I'll show you the net [Open]

Genesis Reese

I wake up to the sun shining brightly through my window. I carefully rub my eyes trying to adjust them to the light. My neck aches. I must have slept wrong. I slowly force myself to a sitting position and stare at the blank walls. I wonder why my dad hasn't tried to wake me up yet. Normally I would want to be up as the finale of The Hunger Games are going on. It's amazing to know that District 4 has a tribute in the final two. My bare feet touch the cold floor sending chills through my spine. My neck begs me to lay still, but today, I need to go fishing. I need to make catch a lot of fish to sell at the shops today so I can bring an amazing dinner home. I blink my eyes a couple time as I stand up and walk over to the window. The streets are abandon. I crack the window. The air feels fantastic. Today will make a perfect fishing day.

I walk over to my closet and look through all the fishing clothes I have. My eyes spot my favorite outfit. A red short sleeve shirt, and the ragged pair of jeans I have. My mom told me several times to get rid of them, but I can't make myself let them go. They are comfortable. I quickly change into the clothes. I run my fingers through my hair to flatten it out a bit, but it doesn't work well. Oh well, I don't need to look perfect today. I'm just going fishing. ]"Genesis is that you?" I groan. My dad is awake. I was hoping to sneak off without him knowing. He's always getting in my way. I'll be nice to him today though. I'll just let him know where I'm going. I think he would like that a lot. I shake my head a bit as I walk into the room where his voice came from. "Yes, dad, it's me."

I sit down on the couch waiting for him to reply. He seems to be in a good mood today. (He's never in a good mood. This is a first.) I look at him as a smile appears on his face. "Where are you going?" He asks. Should I tell him where I'm going? It's not going to hurt him to know I'm going fishing. I don't want him to come with me though. I stare at him a little longer trying to decide what to say. I'm in a hurry though because I need to catch as many fish as I possibly can. "I'm going to go to the docks and see what I can get into." I reply quietly hoping he believes me. He looks at me with a look of confusion. "Catch a lot of fish."

I nod my head at him and walk out the door. I grab my trident and the nets on the way out. I can't forget them. I don't live far from the docks, so it's not a far walk, but I'm going to take my time. I don't want to be in a hurry to show off my amazing skills. I plan on showing everyone around how great of a fisher I am. I sling the nets over my shoulder and cringe in pain from my neck. I hate that it hurts this bad, but I'll get over it. I do not quit. I reach the docks faster than I thought I would. I look over and spot my boat sitting there waiting for me. A huge smile appears on my face. I've had this boat for a few years. I don't think my family knows about it, but I don't care. I toss my nets into the boat and realize it's going to be a bad day for fishing. The water is crashing onto the dock, and my boat is moving all over the place.

I look over at the others waiting to take off. I could always take off in my boat despite the monstrous ocean. "Does anyone know when the waves will calm down?" I ask as politely as I possibly can. I don't know if anyone heard me, but it's worth a shot. I walk around the docks and spot another person sitting in his boat. He's younger than me. He's at least three to five years younger than me. I don't know if his parents would appreciate him talking to me. "Hey, do you know an approximate time it would be safe to go out fishing?" I hope I didn't scare him. I look down and realize I'm still holding my trident. I shrug my shoulders. It doesn't matter. Most the people around here carry tridents anyway. A smile appears on my face as I turn to walk back to my boat.

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Genesis Reese

I wish the weather was calm today. I wish I was able to go into the waves to relax. I look at them with my eyes fixed. The waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me. They remind me of the accident I had several years ago. I look down at my hand. I'm missing part of my finger because of the accident. The waves remind me of all the times I failed. I shake my head and quickly regret it. I raise my hands to my neck trying to rub the pain out. I look out at the waves. They are beautiful. Everything about them calms me down. I feel like I'm home. I feel like I'm where I belong.

