Shallow: The 21st Hunger Games

District 4 Reaping

DISCLAIMER: I do not own THG. Suzanne Collins does.

Sebastian Tide, 18

District 4 boy

I cast my line into the water. Bored, I reach into my bait box and pull out a worm. I wonder why the fish like it so much. Hmmm... If this is a dream, I can do this! I bring the worm to my mouth and lick it. It tastes like a rainbow. "Mmmmm", I say. Suddenly, a whale leaps out of the water and chomps my head off.

I wake up. Why is my pillow all wet? I must have drooled. I grab a towel and clean it up. Embarrassing! I look at the time. 8:00. Okay. I can still get to the Reaping on time. What if I am late? What if I get Reaped? I shake the thought away. I live in District 4, after all. Even if I get Reaped, there will be a volunteer. I don't believe that I am the one that school chose. There must have been a mistake. That's why I'm not going to volunteer like I am supposed to. My "imaginary" friends (that's what my mom calls them) say that a weird, stupid kid like me could never make it into the Games. "Not in a million years," they said. They are probably right.

I brush my teeth, and put on my dumb Reaping outfit. It is really itchy and uncomfortable, but my mom says I have to wear it for the Reaping. Whatever.

I eat my breakfast, gross, lumpy oatmeal. What if it is poisoned? Oh no! I check the time again. 9:00. Okay.

Wait. I just brushed my teeth. And then I ate. Ughhh. I grab my toothbrush and brush my teeth again.

I go and find my mom in the other room. She is still asleep. She looks really tired, so I don't want to wake her up.

"Mom?"

People say that I look just like my mom. She has brown hair and blue eyes. Same with me. I guess I do look like her.

I step outside and find my pet squirrel. His name is Barley. I pick him up gently, and start playing with him. I play with him for about, um, five minutes, but then I notice his teeth. They look awfully sharp. What if I get bitten? His claws, too. I could get scratched! My mom says that it's bad if you get bitten or scratched by an animal, so I put him down, and I start walking to the Reaping square.

I pass the weird water boy. He is selling... water? We live right next to the ocean. Weirdo! Some people are actually buying from him, though. Wait. It's clean water. I'm stupid. Wow. Of course he's selling clean water! Why would he sell seawater?

I get to the Reaping and a Peacekeeper pricks my finger. I yelp because it feels like a shark, biting my finger. He lets me go, and I wipe it on my shirt. It leaves a red mark. Ow.

I walk over to my 18 year-old boys section. People look jealous, and annoyed. Others look respectul. I think others feel sorry for me. It's kind of uncomfortable.

It's funny. Half the girls have talked to me, or heard from someone, and they think I'm really weird. They are looking all weird at me. Then the other half thinks I'm cute or whatever. Well, I can understand that, hehe. They are totally right.

Bellatrix, our Capitol escort lady, steps up onto the stage. She looks really weird, with all her fancy Capitol makeup and stuff. The forest green hair definitely doesn't help. I think she tried to look nice, but, well, obviously failed. If I was a Capitolite, I would dye my hair blond. Not like, forest green! She reaches for the microphone, then she realizes something. She forgot the Reaping balls! Idiot!

Someone snickers in the crowd. Everyone turns to look. She is tall, and she looks strong. Her shining sea green eyes glare at anyone who looks at her. Her blond hair blows in the wind. Woah. She looks awesome. And suddenly, I'm definitely pretty sure that I know who the Victor of the 21st Hunger Games will be.