The Tests

I wake up screaming like I do every morning. My sister lynn turns over in the bed and grabs my hand to comfort me.
"It's ok. It was only a bad dream." She said. I took a few deep breathes to calm myself down. Lynn shouldn't be comforting me. She's to young to have to do so.

Even after I had calmed down my nightmare still haunted me. Two years ago my cousin died during the Tests. And I watched. It was viscous and brutal the way he died. Now it's all I see when I close my eyes at night.

The Tests are what everyone except the rulers fear the most. To rulers watching people die because they're not smart or quick enough is a game. To us it means we get sent straight to our deaths. If your family is picked it's this worst thing ever. I was gonna go instead of my cousin but before I could go up to the stage my cousin beat me there. It's a great honor to make it out of those tests alive.

I looked at the clock on the wall as the gray light of dawn began to shine through the window.
"Time to get ready for school." I said to Lynn.
"we don't have school. Tonight's the ceromony." She said as she began to shake. Just two seconds later she burst into tears.
"Oh Lynnie." I said as I pulled her into a hug.
"I'm so scared!"
"Hey don't be. You're twelve. That's too young to go into to the tests. And what're the odds that they'll choose our family again?" Lynn just shook her head and pulled away from my embrace.
"I'm ok." Said Lynn.  I nodded even though I didn't believe her.

"Girls breakfast!" My mother called.
Lynn raced me down the hallway and into the kitchen as my mom began slopping hot mush and a couple of strawberries onto our plates. All of the cities have been under fed since the war. Our city is worse. In every other city they get three meals a day. The meals might not be big but it's still food. In our city we're lucky if we even get to eat at all that day. Most of the time we don't. But today's the ceremony. A very special day.

"Mush again! Ugh!" Complained Lynn.
"Would you rather have nothing!" My mother snapped. Lynn stayed Silent.
"Look at Julie. She's almost done with her food."
"That's only cuz' she thinks our family's going to get picked again and she wants to be ready for the physical half." Whined Lynn.
"That's not true! I'm just hungry! I haven't eaten three days and neither have you! Eat up!" I shouted.

Lynn had made me so angry in that moment. Those tests terrify me I'd never want our family to get picked again. But still food is food and you have to be ready for the ceremony every year. It's dangerous and you never know what could happen.