A New Way (Emmy)

A warm wind blew through the streets of District 11. It was morning time, when peacekeepers switched shifts, men went to work, and children made their way to school. One of those children was Raymond Godfrey, a small starving boy born from a family of grain farmers. He was feeling bored of walking to school the same way everyday, despite having others to walk with. He decided to try another way, make some organized chaos and to get to know his district better. He had only really been on that old path, fearing the other parts. He was feeling brave, as he walked past the multiple unfamiliar houses, noting their drab colors and unkempt lawns. He lived on his family farms, and was still feeling drowsy, since he had to get up early to make it to school on time. He didn't mind getting late, in fact, the new way made him curious whether he would get to school on time or not.

Peacekeeper kept a watchful eye on him. Raymond hadn't broken the law before, but always felt nervous around Peacekeepers, due to their strict nature and habit of giving people whippings for small crimes. They wouldn't get him in trouble for taking a new way to school... Right? They didn't seem to be after him. His nervousness made him speed walk, though. He also held his books tightly. He didn't want his family wasting money on a backpack, and didn't mind holding his school equipment, so it all worked out. There were other students walking to his school, though none that he knew. Raymond's stomach growled. He hadn't had Breakfast that morning, and wouldn't be having lunch either. He only ever had just enough food to live, and nothing more, except during reaping time when they had extra tesserae, but even then, he would still go without food for many hours at a time.

Raymond was beginning to feel bored again, and when he got bored, he could only focus on his hunger. He looked around, hoping for someone to talk too, but everyone there was far away from him, and he didn't feel like yelling around peacekeepers. He would have ran to them, but his laziness and hunger kept him to speed walking. Just as he thought his walk would continue to be complete boredom, he made it to the edge of a block, and a girl began walking down the same path as him. She was maybe a year older than him, and he thought he recognized her from his school. He was directly behind her, and knew it was a good chance to make his walk more exciting. "Hi there!" Raymond said cheerfully, and with a large smile. "I'm Raymond! But you can call me Ray."