"Delphi Keene"
Oh no. Not me. It can't be me. Any minute now I'll wake up, open my eyes and it will all be a dream. A nightmare. A living nightmare.
The only thing I can hear is my heart thudding in my chest. The girl next to me gives me a little nudge and suddenly my feet remember what to do.
Left, right. Left, right.
The Peacekeepers form a tight circle and I am trapped. There is no way out. I can't think. I can't feel.
Left, right. Left, right.
I climb the four steps.
Left, right. Left, right.
Effie bubbles at me. Nothing, I can't hear anything except the thud, thud, thud of my heart. Not me, not me, not me.
By now it's sunk in. I'm a tribute. Every fiber in my body is willing me not to cry. A boy walks up. He is tall, or maybe I am just short. I can't tell. I missed the reaping of the boys. I choke back a sob, quietly, while Effie babbles on. His blue eyes flick towards me and something flashes over his face. I can't read it, and then it's gone. Effie is motioning for us to shake hands. I am trembling. He holds on for a second longer than he should and I can't figure out why.
The peacekeepers appear again. Pushing us towards the Justice Building. I am locked in a room. The tears start to flow. Slowly, then faster and faster, until I am really crying. The door opens.
"3 minutes"
My family walks in. Mom, Dad, Cladwell, and Nimmo. Little Nim, who is barely 7 years old.
I am sobbing by now. Nim crawls into my lap curiously and wipes my wet cheek.
"Don't cry," he says.
I let out a whimper. For him. I take a deep breath.
Mom and Dad embrace me. They whisper soothing words and tell me everything will be ok. I turn to the person I need most right now, Clad.
He hugs me and starts talking.
"Listen, Delph. Listen!" he says almost forcefully. "You're ok. Alright? You are going to be ok." I look into his deep brown eyes, the same as my own. "You know how to survive. If you want, make allies. Haymitch won this thing once, he can help you. Get sponsors - you'll be good at that." He squeezes my shoulder as a Peacekeeper enters.
The waterworks start again. I hug Nim and my parents. Nim presses a woven bracelet into my hands. Clad catches my eye and lifts a finger to his chin. Our secret pact. The one we made when we turned 12, our first year eligible for the Games. We agreed to always keep our head and spirits high, no matter what happened. He is almost out of the room when I repeat the gesture back to him. He smiles and that is the last thing I see before the door slams shut.
I don't have any other visitors which isn't surprising. I have friends at school but it is unlikely that they would come and see me. It is not common to have lots of visitors in District 12. Everyone tries to stay thankful that it isn't their child chosen to fight to the death. It gives me some time to think. I dry my face of its remaining tears and force myself to take big, deep breaths. It is almost time to get on the train to the Capitol. That's where everyone will see me for the first time. First impressions stick.
The door opens and more Peacekeepers arrive to escort me to the station, which is only used for this purpose.