**I've had this idea for a while, but I've decided to put it down on paper now, so please review and tell me what you think so far! Thanks so much!**
Chapter 1: The Reaping
"Celeste Greenwich," Was I surprised? No. Was I sad? Yes. Was I terrified? Surprisingly no. Was I angry? Hell yes. Maybe anger is the wrong word to use in this situation. I wanted to slowly boil President Snow in a bath of hot oil and then rip out his intestines and carve my family name into his back and hang him up for all of Panem to see. Instead, I looked up and smirked as the camera landed on my face and the screens behind Secci changed from Panem's insignia to my smug features. There was a collective gasp from the audience, and I met their shocked and scared looks with a sardonic smile and a wave as I stepped out into the isle that separates the 12-18 year old boys from the 12-18 year old girls. A few people actually started choking out sobs and holding in wails; I wasn't one of those people. I was done playing Snow's game, and I was done being an innocent little girl who needs people to defend her.
On a whim, I blew kisses to the camera and to the crowd of District 10; ironically, District 10 isn't even my real district, not that I had one to begin with. I was practically a victor already due to spending most of my childhood in the capital with the actual victors, who I would call my family, if I could really call anyone my family at this point. My sister had been a victor; she had been chosen much like I was being chosen now. The bowl full of names caught my eye, and I refused to let any of my rage and sadness show in my eyes or on my face.
Celeste Greenwich. That was what the slip of paper that Secci held in her trembling fingers read; of course, every other slip of paper in that glass bowl would have read Celeste Greenwich as well. Just like every slip of paper had read Melody Greenwhich when my sister was reaped for the 53rd, but this isn't the 53rd Hunger Games; this is the 74th, and I'm not Melody. I'm Celeste, and I don't have a family waiting for me when I survive the Games, if I survive the Games. I'm alone. Those Games. The Capital. Snow. They took everything from me. Now it's time for me to return the favor.
I reached the stage and ascended the steps with my chin up and a look like I was above the peacekeepers and the Capital and Snow and the Games, but when I turned around I met the gaze of the people with respect and defiance battling in my eyes. Then, I touched my forehead lightly with three fingers, then my chest and then my lips before holding my hand out to the people. The gesture was a symbol of respect among the people in any district; the forehead represented the mind, the chest represented the body, the lips represented the soul. Traditionally, the person you were extending the courtesy too repeated the gesture, but I didn't really expect anyone to.
Three girls and four boys did. I knew all of them. I'd been sent to 10 two months ago and given a house in the Victor's village and some money. I'd gone to school; they farm in this district. Their job is to raise the livestock, so it was a bit interesting considering I've lived in almost every other district. I knew I was going to get reaped, so I didn't attempt to make any friends and, in fact, attempted to push them away, but it happened anyways. Two of the three girls were crying, not lightly either, Robin and Serena, but the other one, Rose was standing tall, saluting me with a determination and assurance in her eyes that made me stronger. None of the boys were crying, though they looked dismayed and terrified; all of my friends had tried to convince me I wouldn't be reaped. My eyes skimmed over Birch, Avon, and Richie to land on Jack's fearful, angry chocolate orbs. I slowly lowered my arm, and they followed suit after a moment.
"Alright," Secci couched uncomfortably; I just gazed at her with what I hoped were cold and unforgiving baby blue orbs. And for the gentlemen," She fished around for a moment before finally fishing a name out of the bowl. She opened it up, and took it in before reading it out to the people of the square, who waited with baited breath. "Axel Steline." Instantly, there were shouts of protest and a boy started sobbing and shouting 'no' over and over again. It wasn't till they dragged him out from the crowd of young men that I realized what had gotten the crowd so worked up. He had a bad foot. They were sending a cripple into the games, and he was a young cripple. The boy couldn't have been older than fourteen. I was eighteen; there were more eighteen year olds that had gotten reaped and this poor boy was fourteen and a cripple. The boy was hauled on stage and was deposited on the other side of Secci (I could barely see him Secci's hair golden wig was teased so high). I could hear him though; his sobs echoed throughout the clearing and only worked to make me angrier.
