Games

The district school was a small building around all the other important buildings, like the town hall. They put us in a classroom for four hours, three days a week to teach us about things that seem irrelevant, considering the way we live.
The main thing we ever learn about is the history of Panem, which we've been learning about since we walked into school. Yet every year, they continue to reteach us the same thing. The rebellion caused the Games, now we pay for it, blah blah blah. It's awful that they have to drill it into our heads like this.
"Now," Mrs. Lei, my current teacher, said, "It's almost time for the Reaping. We want all of you to be prepared for what's coming next. Any one of you could be chosen."
My head popped up and I tuned into attentiveness. The Reaping? Was soon? I had apparently lost track of time. Is it really that time again?
"We want you to be physically, emotionally, and mentally prepared to go out there and fight for your District," she began again. "So for the next couple weeks, our curriculum will return to training."
Every year before the Reaping begins, we spend two weeks learning and training for the Games. Nothing too vigorous, we're not as crazy as Districts 1 and 2 with their Careers.
And that's exactly what we did. We discussed different tactics, different arenas, different weapons. I tuned in and out, only listening when I felt like it. I'd heard it all before, and I already knew it all anyway.
The physical aspect of school was spent training our bodies for possible different outcomes. We strayed from the water, because that's where most of us spent our time, anyway, and it would be pointless to try and perfect something we already knew. So we worked on dry land exercises: climbing trees, running for long amounts of time and distances, being able to hold your own weight while hanging, things of that sort.
Though in the Games, hand-to-hand combat was extremely prominent, the school didn't support us fighting each other, so that was left between friends and enemies alike to practice. My brother, Reef and I, practiced together. We had our sibling fights anyway, and it never got more out of hand than that.
This year, my brother turned 18, so it would be his last Reaping. We were extremely close; my brother was my best friend. We spent the majority of our time together and talked about everything. I could always count on him; we had both inherited the gift of fishing and maneuvering the waters like our parents, but he was more of the fisherman.
I preferred swimming and being among the creatures of the sea, rather than hunting them. But it didn't mean I never did it.
My brother was smart and loyal and stronger than anyone I had ever met, physically and mentally. I had always been sure that if he were Reaped, he would come back. Reef could handle anything he wanted to.
A few days before the Reaping, after my brother and I had taken a swim, we were sitting on the beach, watching the sunset. There were people bringing their boats in to the dock, getting their catch of the day ready for transportation to land. It was a calming sight; I had seen it since I was a little girl.
"What do you think the arena will be this year?" Reef suddenly asked, bringing me out of my nostalgia.
I took a deep breath. "I have no idea," I responded. "Something interesting."
He nodded. After a moment, he said, "Tiffany?"
"Yeah?"
"What are the chances of me getting Reaped?"
I shrugged. "Your name will be in there only six times," I told him. "Plenty of other names will be in there, more times than you. Neither of us have had to take any tessera."
"Just up to fate, I guess," he replied, looking off into the water.
I had been laying back on my back, my elbows keeping me upright, but now I sat up into a more serious position, wrapping my arms around my knees.
"Why are you all of a sudden scared? I've never seen you get nervous for a Reaping before."
He looked at me, and we looked at each other for a moment. When he replied, he looked away.
"This is my last year, Tiff. The last time I can ever be put into the Games. I'm just hoping that I never have to go into one of those awful arenas."
I snorted. "Nobody does. Yet two of us get taken every year and thrown into them. The Reaping doesn't care who you are. If your name is called, in you go."
We were silent for a moment, reflecting on all of the people we knew who were hauled off to the Games, never to be seen again. It was horrible and heartbreaking, but life goes on, I guess. Or it doesn't.
"If I ever got Reaped, I'd throw myself off the metal circle before the right time," I said out of nowhere. "I don't want anyone else to get the chance to kill me."
My brother gave me a side look, and shook his head, a slight smile on his face. "Well that's not a very dignified way to go down."
We both shared a short laugh, and watched as the last bit of sun disappeared from our side of the world. Simultaneously, we both got up and made our way home. There was technically a curfew to be in our homes by sundown, but the Peacekeepers didn't mind if we were late. At least, by a few minutes.
The inside of my home smelled like salt water and clean linen. My parents were frying shrimp and making couscous for dinner. They always worked together on meals. Matter of fact, I don't know anything they don't work on together. House work, fishing, trading, everything.
Suddenly, the television we had in the living room turned on. We all hurried in to see what was being aired. Televisions were placed in everyone's home; it was necessary that we watched it. The only time it turned on was when the Capitol said so. The Hunger Games were aired constantly while they were going on, and all events related to it as well. There was no way to turn them off, or even turn them on. That was controlled by the Capitol, much like everything else.
A familiar smiley man appeared on the screen, his hair and eyebrows dyed neon green, with a matching suit. Cesar Flickerman was the spokesperson for many of the Hunger Games events. He was happy all the time, and rarely ever stopped smiling.
"Good evening Districts of Panem!" he greeted cheerfully. "Please keep in mind that the Reaping will take place in three days time. Be ready to make your way out to the town square in your best attire and celebrate the beginning of the Hunger Games! And always remember: May the odds be ever in your favor."