Chapter Text
When I woke up that morning, the air was cold. I open my eyes and slowly lift myself into a sitting position. The room is small, and the sun barely filters through the curtains in the window. I turn to see the bed to my right. Under the covers, I can see my two sisters, Becca and Amy, curled up with each other in their sleep.
I smile sadly. They must have been having nightmares again. How wouldn’t they? It’s the reaping day after all.
I get out of bed and star to change into my clothes. I put on a plain, blue shirt and an old, black pair of jeans that used to belong to my brother. Some worn off leather boots and my black hoddie. Just before I quietly sneak out of the room, I slip on my most beloved possession; my beanie. Whatever the occasion or circumstances, I’m never not wearing my beanie. I will cut the hands of anyone who ever tries to take it away. It’s not that I’m a lunatic about the subject. It’s just that it’s the only thing I have that belonged to her.
My mom.
My brother never talks about it. He only explained it briefly when I was a kid. My dad was killed in a mine explosion a few weeks after my mom found out she was pregnant with me. The shock of losing him wrecked her and she completely fell into depression. She barely ate and had trouble sleeping. By the fifth month, she got sick. She couldn’t get out of bed and had super high fever.
She died minutes after giving birth to me, with only enough time to give me a name.
My brother was only seven, but he kept our predicament a secret and managed to keep us both afloat. He traded some of dad’s old liquor for some seeds and now sells the vegetables he got from them at the hob. When he turned twelve, he made a bow, some arrows, and taught himself how to hunt. Which then he taught me when I was eight.
I run downstairs and just as I’m about to reach the door, a familiar voice behind me makes me stop.
“Now, where do you think you’re going?”
I turn around to see a 22-year-old boy standing in the kitchen. He had light, sandy brown hair, amber eyes, and a freckled covered face.
I groan. “Come on, Felix. I was just gonna go get some game to sell at the hub. You do it all the time.”
He chuckles before tossing a wrinkled paper bag at her.
“Just don’t forget your breakfast again. You’re skinny as hell”
I catch the bag midair and smell the contents. A piece of bread, a block of cheese, and a sweet smell that always makes me smile every time I recognize it. Felix notices and smiles too.
“I know strawberries are your favorite. By the way, tell James I said hi.”
“I will. Thanks.”
Just before I close the door behind me on my way out, I hear Felix yell mockingly; “You guys better keep it PG out there!”
I thank whatever god is out there that Felix cannot see my face turning tomato red.
James has been my best and only friend since childhood. We met the first day of school and connected immediately. We shared the same classes, we sat together at lunch and he was a pretty good hunter too. He knew how to use a bow, but his best skill were snares. He’d set them up in a way that prey wouldn’t even notice it until it was trapped in it.
With my bag on my shoulder, I make my way out of the dirty streets of town and arrive at the fence at the edge of district 12. It’s supposed to be electrified 24/7, but since we’re one of the poorest districts, we’re lucky we get like three hours of power per day. I stop for a moment to listen, looking for the familiar hum the fence made when it was on.
Nothing.
Without missing a beat, I drop to my stomach and crawl under the fence through an opening by a lose cable. This isn’t uncommon. The fence has lots weak spots like this. But I usually use this one since it’s closest to home.
Once I’m on my feet, I run to a nearby tree. There hidden in the hollow trunk, wrapped in a protective sheet to keep it from the rain, is my bow. Carved it myself from an oak branch and with my name carved on it.
G. Lopez.
My pride itself; All in this handmade weapon.
I grab my arrows and start my usual treck through the woods. The sounds of nature relax me in a way I can’t explain. It’s not long after that I find my usual hunting spot, just by the river. In ten minutes, I’ve already caught three fish and shot a bunny. I take a moment to rest when I notice my reflection in the water for the first time today.
There’s always been something different about me. I inherited my brother’s amber eyes and freckled skin, but that’s where the resemblance stops. I’m short for my age and, quoting from Felix, “skinny as hell”. But that’s not even the weirdest part about me.
My hair.
For some reason, I was born with light blue hair. The doctors couldn’t explain it. They said it was a genetic thing. I honestly love it, but a lot of kids made fun of me because of it. So I cut it short and hid most of it with my beanie.
My train of thought is suddenly interrupted by a voice behind me.
“Looking good, Lu?”
I turn around and spot James walking towards me with a turkey and two squirrels dangling from his belt. I grin before flipping him of, which only makes him burst out laughing.
My real name is Gwen, but when I first told him, I barely whispered it, so he thought I had said “Luen”. And when he found out my last name was López, it became his official nickname for me.
He now stands besides me and he puts his arm over my shoulders.
“Got something to wish me good luck?”
I smile, feeling the warmth of his grip.
“Maybe I do.” I say teasingly.
He leans in and we share a long, soft kiss.