My life isn't the best. That was a given. Yes, there's people who could top mine anyday when it came to the horrible life category. Granted, it doesn't matter whose life is worse because all of have shit lives in a way. But if there was a contest for horrible lives, I would be on the podium for that contest.
"You scared? For the reaping today, I mean." Sebastian, my neighbor who would never leave me alone, asked. I shot him a look and said, "Obviously. I've basically got a bounty on my head in the Capitol."
"Snow and anybody who works with the games hates you. Minus some of the mentors and Caesar." he corrected, "The actual Capitol people are putty in your hands."
"My Dad's hands, actually." It was my turn to correct him. My dad was a victor. He had won the 57th games, and the capitol people adored him. All throughout his games, he had had my mother as motivation. And he did not like people to forget it.
With his interview with Caesar, he went on and on about he was going to win for my pregnant mother. He had single handedly stolen the hearts of everybody. He racked in an immensely abundant amount of sponsors. He managed to go home to his pregnant soon to be wife.
Hence, the Capitol loved my family. And when I was born, my father had unintentionally given my privacy from the capitol away. All throughout my life I was trending in a way. It had it's good moments, but it was mostly filled with bad ones.
"True, but they all love you more than their own kids." He stated. I shrugged then continued to swish my feet in the water as I sat on the edge of the dock. I would miss this if I was reaped. District four's water and calmness.
I had lived in district four most of my life. I was born here and lived here. While my father wanted to explore the nation with my mother and sister, I wanted to stay where I was. They had been to every district and the capitol, right now they were in the capitol, a place where my sister wouldn't be able to be reaped.
They had done this for a couple years now, since her first reaping. They would get up and leave from wherever they were and get my sister in to safety.
I had only gone to one other district, district seven. I had loved it there and lived there for a couple peaceful years, until homesickness swallowed me home and I was forced to come home.
Looking at my watch, I saw that if we didn't leave now, we would be late. Sebastian saw what I was looking at and understood. He stood up and offered me a hand but I had already gotten up.
"See you back here after its over or see you in the justice building." I said as I walked up the dock towards my little beach shack. I was given the option to live in the victors village, but declined since I wasn't an actually victor or living with one. Those people deserve where they live, and I did not deserve to be there.
After walking in the house and to my room, I sat my bed and sighed. If I got picked this year, something would start. And that thought was scary.
Slowly walking to my closet, I grabbed a tattered and battered pair of jeans that I wore out on the boat a lot. Then I grabbed a black shirt that didn't have any significance.
That was all I was doing. Walking out of the door I saw a package on the porch of my house.
I ripped it open eager to see what was inside of it. Inside, was a necklace that screamed my name.
It was all black circle that had faint drawing of a forest with a crescent moon hovering over it. It was beautiful. I flipped it over and saw that on the other side it was silver with a picture of the ocean. The ocean side had a wave on it and a bunch of little stars.
Inscribed on the sides of the pendant that resembled a coin in a way, was the letter M for mom, D for dad and H for Harley, my little fourteen year old sister. They were tiny, but I noticed them.
Smiling, I quickly clasped the necklace around my neck and threw the garbage behind the chair on the porch in a rush.
I ran to the justice building that was a half mile away and found the line of eighteen year girls.
Once to the front of the line, they pricked my finger and the scanner read Hadley Valor. The peacekeeper muttered my name then shooed me away. That was the only time I wanted to hear my name today.
After a short but with the tension long ten minutes, the ridiculous escort made her way on stage.
"Hello! Hello! Happy Hunger Games, future district four tributes! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" the lady with midnight blue hair and just about everything else excitedly said.
"As always, ladies first!" she smiled from ear to ear and plucked a piece of paper from the bowl. I held my breath and hoped with all my heart that my last year wouldn't have me being picked. Please.
"Francesca Lexar!" No.
I looked around and saw the girl that I had taken a liken to over the past few months wheel her wheel chair out of her group.
Franny, didn't have the best home life. The nation tried to keep abuse to a very, very small percentage, but it still happened. She had been beaten so much that she was disabled from the waist down. She also wouldn't stand a chance. The fact that she was still even given a chance to be reaped infuriated me. If I volunteered, she would be safe but still disabled. But the first thing I would do when I got back was get her the surgery in the capitol that she needed.
"I volunteer as tribute!" I yelled. All eyes turned and looked at me with rapt attention. I stepped out of my row and wheeled Francesca back where she was in her thirteen year old row. Looking at her, she had tears in her eyes. She grabbed my hand, "Thank you." It was two heartbreaking words that just encouraged me to keep going. I squeezed her hand then walked up to the stage where our escort smiled broadly at me.
"We all know your name but say it for us?" She grinned as she gripped my shoulders and waited for me. "Hadley Valor." I said with a straight face.
"Well Hadley, that was quite the nice thing you did there. But now we must move on to the boys."
She walked over to the boy bowl with her overly tall heels and plucked a piece of terrifying paper.
"Quinn O'Clic!" This just keeps getting better. Quinn had unsuccessfully for the last three years, tried to get in my pants.
He walked up on the stage and smirked at me. Our escort, whose name was Cliceal, said some things that I didn't pay attention to then told us to shake hands.
I turned and faced Quinn. We shook hands, but he gripped mine a little tighter than necessary.
Walking out of my room, that I had been in for a good five minutes, on the train I saw the districts that were so obviously the careers all sprawled on the couch. I stopped in my place and eyed them all warily. There was one girl with blonde hair that was twirling her hair. The other girl had dark brown almost black hair and was eating something. One of the boys with average sized shoulders and tall build was sprawled on the couch. The last boy was huge. He was huge. He had blonde hair that was cut short and cold calculating blue eyes. He sat with his arms crossed watching the reapings.
I had evaluated all of them already and walked toward my mentor, Finnick. He sat in the chairs a little behind where the careers were conversing with Quinn.
"And here she is! My lovely girlfriend of three years!" Quinn said with a grin that made me uneasy.
I grabbed a knife from a nearby table and launched a couple millimeters away from his ugly head. Considering the careers were a few feet away from me, it probably wasn't the brightest idea.
"I am not your girlfriend. You've been trying to get in my pants for the last three years. And I reject you every time, and guess what, hun? My answer isn't changing.
"Okay, well when you're being brutally murdered I won't even attempt to help you." He shrugged. Finnick's eyebrows rose at that statement.
"I'm going to squeeze your ugly head to death with my bare hands, you litt-" finnick stopped me before I could finish my insult and before I could lunge at him.
"That's enough social interaction for today," he muttered as he hauled me over his shoulder and attempted to carry me to my room. He didn't make it pass the careers before I flipped us over and got away from him.
I made the quick decision to go back to where Quinn was with my hips swinging. I could feel the boy with blue eyes watching me carefully and Finnicks hesitance.
When I got next to Quinn, I squatted low next to his legs and he smirked. I reached my hand over and instead of grabbing his leg, I grabbed the chairs leg and pulled as hard as I could. That sent him toppling to the ground while I grabbed one of the drinks on a nearby table and poured it on him.
It was my turn to smirk at him. I walked away towards my room and flicked waist my caramel colored hair over my shoulder.