Haymitch Abernathy: The 50th Hunger Games (Un-edited)

1. Reaping

No Copyright Infringement Intended

I lay in bed with my eyes threatening to shut from the lack of sleep. Most of the night, images of president snow announcing the second Quarter Quell raced through my mind. What this year's Quarter Quell will be -or what I like to call it, 'The Evil Twist'- is shown quite a while before the reaping takes place, but it is still fresh in my mind. After the anthem of Panem was finished blasting through my family's television, the young mysterious President Snow appeared on the screen. Shown drawing the envelope for this years 'Evil Twist'.

For the first Quarter Quell every district had to choose which boy and girl was to be a tribute. It had to be something big; I mean it was the first Quarter Quell, so it had to be something that would keep the capitol buzzing and excited! So can the second really be as bad? Yes. President Snow looked up at the crowd for a moment then back down to the card to begin reading.

"In honor of the 2nd Quarter Quell, there will be twice as many tributes." The odds of not getting picked for six years is already kind of risky, but this just set a new feeling of hopelessness. I starting avoiding my girlfriend after the announcement aired. If I see Raven, it will only make things worse if one of us is to be picked. I worry for her much.

We are the same age being at sixteen however, her name is entered far more many times. Her name is in the reaping this year twenty times while mine is only in there seven. Of course our names wouldn't be in there but four times had we not signed up for tesserae to help out our families.

Each tessera gets your name added in the reaping additional times. In return, you receive a very bare year's supply of grain and oil that will last one person. Tesserae entries are cumulative; therefore, the numbers of reaping entries from the current years are carried over into the next.

It's not that bad when you think about it since district 12's population is near eight thousand people. Again, that's what everyone thinks and someone that didn't expect it gets drawn. We have been together about two years now. Yeah, I offer her part of my tesserae though I can never get her to take much.

My dad died a few years back from an illness that spread around our district for a year, mostly in the Seam. My mom had to take on another job, now helping up at the school while being a medical assistant too. With all the people being injured so much down in the coalmines, many slots are available. Raven's family owns one of the few tailoring shops that doesn't bring in much money. I have a part time job at the butcher shop to help out with money.

I realize I went into a light sleep when my eleven year-old brother comes into view in the doorway banging on the splinting wood softly.

"Are you ready? The reaping is going to start soon and you have to get checked in." He is speaking just above a whisper, not taking his gray Seam eyes away from mine.

"It's not like I really have a choice, now do I?" I achieved my goal by making my comment come out playful, trying to brighten up the mood. A half smiled appears on his face but broke our stare to gaze at the ground so I cant see that it's fading.