"You will now shake hands," Secci announced, her voice sounding pompously excited with a tinge of something I'd rarely heard from the voice of a capita's woman before: pity. He limped towards me and looked up to meet my gaze through tear filled topaz eyes; he was an average height for his age probably around five two, which meant he was a good four or five inches shorter than me, now that he was in front of me maybe closer to five. He held out his hand and I stepped passed it, instead choosing to wrap my arms around his thin, quivering frame. He responded to the hug almost immediately, choosing to hug me tightly back. I stroked his hair but didn't speak. What could I say? I wasn't going to lie; the kid had already gone through enough today. He didn't need my lies and false comfort; it would only make it that much worse when the reality sets in.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but you have to be brave. Okay? Your family is watching you; you have to be brave for them," I whispered the words to him; the only thing I could think of that wouldn't sound horrible or give him false hope. I felt his head nod against my shoulder and slowly released him, and he turned to face the crowd, his jaw set in determination. To my surprise, he repeated my gesture from earlier, and my friends responded again with a few other people. Before it could spread the peacekeepers were there, pushing us off the stage and ushering us towards the building where we would say our last goodbyes.
The room was dank and depressing with plain wooden floors, walls, and ceiling, a plain wooden chair in the middle, and a plain wooden desk in the corner of the room that I'm assuming has never seen use. My friends all came in at once, couldn't wait to see me off I guess. Robin and Serena attacked me: hugging, kissing my cheeks, but mostly crying.
"You're g-g-g-good with a bo-b-bow, r-right," Robin got out between sobs, looking at me desperately, searching for some sign to hope.
"She's right," Rose fixed me with her calculating amber gaze. "You said your father trained you in defense and weapons. You can win. Then you can come back. I've seen you with knives and a whip, you won't miss. You can win." She repeated the phrase as if assuring herself as much as anyone that it was true. As soon as I untangled myself from Robin and Serena, I hugged her hard.
"She's right," Birch agreed as I hugged him as well. "You can,"
"I told you when I came here that I was going to get reaped; I didn't tell you I was going to lay down and die. Oh, take care of Snap while I'm gone," I told them with a grin, embracing Avon next.
"Figures, you were just reaped for the Hunger Games, facing death and you're worried about your dumb cat," He let out a choked laugh which made me hug him harder.
"She's not dumb; you're dumb for not understanding her," I laughed lightly, trying to keep my rising emotions under control. I moved on to Richie, who wrapped his muscular arms around my petite waist. I was petite, which would work in my favor to deceive my enemies into thinking me helpless. If all of Panem didn't know me, I could've done well with the innocent act. Worked for Johanna.
"You can't leave, Cel. Who's going to get me out of trouble?" I grinned into his shoulder.
"I'm sure Rose can do it just fine," He glanced over and grinned at her. They were in love with each other. Had been forever, but both of them didn't want me to tell the other. "Do me a favor," I glanced over at Rose and then back to him. "Get together already, we all know you're in love with each other," Rose's mouth popped open and she blushed furiously, sending me a glare. The silence had only begun when a peacekeeper poked his head inside and told me I had one minute left. Richie glanced at Jack before hugging me tight again.
"We'll leave you two alone," He told Jack and I, and I almost called them back as they disappeared through the doorway, each giving me one last look before they left.
"Well, I for one am going to miss your jokes about our brown eyes," He smiled, but it was weak and shaky with only a crumb of real humor.
"Everyone has them! There's not one person who is in District 10 that doesn't have brown eyes," I spoke vehemently causing him to laugh, but then frown.
"They're right. You have to try to win, for us. I know about your past and your sister won, so maybe it runs in the family or something…" He trailed off hopefully, and I grinned and looked down because if I didn't grin or if I met his eye I would cry.
"Do me a favor, JJ," I looked up at him, using the nickname I'd made up for him when I first met him. "Don't watch. If I-" I choked on the lump that had risen in my throat, but swallowed thickly and forced myself to continue. "None of them. If I'm dying. Don't watch. I don't want you to see-" My voice cracked, and I swallowed again, calming myself as Jack's arms were around me and I buried my head in his shoulder, breathing in his scent. It was musty and woodsy, but it was pleasant and gave me a twinge of nostalgia. I broke away from him and took a deep breath, meeting his chocolate orbs with my baby blues.
