May the odds...

Chapter 1 - The reaping

Today starts out just like any other day. I wake up at sunrise to that damn cat screaming for food. And I'll tell you, it doesn't sound pretty.

I struggle to open my eyes but at last I manage and I look over at my brother Asher who is still fast asleep in the other side of the room. I wonder how he sleeps thru everything. Hell even I struggle to wake him up sometimes and according to him I am the most anoying living thing in district 3.

I Think the only reason me and my brother don't get along is because of the capital. I think it's scary to get attached to someone you know you can lose or even worse, fight against in the arena. He is always nice to everyone but he keeps quiet and always seems to feel at home in the corner of the room.

Ash is 18 years old, three years older then me but i am almost just as tall as him. We look the same, both wavy brown hair, brown eyes and pretty muscular to be living in district 3. But we are very different. If someone asked me to describe myself I would say i am brave but not stupidly brave, I think before I act and I would say I have a good consequence thinking.

Ash doesn't seem to be able to think before he does anytning. He is surprisingly impulsive, I dont know how many times I have had to drag him out of a situation when he almost got into a fight with a pecekeeper.

I take one last look over my shoulder before I walk into the kitchen. Ash is still sleeping. I give the cat our leftovers from yesterday. She is the only family I have besides Ash and I swear he loves her more that he loves me. Our parents died in an fire accident at one of the many facrorys in district 3. It was years ago and even since me and my brother have been relying to maintain on tesserae.

The fire was tragic but no one knows what happened. I dont remember much about the fire, I guess I erased it from my mind. I just remember feeling empty and hopeless.

Me and Asher was forced to grow upp fast. Our tesserae gives us enough food but we still needed money to keep our house.

Beside going to school we both work with drones at a factory, he and his colleagues make the parts, then me and my colleagues put them together. I mostly solder components.

At my freetime I like to study things. Right now I am looking into how you reglate units by strengthen frequencies in the earth. This could prevent explosives from acually exploding or atleast give you time to get away.

People still talk about the peeacekeepers being suspiciously quiet after the fire.
My parents was known for hating the capitol, being impulsive and many believed they wanted to start a rebellion against the capital. A lot of people also seem to think the fire was a easy way to kill the Wilsons and stop them from starting a rebellion without arousing suspicion.

I deside to go outside for a moment. I grab a peace of bread as i walk by the pantry.

At this hour the streets would usually be full of people crawling to one of the many factorys but today isnt just a normal day. Its reapingday and no one is working untill the reaping sermony is over. It starts at eleven.

The air is much cleaner today do to no one working at the factorys. I have a bad feeling about today. My name is going to get drawn out of the bowl i can feel it.

I sat down under a tree and closed my eyes for a second. It was nice to relax for a moment even on a day like this. As time ran my worries grew. What if my name got drawn. I am 15 and i have been taking tessera every year since i was seven. The chances are not big but it's posible.

I desside to walk home again. As I walk I think about the hunger games, what a cowardly way to punish the districts for the war. Take 24 children and put them in an arena making them kill eachother. The arena could be anything from a hot desert to a freezing snow landscape.

The message is clear the capital does this to show how powerless we are. I mean look how they take our children. It's honesly pretty stupid. If it's something people care about it is children. Human beings who cant protect themselfs. Everyones morals screems and if the capitol continues to controll us it's not gonna require much for the districts to start a rebellion. The capital is nothing without the districts. We provide them with everything.

I meet my brother in the front door. We give eachother a sad smile and I continue walking into the bedroom. I look down at the clothes i picked out yesterday. It's my mothers old dress. Its a beautiful gray but im done doing just what everyone expects of me.

Instead of puting the dress on i walk over to my brothers closet. It's full of my fathers old clothes. I decide to put on a pair of blue jeans and a light brown shirt. I am sure it once was white but whatever. I look into the mirror as i button the shirt. The time is now one thirty so i quickly wash my face and put my hair in a quick braid before i head out.

You look nothing like yourself Arden I hear my brother say when we stepp into the line to check in. Aparently he was waiting for me. Thats the point I wisper. Good luck he says before the lines sepperates.

After the check in everyone between 12 and 18 getts hustled into roped areas. The oldest in the front and the youngest in the back. I stand beside my friend Mary. I quickly exchange a look with her. before we all put our fokus at the scene.

Its built in front of our justice building. It holds chairs for the former winners, our escort from the capitol Rickie Rockmore and the mayor of district 3. The stage also holds a podium and two glass bowls filled with names of children from the district. One bowl for the boys and one from the girls.

I stare at the peces of paper as our mayor stepps up to the podium. He tells us the history of panem the counry which was once North America. He talks about rising sealevels, fires, storms and how panem rose from the ashes of the old country.

Then about the dark times, the war and about how the hunger games is a yearly reminder to not start any upprisings. This might be the most onesided thing i have ever heard outside of school.

If you win the hunger games you are seen as a hero. You get to live the rest of your life in peace in the victors village, never have to worry about food or money ever again.

While the districts which loses the hunger games almost stave to death the winning district gets praised with food, grains and oil for a whole year.

Or mayor proceed to precent Rickie Rockmore. Her green suit shimmers in the lights from the stage. Her yellow hair stands up straight. She remind me of a dandelion.

Happy hunger games, and may the odds be ever in your favour she wishes in that bubely, high pitched capital dialect.

She continues, It's finally time for the 73rd hunger games. As always, ladies first, he sais as she walks upp to the glass bowls. She diggs her hand down into the bowl and pickes upp a slit of paper. I desperatly hope it's not me. Ricky carefully unfolds the paper as she walks back to the podium. She takes a deep breath and reads the name out loud.

Arden Wilson.