Culling

Part I • Chapter III

There was no answer, and he opened the door and peeked inside. He scoffed, and then closed it again before he stomped his way back towards me. "She's out, and there is no way we are going to be able to wake her up to go."

Oh no!

I shuffled from foot to foot nervously, "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing." He turned on his heel and walked towards the front door.

I looked after him, and back again to the hallway, before I hurried off in his wake. "Maro!"

"You have seen her lately." He glanced down at me as I caught up to him, before he realized that I was too close for his comfort. "Don't walk so close to me. Also, don't hang out with me when we get there. Go hide somewhere so no one can see you."

I ignored his last comments and focused on the first. "What do you mean? Like how she has been really out of it?"

Maro scoffed, "She hasn't just been out of it, she's been high as a kite!"

"No way!" I gasped, that just was not possible. "Sure, I know she gets her medication every month but that's not enough to-"

"You cannot be that naïve. Where do you think the money goes?"

I put my finger to my lip as I thought. I suppose that made sense, even though it was distressing. Maro and I hadn't really been seeing the money and I was the one who made sure that we've been fed.

"Oh no..." I said under my breath, my poor mother.

He rolled his eyes, "Why are you concerned anyway? It is not like she's mother of the year towards you. She clearly doesn't want you to bother with her. In fact, I don't want you bothering with me either. Why are you even here hanging around me. Go away."

It was then I noticed that we entered the town at some point during our conversation. Maro and I had arrived at a roped off area for the candidates, and with his last statement he left me behind as he walked to his place.

"Maro, good luck!" I called after him.

"You are so annoying." He turned his back to me.

However, since the candidates were to stand alphabetically, he ended up near the position where I waited anyway. He had to have known I was there, as I stood a few feet away, but he chose to ignore me.

After a bit, his best friend, Derrick, arrived and greeted him.

Then they both ignored me. How mean.

As the event drew near, the crowd around me divided into sections of participants and spectators. At one point I felt like I was being watched, and spotted one of the few people I recognized by name from my spying around town. I had no idea that he knew I existed.

Wil glanced at me and our eyes met briefly. His cheeks dusted a light pink and he nodded a hello before he looked away fidgeting.

Weird.

In any case. He didn't look like someone tough enough to survive even a day at these games. I really hoped he wasn't picked.

An alert suddenly blasted through the megaphones above the city central, signifying the beginning of the program.

After a moment of brief silence, a feminine voice spoke."Hello district six! How lovely to be here today. Welcome to the introduction of our one hundredth gaming season!"

A young woman appeared and seemed to glide onto the rickety wooden stage. It appeared as though her voice had been broadcasted from a microphone clipped to her bosom. She had voluminous brown hair that had dusting of glitter combed throughout it, and it was piled on the top of her head in an elaborate fashion.