Nothing Personal

District Ten Reaping

District Ten, unsurprisingly, smelt of animals. Even when the main township had been totally cleared of them, the smell still lingered in the air. Though all the stone houses had been cleaned, they were still brown and squat. The Capitol might turn their noses up at them but the people who lived in them were perfectly comfortable. The people of Ten were, by and large, a comfortable people, built for work rather than looks. They were warm hearted and affectionate, despite the daily business of killing animals, and the whole atmosphere surrounding the square was one of a family saying a tearful goodbye to two of its most beloved children.

Almost every adult was crying already. A few remained resolutely stony-faced in a show of bravado and defiance, but they were the exception. The teenagers, sensitive to the irony of being kept in pens, were either standing in total silence or talking to friends in hushed, panicked tones. All of them were tanned, some burnt, and most kept their hair off their faces with clips or bands. Even on their day off, some habits were difficult to break. Their clothes, despite rigorous cleaning, were still faded and shabby, and even the youngest teenagers seemed ancient and earth-bitten.

It was just the sort of place to make the newest Capitol escort, Lorenza, feel good about herself. It was her first day on the job, and when she walked out onto the stage everybody's ears pricked up, wondering what had happened to Benoit. They'd liked him, as much as it was possible for them to like someone from the Capitol.

Lorenza was young, although she didn't think so, and stunning, which she also didn't believe. Her soulful dark eyes gazed out at the crowd as though she was on the brink of tears herself. The crowd gazed up at her expectantly, like a herd of cows who knew when it was milking time. She'd been warned that they might look angry or hateful, but that didn't seem to be a problem. She breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Hi, District Ten!" she chirped, and instantly cursed her stupidity. You weren't supposed to be friendly, you were meant to say 'hello' instead of anything more informal. It didn't seem to have done any damage, so she carried on. "I'm Lorenza and I'm your new Capitol escort!"

A few people clapped half-heartedly and she faltered, unsure what to do next.

"The speech!" hissed the friendly voice in her ear, "Just listen to me and repeat what I say."

Lorenza was sure that she should probably know the speech off by heart, but there were so many people, not to mention that the whole Capitol was watching her, that her mind was suddenly empty of everything except wondering if she'd left her cooker on. She copied the voice in her ear, but even she knew it felt flat and she was almost certain she wouldn't be invited back for another year.

District Ten listened to her pleasantly, trying to look interested. They could tell that the poor girl was nervous and many of them felt sorry for her. It was obvious that she was being prompted from somewhere because every so often she paused in the middle of a sentence and tapped her ear. She never once met the eyes of the audience. A few of the teenagers in the pens started to snigger, forgetting the impending ritual for a moment.

They were an odd bunch, mostly short and hefty, though they still looked underfed. Most had light hair; with some it was difficult to tell because they wore faded suncaps with huge brims to keep the harsh light off their face and neck. Many were crying or close to it, even those who knew that the odds were in their favour. Every so often one of the younger ones made a snuffling noise, and to try and keep the mood light one of the more confident older ones would moo ironically. It failed to amuse anyone. 

Eventually, Lorenza stuttered through the last line of the speech, blushing with embarrassment. She was really going to be in for it when she got back; her big chance and she'd mucked it up. "It's okay," soothed the voice, presumably looking at her horrified image on a screen, "They chose you for your looks. You'll get the hang of it."