The waves are amazing. If I wasn't going fishing, I would be sitting here watching the waves crash on the docks. I can't though. I'm on a mission to catch fish. I still have most of the day ahead of me. I could sit and wait for the waves to calm down, or I could go fishing in this weather. Going out now could cost me my life, but I'm a good swimmer. I can always buy another boat. I don't have the time to sit here and wait. I reach my boat. I drop my trident down inside. My paddles are laying perfectly on the floor just how I left them. My smile grows bigger. I'm about to climb in my boat when the person I was talking to earlier startles me. I wasn't expecting him to follow me. I nearly fall into the crashing waves. "No sorry."

I look at him slightly aggravated, but I can't stay aggravated for long. He wasn't trying to startle me. I allow myself to grin again. "Oh, no problem. I don't want to waste a day that I can be fishing." I try to remain polite, but I find that hard at times. I turn and face my boat again. I slowly climb in and sit down in the center. "Are you really going to fish in this weather?" Well, I was planning to. Nothing too ba could come from it. "Well, I was planning to. I need to catch fish for my father." I look at the floor of the boat. "I can't let him down. To answer your question, yes, I'll be fishing in this weather."

I place my nets on the side so I can easily grab them when I'm out far enough to cast them. I take the nets and tie knots in the ends of them. I grab my gloves out of my pocket and place them on my hands. I look up and the boy because he's closer to me. I frowns slightly as he climbs into the boat next to me. I might be crazy enough to do this, but I don't want this kid to risk his life. He dropped his equipment in the boat. I look at him hoping he doesn't go fishing in this, but I can't stop him if it comes down to it. I watch him grab a small box. I know what's inside of it. I've seen it many times. "Would you like any?" "That would be great." I answer. "Thanks."

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Genesis Reese

Waves crash onto the boat. Waves surround me. I've never been afraid of waves, but for some reason these are slightly scary. I stare at them. I could easily be consumed by these waves. Everyone knows a storm on the sea could turn bad in a matter of seconds. My heart pounds ferociously inside my chest. My breathing picks up a lot. I have to be crazy. I carefully walk around my boat holding onto the sides so I don't topple over. I stare at the waves as my boat violently moves from side to side. If the rope was tying my boat to the dock, I would be dumped over in the water. I could have died before. I was stupid sail my boat into a storming sea like this before, and I'm sure as hell stupid enough to do it again. I don't want this kid to risk his life for fishing. He's young and probably has a long life ahead of him. I shake my head. I was raised fishing, and I might as well die fishing. I came close to dying before. I hope that it doesn't happen again. "Just because I'm going out into the storm to fish doesn't mean you should too!" I raise my voice to a yell hoping he can hear me over the crashing waves. I look at the boy as he hands me a handful of fishing bait. I didn't really need the fishing bait, but since he offered, I didn't want to be rude and not take it.

"Thanks!" I really am grateful for him being here. I don't have to fish alone. I usually prefer fishing alone, but today, with the way the weather is, I don't truly care. Fear of water itself is impossible for any citizen of district 4; at least, that's what my dad always says. I'm strong. I'm courageous. I'm not afraid of some stupid storm. I should be though. I can't allow a few small waves to ruin a perfectly good day of fishing. I can't. "Well I hope you catch the fish for your father!" He shouts as he unties his boat. I want to tell him not to go. I want to tell him he should wait out the storm, but it would only make me a hypocrite because I am going out in the storm, and he can't stop me. Nobody on this dock could stop me. I notice several people are looking at him like he's crazy. I wish I was capable of stopping him, but everyone has their own free will. If he wants to fish in this weather, all the power to him. A huge grin appears on my face as I secure myself inside my boat as the boy sails off into the sea. I can tell right away the current is strong by the way my boat is trying to float away from the dock. "You kids are stupid for going fishing!" One of the guys shouts. I ignore him as I don't want some old fool telling me I'm stupid. I'll prove him wrong and make a wonderful catch.

