Okay so guys this is the story of another set of star crossed lovers. A pair so true they'd defy the capitol to have a happily ever after together... (I'm so cheesy aren't I!)
Scarlett POV (Spov)
I awoke up in a pool of sweat. A very normal occurrence with me.
"Lettie come on already the reaping starts at noon. You have to be ready by then!" My sister Elisabeth shouted from some unknown portion of our tiny home. (Elise-a-beth)
"Elisa! It doesn't start until two! Now let me sleep, it's not like they're going to pick me!" I shout back at her hoping she wouldn't bring up the subject of how they tended to rig reapings to where the children of past tributes would be picked. Or what had happened to Mom and Dad...
"Lettie come on I have to get going and know you won't go back to sleep." She shouted back at me. "Fine." I groaned and dragged myself out of bed.
"Finally. Now come on Cole's coming over for breakfast, and I don't want my little sister to make him uncomfortable by walking around the house in her pajama's!" She says shaking her head at me. Of course her fiancee Cole would be coming over, they were to be married in about 3 months.
"Go get dressed. Wear something nice!" She nags me and I just nod; I don't care what the peacekeepers think of me.
That was the whole thing about Elisabeth and I, we were complete opposites.
She had blonde hair and green eyes, while I had brown hair and sliver eyes. She stood at a low 5'4 ft., while I stood at about 5'7 and was most likely still growing. She embraced the capitols laws and I fought them off. She was 24 I was 17. She looked like mother almost to the point of scare and I looked like father.
I trudged slowly back to my room and stopped at my old trunk. I popped it open and searched it's very little contents for my only dress. It was sea-green, the official color of our lovely district 4. Short sleeved, with a cotton/semi-silky fabric, that went down right past my knee.
I layed it down on the bed and grabbed out another outfit. A pair of jeans and a plain blue t-shirt, my normal attire around here. I quickly pulled it on and walked out into the kitchen where Elisabeth was busying herself making toast with cream cheese.
"You're not wearing that to the reaping." She told me in an over-played motherly tone.
"I'm not." I told her sincerely.
The whole thing about the reapings today was that my name in all complete honesty was in there over 150 times. So out of everyone in district 4 I was the most likely to be drawn. Especially considering how Mom and Dad had won all those years ago. At least a good 10 years before the accident. The one that left Elisabeth and I orphans. And broke at that.
When Mom and Dad died so did the winnings. Simple as that. And now every year since I've been up for the highest amount of tesserae imaginable. Though I might not get picked. In all honesty this was the smallest amount of tesserae I'd ever been up for. The highest being 540 or so.
It was the only way for Elisabeth to keep up her life-style seeing as we were all flat broke. Next year I'd probably be up for at least 500 tesserae.
It was honestly amazing that I hadn't had my name drawn yet. "How many times are name are in the drawing?" She asked me, pain becoming clear in her voice.
"70 at most." I skillfully lied, but she could see through it all. She slammed her knife down on the counter and turned to me.
"The truth!" She whispered a tear falling down her cheek. Until now she never had wanted to know how my chances were.
"Over 150." I whisper staring up at the ceiling.
"Is that good?"
"Compared to my normal amount, yes it's very good." I told her not even needing to lie.
"Good, I can't afford to lose you sis. It's just you, Cole, and I against the world." She said nodding as if to reassure herself.
"Somebody say my name?" Cole asked walking into the room. He had a big smile plastered over his pale face.
"Hey Elisabethy!" He chanted sweeping my sister literally off her feet.
Cole had black hair, green eyes, and stood at about 6'0 . Black hair around here was very un-common, yet everywhere you looked around here you saw green eyes.
"I'm going to the dock!" I told them as they started kissing. Cole nodded slightly as if to tell me, 'Okay future lil' sis go to the docks and leave me alone with your sister'.
"Bye." I muttered walking out the door.
I strolled down the street, the light from the sun burning my eyes enough to ensure that I keep my eyes to the ground. And then I hit something and fell to the cobbled street.
"Are you okay?" An oh-so-familiar voice asked me.
"Yeah." I replied looking up in the direction of the voice.
It was a guy, he had blonde hair (not-that common around here), sparkling gray-ish blue-ish green-ish eyes, with beautiful pale features.
"Scarlett, do you need help up?" He asked me leaning over me.
"That'd be helpful." I told him, smiling as he offered me his hand.
"Thanks." I Told him.
"Wait how do you know my name?" I suddenly asked him when I was off the ground.
"We have math class together and history, and science, and Panem Literture together for that matter." He stated matter-oh-factly.
"Oh!" That's were I reconized him from.
"Jon Bennett, right?" I asked him suddenly remembering the fact our fathers had once been best-friends.
"Yeah, our Dads' were friends." He told me and I just nodded.
"Where are you headed?" He asked me, looking me in the eye.
"The pier."
"Could I walk you there?" He asked.
"Um.. sure, as long as I can get home in time to get changed for the reaping and not have to walk in on Cole and my sister." I tell him suddenly un-sure of what to say.
