The Silence of the Tribute

Reaping

I want to grow old. I want to find someone to love. I want to do great things.

I want to live.

But so does everyone.

It's reaping day.

I get out of bed, stepping on a few of my drawing pencils. I go into my bathroom where my cat lays.

I'm an apprentice to a major designer, so I have a lot of nice things. But I'm not a career district. I'm still starved, my family still works every hour they can.

I brush my long brown hair. It naturally curls. I walk into my closet and grab my dress.

It's pale blue, and plain. I designed it myself.

I grab a wrapped package.

I walk out to my kitchen. My dads are cooking breakfast together. Usually they look happy, but today is reaping day, nobody is happy.

I eat the little food we have, and escape outside. I run toward my friend, Day's, house. I don't even knock I just run in.

It's his birthday. He's sixteen. I knock on his door, and walk in.

"Hey Day." I greeted.

"Hey Sarah."

I jump onto his bed next to him, and hand him his present. He smiles at me, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

"Everything will be okay today." I try to explain. The chances that I'm chosen is small, I only have one entry in. Day on the other hand has way too many entries. He has a large family.

"Yeah, I know. I just wish things could be different." I look into his eyes.

"Me too Day, me too."

We get up without opening the present, and head towards sign in.

We prick our fingers, and then we separate. I head for my age group.

Then the escort comes on stage. He looks just like the dads from my District, just a little cleaner, a little more fed.

I don't like to listen to the speech, so I zone out. I look over at Day. He's looking at me. I smile at him.

"Now onto the tributes!" Our escort yells, "The girl tribute from
district
eight
is
Sar
a
h

M
a
t
t
h
e
w
s!"

I don't move. My name is only in there one time, there must be a mistake. There has to be!

I spin around and see my dads crying.

I look over at Day, and he's crying.

I faint.

I must not have been out very long. Peacekeepers pull me up onto my feet.

I walk up to the stage, and stand. I wait for someone to volunteer.

I'm too young for this! But so is everyone else here.

I watch as the escort digs around the boy's bowl.

"Onto district eight's male tribute!" He unfolds the piece of paper. "Day Asher-Kingg!"

A sob erupts from my mouth. Not Day! I walk over to our escort and begin to hit him. I don't inflict much damage.

"I volunteer as tribute!" A boy yells out.

I stop hitting him. I see Day frozen in the walkway up to the pedestal. I look past all the boys towards the back.

A boy with fiery hair steps out into the walkway. He's back with the eighteen year olds, why did he volunteer? He almost escaped this whole thing.

The boy walks to the front, and stands next to me. He's over a foot taller than me.

"What's your name!"

The boy smiles, "Hades Rez."

"Well, here you have it! Sarah and Hades, district eights tributes!"

We're escorted off stage into private rooms. The final good byes.

Day runs into my room and hugs me.

He doesn't say anything, but slips something into my pocket. I notice a necklace around his neck.

Tears run down both of our faces. In a matter of seconds peacekeepers pull Day away. Next my Dads run in.

They're crying, and hugging me. They don't say anything either. I remind them not to forget about the cat while I'm gone. Then they have to leave.

I sit there waiting. Nobody else should be visiting me.

Minuets go by, and then the door opens again.

A women walks in that looks about thirty. She has long brown hair. She has brown eyes just like me. She has a familiar look to her.

And in that moment I realise this women was my mother.

I don't decoginze her from any of the shops in town, so she must work in the slums.

She doesn't come near me, she doesn't say anything. Then the peacekeepers come taking her away too, and then me.

I'm next to Hades waiting to aboard the train. I look up at him. I haven't seen him around either. I go to say something, but change my mind.

Then we get on the train.

I sit down, and pull out the thing Day shoved into my pocket.

It's a matching necklace to his. A polished pearl is attached to it.

I begin to cry again.