The 544th Annual Hunger Games

[4] DISTRICT 4 REAPINGS

Aidan Dowey's POV

I strode up the sandy path to Rowan's house, and rapped gently on the door, being careful to keep the sand out of my nice shoes. The smooth leather shoes had belonged to my father, and he'd only ever worn them for the reapings and for his wedding. In District 4, there wasn't much point in wearing nice shoes all the time. Really, there wasn't much point in wearing shoes. The thin layer of sand everywhere was fine to walk on, and District 4 was generally a laid-back place, save for the training centre.

"Hello?" Rowan's mother, Alisha, said as she opened the door. Her eyes lit up when she saw me standing there. "Why hello Aidan. Rowan's just getting changed; she'll be down in a few minutes. Please, come in!"

"Thanks Alisha." I replied with an easy grin, before stepping over the threshold. Rowan's parents had been best friends with mine, and we had been friends for as long as I could remember. We spent all our spare time hanging out with our other best friend Theresa, and our parents were delighted. Despite being the mayor's daughter, Theresa was in no way a snobby brat, and was probably one of the weirdest girls I knew, and she was also a massive tomboy. I heard a round of laughter from upstairs and guessed that Theresa and Rowan were getting ready together.

I settled onto one of the homemade chairs. Despite fishing being District 4's main trade, Rowan's father, Ryne, was an exemplary carpenter. He was the finest in the District, and that allowed his family to live in comfort. Besides the mayor and a few of the peacekeepers, the Reed family was probably one of the wealthiest in the District.

A few minutes later, I heard light footsteps coming down the stairs. Rising quickly to my feet, I turned in time to see Rowan and Theresa stepping down. Theresa looked lovely, and had wrestled her wild red curls into a simple braid. She was wearing a rich green dress that hugged her curves perfectly and seemed to change colours when she moved. No doubt that it was expensive, but she rocked it. She was wearing plain brown sandals, and a plain green headband kept the little flyaways from her hair out of her face.

While Theresa looked very pretty, Rowan took my breath away. Her blonde hair was out of it's usual bun and fell around her shoulders in loose curls. Two thin strands had been pulled back from the front and clipped behind her head, and she was wearing a flower crown made of medium blue flowers that I couldn't identify. Her deep blue maxi-skirt fell to her ankles, and had a slit up the left side, revealing a pair of blue flats. She was wearing a loose singlet that ended a bit above her waist, showing an inch-wide strip of tanned skin, and it was a slightly lighter shade of blue than her skirt. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, and she ran down the stairs to embrace me.

After we continued hugging longer than politeness dictated, and obviously didn't plan on breaking apart anytime soon, Theresa's cheerful voice snapped us out of our daze.

"Keep it PG lovebirds. Now come on, we have to go." She said with a smirk, her green eyes glinting mischievously.

"It was PG." Rowan muttered to me, but pulled apart. I let go reluctantly, but was quick to reclaim her hand. She shot me a bright smile, before we obligingly followed Theresa out of the house. Theresa looped her arm through Rowan's, and the three of us quickly walked into the town square. Despite Theresa's claim, we were actually a bit early, and there weren't that many people milling around. We signed in and went to stand in the 17 year old sections. I gave Rowan a quick kiss before standing on the male side. Our District escort, Coco, was sitting on the stage, chatting with the mayor. She seemed completely normal; someone that would've blended in easily and not at all like the rest of the Capitol. She was wearing a summer-styled dress that fell to just above her knees, and that was a dark yellow colour. Her light brown hair had been left in what seemed like natural waves, and the only abnormality I could spot was the abundance of golden glitter around her eyes.

Once everyone had arrived, a peacekeeper signalled Coco to begin. She cleared her throat gently, before walking towards the centre of the stage, where the microphone was. She looked nervously around her, and I got the impression that she didn't like the attention. Suddenly, I was inclined to believe that she wasn't a horrid Capitol monster that was bred to love the despair caused by the Hunger Games. Maybe she was different; maybe she was good.

"Hello District 4, and welcome to this year's reapings," She said in a soft, sweet voice. Completely unlike the shrieking sounds that most of the people in the Capitol found attractive. "Before I begin, I'd just like to say that... I'm sorry."

There was unease from the peacekeepers at that; she wasn't supposed to apologise. She was supposed to be excited, and her job was to convey that enthusiasm to the whole of District 4. The citizens - the ones that weren't careers - felt a grudging respect for this young Capitol woman, who obviously cared about the fate of their teenagers.

"Just get on with it!" A female voice yelled from somewhere near the back. I didn't have to turn to know who had spoken. Olivia McLean; the most popular girl in District 4 and Rowan's only enemy. Olivia enjoyed making others feel bad about themselves, training and making boys fall in love with her before crushing their hearts. She was the exact definition of 'evil'. Unfortunately for Rowan, Olivia had seemed to hate her from the very beginning. There wasn't much that she wouldn't do to embarrass Rowan.

Thankfully, she was supposed to volunteer this year. As horrible as it sounded, I hoped that she died in the arena. No one was cruel to my girl. Coco walked over to the glass ball that contained the names of every teenage girl in District 4, and selected one from near the top.

"The female tribute representing District 4 this year is... Rowan Reed."

I opened my mouth in shock. No! No, no, no... It couldn't be Rowan. I turned my head in time to see Olivia open her mouth to volunteer, then close it with an evil smirk. She had decided not to volunteer; she knew that Rowan wouldn't be able to kill unless she was threatened first. Olivia had gone so far as to give up eternal glory from winning the Hunger Games, just so that she could make Rowan suffer. And suddenly I was furious; furious that she had the gall to doom such a wonderful girl.

While I was fuming silently in the male section, Rowan had made it onto the stage and introduced herself politely. Even though her eyes were damp, she stood strong and her voice was steady. She embraced the mayor, who was a good friend of her mother's, before sitting in one of the seats and staring at the ocean that was just visible down the main road. I knew then and there that I couldn't let her go into the Games alone. I would protect her every step of the way and, if it came down to it, I would sacrifice myself to keep her safe. A life without Rowan was hardly a life at all.

"And the male tribute for the 544th Annual Hunger Games is... Leo-"

"I volunteer!" I called out calmly. Rowan's face switched from ecstatic to anguish to fear and back again in a heartbeat. Before anyone could stop me, I walked quickly to the stage and mounted the steps. Before most people had reacted, I was sitting beside Rowan. Coco cleared her throat again before ending the reapings with a ceremonial speech that no one ever paid any attention to. Rowan and I were escorted into the Justice Building, and to say goodbye to our loved ones.

For me, it would be the last time I ever saw any of them.