"Time!" The peacekeeper called, and suddenly Jack grabbed my face and kissed me harshly. I stiffened in surprise and pulled away; I didn't like him, not like that. He just shook his head and laughed wryly.
"I didn't think you would, but I had to try. I had to tell you," He pressed something into my hand, and I looked down to see a bracelet. It was made of leather that he had woven together and tied. When I looked up the peacekeepers were already grabbing him and dragging him across the floor despite his struggles. I took a step towards him, but was held back by another peacekeeper. "I love you," He met my gaze, and I saw the sincerity and love in his eyes before they disappeared through the door. The peace keeper pulled me towards the door as well and before long I was walking alongside the kid, Axel, who looked like he'd been crying some more, being guided by peacekeepers towards the train.
The train was nice, not homely or cozy, but bearable. There was a sort of stiffly ornate and mature air to it that, if you didn't look too closely, could easily be mistaken for beauty. We were guided by Sicca to the dining car; where the kid-Axel- waisted no time in rushing to eat something. The food did look good, but it was unbelievably rich and I knew I'd probably regret it later if I ate a lot now. I sat down in a chair and caught sight of myself in the window. My ebony hair cascaded freely down my back in waves, for I really hated tying my hair back no matter the occasion, and it cut off around my mid back. Despite all time I'd recently spent in the sun, my skin still held a creamy complexion and, if anything, the few freckles that dotted my nose had gotten slightly more noticeable. There weren't that many of them, and they were small and a soft brown making them less noticeable from a distance. My nose was smaller than average and my lips were naturally pink and full. Xlemone would have a field day with me. Whenever I'd talked with her in the past, she'd always talked about wanting to do my makeup, of course, she had probably thought she would never get the chance without my consent.
Well, I was going back to the capital. That was good, right? I'd get to see my family again, now as enemies, which wasn't so good. My sister had won the 53rd Hunger Games when she was eighteen. There had been a huge buzz about her Games; Caesar had even gone so far as to say it had been the most anticipated Hunger Games since the first had come out. Haymitch. That had been the reason for all the buzz. When Haymitch had gone into the quarter quell for the 50th, Melody and Haymitch had only been seeing each other for a year or so. Haymitch was sixteen and Mel was fifteen, but turning sixteen in a month. She'd never been very lucky that way. Haymitch had won, and in President Snow's words that gave the people hope. His whole sponsorship and everything had been based off of her. His need to get back to her. How he loved her, cared for her, wanted her. It was all true, but it worked incredibly well. Love is still the best angle you can play in the Hunger Games.
Then she was reaped three years later and the districts were outraged. She had gone on Haymitch's victor tour with him and the capital loved her almost as much as Finnick now. She too had played the love angle and had come out successful, barely. She'd barely scraped out the victory and when they rescued her from the arena she was half dead already. They were the Couple of the Capital and that must have infuriated Snow to no end. He'd tried to have her killed in the arena by 'natural causes', but it hadn't really gone his way. She had been the only victor Haymitch ever mentored. It was a little before the 66th Games when it all started to go south. I still remembered it like it was yesterday, though I was only ten at the time.
I had been over visiting Haymitch and Mel, they'd gotten married years ago, but we were woken up in the middle of the night by a pounding. Peacekeepers, at least fifty of them swarmed the house, trashing everything, and dragged Mel outside. Four of them restrained Haymitch and two of them prohibited me from running after her. She had struggled wildly until one put the cool barrel of a gun to my head and told her if I didn't go he'd shoot me. She went and that was the last I saw of her, and I think that's the last Haymitch saw of her as well. When asked, President Snow said she'd lost herself in the capital. It happens every other year that a victor can't handle what's happened to them, what they've done, and choose to loose themselves in the capital. Maybe it's better that way. Maybe it's better not to feel.
