The Life and Tragedy of Calia Odair

3 The reaping

The Sun is already there high in the sky upon his realm. Green grass and a few flowers tickle our shoes as we walk towards the school, not a cloud on sight. This day is too sad to be this pretty, this looks like a day to skip school and go swimming, not a day for death sentences.

As we enter many people gather around us to compliment Finnick. Looks like many know about my brother's intentions to volunteer. I think it was a teacher or an older student to convince him to do it. Finnick smiles at me and leaves a kiss on my cheek, then he walks with a couple of schoolmates to his class.

It's tuesday, today I have training to become tributes all morning and then the lessons will interrupt a bit before lunch to let us get ready for the reaping. Three hours of training go by really fast between warming up, climbing and fighting. Then I have to bear an endless lesson about History of Panem, even though I can only think about Finnick.

As soon as the lesson ends we get to the cafeteria to eat our lunch. Many students come to me to congratulate, others look sorry.

I had just come back from the bathroom after putting on my dress when I see Finnick and I run to him.

We walk arm in arm out of the school and then we start walking towards the centre of the city. We're almost at the square where the reaping will happen when I stop.
"Are you sure Finn? Cause you don't have to do it if you aren't sure." I'm worried, I'm scared but he nods:  
"I'm sure and I promise you I'll be back as soon as possible" he says.

We keep walking till we arrive to a tall man who writes our name down, before he can sent us to our rows I hug Finn. He kisses my forehead and then starts walking to the third row with the other fourteen years old boys.

The man sends me to the first row on the right where I find all of my schoolmates.  They are all scared and trembling and they look like they're about to cry. A friend of mine, Helena Wright, hugs me, she looks worried.

It's our first year, our first reaping.
But no matter our age we're all scared. 

A deep voice calls for our attention, it comes from a tall man on the stage right in front of us, there are a few cameras over our heads filming the crowd and the man.

"And welcome to the 65th Hunger Games," shouts the man dressed in orange and pink, and yellow and purple.

"For the female tribute.." he says excitedly while taking a piece of paper from a glass ball, I hold my breath.

"Madeleine Bertgram" he shouts.  A tall girl with brown hair comes out from the sixth row, leaving the other seventeen years old girl who's hand she was holding.

All of my friends let go their breath, while the poor girl gets on stage without taking her eyes off the ground.

"And for the male tribute.." says the man once Madeleine got next to him,
"George Webb" a sixteen years old with blue eyes and dark hair breaks away from the line, he starts walking and for a moment I think it's done till..
"I volunteer!" shouts a voice that I know too well, but I turn around to see him anyway.

There he is surpassing George and getting on stage.
"And who are you?"asks the tall man.
"I am Finnick Odair" he says charmingly towards the camera.

I feel like the time has stopped, I feel my eyes blinking, my head is spinning.
It happened.
He walked on that stage and now they've taken him away.

I run towards him, towards the room where he's in. I need to see him, one last time. They finally let me in. I want to see him before he gets away.

"Oh Finnick" I say while he hugs me tightly,
"I'm going to miss you so so much." he wipes away my tears, I didn't even notice I was crying.

"Oh wait, I forgot to give this morning your birthday bracelet" I say while putting it on him, it's made of a short rope I intertwined and I put it next to his other thirteen.

"Thank you Calia and don't you worry dear, I'm gonna come back before you can even notice that I'm gone" I smile at him and he smiles back.
He kiss my forehead and I hug him one last time, before they ushered me away.

I don't know where to go, I don't want to go back home, not now.