"The name means 'Pure Beautiful Suffering'. So don't underestimate me!"
It was the most dreaded day of the year in all of Panem, unless of course you lived in the Capitol, where you would be enjoying yourself, per usual. It was Reaping Day, and all of Panem was abuzz with excitement and dread. The excitement was only in the Capitol, where children were safe, no matter their age. The districts however, were dreading the Reaping, with the exception of those in districts one, two, and four, known as the career Districts, who thrived on the Hunger Games, and volunteered to be in the Games, for they had been trained their entire lives to participate.
This particular Reaping Day was no different than any other, especially in district three, where one Catrina Ose lived with her father, her mother having run off when Catrina was young, said to be crazy, even before Catrina was born, so her disappearance was no surprise. Catrina’s father simply moved on, turning into the support his daughter needed, but still keeping up the appearance of a man that did not need help doing things, even if he was going without food for the sake of his daughter. When Catrina turned twelve she immediately went against the word of her father and placed her name into that bowl once again, getting a tesserae so that her father would no longer have to go hungry because of her. She was good in school, never ate her lunch though, and always gave it to those who needed it more, even if it meant that she would go hungry that day, because like her father, she had a big heart, even if her outer features did not show it. Her father was an engineer, an inventor, but most of all, a role model. He taught Catrina to live life to the fullest while still helping those who needed it. However, as she got older she became hardened, a scowl permanently on her face because of how needy everyone around her seemed to be. It was wrong, they built things for the Capitol, important things, and yet they were poor. Sure, not as poor as district twelve, not that Catrina would actually know, but she could guess, because district twelve was a mining district, and thus did not get many food supplies.
On this particular morning, Catrina wandered the streets of district three, her dark brown eyes scanning the sky above, waiting, just waiting, for the hover craft that would bring in the escort of the tributes. She heard it was a new one this year because the old one had retired, or died, she was not sure on all the details, but in truth, she did not care. She wore a permanent scowl, as she had for the past three years of her life, since she turned thirteen. It was nothing new for her to be wandering the streets on Reaping Day, or any day after school before curfew, because it cleared her mind and allowed her to remain at peace with herself, and with others. She was a feisty soul, deep down, though years of schooling, and four Reapings where her name was in a numerous amount of times had taught her to control her rage and put it to good use. This included helping her father come up with new inventions, or even help him in his workshop on nights when she could not sleep.
As she wandered the district, Catrina could not help but feel nervous, there was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she did not let it show. Instead, she made her way towards home, knowing she only had about an hour or so before she needed to be in the square and she needed to wash up properly or her father would have her head on a silver platter, if he could afford a silver platter that is. Therefore, she made her way home, taking short cuts through yards and hugging the edge of the district, until she reached the shack that was her home. Hopping the fence instead of going through the gate, Catrina headed into the house, almost running her father over. He simply smiled with a nod, a secret understanding between the two that the Reaping day was a sad day, and that the house was to remain silent as possible. A small smile tried to cross her face, though it simply fell back to a scowl before she headed into the bathroom and began to wash up.
Once she finished bathing and her hair was more or less dry, she slipped into her dress. It was simplistic and old, having once belonged to her mother. The dress was a pale gold, with swirls of silver near the hem. Her father had kept it for her, but she had been reluctant to touch the thing, considering it belonged to the woman who had deserted them. However, he had convinced her to wear it, and so she said she would. The dress was pretty, not exactly her style, but it worked well with her hair, which she pulled back into a lose ponytail, with her bangs framing her face. Looking at her reflection in the half mirror that her father had bought for her when she was young, a sad smile crossed her face, though only for a moment, as she saw a young woman staring back at her, not the little girl she used to be. Her father walked up behind her and clasped a hand to her shoulder, letting her know that it was around the time to head to the square for the Reaping. A sigh escaped her lips and she simply nodded before hugging him and heading out of the house.