"I'm sorry," I was snapped out of my memories by Whip's voice, and turned away from the window to face him. He was the only victor from 10 that chose to remain at home; there had been another male a while back, but he had long since vanished. I hugged him hard, and he squeezed me back, which almost crushed my spine. He was an extremely burly man with clearly defined biceps and ropey, tough hands. "I'm so sorry,"
"It's okay, Whip. We all knew it was going to happen eventually. The best thing I can do know is talk strategy," I stepped back from him and seated myself on the couch while Axel sat next to me, still quivering slightly, but he had stopped crying.
"You've seen many Hunger Games, Celeste. Don't go for the Cornucopia unless you're in with the Careers. You want to grab one of the outer lying packs and run towards the woods, find shelter, and water. Don't underestimate the power of a good water supply. Many tributes in the past have died from natural causes. And the first and foremost most important thing to help you survive…" He glanced from the kid to me and back.
"Is what?" The kid prompted, eager to know how to survive.
"Sponsors," I answered for Whip, who nodded in agreement. "Get people to like you, and you get gifts, which help you get ahead in the Games." I explained, keeping my eyes trained on Whip.
"Do you have any abilities? Talents?" Before either of us could answer, Sicca, with her shrill, obnoxiously excited voice, announced that it was suppertime. I rose and moved to the table with the kid moving practically as my shadow. I didn't mind it though, I liked him, he was real and reminded me of the friends I'd made in 10 that I missed so much. The food was served and he practically devoured his plate before I'd even finished my second roll of bread. I glanced at him and a small but persistent smile tugged at my lips. I don't trust everyone I meet. In fact, I rarely trust anyone, but those few that have really earned it, well, I'd fight to the death for them. I didn't trust my friends back at 10. I loved them all, but I didn't trust a single one; I was fairly certain that, if the option was to save my life by risking theirs, they'd choose to stay in the comforts of their homes without a second hesitation.
"What is that?" I glanced at the kid, who was looking at me with a mixture of curiosity and admiration as I poured the steaming brown liquid into his cup.
"It's called hot chocolate," I told him, grinning. He looked at it uncertainty and I grinned again. Damn it this kid was really growing on me. "Go on, try it," He cautiously brought the cup to his lips and took a small sip, his eyes going wide the second the liquid passed his lips, and then he was taking large gulps of it and pouring himself the rest, which wasn't much. "Would you like to finish mine as well?" I asked him, pushing my cup over to him.
"No, thank you." He turned down my offer politely.
"Take it," I insisted smiling genuinely at him and he took it. "Dip the bread in it," I advised him, and he wisely took heed. I returned my attention to Whip, who was looking back and forth between me and Axel with an overt look of unease.
"So, talents?" He glanced at me for a moment longer, making sure I got the message not to get too attached to the kid.
"I'm good with weapons, knives and bows, mostly long-range, but I prefer hand to hand." Whip nodded thoughtfully, even though he knew most of that. Mel had taught me how to hunt and had trained me in weaponry since I was little. After she'd gotten taken, I'd still gone to the capital each year for the Games with my parents, and I'd still met all of the tributes and hung out with the victors when my father did his work as weapons trainer. I'd kept up my training all through those years and when my parents died and I was left at the mercy of myself, I didn't dare let myself drop it. I'd received Mel's status as a victor and was allowed to come and go as I pleased. I used to think of myself as the one person who was truly free in Panem. I guess I was wrong.
"That's good, we can use that. Knives are useful in the arena," He mused.
"What about my angle?" I asked, knowing that I would need something powerful.
"Capital darling maybe. Put you in a nice, fluffy, pink dress…" He trailed off laughing as I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "Alright then, what were you thinking?" He knew me well enough to know if I had an idea, there was no talking me out of it.
"I was thinking a mixture of fierce and loving. Remind them that I am practically one of them," I paused for a second, mulling over what I just said, and then, with a glance at Sicca, "Practically." Sicca looked offended, but both Axel and Whip hid grins that were quickly extinguished by reality.
"There little girl all grown up? Ready to defend them? It could work, but remember: you're still representing District 10" Axel suddenly shot up and hobbled to the window, gazing out, eyes full of longing. We had arrived at the Capital. I took a deep breath in preparation for what lay ahead. I was ready.