I've had the first chapter of this story written for a while now and I'd thought I'd post it while I work on the next chapter of my other story. I'm probably not going to update it anytime soon, but I wanted to know what you all think of it. The main character, Surina, is the Avox girl that Katniss saw in the woods and at the capital.
"You have to represent the family," my mother told me as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"That is not enough of a reason to spend a fortune on a dress I'm only going to wear once. And odds are I'm not going to get chosen at the Reaping so there's not going to be a need for me to represent the family."
My mother's fake smile strained at this point. "Surina, you're not paying for the dress, so stop complaining" she said slowly and venomously.
"Don't worry about it Surina," my brother whispered to me as my mother walked over to the store's owner to buy the dress. "It's not like we're poor, or that we're going to need the money," Marcus said.
He's right were not poor. We live in District Three which has never been one of the poorer districts, and my mother is a peacekeeper, one of the head peacekeepers in fact, the only person who made more money than her was the mayor.
"It's not that Marcus, it's the principal, she's not even going to have to pay the full price," I muttered while glaring over at her. If I could see the evident fear in the owners eyes at having to talk to my mother, than my mom could to, meaning that she could easily get the dress for a bargain.
"Don't worry about it," Marcus told me seeing the anger in my eyes.
"Alright," I sighed. "Hey, this is your first Reaping this year isn't it?" I asked him playfully. "Aren't you excited?"
"Oh yes, ecstatic," he told me sarcastically. "Are you going to brag now about how you're only going to be entered for two years?"
"Maybe later," I said grinning. I think I was hiding my fear of him being chosen pretty well. Marcus was one of the few good things in my life, and I don't know how I could survive without him. As you can probably guess my mother and I have never been close. She has always been pretty disappointed in me for not wanting to become a peacekeeper, and as a result doesn't spend much time with me. Not that I ever complained about that. My father is not nearly as vicious as mother, but I've always had the feeling that he didn't really like kids or my mother for that matter, and instead tried to avoid us all by spending most of his time at the factory he works at; leaving me with only my siblings to talk to. I have an older brother named Strato, but mom was able to sink her claws into him, so he's basically just like her. At least though having one member of the family training to become a Peacekeeper kept my mom from bothering me to much about becoming one too. And this way my mom was to busy training Strato, to try and train Marcus. I've always been pretty proud of myself for keeping Marcus from becoming like my mother.
"You only have one ticket entered," I told him "and even if you are drawn there's a chance that someone might volunteer." District three doesn't usually have any careers, but somehow every four years or so we end up getting one.
"I'm more worried about you," he told me "you have a far greater chance of being chosen then I do." He said staring sadly up at me.
"Me?" I said laughing, "I'm not going to be drawn. The only way I could ever be chosen is if mom had somehow manage to find away to rig the Reaping." I said staring over at her. She was now walking back over to us smiling as if she won a prize. And I guess to her scaring some poor merchant into giving her a hundred dollar discount is winning a prize. "But now that you mention it; I wouldn't put it past her." I said once she had reached us.
"What are you talking about?" she said sounding slightly annoyed; she must have heard the end of our conversation.
"Nothing important mom." I said calmly, managing not to glare at her, which for me is quite an accomplishment.
"Marcus, go outside so I can talk to your sister," she said smiling with that same fake smile she always wore.
After he had walked out, she turned to me. "Surina," she said "I don't want you putting ideas in Marcus's head that he shouldn't have. Just because you don't want to be a Peacekeeper doesn't mean you have to force your ideologies on him."
"I'm not forcing any ideologies on him," I said defensively.
"Sure," she said sarcastically, and then changed the subject. "I think you should reconsider your career plans, you're more suited to be a Peacekeeper than a teacher."
"Starting this discussion again are we, mom. Well I promise you I'm not going to change my mind."
"Don't talk to me like that," she hissed "anyways I wouldn't make that promise; you're more like me than you know."
"I sure hope not," I said staring straight at her. Her face became red with anger at that, I thought she was going to hit me, but maybe the presence of the merchant forced her to calm down, and instead she turned and left the store.
The rest of the walk home was silent after that, Marcus must have noticed the tension between mom and I since for once he didn't chatter endlessly about what he'd done that day. Not that the chatter ever bothered me, Marcus was one of my only friends since being a Peacekeeper's daughters basically ensured that you would have very few friends. My only real choices were the other Peacekeepers' children, and they all tended to be like Strato. They mayor's children were also an option, and I guess I could consider myself friends with the mayor's daughter Erika, but we really only talked at school, even though we only lived a few houses a part.
Strato was there at the door waiting for mom when we got home. "You promised to train me today mom," he grumbled not looking at Marcus and I.
"I'm sorry, but we had to go buy Surina a new dress for the Reaping tomorrow.
"Oh that's tomorrow," he said, as if he could have possibly forgotten. "Excellent that means the games will start soon." He exclaimed. Strato always loved the games but not for watching the other tributes die, Strato wasn't that cruel. He was excited though because he loved seeing which tribute would win, and he loved how much fame and glory the winner got. If he wasn't so much of a coward I would have thought that by now he would have volunteered for the games. But he has always been pretty scared of dying, and he has always preferred to be the bully than the person being bullied.
"Shouldn't you be worried or something about being chosen," I asked him "you do know that you have one more year in the Reaping right?"
"I'm never going to be chosen, you know it's going to be one of the poor kids," he told me rolling his eyes, "honestly Surina I thought you were supposed to be smart."
"Oh aren't you kind Strato," I said rolling my eyes back at him, and then walked inside our house.
"Surina," Marcus said as he walked in behind me, "you don't think any of us will be chosen right?"
"Of course not Marcus, there are a lot of children in our district and most of them have a greater chance of being chosen than us. The odds should definitely be in our favor."
So this is the first chapter, it's pretty short, but what do you think? Is there any reason to continue this? Please let me know!