Behind the Seams

Larsen Faber. I am a girl with twenty-five slips of paper in that bowl. Five are for my age. Twenty are just stupid memories of begging the Capitol for food. I am a girl whose lost a mother, a brother, and I might has well have lost a father. I do not know how one usually deals with this grief, but here it is too often. I am a girl with only three friends now. An archer, a baker, and a trapper.

I could not help but just lay in bed wondering what might lie ahead for today. I could get picked. Katniss, Gale, or Peeta. Anyone I know and love could be picked. I cannot really think about it though. No matter who goes, it will hurt to watch them walk up to that stage. I can stand there all I want and nothing I could do will be able to make it stop.

I watched as the sun moved further up into the sky. The sun shone brightly though the shattered window of my bedroom in my little District 12 shack. I am not sure if I could even call it a bedroom. It was just a side room off of the main room that consisted of our “kitchen” and “living room.” I got out of bed and walked to my window. I watched as a couple of men walked towards their jobs in the coal mines.

I sighed. “Happy Hunger Games.” I dressed quickly and walked out to the main room. I spotted my father sprawled out on the floor surrounded by five empty bottles. I rolled my eyes and scoffed. I was mad at him but I was also upset. I do not even know who he is anymore.

I ran out of the tiny shack. I found our giant pot and filled it with water from a nearby well. I drew a small fire and set the pot over it to warm the water for my bath later. I ran towards the fence at the back of the district. It is supposed to be electric. It has not been lit for years. I arrived at the hollowed out log where I kept my bow and a couple of throwing knives. I was better with the knives but Gale made me the bow. He figured I would need it someday. As much as I did not want it, I took it and practiced.

I set up my bow with an arrow, ready to shoot. I walked slowly and quietly through the trees, careful not to let my feet make any noise. I kept my eyes peeled for any type of movement. I heard the tiny scamper of little feet. I looked farther into the trees a little bit up a hill. I saw them. There had to be at least eight rabbits. I shot two with my bow. I missed my next arrow as they started to scamper off. I groaned pulling two of my throwing knives from my belt and threw them simultaneously. I got two more with both of those.

“Yes.” I said, proud of my hit. I picked up the four rabbits and returned the knives to my belt and the arrows to my quiver. After putting the rabbits in my game bag, I decided to search for Gale and Katniss. I checked our spot, the clearing by the river. Sure enough, they were there.

“Tonight...we feast!” I proclaimed. I dropped my bag between my two friends. “Happy Hunger Games to us all.” Gale opened the bag. What he saw made him choke on air.

“Larsen, there are four rabbits in here!” I smiled, nodding. Katniss’s eyes widened as she looked in the bag to see for herself. “This must have taken you all morning to catch. How long have you been out here in the forest?”

“Just a few minutes actually. I stepped in and they were up on the hill. Eight of them! Together! It was amazing.” Gale smiled at me.

“This is so great!” Katniss exclaimed. “Can we each have one?” She questioned slowly.

“Yeah.” I nodded again. “Half of mine will go to Gale, of course.”

“No, I won’t take it. You need it.”

“Gale, you have your whole family. It’s only me and my dad now. I don’t need the whole thing. My dad will probably be too drunk to celebrate that he has one more year with me anyway.” I looked at the hands in my lap. “I just can’t even imagine you losing Rory, Vick, or even Posy the way I lost Holden.” He nodded, understanding. He took his rabbit, cut mine up, and put his share in his game bag.

“Thanks, Moo.” He said, placing a hand over mine. I looked up and smiled at the name he called me. He is the only one that calls me that. It is the nickname he gave me when we were little. “Now for my Hunger Games gift.” Gale reached back into his bag and pulled out a half loaf of bread. My eyes widened.

“Gale! Is that real?!” Katniss asked. He laughed.

“It better be.” I laughed. Katniss broke up the bread into three pieces for each of us. She passed it out of some of the cheese Prim made from her goat.

“Happy Hunger Games.” Gale said.

“And may the odds be ever in your favor.” Katniss and I said at the same time. We all laughed at our joke that should not be joked about. Katniss quickly finished her breakfast and went hunting right away. Gale and I hung around a bit closer to the water. He and I had been friends since I was born. We have not been together much ourselves since he found Katniss trying to hunt. Since then he has been all over her.

“Goose?” He looked at me at the sound of his nickname. I could always read him through his sea grey eyes. He was afraid. I knew it.

“Yeah, Moo?”

“How many times are you in there today?”

“Forty-two.” I bit my lip. I hesitated asking this next question, unsure of what he was going to say.

“What if it’s you?”

“It won’t be.” I was actually surprised by his answer.

“As much as I admire your confidence, you have to think that there is quite a large chance. Right?”

“Yeah, but look at it this way. There are a lot of people in our district who don’t go hunting. They just take the tesserae and don’t have any other form of getting food. Their names are probably in there way more than mine.”

“What if your name is chosen anyway?”

“Then I will fight.”

“Will you come back?” I asked, scared that since his name is in so many times. He might actually have to fight.

“I will try my hardest.”

“No, you have to try harder than your hardest. You have to win. If you don’t win, I’ll be mad at you forever.”

“Alright, Moo. If I get picked, I’ll win. I promise.” I smiled.

“Good.” I looked at the sky for an estimate of the time. “I should get going. I have to get all pretty and such.” I smiled wiggling my fingers in front of Gale’s face.

“Moo, you are always pretty.”

“Awh, thanks Goose.” I gave him a quick hug. “Now, I do not want you two to stay out too late. Do you hear me?” I winked at him.

“Hush! She could hear you.”

“As if she doesn’t know.”

“I don’t really think she does.” He looked down at his hands. “She will. Eventually. You’re a great guy, Gale. Most handsome in the district.” He shook his head. “I’m serious. Okay, now I really have to go. Smell you later, Goose. Love ya.”

“Love you, too, Moo.” I smiled at him again. This Reaping will go by smoothly.