Common Sense {Hunger Games - Cato Fanfiction}

Reapings and Goodbyes

“Does she have to do this every time?” My best friend, Cora James whispers to me as we stand next to each other, squished up between every other seventeen year old in District 3.

I grin at her as my other best friend, Harley Cross, answers her question. “She has to, since none of us are willing to volunteer.”

“It would be an interesting turn of events,” I chime in.

Cora looks shocked. “Adelina James, are you implying that you want someone to volunteer?”

I shrug, not seeing the point of her reaction. “Why not? At least they would actually want to be in the games, better than some twelve tear old being picked again, they really don’t stand a chance.” I mentally slap myself for my words when I see Harley’s face pale slightly.

I'm saved from an awkward attempt at an apology by the squeaky sound of someone tapping on a microphone. Up on a small, rickety wooden excuse for a stage, Seraphina Sentel, the escort for our lovely District Three, straight from the Capitol wears her ridiculous grin as she leans forward into the microphone, her hands hovering over two glass boxes filled with small, folded peices of paper. "Are you ready to find out who your female tribute is?” Seraphina asks, her expression making it perfectly clear that she expects everyone to cheer in response, not that anyone has ever given her the satisfaction. In fact Harley and I are struggling not to laugh at the way her purple hair is piled up on top of her head causing her to resemble an ice cream (a luxury I’ve only once had the pleasure of tasting).

“Oh shut up, you two, this is important,” Cora chides us. She’s right; the reaping is an important day, and an extremely sombre occasion, for two families at least. See, the reaping decides which to two kids (one boy and one girl) are going to compete in a competition called the Hunger Games. To be fair, the prize for winning is a great one, but since not many people want to participate in a contest where the only rule is ‘Kill or be killed’, the reaping was created, where the names of the contestants, or tributes, would be picked.

Seraphina Sentel, as our escort, is the lucky woman who picks the tribute's name from random out of a box containing the name of every child in District 3 within the age of twelve to eighteen. As a seventeen year old, this is one of my last years of the reaping, same with Cora and Harley.

“Cheer up Cora, we’re just trying to shed some light on the situation.” I indicate to Harley with a subtle nod of my head. As Harley’s little sister, Jenna, just turned twelve, she’s been entered in the reaping this year, something that has been worrying Harley constantly.

Cora sends her a sympathetic look, one that does not go unnoticed by Harley, who is back to her foul mood. “Shut up and watch,” she says indicating up to the stage where most people have focused their attention watching the escort relish the attention and draw out her fifteen minutes of fame.

It's always the same routine, though, each year she does seem to be slowing down her speed. Seraphina dips a perfectly manicured hand into the raffle, taking her time, keeping us all on the edge for as long as possible. Finally she picks out a piece of paper and unfolds it, of course prolonging the silence for as long as possible. Only once she’s satisfied with the nervous looks on everyone’s face and I feel as though my heart is about to leap out of my chest, does Seraphina finally read aloud in her crisp voice the words that I’ve been dreading to hear.

“Adelina James.”

My whole body freezes, there’s a brief moment when I look around desperately; hoping that Seraphina will announce that it was a mistake, or that there’s someone else going by my name somewhere in the crowd.

“Adelina James? Where are you, sweetie? Don’t be shy,” Seraphina continues in her chipper voice.

There’s a small nudge in my back as Cora grabs my hand, giving me what’s supposed to be a comforting squeeze, and gives me small push in the direction of the stage. “Ada,” she says, “That’s you.”