I wake up with a knot in my stomach. This is not unusual as every day I have training, I wake up a nervous wreck. The only thing about this is it's a weekend and there is no training on weekends. Then I remember, today is the day of the reaping. My name is entered 5 times yet even if I get called I know no one will volunteer; they can't. It is the 100th Hunger Games and volunteering during this Quarter Quell is forbidden. I get out of bed and slip into my night jacket. As I make my way to my bathroom I run in Finnick, my father. He catches me in a headlock and says, “I hope you get reaped. Imagine that, then all our family would be victors.” That's right I think as I step into the shower. Dad won the 65th and Annie, my mom, won the 70th Hunger Games. I let the hot water run over me, washing away my anxieties, but then there is a knock at the door. A moment later, Sylvia, my stylist, pounces in. Her hair is a dark orange and there are jewels implanted into her face. She is dressed in a gaudy, amber dress with fish embroidered on with white thread. Around her dyed white throat, she has a net that fashions as a scarf. She sees me and shrieks, “What have you done to your eyebrows? I told you that you had to wax them!” I sigh and reluctantly give myself into her clutches. Two hours later, my body is hairless and feels very vulnerable. She has covered me in a pale, blue powder that pairs well with my sheet of glossy, golden hair. From a black, velvet bag she pulled out my new, annual reaping dress. It is light and almost see-through. On it there are tiny, little pearls that form a wave pattern. My boots are made of leather but covered in metallic scales. Around my throat are the same matching scales. My hair is done up but enough stays down to hide my scared sea-green eyes. As I glance at my reflection in a mirror, I allow myself a small gasp. It looks like I am a beautiful fish. One that can cut through the waters without having to worry about the weakest or the strongest in the class. All too soon, Finnick comes in and thanks Sylvia. I dread the next minute as I know I will have to be alone with Finnick. He starts with saying, “I know you will reaped as you are my child.” That smug grin makes my heart itch so I reply with a “yes, Father.” “Come on. The reaping will be soon and we must report to the Justice Hall.” I follow Finnick, but stay slightly behind to talk with mother. She tries to comfort me by telling me my name is 5 ships in thousands. This slightly works to calm me down, but my anxiety increases when I remember that I am only the victor's kid still eligible for the reaping. As we draw near the hall, we see plenty of families. Finnick already has a group of about 30 people surrounding him. My mom and I make our way to the victor's section in the Justice Hall. As we sink into our plush, velvet seats, I become aware of many pairs of eyeballs pressing my farther down into my seat. As Star mounts the stage, her yellow wig wobbles dangerously on her plump head. “Let the 100th reaping begin,” she warbles. “As you all know this Quarter Quell there shall be no volunteers.” “Girls first,” Star says. As her fat fingers enter the glass reaping ball, I hear a commotion behind me. Finnick, my dad, is holding a glass of alcohol and is fooling around. I turn my embarrassed head back to the stage. Star's fingers are pulling out a slip of white paper. She unfolds it and reads in her high, squeaky voice. “Siren Odair.
I hear my mother gasp and I hear Finnicks let out a loud whoop. I slowly rise and easily cut through the path that the crowd makes, to the stage. As I mount, I see that Marsh Ripley was also reaped. He is a strong, stocky boy that is easily three times as big as me. We shake hands and he turns to the crowd and leads them in a series of fist pumps. I feel myself in the Peacekeeper's relentless grasp as he drags me to a room with a soft, velvet couch. I timidly sit down as my parents enter. My mom is in her own world and as she sits down next to me I see that she will never fully recover after her time in the arena especially seeing her district partner get beheaded with an axe.