The Hunger Games - Rues POV

Chapter 1: The Reaping...

1

The Reaping…

                I am up before the sun waiting by the window. I listen as my little brothers and sisters snore softly beside me. The air inside the cabin is cool and I shiver as I push our small blanket away from me onto my siblings.  My fingers clench into a fist dreading the day. Today is the day of The Reaping.

                Every year one boy and one girl from all twelve districts get selected, travel to the Capitol and engage in a ruthless bloody game called Hunger Games. 24 tributes in all – 23 die – only 1 survives. If your District is not favoured by the Capitol. You have less chance to win.

                The games happen because of the Dark Days when the districts began to rise against the Capitol. All twelve districts became over powered and the thirteenth was destroyed.

                This is my first year. I can’t afford to get picked because of my family. But if I do I have to win. District 11 is probably one of the poorest in Panem. All we do is agriculture. We’re not technology or power or luxury or even transportation. Those being the favoured Districts.

                Someone touches my shoulder. I look up. It’s mama. I smile at her and she smiles back caressing my cheek. She pulls me up from the ground and guides me to the door stepping over the sleeping bodies.

                It’s warm outside now and the sun is almost fully up. We walk across the long porch passing other houses. We live in a Farm House. It’s not a house for animals but just a row of small cabin homes lined up side by side with one really long porch.

                There is a bench on the at the end of the houses and we sit. She takes my hand and strokes the back of it. I lean on her shoulder sighing.

                “It is okay to be afraid.” She says after moments of silence.

                I refuse to look up, “What’s going to happen to you papa and our family if I leave?”

                “We’ll be alright.” Mama breaths.

                “I have to take care of you all.” I tell her. “It’s my job not to let our family starve.”

                She moves away from me forcing me to get up and look at her, “Now wait a harvest! No one said you had to be the guardian angel of this family! Your papa and I will do what we can. We are surviving.” She says firmly.

                “We are surviving because I give up my extra meals for the children and take from the crops when no one is around!” I look at her angry.

She doesn’t say anything so I continue, “I can’t be chosen to go into the games, mama. I just can’t.”

“It’s your first Reaping, little bird.” My mama says. “I doubt they will choose you. There are children who have their names fifty times in that basket. There is no way they would choose my bird.”

“No way.” I whisper.

The words aren’t soothing to me but I let my mama think they are. We continue to talk and when late morning came we finally decide to go into the house. Everyone is awake except for Iris. Mama picked her up from the floor and she continued to sleep in her arms.

Papa sat on the only chair we had. He looked troubled but I didn’t speak about that.

“You must still go to school.” He said. We all knew this. It happened every year. All eligible children of the reaping in District 11 must go to school so the teachers can go over what is to happen during  the Reaping.

Papa continued, “Nothing wrong is gonna happen or it will mean death.”

“Hamlet!” Mama yells.

“I’m only telling my children the truth, Dahlia.” Papa says. “I cannot lie. Especially to Rue who is getting older by day.”

I look at papa and he nods at me. I give a small smile in return.

By mid day I make my way to the school. The air is hot and I’m sweating a bucket full by the time I reach it. Inside all kids go to their usual class.

“Rue over here!” My friend Bo yells.

I smile and go sit beside her. When the teacher walks in is when I feel that the Reaping has just begun.

She starts off with the usual story about why the Hunger Games are here. That a while ago when there was destruction in the world. People came together to create a nation called Panem. There is was thirteen districts brought up as well as the Capitol. But one day the one of the thirteen district – District 13 – was ungrateful and raged a war against the Capitol. Some other districts got involved but in the end the Capitol won, District 13 got destroyed and the Hunger Games was produced. Now the children of those who decided to rebel must pay by sending one girl and one boy from each district to go to the Capitol and fight to the death. The victor and his/her family get food, money a nice home and everything else they needed for the rest of their lives. The tricky part is 24 of us go in there, only one of us comes out.

When the teacher finishes a dozen Peacekeepers walk in with guns strapped to their chest  and file us out. We march our way town hall where the hamlet of the Daredevils surrounds it. We get our names checked off the list and our blood ran. By gender then age we are sorted. I spot Thresh at I take my spot. He gives me a toothy grin and raises both his thumbs. I nod and look to the front where two individuals hold the key to my death.

A man named Marcus Flemming takes the microphone and begins to speak, “Well, hello there future victors!” He smiles and Peacekeepers begin to laugh. No one from out district even twitches.

“What? Can’t take a joke? Never mind.” He looks down a piece of paper then back up. “The point of the year has finally come where we chose two tributes to fight in order to win and gain respect for District 11.”

“Let us – like we always do – start with the girls. Crimson?” He jesters to the woman beside him.

I never liked how that woman looked. Her face was like a cat but the way she stood it looked an animal ready to spring for it’s prey. She sticks her hand into a clear bowl and picks up a small paper with a name written on it.

Everything is quiet. Not even the birds chirp. Crimson’s mouth pulls apart, “Rue Enshrine!”

Suddenly the whole world seems to spin. A few kids around me look my way. I break from the row I’m standing in and make up way to the stage. On my way there I catch Thresh’s eye and a pain expression engulfs him. I look away because I know if I didn’t I would begin to cry.

I struggle to get up the two very large steps and no one assists me. Marcus looks at me and smiles. “haha. Young girl, I see you’re twelve. Have fun!”

He clears his throat. “I shall do the honours of the boys.”

He holds a slip of paper. “Thresh Gadlin!” 

“No!” I scream. “No! You can take me but you will not take him!” A peacekeeper grabs me from behind as I lunge towards Marcus.  I try to claw my way from him kicking and thrashing. Then suddenly a gun is held to my face. I meet the eye of the Peacekeeper. He raises an eyebrow a threat plastered to his expression. I lose my will. I know if I make more of a scene they will kill my family.

Looking back towards the crowd I see my family. My mama is clutching my papa with Iris in her hands. My siblings are clinging to mama. Papa is just standing there stunned tears streaming down his eyes.

The one thing he dreaded the most just happened. His eldest child has just been entered in a death match. A death match in which she will not win.