Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.
The Forgotten Sibling
I never was the focal point of the story, ever. I was always the second plan character, popping up once in a while, contributing mildly, but not hovering in the frame.
At first, it was my parents. Everyone knew and loved them, they were always hospitable, welcoming everyone into their house. No matter how small, dirty or ratty the house was, they were proud of it, because it was their own.
After my father passed, it was Gale. He was the head, the caretaker of the family. Katniss was in a way, a caretaker too when Gale couldn't be there. But it was Gale most of the time. No matter how tired he was, he would always take care of Rory, Posy and myself. He would talk to us, play with us, be our father figure, cheer us up when we felt sad… And one thing I especially remember, is how he always tried to get us something nice for our birthdays, no matter how poor we were. He didn't care if he would have to give us all the food available and starve, if it meant that he could make us smile on our one special day every year.
When Gale became depressed during the Quarter Quell, Rory had stepped up. He took tesserae for us, even though Gale wouldn't allow it. Gale couldn't take care of us as much as he'd like, he had to work in the mines. Every day, except Sunday. 18 hour days, down in those pitch-black snares for unsuspecting men and women with duties of their own, only illuminated by stray strings of faint yellow light. During that time, we barely survived. We were thinner, constantly falling ill, but we still had our pride and love that we Hawthornes shared among us. Rory helped out as much as he could, running errands for people in the District and getting pennies for it.
But I had never stood up and had to do something dramatic like that. All I could was stand in the sidelines and watch my siblings become the heroes.
I was the forgotten sibling, invisible in a way.
And I was happy. I always preferred to live in my own, inner world, than that cruel place that sheltered cold, hunger, diseases and poverty.
And so, I, Vick Hawthorne, shall forever remain faceless.