Underwater ( Annie Cresta's story)

Chapter 1-Today is the Reaping

The sun slowly rises as I slide silently out of my bed.

My brothers are still asleep, their slow deep breathing is soothing to me but then I am jolted back to reality.

Today is the Reaping.

I walk into my family’s tiny little kitchen and start to make breakfast. Just boring fish that I can put no flavor into, the staple of district 4.

I can hear my mother and father begin to rise, I know the next few hours will be difficult for them, all their children are now eligible for the Reaping.

This will be my sixth time enduring this day, with my name in 36 times.

Almost everyone is district 4 are fishermen, but with the capitol taking most of the food we gain we barely have any for us.

I had to take out tessere for my whole family, my two younger twin brothers Jack and Finn and both my parents. So when I was 12, my first Reaping, my name was in the girls glass ball 6 times.

My mother takes over the fish that is cooking over the stove, as my brothers enter the room.

They have brown hair and bright green eyes like me, however they seem actually happy today, of course they don’t fully understand the terror of standing there in the roped in areas praying for your name not to be called.

“ Morning Finny!” I say with a fake smile ruffling his hair

“ What’s for breakfast?” Jack asks peering over Finn’s shoulder

“ What do you think, it’s the same thing I catch every morning.” my father says laughing from the table

Although he is laughing, I can hear the slight disappointment in his voice.

He is a strong man, an excellent fisherman, but I think he is upset that he can only bring home the same plain fish for us to eat every day. Also, it pains him to make me take out tessere because this causes me to have to put my life in danger for everyone in family.

Finn and Jack scarf down their fish, and they ask for more, but there is none. There never is more. I cut off a slice of my own fish and put half of the slice on each boy’s plate.

“ You’re growing!” I say poking each of their stomachs

They laugh and soon there is not fish on their plates. My mother takes our plates and I head into my room and stare into my closet looking for something to wear.

My wardrobe consists mostly of shorts and tee-shirts given districts 4’s hot climate, but I do have several nice dresses for the reaping.

I keep them hidden in the back of my closet because the sight of them brings the fear of the reaping. I pick out a purple dress that has lace on the top and covers on shoulders. I think it was once my mothers dress, when she was my age, when she had to endure this day.

She still does, although she does not have the immediate fear of being chosen and tossed into an area with blood-thirsty teenagers.

She still has to stand by and fear that one of her children will be taken from her, how she will be forced to watch them kill or be killed.

I plan to have children one day, I push the thought to the back of my head about them experiencing the reaping, their pale faces standing there waiting.

I would be there of course, probably squeezing the hand of my husband praying for my children's lives, praying for them to be spared.

I wonder what life would be like without the Hunger Game? What if it is discontinued before my children are 12?

Of course this will not happen, who would have guts to start another rebellion? This will never happen, or at least when I does, I will be long gone.

I pull out a pair of brown sandals and a bracelet that says

“ I want to have an adventure with you.”

I actually don’t, if the Hunger Games is an adventure then I don’t wanna have it with anyone, ever. But it matches my outfit so I put it on anyway.

I walk into to the kitchen, my father is still in the same spot as he was before I left, I twirl for him,

“ Beautiful!” He exclaims

“ Thank you daddy!” I say kissing him on the cheek

My mother walks in with the twins dressed in tan pants and dress tee-shirts, they look like normal boys on Reaping Day.

“ Wait Annie!” my mother says

“ What?” I ask

“ You need this!” she replies holding up a purple bow

“ Oh mom.” I sigh

“ Trust me you will look cute!” she says pulling my hair back and securing it will the bow. In truth, I actually do like it, she has a good taste for accessories.

We eat a small lunch and head out for

The Reaping