"Come on Cas, get up, break's over."
"What? I literally just sat down!"
"Casimir. Casimir. Stand up. You need to be sharp, today of all days…"
"Yeah, my birthday! I don't deserve this treatment on the day of my birth—"
"On the day of your birth you did nothing except be born! Your mum did all the work. If anything, she should be the one who gets presents."
"Yeah, well. When you put it like that."
Casimir Meusil huffed in defeat, stood up in front of his dad and got into his default sparring stance. His father's face was stern, but his eyes, as always, were soft.
"Today's not just your birthday Cas," he said, gravely
Casimir dipped his head, "I know, dad."
With a nod, they began sparring again, trying to place controlled blows on specific points in the body to block each other's chi. Casimir and his parents were non-benders, so chi-blocking and weapons were all they had in terms of offensive skills. And weapons were, naturally, banned by the Peacekeepers. At 14 years old Casimir was a tall, wiry boy for his age. In his parents' dojo wearing a loose fitting keikogi, he stood at 5"7', already taller than his mother. He was fast; movements swift and seemingly effortless in both offense and evasion of his father's precise finger strikes. This only lasted a short while, though. Despite his training, Casimir was terribly unfit. Most of his days were spent sitting: sitting in school, sitting at the computer at home, sitting in the library, sitting at the dinner table, sitting in front of the holovision. While he had managed to hit some of his father's pressure points, Casimir was losing ground and fading fast. After expending what little stamina he had, his dodges were half a second too slow and his attacks became predictable enough for his opponent to parry. Soon enough, he was back on the floor again panting hard. His father's strikes had been so effective, he couldn't even lift his arms to rub at the bruises that were sure to form.
"That'll have to do for today, you need to get washed up," Mr Meusil said with a smile. Casimir's head snapped up wearing an expression of disbelief. "How the hell am I supposed to do that when you took away my arms?!"
"Stop exaggerating Cas, you still have your arms," his father frowned "and watch your language. If your mother heard that, she might actually take one."
Casimir scoffed "Now who's exaggerating?"
Living in District 5, one of the wealthier districts of Panem, all children were pushed to study with a view to support the Capitol's extravagant power needs. Be that through nuclear power or hydroelectric, all the career paths were linked to providing energy. Casimir's sister, for example, was one of the workers at the hydro electrical power plant. Jena did not, in fact, actually need to work. Being a victor of the Games a few years ago, she simply wanted an excuse to use her waterbending for something other than combat. It was for this reason that Casimir sought her out; on a day like today nobody but the Peacekeepers would be at work. Lucky for him he didn't have to knock on her door, it was wide open.
"Hey Jen, can I ask you a favour?" he asked sheepishly.
Jena smiled brightly at the sight of her brother,
"Good morning Casimir, and happy birthday!" she beamed, pulling her little brother into a hug only to extract herself slowly in mock disgust, "You're all sweaty."
"That's part of the favour actually. Can you bend the sweat off me and my clothes please? Dad chi-blocked my arms and I don't have time to shower before, you know…"
His older sister's smile faltered, "Yeah. Okay, it can be my gift you, you lazy tramp."
Cas plastered a weak smile on his face and tried to lift his arms to give her more access, but barely managed a shrug, earning a laugh.
"Don't worry about it. Hold still, okay?"
He nodded while his sister bent the water from his sweaty gi, then from his skin, which made him giggle. It was an odd, tickly sensation, like being dried by a thousand tiny little towels. When she was done, she bent the water into a vase with some Marigolds in them and turned back to her brother.
"Anything else I can help you with today, birthday boy?"
"Want some help getting dressed?"
"Please,"
Half an hour later, the Meusil family were walking among a crowd of people in District 5 towards the Mayor's building, for the ceremony. It was for this reason that Casimir's birthday was always bittersweet: it fell on Reaping Day. It began with the fear of being reaped, then the relief that it was not him for another year, followed swiftly by the guilt he felt for feeling that way. No matter what, another child was being sent to die. As the time came for Casimir to be separated from his family, he stopped to give them all tight, reassuring hugs and then left to join the rest of the prospective male tributes. When his parents and sister were out of view, he let out a deep sigh. He wasn't ever really one to believe in fate, but if there was ever a time for him to be reaped it would have to be now.