I look around the crashing sea frantically holding onto the boat as tight as I can. I've already lost my nets. I had to drop them to save my life. The weight of the fish was going to cause the boat to tip over. I couldn't afford the boat to tip over. I had to keep it above the water. I had to. I had to bring myself home. I scream for people to help me, but I'm too far away. I can't be heard at all. I'm stuck and trapped. I stand up on the boat, which was a huge mistake, and it topples over sending me crashing into the waves. My finger is caught in something. I have no idea what it is. I'm being dragged further into the water. I shake my head carefully as I look down at my finger. I won't let that happen again. I'm smarter, and I'm older. I know how to take care of myself now. I'm capable of holding the fish and bringing them all home. I'm not worried about the waves anymore. They can't beat me because I'm about to beat them. "Hey be careful out there!" I shout at the top of my lungs hoping he can hear me. I look around at the people on the dock. They are still muttering among themselves. "If you all have a problem with me, by all means, tell me to my face." I hiss at them. I hate people talking behind my back. With this I slip the rope off the dock.

My boat slowly starts sailing into the sea without me controlling it. I don't have to worry about controlling it because the current is strong. If I'm not careful, I could be pulled out into the middle of the ocean ending up lost forever. I'm a great swimmer, but I don't know if I'd be able to swim if I was lost forever. I should have packed a snack or something in case that would happen. I take hold of the paddles and start pushing myself in the direction of the other boy. I would like to know his name. I would like to be able to talk to him more. The waves crash onto my boat almost causing it to topple over. A huge grin appears on my face. I'm coming for you! I'm going to prove to you I am the boss. I'm not afraid of you. I'll never be afraid of you! You can't hurt me! I feel so alive right now. I never figured out why, but the sea helps me to be myself. I'm the most calm here. I stroke the paddles back and forth keeping myself going in the direction of the other boy. My boat swerves like crazy fighting against my ores. The waves fight against everything that I'm doing to try to keep my boat right side up. (Have you ever tried to drag a boat full of water back to the shore? It's not very easy.) I allow myself to become one with the water. I allow myself to be calm hoping today won't be my last.

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Genesis Reese

I quickly drift farther away from the docks than I thought I would. I'm being tossed around like I never dreamed possible. Its like I'm a rag doll in the arms of a young child swinging the doll around in a tantrum. I'm bouncing all over the place. It's a miracle I haven't been thrown overboard. The waves are crashing down inside my boat soaking me from head to toe. I'll never catch any fish in this. This was a death wish. This is practically a suicide attempt in the making. I wonder what my family will say if I never return home. A wave crashes down over my head breaking my thoughts. A chill runs down my spine causing my whole body to shake. I'm chilled to the bone. I didn't bring a jacket or anything because I thought it was going to be a nice day. My hands are shaking extremely bad. I can barely hold onto the nets. My whole body is shaking trying to keep myself warm as the water consumes me taking my breathe away with every wave. I want to run away from the waves. I would abandon my boat to run for safety. I can still see the docks in the distance. If I turn back now, I might survive the day with my life and return home to my family.

Genesis, you can't turn back now. This kid is counting on you. If it wasn't for you going out into the sea, he wouldn't have gone either. One of the ores flies out of my hand into the raging sea. I try to catch it but it floats away from me in front of my own eyes. My stomach dances inside me. My heart pounds fast inside my chest. If it was possible, I'm sure my heart would fly out of my chest. I clutch my hand to my chest unsure of what to do. I look up at the boy. I don't even know his name. I would feel terrible if something happened to him. Adrenaline starts surging through my body. My hands shake uncontrollably. I grip onto the sides of my boat and carefully bring myself to my feet. I take the net in one hand and toss it into the sea. I've done this several times. Normally I wouldn't have a problem, but right now, this is a risk I shouldn't take. I hold onto the end of it with one hand. I can feel the net fighting against me trying to follow the current. The same current that is drawing my boat farther away from the docks. I can still see them in the distance if I squint my eyes and look the right way. It's not worth it. It's not worth the fight. I should have never gone out fishing in this. I'm definitely going to regret the decision.