Jon just smiled at me and laughed muttering something about 'same old Scarlett'.
"Yeah I know a short-cut that could get us there and back in no time." He told me and led me towards the pier.
At the Pier
SPOV
For the next few minutes we walked talking about random subjects ranging from his family's fishing company to Cole and Elisabeth's wedding.
"Actually Cole tried to teach me to fish once, a couple years ago. Though it did end with me shooting all the fish with a cross-bow." I told him before the two of us broke out in laughter.
"You're that bad?" He asked me teasingly.
"I'm not kidding, you can ask anyone. That's seriously how it ended!" I tell him giggling.
"Well, it's just that I haven't heard anyone say anything like that!" He claims laughing that much harder.
"I really hope I don't get picked this year." I whispered suddenly changing the subject. He just nodded in agreement.
"How many Tesserae you up for?" He asked me. I bet he really doesn't want to hear it.
"I'm up for about 150, you?"
"56." He whispers.
"That's good. This in all reality is the least amount I've ever been up for." I said giving him a half smile.
"How much is the most?" He asks me.
"Around 540 or so." I tell him.
"How can she let you put yourself up for that much?" He asks me suddenly sounding angered. He doesn't even know me!
"She has a lifestyle, and well this is how she pays for it. Plus she's actually is starting a business out of me." I tell him. I look at his face, a flash of pain and recognition runs through it.
"That's pitiful! What are huge parties and a social status worth!" He states, not asks states.
I just shrug looking out to the morning skyline.
I looked up at a clock it was nearing 1:30 now. I really needed to get home.
"Oh god I really need to get home!" I shout still looking at the clock.
"Shit! I'll run you there!" He replies anxiousness clear in his voice. I just nod and the two of us take off running.
And about 5 minutes later we were in front of my house.
"I'll see you at the reaping." I tell Jon. He nods smiling and wishes me a good day before I walk into my house.
I instantly feel a pair of eyes on me. Yet I ignore it and go into my room and change.
A few minutes later I walk out into the living room to see Cole and Elisabeth staring daggers at me.
"What's wrong?" I ask them.
"I-I think I might be pregnant." Elisabeth whispers and Cole sighs. I walk up to her and give her a quick hug.
"I call dibs on being the god-mother." I tease them and Cole lets out a shaky laugh.
"Come on I'll fix your hair." Elisabeth tells me and I just nod as she leads me to the bathroom and pulls up my hair in a half bun so that the other half of my curly brown hair falls in ringlets down my back.
"Come on let's see whose the damned this year." Elisabeth says sighing as she finishes my hair and I just nod.
We walk out of the bathroom and Cole takes her hand. And from there we walk to the square in utter silence.
The square was silent too. As if it was in mourning. I say goodbye to Cole and Elisabeth and walked over to the 17 year old section.
In all honesty I've never really had friends. Especially not ones in my own age group. But today, people decided to talk to me. I guess I was reassuring them that I was worse off in my chances then them.
And then I saw him as he entered the group. Our eyes met for a split second before he made his way over to me.
"Hi." I said.
"Hey." Jon says smiling at me.
"It's starting." A few people whisper as the mentors walk onstage. All of which I know personally Micheal Bennett (Jon's father), Finnick, and of course Mags.
Someone clearly from the capitol steps onto the stage and recites the rules just like every year and the mayor wishes us all luck.
And their ending to the opening still lingers in my ears.
May the odds ever be in your favor...
"Let's let the ladies go first!" The capitol woman with blue skin announces cheerfully.
She reaches her hand into the gaint globe that contains at least 180 slips with my name on it. My odds were not good.
The odds in this case were not in favor, even though my name wasn't even called.
"Cynthia Vermontia!" Her peppy voice chants. Cynthia was mentally challenged and could barely speak a word, even at 12 years old. My sister and Mother used to watch her when she was only a baby. I knew exactly what I'd do.
The second she stepped onto the little red carpet tears in her eyes, I stepped forward.
"I volunteer as a Tribute!" I shout jumping over the rope enclosure and onto the tiny carpet. She whimpers and I take her little hand as the peacekeepers come for me.
"I'm taking her to her Mother." I tell them, and motion for them to follow me. I barely had to walk to where her mother was she was at the front of the crowd with open arms. The child drops my hand and jumps into her mothers arms that wrap around her.
"Thank you." Was all the mother said and I nodded before the peacekeepers took my arms and led me up to the stage.
"How sweet! Now what's your name honey?" The woman with the blue skin asks me as I walk up next to her.
"Scarlett, Scarlett Xavier." I whisper solemly knowing that this might be my last few minutes in district 4.
"OH! Your Dad won the 52nd hunger games and your mom the 53rd! This is going to be great! Give a cheer for the late Crystalline and Alexander Xavier's daughter, our new tribute!" The overly peppy woman shouts out.
There was a slight round of applause, but nothing big.
"Well now let's see about the boys!" She pipes before going and drawing out a name.
"Jonanthan Bennett!" She says cheerily. And my jaw drops. Why him?