I wiped the sweat off my brow as I uprooted another crop. “RIS!” My name boomed through the field, and the others turned to look. It was my stepfather, the one who put us to work. I dunno why he married my mum, but just because he was the mayor doesn’t mean he gave us money to work with. “Yea?” I called, throwing my braid over my shoulder and putting my basket down. “Get over here, you need to help your mother,” See, my mum has some kind of sickness, and she and I don’t have the money to get a cure. I’d heard of a healer in District 12, but my friend Oliver, who was now dead, talked me out of going. He didn’t want me getting turned into an Avox, or worse, killed. My stepfather was ruthless and cruel, and sometimes he ordered the Peacekeepers to kill or whip someone that didn’t do anything wrong. He hated me, I knew it. I walked into my little house as the sun went down, hurrying to my mother’s cot. I picked up a basket of healing herbs that I grew in secret, then soaked a few in hot water. I mashed them into a tea sorta thing, then gave it to my mother to drink. She swallowed it without complaint or protest, and some of the color returned to her cheeks. “Hey, Mama, how are you feeling?” I whispered, brushing her dark hair off her forehead. “Better, now that I’ve had your tea,” Her voice was quiet, and she smiled softly. I gave her a kiss on her forehead. “I think I’ll be better by morning, just enough to come to the reaping,” She said. “No, Mama, you can’t come, you can watch it on television. If I get picked, I’ll ask Papa if he’ll talk to the Peacekeepers and let me come say bye,” I said, giving her a little bowl of veggie soup. “Okay, but you should go wash up. If your helpers finish the harvest today, then you’ll have a free day tomorrow,” She smiled. “You know Papa would give us some work,” I rolled my eyes but obeyed. The next morning, I woke up with messy jet-black hair, and my mother looming over me. “Ma! What are you doing?” I asked, bolting upright. Mama smiled. “I’m okay now, baby!” She opened her arms, then I jumped up and sank into the hug. “You slept late, it’s almost lunchtime,” I pulled away from her. “Lunchtime?” I yelped, grabbing my horse-hair brush. I frantically combed out the tangles in my hair, then sat down. “I have a dress for you, one second,” Mama rummaged in her hidden compartment, pulling out a short black dress that looked about my size. “I wore it to my first reaping,” She helped me into the dress, then did my hair. About an hour later, the Peacekeepers were at our door, ushering us out. Time to go, I guess.
this is an excerpt of my story based on the Hunger Games <33
