Suicide for Survival: Chapter 1

The sound of the ocean is familiar, and it's the first thing I sense when my eyes open. I twitch slightly in my bed and the sun's warmth streams through my window, on my cheek. I know I should be up, but the covers are so warm and the rolling waves outside are so calming, so soothing. My fingers fumble for a moment as I push the covers and my feet land on the cool floor. I pause, and there is no sound in our small house, except for the sea breeze. I slip on a waterproof shirt and some pants before walking outside. There is no need to tiptoe, for the fine sand cushions even the loudest footsteps. I quicken my pace as I hurry to the seashore. My toes tingle as the cool water soaks them and I venture deeper into the sea. The ocean is my home, my comfort place if you don't count District 4, my technical home. District 4 is right by the ocean, a place once called the Gulf of Mexico hundreds of years ago. I swim deeper and grin, swimming faster towards the dark head. Of course, my friend Skylar is fishing, especially this early in the morning. I wait for a moment until she reels her line in before standing beside her. We both have to be careful as not to scare the fish away. "Hunting today?" I ask. "Maybe." Skylar answers absentmindedly. We could be sisters, Skylar and I. We both have the same smooth, dark hair nearly everyone has our district, but the similarities stop there. Skylar's eyes are a chestnut brown, an uncommon color here. Mine are more of a sea-blue, but the most common color is emerald green. She has all of the scars from casting lines when she was little, and nearly all fishermen have them. I have scars on my hands, too, but mine are smaller than Skylar's and are fading a little. Also, Skylar's skin is a darker olive than mine, and she is always barefoot, for she doesn't have any shoes and almost all of her time is spent on the beach. "How's your mother?" I ask, and my toes dig into the wet sand. "She's fine, but getting a little panicky, so close to the reaping and all." I nod understandingly, because not a single mother in all of Panem gets panicky on reaping day. My heart pounds at the thought of the reaping, which is held twice a year. Every single boy and girl writes their name on a slip of paper and puts it into the reaping ball, where a Capitol attendant draws a name. Whoever's name it is participates in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death which is apparently a punishment from the rebellion where District 13 was destroyed. Reaping day is tomorrow, so today Skylar and I have to write our names on the slips of paper and put them in the reaping ball. I wish there was never a Hunger Games. It's so cruel when kids fight to the death and on live TV when watching is mandatory in all districts. Kids fighting to the death. A chill goes down my spine but a fish swimming by my leg brings me back to reality. I glance over at Skylar and bite my lip. I am not killing any fish today, because the odds are I might get killed tomorrow. Of course, she notices the fish but reels her line out of the water. "It's not fair." She bursts out and I look up. "What?" Skylar clenches her fists. "The Hunger Games, that's what." She grits her teeth and it is like she has read my mind. "Of course." I whisper, still looking around even though we are far enough in the water. She frowns and her fingernails dig into the sand. "Year after year. That's how it is, and innocent people are getting murdered." Skylar sighs. My eyes widen, and my heart pounds again. Murder. It's just a matter of time until Skylar or I get picked. A catfish nips at my ankle, but I ignore it. "Skylar, I think we should go." I glance at the rising sun and I remember that Skylar has a sister and a mother to feed, too. I'm not so lucky with my twelve year old brother, Hagan, and my baby sister, Doreen. Skylar bites her lip but she nods and stands up. "Come on, we have to hurry." She says and rinses the sand from her palms. I do the same and we take off running, the ocean water splashing at our heels, just like when we were kids.