Beauty in Darkness

Chapter One

District Eleven. The farmers of Panem. We do the labor that the Capital citizens are too lazy to do themselves. We farm and nurture tons of food and not a grain of it goes into our mouths. It all goes to the Capital. We have no choice. Our only other option is to not work, which would result in a bullet to the head.

My family, the Satos, live near the trees. I guess we are lucky compared to most others. Sure, there are still ten Peacekeepers keeping watch on our house and our work, but they aren't as ruthless as some. But there is a good reason for that. No Peacekeepers are kind. However, some may be willing to make a deal.

My older sister, Asahi, is quite the beauty. No one has ever said otherwise and no one ever will because it is true. They say I am a close second through.

Asahi has her way of making the Peacekeepers nicer. I've never understood what goes on behind closed doors, but I have my suspicions. They are normally confirmed when I see her messy hair, mismatched buttons, and irritated expression.

My family is what used to be called Japanese. We have caramel skin, slanted brown eyes, long lashes, and black hair. Mine is normally tied up in a ponytail from working but when it is down, it goes past my bottom.

Asahi has the same look, but everyone says she is more beautiful. With rosy cheeks, smooth skin, and long black hair-not as long as mine-she is a beauty. I guess people try to find any beauty they can in such a miserable place.

District Eleven is the Agricultural District of Panem. We grow almost every crop that the Capital needs. Well, more like wants.

As I said before, my family lives near the trees. My Father works constantly in the hopes to make more money for our family. I don't see him all day and I'm asleep when he gets home, then he's gone before I wake up. Tomorrow is the first time I will have seen him in a week.

Tomorrow is the reaping. The reaping is when one boy and one girl from each District, all twelve of them, are chosen to go into the Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games is a battle to the death with only one winner, one survivor. My best friend was reaped last year. He died on the second day. That's the Games. You think you have allies, but really they are just waiting to kill you.

"Akemi!" My mother called. I turned around from where I had been in the doorway, staring at the trees.

"Time for dinner." Mother said in her light accent. I hardly noticed it anymore, but many people did if they had never met us. I walked inside our very small house and sat down at our dining table.

The best word to describe our house was shack. There were two beds, one table with four rickety chairs, a small stove/oven, and a single lightbulb that hardly provided enough light for our small space. We had two rough wooden shelves above our stove. One for our tiny bit of spices and seasonings, one for our chipped plates, bowls, and cups. A small wooden cup sat in the middle of our table and held four forks, four knives, and four spoons. We had a small wooden box next to the stove that held all of our food. On the other side of the stove was a pile of wood that dwindled down to nothing in the winter.

We had a small outhouse next to our shack, but I tried to avoid it at all costs. It smelled terrible.

A few weeks ago, Father had been able to save enough to buy us a functioning sink! It was heaven. Now we wash all out our fruits, vegetables, and clothes in it.

Mother set a small bowl of soup in front of me and I ate it without complaint. I knew by now to not complain about what I was given, because it's kind of a gift I get anything at all.

For a while we were so poor, we ate once every two days. Now, we eat twice a day, every day! With Father working so much and Asahi working nearly as much, we have a bit more than we had before, so we can eat more often.

"Thank you Mother." I said and she kissed the top of my head. "Why are you so nervous?" I shrugged then frowned.

"The reaping is tomorrow." I mumbled. Mother raised my head with one finger so I was looking into her warm brown eyes.

"You are only sixteen darling. You have never done anything wrong, never taken tesserae, you will be fine. It's your sister I'm worried about. She buys tesserae all the time." I stared at her in shock. I had never heard of this!

"What?! Why? I thought we were okay!" Mother nodded.

"We are. But Asahi gets things that may be out of our price range with the tesserae. Like that dress you got for your birthday? Or the new silverware on the table?" I stared at the spoon I was holding. How had I not realized it was new? How had I not realized how much it had cost?

"I can't loose her!" I cried. Sure, Asahi and I had our differences, but she was my sister and she did whatever she could to help us!

"I know dear. We just have to have faith that she will be safe." I looked into my Mother's calm eyes and was instantly reassured. It was like a spell she put on me.

"You're right. We just need to have a little faith."

——

That night, I stared up at the ceiling from my bed and prayed. I wasn't sure anyone was listening, but I prayed that Asahi wouldn't be the one to go. I prayed and prayed that she would be safe. I don't think anyone was listening. If anyone was, they gave no sign.

Tears poured silently down my face as I thought of what loosing Asahi would mean. I cried and cried until I finally cried myself to sleep. A sleep where I had dreams of a faceless figure stabbing my sister, over and over, while she pleaded for her life.