#apogdaybefore

The jasmine fields were located in the far left of my land had always been my favourite, after all they were my flower as father said, and behind the saffron they were our top export to the Capitol. Bent down cutting down some was an old friend of mine, Alex. I smiled and slowly unraveled the whip around my arm.

"I hope you don't plan on taking any of those... I'd be very upset after all they are my flowers." he looked up at me with a lazy smile and I sauntered towards him. "I might have to punish you..."

"With that whip? I could handle it but Mimi I might enjoy it too much" Mimi, a nickname I hadn't heard in a long time, especially by someone like Alex.

"Oh Alex well... How about we see if you can in fact handle it. Come back here at 8, after work hours" I lean in close to him before whispering in his ears "My ma and the siblings from hell are all out so no one Alex be able to hear your screams..." I turn around and walk away from him and glance back at him looking forward to a fun night.

***

Nine pm was fast approaching and Alex was still nowhere to be seen, I was a little disappointed, but in all honesty, I shouldn’t have expected anything more. I removed myself the window ledge when a rock hit my window making me almost jump out of my skin.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing throwing stones at my window and trying to break my window?! Do you want to die today? Have you not heard of a door?” I spat at him in a hushed whisper a little angry at his brass move, double glazing windows were expensive as hell.

“Calm your shit you sadistic bitch and get down here I wanna to show you something aite?” he was a charmer I couldn’t exactly say no. When I got to the door I asked him to come in, but he declines making me come outside with him so I have no choice but to wear decent clothing.

“Do you always have to have that thing wrapped around your arm?” he was looking down at my whip and I just looked at him,

“Errm, yes? Have you ever seen your father murdered in front of you? If he had even a Spork to defend himself maybe he’d be alive but alas he isn’t, I like to be prepared.” He lifted my hand and wrapped his around my wrist.

“I’m sorry about your Dad, it must have sucked, is that why you booby trap the fuck out of the fields during the night?” I nod slowly when he gives his condolences by glare at him when he mentions the traps; nobody was supposed to know about the traps, especially Alex. The grip around my wrist was getting tighter and tighter. Dark shadows pass my line of vision and Alex steps closer towards me. He towers me by a good seven inches and was a lot stronger, it’d be stupid for me to try and fight him and before I could scream he pressed his hand over my mouth to stop me. My eyes flicked between Alex and the boys hauling the crates of saffron and sugar cane, I could kill him. A smug look had arisen on his face, a look of triumph; the fucker thought he was going to get away with this. He took something out of his pocket and pressed a button, a switchblade pressed against my neck and I chuckled, I want to kill him.

“Always were a conceited, close-minded one weren’t you Jasmine? Don’t worry we took out all seventeen of your traps before we did this and with your mouth firmly shut we’ll go away scot free.” I raised my eyebrow at him, seventeen? He thought there were only seventeen traps, bless his soul. “There’s more isn’t there?” his voice had raised a little, obviously angry at being a naïve little dick who thought seventeen traps would be enough for a land size this big. “Where are the rest of them?!” he pressed the blade further into my neck and I felt blood roll down onto my chest. I laughed at him, there was no way he was going to kill me, he didn’t have it in him. I bit down on his hand hard until I could taste blood before releasing myself from his grip and running as far away as I could. He chased after me but I shouted and screamed for help and saw the light flicker on from the outbuilding which held the night Peacekeeper guards. After the heavy footsteps of Peacekeepers coming from inside the house as well. The look of panic on Alex’s face was near perfection.

“Checkmate asshole. Prepare to be fucked by the long dick of the law” shouts, commotion could be heard from everywhere. I guessed a few of them had gotten away but as long as the majority were caught I was happy. I watched in glee as Alex was dragged to his feet by three men.

“What do you want us to do with him ma’am?” I tilted my head to the side and smiled,

“Detain him and try him for theft tomorrow.”

“But ma’am tomorrow is Reaping day”

“Even better”

Alex chuckled a little and shook his head, “What makes you think you’re not going to get Reaped Princess Jasmine?”, now, that was funny. I bend down and shake my head.

“Bad things happen to good people, and plus, I have more fingers on my hands than slips of paper with my name on it in that bowl, the chances of one being pulled out are fabulously low so don’t bet on it honey and either way, whether I’m in District 11 this time tomorrow or not, you Alex will face trial and you will be punished for your crimes. War makes thieves and peace hangs them.” He looked at me with a confused expression and I brushed his cheek with my index finger.

“What the hell does that even mean?”

“You’ll have plenty of time to figure it out, goodbye Alexander.” I patted his head slightly and motioned for the Peacekeepers to take him away before wiping the blood away from my neck. I was intercepted by two more carrying what seemed to be a dead body, evident from the trap arrow sticking through their neck.

"What should we put him ma'am?"

