The sound of the trucks and the speakers getting put up so everyone could at least listen to the collection interviews in the main square is what finally snapped Ash out of his thoughts. He had started to feel like it was just another morning spent there. The only thing that reminded him it wasn't just an average one, was the way that Josie had abandoned her blades of grass. Her head hadn't left his shoulder and now her stained fingers were interlocked around his arm.

He felt like there were actual rocks settling in his chest. Rocks that were heavy enough that they'd keep him under the surface of the stream.

He knew how the Powell ledger looked.

Since last January, each month had a handful of marks. From late housing payments, fines on unkept gutters by the street that ran along their property, loans at the markets on food and medicine that weren't paid off...and Wren had needed a hell of a lot of medicine for her cough that stuck around for what seemed like months. And that made for a hell of a lot of red on the ledger...

The rumble of the trucks grew louder as they began to move through the square that was hidden from them by trees on the otherside of the stream. The trumpets that played over the speakers on the trucks sounded more like static.

"I'll see you tonight?" her voice wasn't more than a whisper, her breath still smelt faintly of the homemade raspberry syrup that her mom always made.

Ash shifted a bit where he sat. One hand moving to cover hers where her fingers interlocked around his arms. "Of course," But she wasn't convinced. Her grip tightened on his arm. "Right here."

Josie lifted her head slightly, just enough that he could feel her green eyes staring at him. "I'll bring some of that syrup over that ma made for today." She stated, "And some of those biscuits that Ember liked last week when she stopped by the shop with your mom."

Ash scoffed a bit, "That's a lot to carry home."

Josie mocked his sigh, "No, I mean I'll bring it there. After the collection is done for the sector." her voice rose and fell like she was trying to force herself to feel anything besides dread. Like she was trying to ignore what today was.

"You better be there then." He replied, trying to sound just as casual about the whole thing. But neither of them moved.

Ash felt like the stones in his chest were keeping him firmly in place. Right there, but he couldn't even bring himself to actually look down at her. He couldn't stand the thought of seeing the worry she was trying to hide staring right back at him. So before he could really see the pools of green that were specked with blue when he finally turned his head, he quickly found her lips with his own.

It wasn't desperate or hurried. It was familiar. He didn't want this morning to feel different than last years collection day. Or any other morning for that matter. But he could feel it in his chest, it was different. His family's ledger had never been so full, and Ember was at the perfect age it seemed like for Sector 9. They always had a few girls about her age collected...

Once they finally broke away, Josie forced her usual smile across her lips. "I'll see you in a little while then." she sighed, her forced smile faltering slightly as one of her hands moved to cover his before she pushed herself up from her seat in the grass.

Ash tried to mirror the fake ease that she had by offering her a small smile as she stood up. "If all goes as planned." he couldn't stop the quip from coming out of his mouth, "Kidding." He stated quickly the moment the worry flashed across her face again. "I'm kidding," he said again as she held out one hand for him, he took ahold of it as he stood up. "I'll see you later."

Ash made his way back into the house, the sound of the trumpets blaring through speakers warped from static still sounded like it was a few blocks away. But each step he took inside...he felt like there were needles pricking at the back of his neck and his heart was pounding against his ribs. And his stomach was doing flips and tripping over itself.

"Morning."

Their mother, Vera, was just setting the table for a breakfast far nicer than they usually had. The bread she had made yesterday was now neatly sliced and set in a bowl. The nicest one she had, and a bit of flour dressed the top of it. She had pale hair, and blue eyes that could cut through steel if they had to, and they were already looking him over from head to two. She was in her best blouse, and a pair of dress pants that she only ever forced herself to wear on days like Collections Day.

Wren was seated at the table already too, eagerly watching their breakfast be prepared. She was less interested in the bread, and more on the butter their mother whipped with a bit of honey in the butter dish. She was in her favorite dress, a pale pink thing covered in lace. Ash was pretty sure it was one their grandmother had made Ember, but he could vividly remember her throwing a tantrum loud enough to wake the whole block every time their mother tried to put it on her.

"I was starting to think you'd run away for good this morning." Vera said, her voice half serious and half forced sarcasm.

