"𝙇𝘼𝙈𝘽"
-
"Cora Madden, the youngest victor The Games have ever seen, She'll attract lots of donors; they'll swarm her like moths to a flame."
Hailing from District Ten, the livestock district, Cora, a non-combatant, resides alone with her mother...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
DISTRICT TEN STRETCHED across vast plains and fields, its horizon decorated by barns and silos, a patchwork of pastures where livestock roamed freely.
But today, the usual calm was pierced by an eerie silence, broken only by the distant calls of animals echoing across the landscape.
July 4th had arrived—a day both feared and mourned.
Today was The Reaping, the day when parents sent their kids to be picked for slaughter. The Capitol did it as a form of control over the district to maintain fear.
For the past 72 years, two children, one male and one female from each district, have been forced to participate in the Game, where they stream kids killing each other for the Capitol's entertainment. That's what it has come to over the years. The ages range from 12 to 18.
In the districts, there isn't even enough food, so children will add their name multiple times to the bowl for a year's supply of food and oil called tesserae.
You're rolling the dice of life for the sustenance you need.
And it was Cora's first time being entered into the reaping ball.
She and her mom owned a few goats and sheep and made money by selling the milk. Cora's job was to deliver it to the customers so people knew who she was.
Since she turned twelve, people on deliveries assured her that her initial reaping ceremony would be a breeze because 'the odds were in her favor,' except when they weren't for people.
Today, even their usual chores couldn't drown out the growing fear creeping up on them. Cora sat in the small kitchen, tears mixing with milk and bread.
She had kept her mom awake for hours last night, whispering that she wouldn't be chosen until she eventually fell asleep. However, now it's morning, she still couldn't stop crying.
She placed her finished glass on the table before taking her small hand to wipe any remaining food off her face. Her mom opened the door to their house and walked in carrying a bucket of water.
"Mommy," she said, her voice tinged with sadness, as she smiled at her mom with tear-stained cheeks.
Her mom placed the bucket before crouching to her daughter's height and gently wiped the tears off her cheeks.
"Good morning, my little lamb. Did you finish your breakfast?" Cora's mother asked.
Cora nodded at her mother as she picked up the bucket again and carried it into another room to empty it into the small tin tub.
"Are you ready for a bath?" she asked her daughter with a smile.
Cora nodded to her mom.
The dirt on her skin seemed to etch itself deeper, a constant reminder of the impending reaping that loomed closer with every passing minute, casting a shadow over her thoughts and filling her heart with an overwhelming sense of dread.