When I reached the top of the stairs I silently the crossed the corridor and entered into the spotless kitchen. I tutted in disgust at him. He probably had some whore upstairs sharing his bed. I didn't know what was worse, the thought of my uncle being a womanizing dirt bag, or that there was actually someone willing to sleep with him. Either way both thoughts almost made me lose my apatite. However, when your only meal in the past 24 hours was a slice of bread and half an apple, you tend to feel hungry again pretty quickly.

Almost gliding, I chaînés across the short distance to the fridge, finding joy in the little moments of doing what I loved. It wasn't often I got to dance unwatched anymore, whether it was by the bastard or whatever sick pervert had payed enough to watch me. Even when he wasn't physically here he found a way to take what little happiness I could find. I cursed his name under my breath and swore to kick him out of this house and onto his ass the minute I turned 18 and gained possession of all of this.

The smooth steel of the fridge was welcome against my fingers and gently I pulled the fridge door open. The blast of cool air collided with my face and sent a shiver racing down my spine. My eyes darted across the spartan interior, finding row upon row of empty shelving. Of course there would be no food in the house, how silly of me to presume there would be anything. "That is wasteful and we do not waste any of your parents hard earned money." I mimicked his mocking tone and cursed his name again. The sun hadn't even risen yet and I'd already cursed him twice, I was possibly in for a new record today.

A smile returned to my face as I walked over to the counter and opened a drawer. It was filled with the usual crap, pens and paper clips and nothing that we ever really used. My hand passed everything and crept to the back where a small catch was protecting the false bottom of the drawer. With a faint click I lifted the top away and found the mess of money hidden inside. I only pulled out a few coins to avoid suspicion. The first time I stole from him I thought for sure he would notice some was gone. Evidently he was either too stupid to notice or too proud to think I could figure out where he hid it.

Quickly I descended the stairs back into the abyss and pulled on a pair of shorts and a loose hoodie. I pulled the hood over my messy hair as I traversed back up the stairs and froze at the landing as the sounds of heavy footfalls landed above me. Heart hammering in fear I dashed for the door and escaped into the misty morning air beyond without a second thought. Whatever he had planned for me today I was going to have no part of it.

Market, that was the first thought that popped into my head. My stomach churned in response and I started a brisk walk towards the poor district. We had a few shops up in the wealthy district but nothing that interested me right now; it was far more likely my uncle would look for me there as well. The walk took a little longer than expected and I arrived after the shops had opened for the day. Shop keepers and wandered alike seemed unusually sullen. Don't get me wrong, Six is not bursting with joy on a regular basis but usually things are a little more... upbeat than the scene that was playing out before me.

Reaping. I heard the word whispered back and forth between almost everyone present along with words of kindness and luck. So that was it, I'd almost completely forgotten about the stupid thing. I suppose that was something I could still be thankful for, my uncle wasn't greedy enough to take out any tesserae in my name meaning being reaped was a far off notion, hardly even a possibility to one of my social stature. Kids from the less well off district of Six, it was all too real of a scenario for them.

A small loaf of bread with nuts in it, two plums, and a small pot of honey. What would once be a meager lunch now seemed like a feast fit for royalty to me. Avoiding the stares from some of those less well off at my food and my clothes I walked to the rail yard that dominated part of the district. There was something calming to me about the trains, how they traveled so fast but managed to cross right under your nose with barely a whisper. Almost like me in my shoes, fast, agile, silent. 

With one hand clutching the bag of food I scaled one of the abandoned railway towers with the other, finally reaching the top and hauling myself onto the roof. I let my legs dangle over the edge and set my food before me, scooping some of the honey onto the bread before taking a bite and relishing the taste. From here I could see out for miles over Six, where the rail road tracks disappeared into the past the fence into the forest. Where the various workshops and factories were. Where my house rested with the mayors and some of the other rich folk of Six up on a hill top. 

My thoughts got wandering to my parents. I'd done so well keeping them out of my thoughts lately. The moment of weakness was marked with tear drops and muffled sobs. That fall night when the leaves were still changing and the air was alive with warm currents and lightning. The peace keepers arriving at my door, informing me about the accident. Accident, bull shit. My parents had been the two most wonderful people on the face of the earth, they never did anything wrong except for succeed where my uncle failed. 

            I’ve always loved photography. Since I first saw photographers come from the Capitol for the reaping, I had always been fascinated by the whole process. When I was twelve, I even went as far as to fashion my own little camera out of a cardboard box, primitive, but hey, it worked. The thing about photography is, I don’t need to be able to hear to be good at it. For my fourteenth birthday my father finally gave in and bought me a real one. Honestly I think he just got tired of having to stand still for so long when I wanted a photo of him. Looking back on it, it must have taken him the entire year to come up with enough money for the camera not to mention what it took to throw together a makeshift darkroom. But father would do anything for me, we would do anything for each other, and I love that about our relationship.