When his sister Jena was herself 14, she was reaped for the Games. She won by forming alliances with a firbending and earthbending girl. They were the last surviving 3, having killed every other group who could not compete with the versatility of a team made of 3 different elements. Jena's two allies died when the gamemakers released a horde of badgermole muttations into the arena. It had taken years for her to deal with the guilt of it all, not just as a survivor, but as a murderer. The way she killed her opponents was unique and brutal, even for a waterbender. Jena's skill was what enabled her to survive, but her personality was what drew people to her, how she formed her alliances that grew into close bonds. There were few non-career tributes in the history of the Games that formed teams of multiple elements, even fewer that worked as a cohesive unit.
6 years later, and the sibling of a victor, Casimir couldn't help but wonder if history was going to repeat itself. At the podium looking forlorn, stood Ethan Klein, the Escort for District 5. He was an excellent showman when the cameras were on, but until then, he wore his heart on his sleeve for the children and their families. Like all of the Capitol's inhabitants, he dressed extravagantly. Today he was adorned in deep purple & blue-green Peacock Pidgeon feathers with black Shirshu fur covered boots. In front of the stage, firebending peacekeepers stood in their mud red uniforms, some looking stern and others looking bored. Soon, a fanfare was blaring across the courtyard filled with adolescents, and like a switch being flicked, Ethan went from sympathetic citizen to excitable host.
"Welcome everyone to District 5's reaping ceremony! It's so good to see all you young boys and girls here, dressed so smartly and all ready and willing to do your home district- and dare I say your country- proud." Ethan paused with a synthetic smile, his voice echoing in the quiet, "Now, as always, let's watch the video from the Capitol."
A large holovision screen appeared behind the Escort and he twirled 180 degrees to face it. Casimir grimaced, this video always made him feel more hopeless than he already did. Watching the history of the Games, knowing that the uprising lead by the Avatar against the Fire Nation after more than 7 decades of civil unrest had failed. That the Avatar was no more after being murdered while in the Avatar State, and that the Air Nation were punished for harbouring her in District 13 through the total annihilation of that area. It was soul destroying. At the end, Ethan applauded, dutifully followed by the Peacekeepers, but no citizen of District 5 lifted their hands.
"What a moving tale," Ethan boomed into the microphone, "Now, moving swiftly on to the reason we are all here today: reaping! I have here the names of every eligible male and female aged 12 to 18 in here, and in mere minutes, two of you will be lucky enough to represent your home town and make them proud!" with a spring in his step, he pranced over to the glass bowl filled to the brim with the names of all of the girls. Moving swiftly, he plucked a scrap of paper from the dead centre, as he did every year, unfolded it and read it out clearly.
"Ursule White,"
A short, sturdy looking girl who looked to be about Casimir's age stomped to the stage without fear. In fact, she looked Ethan dead in the eye and didn't break contact as she made her way towards him. A cry rose up from the gathered families and the Peacekeepers noticeably tensed, but Ursule didn't pay any attention to it. She looked furious. The anger she felt seemed to roll off of her, and Casimir could have sworn he felt the earth tremble under his feet. Once he was joined by Ursule onstage, the Escort reached his hand into the boys' bowl, pulling out another strip of paper. The non-bender shivered and his fingers twitched. He almost had all the feeling back in his arms, but right in that moment, his entire body was numb with fear.
"And for the boys…"
He closed his eyes.
"Casimir Meusil!"
"I fucking knew it!" he cursed, only to slap his hand to his mouth with wide eyes. What would his mother say? The boys around him parted to give him access to the stage, and he took it, quickly. Running through the crowd and leaping up the steps two at a time, he muttered a quick apology to Ethan for swearing live on holovison who looked equal parts amused and confused. He didn't even give anyone the chance to volunteer for him- not that they would have.
"An eager beaver, eh? Well that's not something we see every Reaping! Congratulations to you both Casimir and Ursule, may the spirits be your guide."
It wasn't until Casimir was ushered into a waiting room by two Peacekeepers and left there while they went to collect his family, that he realised what had just happened. He was going to leave District 5 for the first time in his life. He was going to die, almost certainly. There was no advantage to being a non-bender in the Games. No non-bender had ever been crowned Victor.
"I wonder how many potential sponsors I just lost for swearing," he groaned, dropping his face into his hands. This was how his parents found him as they were lead into the chamber, sitting on the soft carpet in what they correctly assumed was despair. They rushed over to him, and knowing time was short, his mother scooped him up into her arms.