"Caught anything yet?!" The boy yells at me. I can barely hear him. The waves are deafening. The sounds of the raging sea is ringing inside my head. I know the answer to this question. I can tell by the weight of the net. I can tell there's not a single fish in it. All the fish have to be hiding. I know if I was a fish, I would be hiding away from the waves. I would wait until it was calm to play. I grab the net and quickly jerk it out of the water. I'm not surprised when I find it completely empty. I hiss under my breath. "No! I haven't caught anything!" I shout at him hoping he can hear me. I'm almost right next to his boat. I shouldn't have to shout much, but I'll still have to keep my voice raised. "Have you caught anything?" I ask calmly. I can practically tell by the look on his face he hasn't caught anything. I watch him as he desperately tries to catch something. Anything is better than nothing. I don't know about his family, but I know that my dad will be extremely upset if I come home empty handed. I throw the net back into the sea. The momentum of me throwing the net into the sea almost sends me crashing into the sea.

I move my legs quickly trying to keep myself steady. I glance around quickly hoping nobody saw me. There's a raging sea right in front of me. I'm better off dying right now. I know I won't bring home any fish at all. I doubt I'll even make it home with my life. I'm terrified. I hate to admit it, but I'm scared out of my mind. I don't know what to do. My mind is racing looking for an answer. I sit down in the boat quickly and steadily hoping I don't topple over. I can swim, but I doubt I'll be able to swim very far in this. Another wave crashes onto the boat. Chills run down my spine. I grab the net and jerk it into the boat. I can't afford to lose it. It's one of a kind. I run my hands up and down my arms trying to bring warmth to them. My teeth chatter loudly. I drape the net around me begging for it to keep me warm. Water drips off my face onto my lap. My toes are cold. Panic. The one thing I was trained not to do is panic; however, my mind is only focused on one thing: staying alive. "This was a bad idea! I yell hoping he understands we should turn around and go back. Turning back can can be our only chance.

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Genesis Reese

Fishing has always been something I've enjoyed. I waited all winter to be able to fish. When I'm fishing, I can escape from the world. I can pretend the only thing that exists is fishing. I can pretend this stupid nation I live in isn't real. It's a fantasy world I live in where I don't have to worry about anything. I don't have to worry about training for the games. I don't have to worry about making my father proud. I don't have to worry about my sister ever being sent off to die. It's just me, the sea, and the fish. This is the only thing that causes me to feel free. I'm not trapped at home listening to my father tell me I could be doing better. After all, I am the best there is. I definitely regret my decision to go fishing today. This journey I've taken today has only caused me a lot of problems. I'm barely able to keep my body temperature warm. I'm at a great risk of freezing to death, or catching a terrible cold.

It's a storm of the century. It's a storm that I'll never forget as the waves continue to crash down on top of me. I want to scream. It would be best for me to get out of here while I can with all my extremities still attached. I can't lose any now. I need a fighting chance. I can't go down now without hope. The storm is overtaking the sea as the waves grow bigger in size. It's a miracle my boat hasn't flipped over yet. The boat is taunting me as it leans to the left, then, leans to the right. I lean the opposite way the boat leans trying to balance the weight. If I make it out of this situation alive, I promise on my life I will never do anything like this as long as I live. "Hey!" I shout at the tops of my lungs. "Are you having any luck?!" I cast the net into the sea again keeping a strong grip around it.

Chills run up my spine causing me to shiver uncontrollably. My teeth chatter loudly inside my mouth echoing throughout my head. The raging water is making it extremely hard for me to hear. It's not a good situation. I can't really see the other kid; however, I can make out his silhouette. I keep my eyes focused on him as another wave crashes into the boat causing my net to drift away from the boat. I try to regain my grip on it, but it's moving to fast for me to catch. "Damn. That was a net I made by myself without the help of anyone. That was my good net!" I angrily grab my trident. I place it in one hand and my ore in the other. I attempt to paddle to where the other kid is. I can hear him shouting something, but right now, I'm too far to make out what he's saying. "Try fishing around here! There's so many fish!" I paddle the boat in the direction of him.