            As I walk along, I’m so busy looking for a good shot, that I don’t notice the presence of people behind me. How would I really, it’s not as though I can hear them. I don’t notice anything at all in fact until the first stone hits my shoulder. I turn around quickly, grabbing my shoulder as I look for the culprit. I identify her quickly, a girl not much older than me by the looks of it. She’s blonde, pretty. And I can’t help but get the feeling that I know her from somewhere. She stands with a few other kids, all holding rocks in their hands and looking rather pissed. They’re shouting at me, but it’s all so frantic and there’s so many of them, I can only read bits and pieces from their lips. Freak. Weirdo. Traitor. Bitch. I close my eyes so I don’t have to hear them anymore, quickly shielding my camera from their blows and more rocks come flying my way. I turn my back, flinching as the stones land hard against my shoulder blades. It’s as I’m running away that I realize why I recognize the girl. Yesterday. The job. I take a cold breath as the situation dawns on me. Those people I turned over to the peacekeepers yesterday, they were that girl’s parents.

“You’re just wasted, aren’t you?” I ask, taking my hand away. I don’t even want to remember I have this woman’s blood running in my veins at this moment. Instead of answering me she just laughs. Without any inhibitions. Paz almost falls out of the couch. And I want to slap her. I want to slap her so bad. “And sooo wasted, my son.”

I looked at her, widening my eyes. She was actually telling me that. “And mommy needs a little fun, so let me talk to you before I go,” she said, barely controlling her giggles. I just sat there, not allowing her to touch me in the most slight way and looking back at the hall, making sure my sisters wouldn’t storm me and see her in that state. For the first time, I notice her outfit - or the lack of it. I’m not lying, I would love to see the girls my age wearing such a thing but this woman is a mother. Of four! And three of them didn’t receive any motherly attention, like it isn’t enough her not telling who our fathers are. The skirt doesn’t cover what it shows and the top is more of a bra than anything else. The dark makeup and weirdly short hair makes her look younger. It’s the first time I notice this new haircut and I can’t be sure if she just cut it or I have been too oblivious of her actions to notice it before. “You know real men like to have some hair to pull, you cheap slut.” The words leave my mouth without me thinking about them and I try to hide my shock. Maybe if I wasn’t spending so much time with the guys I wouldn’t say this. Paz just smirks at me, like she’s a random girl I met somewhere.

“I was here to tell you that you need to treat women how they deserve.” She stands up. “And I meant to treat them right, but I can agree with you. Some just deserve to be treated a little badly and you know what, Jarel? They like it.” Those last words are said on a rough whispers on my ear. And I just want her to go back to the depressed stage she stays at with only the alcohol. Suddenly, her voice gets back to normal as she walks towards the door. “I advise you to be with the girls in your room when I come back, or you will have some messed up shit to explain.” The she walks out, childishly hitting the door.

I spend my day with my sisters, playing with them around the house and outside. When the night falls, I immediately take them to our room, kiss them goodnight and sit on my bed, thinking. The Reaping is tomorrow. This is my last year and, with the amount of tesserae, I wouldn’t be surprised to be picked. At least Neillie and Savannah didn’t remember it today and I guess being scared won’t help, so I just sit there, looking at the ceiling. It doesn’t take long for me to hear my mom entering our house with what it sounds like two other men. I want to get out of there and tell the three of them to get out, but I don’t want to face my mother right now so I stay in place, lying down, constantly blinking my eyes like that would help the moans to go away.

"Good morning sweetie." My mom said as she heard me coming down the stairs. "I already got your breakfast ready for you, some cereal and juice." I sat down at the table and just looked at my food. "Thanks mom." I said as i proceeded to eat the cereal. My mom sat down across from me and just looked at me. "You know tomorrow is reaping day Darius." I stopped eating and looked at her. I haven't even thought about it really. I didn't count down the days or anything. "Yeah, I know." I said. She was still looking at me. She was about to talk until I spoke up. "I'll be okay mom. I haven't got picked yet, so why would I now? It's my last year to be chosen. Don't be nervous." I said looking at her. She gave me a small smile and just hook her head. "Always the brave type aren't you Darius, I'm not nervous." She got up from the table and walked up stairs. I knew she would be nervous no matter what. Hell I would as well. I finished my food and walked out the door to work. 

When I got there, the manager was locking it up and he started to turn around to me. "Hello Darius, fine day it is today isn't it?" He smiled smiling at me. He was a husky fellow, very nice. I shook his hand and looked at him "Why are you locking it up right now? Shouldn't people be working?" I asked. Sometimes he would lock up but never like this. "Tomorrow is reaping day, I want people to spend the time with their family. You should as well. Go on home." I shrugged my shoulders and just agreed. It was unlike him to lock up on the day before reaping.