Never Safe from Danger- Chapter Three: Nath's POV

Chapter 3
Nath's POV
"Ree Sandrift."
I shake my head. That girl's only twelve. Far too young to be a tribute. And nobody will volunteer in her place…not even her sister…it sickens me. If I was her sister, I'd replace her in a heartbeat.  She looks so vulnerable and scared as the peacekeepers drag her onto the stage, away from the other young girls.
Then the escort, Jules Agran, clasps his hands together and squeaks, "Now it is time for Ree here to pick District Seven's male tribute. Ree, you will have sixty seconds to pick someone." He is still grinning from ear to ear. Urgh.
As the minute passes, I notice a few boys who have bullied Ree or who have argued with her recently shuffle on their feet nervously.  I don't see the point in worrying at the moment, and I assess Ree's chances of winning the Hunger Games. Hopeless, I decide. That girl's so small she couldn't kill a legless rabbit. Poor kid.
"Time's up! Who have you selected to accompany you to the arena?" chips Jules after the designated time is over, apparently oblivious to her tears. She mutters something barely audible in response. I can't hear what she said, but the first few rows of boys sigh in relief and turn around to search for the unlucky person.
Jules stumbles up really close to a microphone. "For those of you who didn't hear who the lucky boy is, I shall repeat it. The young man who has acquired the honour of competing for his district in this year's Hunger Games is Nath Eyer!"
Now everyone's looking at me. The guy beside me jumps away in surprise. May as well get on with it, I think. I trudge my way up to the stage and climb on beside Ree. I'm not entirely sure why she picked me, but asking her about that can wait. She glances my way nervously. I just nod at her, trying to reassure her. But reassure her about what, exactly?
It's funny, because I expected to be taken over by some crippling fear when I stepped up onto the stage, but I feel okay. I guess it's good that it's me instead of some poor twelve year old boy. I think Ree getting reaped must have prodded awake some protective instinct inside of me.
"Ladies and gentlemen! I give you District Seven's tributes: Nath Eyer and Ree Sandrift!" beams Jules. A few members of the audience clap half-heartedly, and then, as they leave, some peacekeepers escort us to rooms in the Justice Building.
It's incredibly fancy. My family are poor- not like about-to-die-of-starvation-poor, but we aren't very well off.  When the peacekeepers leave, I immediately get down and inspect the carpet. It's made of some kind of super soft material that I'm not familiar with. There is a big, blue couch at the back of the room, which I sit on and sigh.
After about twenty minutes, the door opens again and my parents, sisters and brother flood in. I look at Saidlee, my youngest sister. She's got tears running down her face. Oh, no, the goodbyes. You can throw me into an arena to certain death, but seeing my family for the final time before they'll be forced to watch me die is just too much. I know it will hurt them. I fight back tears and pull them all into a huge hug.
Saidlee is nine and she's really scared of the Hunger Games. She has nightmares that one day, her name will be picked at a reaping and she will have to fight. I don't think she ever really worried that any of her siblings would get picked, and now that it's hit her, she's unprepared for the shock. My other sister, Renn, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. She is thirteen and all she talks about for weeks before the reaping is all the tesserae I take out, and how a seventeen year old boy taking out tesserae for himself plus five other people every year was way too likely to get picked. Ironically, in the end, it isn't that that has gotten me here.
My brother, Maxec, is twelve, and like me, is pretty quiet. For a kid of his age, he does a good job of concealing his emotions. Looking at him just confuses me more. Ree and him are pretty good friends, so why would she pick me, his brother?
"Nath," whimpers Saidlee.
I look at her. "Yes?" I say. I try to sound calm, but I can't repress the trembles in my voice.
"You're going to win, aren't you? You're so strong and clever and brave…"
I pause a minute. I guess I am pretty strong (living in a district specialising in lumber, that's kind of a given) but what if there are stronger kids in the arena? I'm not stupid, but isn't there bound to be someone there who can outfox me? And I have to be brave, but will it really matter? Will I be reduced to a whimpering coward in the thick of it? Saidlee's pleading eyes remind me that I have to answer. I want to reassure her, but I don't want to lie to her. So I say the best thing that I can while being honest.
"I'll try," I say, and then she hugs onto me tighter and we're all crying, the six of us.
"I love you," says my mother between sobs.
"I do too. Try your best, son," adds my dad.
Maxec says nothing, but when the peacekeepers come to force them out of the room after about a quarter of an hour, Renn mouths 'good luck' to me before going into a frenzy of tears.