THE SUN BEGAN TO RISE, and light streamed through the gauzy curtains, snapping Haven Cleary from her slumber.
For Haven, mornings were usually peaceful, a clean slate each day. 364 days out of the year, the girl woke up with a hopeful perspective.
Not today.
Dread was the foremost thing occupying Haven's mind. Reaping day was a source of fear for every person in District Four, but for Haven especially.
The girl wasn't just worried for herself. Her twin brother, Sawyer, and her older sister, Ashlyn, were both eligible as well. Their family owned a clothing store in town, but business was often sparse, forcing the children each to take tesserae.
Sawyer's name was in 10 times.
Ashlyn's was in 13 times.
Haven was a fierce protector, and her priority was her family. Despite the protests from her parents and siblings, Haven took on the extra burden without hesitation.
Her name was in the pool 25 times.
The odds were not in the Cleary family's favor.
➸
HAVEN PEELED OFF the thin sheet, and sat up, her bare feet hitting the cold wooden floor. she glanced over at the small alarm clock, displaying the time: 4:30. Knowing she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, the girl slipped on a knit sweater over the shorts and tank she was wearing and gingerly walked down the stairs and out her back door, careful to not wake the rest of her family.
Muscle memory guided her as she walked, and after a few dazed minutes, she glanced up and saw the waves of the ocean crashing in front of her.
Haven loved her home. Everything about District 4 was special to her, from the sounds of the horns from the fishermen's boats, to the bustling market, and the quiet beach. District 4 was her safe place, despite never having experienced anything else.
She plopped down on the sand, the tide barely brushing up against her feet. The girl sat, watching the waves, her mind drifting. For a brief moment, she forgot about the reaping, and the possibility of imminent death. The water lapped against her feet, washing away her fear, if only for a few seconds.
Haven didn't realize how long she'd been sitting there until she looked up and saw the sun had fully risen, indicating it had been at least a few hours.
"Shit." she muttered to herself as she stood up and dusted herself off before returning on the path home.
A few minutes later, Haven opened her front door and screamed "Hello", assuming her family would hear her.
She bounded up the stairs and saw her mother had laid out an outfit for the reaping. Haven ran the water in her bathtub until it was warm, then proceeded to wash her hair and body with a bar of soap. She scrubbed under her finger nails, staring at the many tiny scars on her hands from years of pricking herself on sewing needles at the clothing store.
Once the water turned cold, she dried herself off and braided her damp hair into a crown before slipping on the dress and a pair of tan sandals. She glanced in the mirror, adjusting the small cap sleeves on the silky dress.
The Cleary girl examined the way the green dress hung on her slender frame, a result of many years of improper nutrition. She ran her fingers across her sharp cheekbones, thinking to herself how she probably wouldn't even last an hour in the games.
Haven always wanted to protect her family, they were her number one priority. She just didn't know if she could protect herself if it came down to it.
// author's note
first chapter !! sorry i know it's not very action packed, but more exciting chapters are coming soon :) thank you so very much if you are reading this <3 i'm so excited to keep writing this. chapter 2 will also be up soon!!
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