nodded his head. "Yeah, could you do it for me?" he asked me quietly, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again, causing me to smile at him softly. "Yeah sure" I replied as he nodded his head., leaning back in his chair as I let out a small sigh. "Tomorrow, you guys need to look your smartest for me" I said to all of the boys, Kai and Haf having a small smile on their faces, Zale just sat singing to himself, in his own world.

He was lucky, not being exposed to any of the horrid stuff that happened once a year. Kids around my age killing each other, all for the entertainment of some uppers. Sometimes i wish i could shield my family from it, never have Zale or Haf go through another reaping, but that wasn't how it worked in Panem.

There was nothing that could be done, we just had to suck it up and keep being pawns in President Snows game.

24 Hours left

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A/N: sorry this chapter is so short, but i'm really trying to set up the relationship between Waverley and her family.
but the next chapter is the one everyone is waiting for
the reapinggg, I think we all know what is coming so it won't be much of a shock lol
but thanks for reading and please vote and comment and i'll see y'all soon