Ash forced a laugh as he kicked his boots off, "Maybe tomorrow." he replied as she turned back to the metal fridge that had to be repaired once or twice a week it seemed.

"When you go get cleaned up, knock on Embers door, will you?" Vera sighed as she looked over her shoulder, "I don't want her to miss breakfast today."

"Ma made her favorite," Wren started, "the sweet butter." she smiled, pointing a finger at the whipped butter on the table.

Ash hardly looked away from their mother. He had gotten used to her anxiety every Collection Day. And how she could hardly look at him every year. "I'll make sure she knows you'll eat it all if she doesn't hurry up." he briefly glanced at Wren, and flashed her a tight lipped smile as he made his way towards the hall.

"Josie's gonna come by this afternoon," he said as he passed Vera.

Josie always got a smile out of her. A genuine one.

Vera looked up at him as she pulled the silver canister of milk from the fridge. "That'll be nice," she replied, a small smile appearing. But only for a second before it faltered again, "it's always good to see her."

He hummed a response as he started down the hall, "She'll be bringing some of those biscuits that Ember likes," he said over his shoulder, a bit louder than he had to. Hoping to be loud enough for Ember to hear through her bedroom door. But when he caught a glimpse of Vera's face when he looked over his shoulder, there wasn't even a faint smile on her lips.
Ash stopped outside Embers door and knocked, waiting a moment before knocking again and this time pushing it open. Poking his head inside. Ember was still seated on her bed, yanking at the laces on her shoes, and her frizzy black hair was hardly held in the two braids that fell over her shoulders.

"Are you stalling or something?" Ash asked, keeping his voice low enough that Vera and Wren couldn't hear him.

Ember glanced up at him through her lashes, "No, just getting ready. Don't want ma to send me back three times 'cuz I'm not ready enough."

Ash sighed heavily as he stepped fully inside her room and pushed the door closed behind him. "She just wants everything to look okay just in case."

Ember rolled her eyes, "If they knocked on my door I just wouldn't let them in." she stated as she sat back a bit and let her foot fall against the floor. "But she wants us all looking perfect in case they come here."

Ash had to bite his tongue for a moment. Part of him agreed. Part of him would want to tell the collectors to just fuck off, and to just keep the door locked if they knocked on it. But the guards wouldn't let the doors stay shut. They'd get inside one way or another. They'd get what they came for one way or another.

"Ash, our ledger is bad this year...isn't it..."

Ash felt like his stomach was going to leap up his throat. He wasn't even supposed to see know how bad it was.

"What makes you say that?"

"Wren was really sick." Ember stated, her fingers instantly finding each other in her lap. Her short nails began picking at her cuticles.

Ash took the few steps it took to cross her room and lowered himself on the side of her bed next to her.

"Yeah she was."

"They could come here."

"And it'll be just fine if they do." Ash countered quickly as he leaned forward against his knees as he looked up at her.

Ember's eyes hardly stayed on his before they darted down to her cuticles. "Ma doesn't think so. She wouldn't be making me put this on if she thought we'd be fine." Ember gripped the light blue skirt she wore briefly before going back to picking at her fingers.

"She just wants to make sure we look okay in case we end up on TV is all."

Ember rolled her eyes again.

"On TV at least for whoever wastes money on one of those." He corrected, most people just listened to everything on the radio, and occasionally would watch the Hunt on a TV in the diner in the square. The only places that had tv's in every house, as far as Ash knew, was Prospera. The capital in the middle of Nordam, what people didn't even need to worry about Debt Collection unless they had a gambling problem. "Ma wants you at the table." He added, leaning back again and letting his hands fall against his knees.

"I'm not hungry."

"Em."

She groaned as she rolled her eyes, yet again. But silence settled between them. "You promise everything's gonna be fine?"

Ash nodded. Even though he knew damn well he couldn't promise it entirely. He wished he could. It would get rid of that heavy feeling in his chest. "You go get some breakfast." He stated, nudging her with his elbow, "And make sure Wren doesn't eat all of that whipped butter."

