Let me stand beside you, for once.
Chapter 1: In your shadow
I don't know what's up with Cashmere. Ever since she won the 66th Hunger Games, she's been even meaner than usual lately. Our parents are constantly showering praise upon her- bringing our family honour and wealth blah blah blah. We're finally free of working in the jewellery shop so I guess that's why they're so darned happy.
Cashmere and I weren't always like this. One lifetime ago, we were inseparable. The best of friends. Then when Cashmere turned seven, my parents started training her. After school, when we completed our homework, we would play together, hours of fun. No more of that. She would disappear with Mother and Father to our basement for hours at a time leaving me sad and lonely. Her whole personality changed too. Gone was the sister who would tickle me and help me with my homework. She would concentrate so fiercely on her work that it scared me and said I 'needed to solve my own problems' whenever I asked her for help. Never again did she let me call her 'Cash', my nickname for her. Bit by little bit, I lost her.
Of course, when I reached seven years of age, Mother and Father took me down to the basement where we kept several types of weapons to train. At nine years, Cashmere was already an expert on throwing daggers and tried to teach me how but she got frustrated at my slowness. This made me want to impress her so I trained as hard as I could but she would never be satisfied. Father taught me how to use a bow and arrow and Mother practiced fencing with me. My parents and Cashmere seemed to consider this as 'family bonding'. Well, maybe Cashmere did grow a lot closer to the family but it was just the opposite for me. I no longer felt any warmth for her so I concentrated on training myself.
Then last year, when Cashmere volunteered to be in the Games, I actually feared for her. I was ecstatic to see her return, alive and well but I think saw a flash of fragility in her eyes for a split second, like she might break anytime. Then the hard and confident look came back.
Occasionally I wondered if being a Victor was really so worthwhile. Sometimes, Cashmere would vanish without a trace for the weekend and come home suddenly, late at night. If I looked through a crack in her room, I could see she was quietly sobbing away, clutching her stomach. Sometimes I wanted to come in and comfort her but I abstained from doing so. Let her solve her own problems. Yes. Over time, I had come to hate her. Hate her for abandoning me. Hate her for changing so much. Hate her for being our parent's favourite. They never did love me as much as Cashmere. I'm sure they love her even more, winning the Games so we live in a splendid house in the Victors Village.
I don't train now that she's a victor but we still have our training weapons and what my parents don't know is that I still train. Train that maybe sometime very soon, I'll be strong enough to go for the Games and prove to Cashmere I'm as good as her.