"My baby boy, my baby boy…" she wailed, clutching her son closer to her chest "They just won't leave our family alone!" The skinny teen wriggled his arms out of her vice grip to return the hug with equal fervour.
"No, they won't. But I'm sure Ursule's family feels the same, if not worse."
"What are you talking about, Cassy?" Mrs Meusil asked, loosening her grip a little so she could pull back and see her son's frown.
"The girl who was reaped before me, Ursule… This will be the third time someone from her family has been chosen."
"That's right," his father spoke up, "Her cousin and her sister were reaped at two different Games... but none of them came back like our Jena did."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!" his mother bristled, "You think I should be eternally grateful that the Capitol hasn't killed any of my family members yet? That I had a daughter who came back 'victorious', so sending another child out to almost certain death is no skin off my back?"
"Darling, please." Mr Meusil said softly, placing a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder, "Don't yell at him, he's not to blame here,"
"I wasn—"
"And," he interrupted carefully, "I doubt very much that Casimir wants to remember your goodbye like this," She deflated a little after that.
"Nah, it's alright," Casimir grinned, nudging his mother with his elbow, "It's nice to see you care so much about me, mum."
"I do, of course I do! We both care about you so much more than our words or actions could ever tell," She pulled her son into yet another hug, "You're precious to us and we will miss you while you're away,"
The family jumped when a Peacekeeper opened the door sharply and yelled "Two minutes left!" revealing a determined looking Jena, who thanked the firebender and entered the room.
Casimir let go of his mother and turned to hug his father, "I know I'm not a lean-mean killing machine, dad..."
"I never wanted or expected you to be, Cas," he soothed, stroking the boy's short spiky hair.
"Okay, good. Because without bending, I-"
"Casimir. Bending the elements is all well and good, but there are people who rely on just that, their ability to bend. When you take that away from them, they will be weakened in more ways than one. Use that to your advantage, and you will go far, I know you will."
"Okay," Casimir repeated, letting go to turn to his sister with a wry smile. "So, got any tips for me, sis?" he asked.
"Plenty. You'll hear them all on the train to the Capitol." Jena revealed.
Their parents blinked.
"That's what I was discussing with Ethan and the Peacekeepers. While I was too young to mentor until I was 18, I can do so now, and I chose to. Better that then let some doddery old fool of a victor from Games like a hundred years ago 'train' you." Her eyes softened much like her father's had in Casimir's sparring session with him earlier that day, "I can't sit at home and do nothing when I have the opportunity to do everything I can to prepare you, Cas."
"So both of you are leaving home?" their mother asked, shakily
"And we're both coming back," Jena replied
A wave of relief washed over him. He was going to be okay.
At that moment the door swung open, and a handful of Peacekeepers came to escort the siblings to the train. Tall and exuding confidence, the duo stepped out of the rear of the Mayor's building with Panem's eyes on them, floating cameras recording their every step towards the train. A couple of guards were escorting a surly Ursule to the platform too, she looked furious and positively fearsome, Casimir thought. There was a good chance she wouldn't want to ally herself with him, knowing that their mentor was his sister was reason enough. He refrained from biting his lip in worry, it wouldn't do to show any signs of weakness in front of the cameras. The frosty gravel crunched under their feet as they were marched to the station and ushered onto the train. A couple of Peacekeepers joined them on board. It wasn't necessary in the past, but metalbenders had begun to attempt to escape the train while it was moving to avoid the games altogether, though none had succeeded. As soon as the doors slid shut behind them, the train was moving.
Now that they were out of the view of the cameras, the Peacekeepers immediately took off their helmets and went to their designated quarters. As far as they were concerned, this was a paid holiday. Casimir stood watching them as they walked off, then turned to greet Ursule after his sister had introduced herself to his fellow Tribute. She didn't look any calmer than when Ethan called her name.
"Hey Urs—"
She put a hand up, palm in Casimir's face "Don't fucking talk to me. I'm not in the mood. I have enough to deal with being reaped, and then you go and get your sister to be our mentor? I wonder how well that's gonna work out for me, huh?" with that, she stormed off, heading to the room labelled 'FT' and slamming the door behind her.
"Oh…" Jena winced, "maybe I should have thought about that."
"You think?"