Ember didn't seem at all convinced that everything would be fine. In fact, she looked even less convinced of it once she stood up. But she didn't leave the room, instead she made her way across the room and pulled open her door. More like she was escorting him out. She dramatically held a hand out.

"And ma's gonna want to make sure you're actually ready too." she let the words fall out on her breath as she sighed while Ash told up and made his way across the room. "Even though everything's gonna be okay."
Ash scoffed as he made his way past her. He didn't humor her with even a quip. She was twelve. When he was twelve, that was when they started learning about what actually happened after Debt Collection. Younger kids know that a bunch of kids go to Prospera, do a bunch of interviews, they find out who's a hunter and who isn't, and then a bunch of rich people place their bets when the hunt starts. And then every day they congratulate the families that are moving forward, an apologize to those who only have a fraction of their ledger forgiven.

Older kids knew that the hunt meant that the kids in Prospera were hoping they'd either be a hunter and could pretend like they were trying for a little longer, or that they weren't a hunter and just died quickly. Each morning there was a broadcast on the tv, and if you had one or could get to one, you could find out the targets that the hunters were given. Each hunter kept the same target until they got them or someone else did. Then once all the targets were gone, Prospera would vote on who they wanted to stay hunters and who they didn't. And it would go on and on until the hunt was over.

The winner never went home. They stayed in Prospera. At least that was what everyone was told. But their names were added to the silver plaque on the mayor's front gate–at the end of the hunt the mayor would get a big moment. broadcasted live to all of Nordam, just gushing about how proud they were for whoever won, and for the entire sector as they added the name.
That hardly happened for Sector 9. There were maybe eight names on it, and none of them were names that Ash knew. Except maybe two; Harlan Finch and Marisue Davis. They were the first back-to-back winners that the sector had ever had, and Ash had been about seven then. It was a big deal what Marisue was announced the winner of the Hunt. It was the first and last time there was almost actual celebrations about the Hunt in the sector.

Once Ash had smoothed his hair a bit to make it look a bit more tame without letting Vera anywhere near it with scissors, had shaved, and changed into the pair of black pants and a blue button up that Vera insisted he wear...he made his way back out to the kitchen.

Vera, Ember, and Wren were all already seated in their usual seats. Leaving two open, one next to Wren, and one right across from him where their father usually sat...Aldan Powell was never the first at the table on collection day. He was always the last. The factories were closed, but the square wasn't. And from the square, you could sometimes hear to chosen families interviews if they were done early. So every year, their father would go to the square, as if he was just shopping for a few things that Vera sent him for. In reality he was hoping the collection interviews for the sector were finished before Vera even had breakfast on the table.

Wren flashed him a smile as he pulled out his chair as she ripped apart her bread in front of her and dipped it in the sugar that was on her plate. The whipped butter wasn't quite sweet enough for her, as usual. she could pour sugar on a piece of candy and still think it needed more. Ember had hardly touched hers, her eyes were too busy focusing on the radio in the center of the table just beside the break. It hardly sounded like anything but low static. The music that he had sort of been able to make out from the speakers in the square and on the trucks wasn't even making it through it. But whatever trumpets could make it through woildn't stop until a interview started. And if it did, that meant they were even closer to making it another year without a knock on the door.

"Do you get scared on collection day?" Wren asked once Ash reached for the dish of carefully placed bread.

God, she sounded so oblivious to everything that was going on this morning. It made his stomach churn.

Ash felt Vera's eyes stabbing through the eye, landing on him. "Maybe a little nervous." he stated, shrugging a bit as he picked up the knife for the butter. He couldn't bring himself to look up at their mother. "But I think everyone feels like that every year."

Wren hummed a bit, stuffing her mouth with another piece of bread. "Miss Livia says that when people get nervous, they should just stand up straight," Wren started, dramatically straightening her back and pulling her shoulders back. "that way people can't tell if you're scared."

Ember scoffed.

"That's really a really good idea," Ash replied simply, even though there wasn't an ounce of him that agreed.

There was hardly time for any silence to settle in the room. Between the scoff that was just the start of some sort of smart response from Ember, the subtle clearing of Vera's throat, the static anthem of trumpets coming through the radio...Ash hardly heard the gentle knock on the door.