Every time, every single time it happens, Brimet prays she wouldn't be picked.
There's no real reason for it. Her family aren't having a hard time finding food. If anything they're pretty well off.
It is pure, unadulterated fear that's holding her back. She doesn't want to fight... or worse, die. The thought of being cornered by a large group of scary-looking teenagers with large, dangerous weapons makes her heart race.
Unfortunately, this isn't the time to be panicking about dying. She's standing in a large crowd with all the other teenagers that live in her home, District 4, staring determinedly down at her shoes, as if they'll be able to save her from being chosen to fight. There's always a chance somebody else could be picked this time... and yet that same thought runs through her mind over and over again.
It could be you this time. It could be you this time.
The man up on the stage, a green-haired, all-too-cheerful representative from the Capitol, reaches his hand into the first glass ball. The crowd draws a collective breath.
The representative unrolls the scrap of paper, draws a breath, and reads out the name scribbled onto it. "Skyreen Kitlock!"
The crowd erupts with collective cheers and screams, as the young man is escorted begrudgingly through the barriers and nearly shoved onto the stage. He looks slightly bewildered, eyes flickering through the crowd.
The girl standing beside Brimet has collapsed into a pile of tears. She is being supported by an older woman who is in tears herself, and above the crowd's yells of encouragement and horror there is a long, loud resounding scream that sums up the heartbreak and fear of the Games.
When the commotion has died down, and the girl carried off to recover, the representative reaches into the other glass ball. Brimet's heart starts thumping, her fists tighten at her sides and she closes her eyes.
She hears the scratching of the paper as it is unfolded, the pause as the man on the stage takes in the name of the next contender. In the silence, the sound of waves breaking could be heard. Instead of listening to some poor soul being called to their impending doom, she focuses on listening to the water as it washes over the shores she knows so well. Her fists unclench, her heart slows and for one single moment, she relaxes.
This moment of tranquility is ruined in a split second when she is grabbed by her shoulders and steered towards the stage. She trips slightly, not fully taking in what's happening around her, and before she knows it she's standing on the giant platform surrounded by aquatic decorations and dusted lightly with sand. Her head turns quickly towards the crowds and, just as the boy before her did, scans through the population of District 4. Some of her friends from school are crying with shock, and possibly relief, that it's not them this time. Her father is watching her with wide eyes, clutching his wife, her mother, to his chest. Her shoulders are shaking and her face is hidden in his shoulder. Brimet feels a sharp pain shoot through her stomach, as she realizes that the reason her mother is crying is that she has been chosen.
As the man tells them to shake hands, she is turned to face her opponent. Skyreen. A tall, dark-haired gangly lad with big hazel eyes. She mentally compares her own looks (brown eyes, short red hair, small with long legs) with his, and determines he will be the one to come out of this alive.
Before they can wish each other good luck, they are herded backstage to get ready to go to the Capitol. Brimet chokes back tears as she stumbles ungracefully onto the platform of the train. Everything's moving too quickly. She can't die just yet.
But it's too late.
As of now, the 74th Hunger Games have begun.