~Chapter One~
Reaping Day
I woke on that dreadful morning to the nearly peaceful sounds of birds chirping happily. As I sat up from my small bed, I vaguely registered that it was a beautiful day, and had it been any other day of the year I would have smiled out my dusty window. But sadly, as it happens every year on this day, my mind is full of nothing but apprehension. Dragging myself out of my bed, I shuffle over to my dresser and put on my finest dress. My Reaping dress. The faded yellow of the fabric a stark contrast to my coal-black hair. I run my fingers along the dress and sigh, getting lost in thought as I smooth out the wrinkles. After becoming satisfied with my task, I returned to the buttons and swiftly fastened them. Just after buttoning the top button on my collar the alarm blares outside my window. I hate that sound, it makes my stomach drop every time. It means only one thing... the Reaping is about to begin.
As I hurry along the narrow street into town, my mind is racing. 'Just two more years' I tell myself, 'two more years and I never have to feel the dread on this morning, hold my breath and shut my eyes tight in terror. Two more years and I am done'. Thinking this makes me feel better as I stand in line to get signed in. Looking back over the years this is the one thing I hate the most about this morning. The thought of pricking my finger and dabbing my blood onto the piece of paper gives me the chills. I think to myself 'If I can't even handle that, how would I survive in the arena?' Answer is...I wouldn't. I hold my breath and look away as the peacekeeper grips my wrist with more force than necessary and takes the needed blood out of my poor finger. After the peacekeeper calls out "Next" I am ushered to stand with the kids my age. I look around and notice the faces of all the kids I went to school with. Could I watch them die? Could I watch them kill? These are the thoughts that plague my mind as the 'festivities' begin. As always the Reaping starts with the video of how the Games came to exist. And as per usual during this time every year, I tune out all sound and slowly take in my surroundings once more, praying that it won't be my last time.
I'm sucked back to earth as the brightly colored woman up front starts to chirp happily after the video ends. She starts off with a recap of our remaining victors as she introduces each one, focusing more on the most recent as they will be this year's mentor. The she goes on to wishing us a Happy Hunger games...blah blah blah...May the odds...blah blah blah...it's really the same every year. 'You'd think they come up with something new after a while' I think bitterly as she announces that this time around is boys first and waddles over to the bowl to fish one out and return to the microphone. The name of the scrawny kid she calls out doesn't even have a moment to process that he's about to be sent to his death as someone from my left shouts, "I volunteer!"
My head, along with everyone else's whips to the side, trying to find where the voice that belonged to the person that was stupid enough to WANT to be put to his death. It took me a moment to find him but as my eyes focused in on his face I sigh. I know him from school, his name is David, and he is only a year ahead of me. I never spoke to him personally, and now perhaps I will never get the chance again. But from everything I had ever heard of him, he was a sweet kid. Why would anyone like him want to be put into the games? His body was of strong build, so sure…he had the strength of a career, but being from district ten most boys his age had that type of body. Steering and lifting animals all day after school would do that for a guy.
He climbs the stage with a huge grin on his face and I steel myself. This is it, the moment where my heart skips a beat. Her hand again reaches into the other bowl and like every year, I shut my eyes tight while my hands twist into the sides of my dress nervously. She slowly comes back to center stage and opens the slip of paper containing its victim. Her perky voice calls out the name and everything stops. What did she say? Everyone shifts around me and I slowly open my eyes to take in the world around me. Every pair of eyes is on me. What did she say!? Someone prods me in the back and I stumble out into the opening confused and scared.
"AH! There she is! Ms. Leaplily? Care to join us up on stage?"
I am suddenly being escorted onto the stage by two large peacekeepers and my mind is racing. 'This wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to get through this!' I then notice I am in front of my whole district, a view I never intended to see. A view that was only reserved for tributes. A tribute. That's what I've become isn't it? After a hushed congrats to my partner urged on by the woman beside us, I was ushered into the Justice building. This was the first time I had ever been in here, and it was to send me to my death. Great.
As soon as the brightly colored escort leads my new partner and I into the small and dingy Justice building, I am all but dragged away from the other tribute and very nearly shoved into a small room. 'The room of my last good-byes' I think. As I shuffle over to the small window I sigh, not yet thinking of the future, being in a state of shock 'No one took my place...well, Why would they? No one liked me anyways.' Just as I think this, the door opens loudly on the other side of the room. My older brother, Conner, rushes through the opening. Taking long strides, he quickly covers the space of the room and lifts me off the ground pulling me into a tight embrace.
"Oh Lira!" He exclaims in horror, as he gently sets me back onto the ground. For a moment, I think back to all the times that we've had together. Playing alongside the stables, riding horses after hours, not worrying about being caught, tipping cattle and running away from old man Atlas, then I think about sitting side by side at our mother's funeral, how sad we both were. How we knew we only had each other left in this world. All of that is gone now; there is only darkness for our future as a family. He is the only one of us left. I hope he knows that he has to stay together.
"You're being so brave" he whispers into my ear, and at this one single comment, my eyes start to water. If only he knew what was going on in my head. I know I can't do this, why is he even wasting his energy to tell me how brave I'm being. The next time he's going to see me is in a casket anyways. But here he is, comforting me. "I know you can do this Lira" He keeps saying. "I know that you can win"…but I know the truth. I decide to tell him to move on and forget about me but before I can get any of this out, the peacekeepers barge into the room and start to drag him away, saying that his time is up. Now I feel guilty, I wasted all our time lost in thought as he tried to make me feel better, but just before the doors close all the way, I hear him shouting.
"You can do this Lira! You can win! Just use what mom taught you!" And then he was gone. 'Use what mom taught me? Her acting skills? How can acting help me kill people? How can it help me from being killed?' I sigh and look around, thinking it's sad that no one else wanted to come and see me. I always was a loner, but this? This hurt.
As the reality finally set in, I was escorted back through the Justice building and towards the train station. The train that will in turn take me to my death. 'I have no idea how I could possibly win this thing...but I should at least try. Maybe my brother is right. Maybe I can use my skills.' As my eyes settle on the inside of the train, I can't help but let out the gasp that's waiting on my lips. Every single color imaginable is in sight, every type of food and drink within my reach. I couldn't believe my eyes. I had never seen such a beautiful place before. 'At least they make it nice for us before we die' I think bitterly and frown. My surprise wearing off, I trudge to my room down the skinny hall and slam my door. As dinner time comes along and my escort pleads for me to come out, I stay put. I don't want to be treated like a queen only to be dumped into the arena to be killed. And plus, my partner. David? He's the one that WANTS to be here, I should just let him have all the glory to himself. I wallow in self-pity until I fall asleep in my large plush bed. Left alone to dream of my family, and my home that I might never see again.
AU: This is just something thats been sitting in my head for a while. I know I havent uploaded/updated anything in a long time. But I think I might get back into it, sorry for the long wait on everything. :P I love you? Does that help at all? haha