Just one fish to take home to my father would mean the world. Please nature allow me to catch just one fish! "How have you caught any fish in this weather?" I ask. If he's caught a few fish, I have to do better. I can't let this kid show me up. I am better than him. I'm the master fisher here. I pick up my trident and jab it blindly into the water. I bring it out and find nothing. I swiftly jab the trident into the water again. This is pointless. I won't catch a fish. I'm not catching a fish in this. Anger starts surging through my veins. I'm not relaxing here like I would normally be. This is a trick to cause me to never fish again. This isn't what I had planned. I'm stuck in the waves of a storm that's going to kill me. "Hey, I've never caught your name! My name is Genesis!" I shout over the raging sea.

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Genesis Reese

It's bad enough I'm freezing, but it's even worse that I haven't caught a single fish. I can't let this kid out do me. I can't let him have more fish than me. I'll have to catch fish one way or another. I sit up in my boat and jab the trident deep into the water. Deeper than I probably should have gone because my boat almost flips. I barely manage to keep my boat upright. I quickly bring the trident out of the water, and to my surprise, I have caught a fish. A fish is dead on the other end of my pole. A fish that will never be able to live again. This brings great joy to myself. I'm a fisher, and no matter what I will fish until my very end. I quickly jab my trident back into the water to catch another fish. A wave crashes down on my boat almost sending me overboard again. Instinct? I have great instinct, but it's near impossible to fish in weather like this. Oh well. I'll have a better catch. My name is Flint." He manages to say between the chattering of his teeth. "I might go home now." I can't blame him for wanting to go home. I should be wanting to go home, but I can't let my father down.

The waves are stronger than ever. The current is pulling my tiny boat away from the docks. I can't even see the docks in my sight now. My teeth chatter loudly inside my head. I'm drenched. I'm cold. I'm going to die. The boat rocks back and forth in a motion causing me to become sick. If I would have ate breakfast, I would be covered in the vile stuff that rumbles inside me. My arms are shaking terribly. I can't hold onto the trident anymore. I can't hold onto anything anymore. I drop the trident into my boat and curl up into a ball. I try to get as close to myself as I can to maintain what little bit of body heat I have left. Snot drips from my nose running down my chin and dripping silently into the boat. Water runs down the side of my face following the snot that drips into the boat. A bit of water runs down my spine sending chills throughout my body. I'm not going to make it back to the dock. I'm unable to sit up long enough to do anything. I wonder what my father will say. "F-F-F-Flin-Fli-Flint we sh-sh-sh-should t-t-t-turn ar-ar-around." I say silently through the chattering of my teeth. I know he's not going to be able to hear me. I know the words will be lost in the raging sea, but I had to try anyway.

I look around trying to keep my eye on Flint. I can't have him die now. I can't allow him to die. I must protect him. Argh, I'm so cold, help!" He calls out. I look around frantically trying to figure out where he's at. I spot him being thrown around in the raging sea. He's being tossed around like a rag doll.

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"Genesis help me!" My mom calls out through the sea. I look at her pleading for her to come back. My entire body is turning numb as I slowly allow the boat to rock back an forth in the sea. I'm being tossed around like a rag doll, and I'm not even in the sea. "Genesis please!" She calls out again. I look at her and do something I never thought was possible. I jump out of the boat into the raging sea. I risk my life to save my mom. The current drags me far out of the sea sending me tumbling under the water. I'm a rag doll being tossed around. There's no one here to save me. I slowly drift farther away from the boat until it's no longer visible.
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"Hang on Flint!" I yell over the sea. "I'm coming!" I grab my trident carefully. I stand up in the boat and do something I have only done once before. I know how this can end, but I have to save him. I jump into the water. I'm immediately chilled to the bone. My teeth start chattering uncontrollably. I resurface and gaps for air. My lungs feel like they are on fire. I kick my feet to keep myself surfaced. I swim around looking for Flint hoping this idiotic decision doesn't get me killed.

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