I walked past the people in town, looking at their faces as if they were monsters, trying to eat me with every step the took in my direction. The rain soaked me to the bone, and I was uncomfortable, not just with the rain, but all the time… my father is always working on some crappy invention of his. My sister is dead, taken cruelly on live TV in the hunger games. I'm unusual, my looks, my personality, my family, the way I spend my free time. I space out a lot, humming some song to myself. Its only because my mother is also dead, and my brother Is off working since he has nothing else to do, and I crave human attention. My love for music instead of the machinery and technology scares everyone. I wasn't crazy, but I could seriously need some help. I'm still traumatized about my sisters cruel tortured death that the whole of panem saw, and wake up in the middle of the night screaming way to often now. Only Gizmo , my brother, understands me, and that's about everyone I'm going to allow. He comes in and hugs me a lot, just holding me until I stop crying. He has the normal looks, with black hair and gray eyes. My father says I'm blessed to have my mothers odd but beautiful looks, but to me, I just seem odd, not beautiful.
"royal? Royal Clearwater is that you?" someone called out to me from across the street, and I didn't look up to see who it was. I didn't care, tomorrows the reaping, so everyone is supposed to be sad, worried, scared out of their mind…why answer to someone who doesn't really care and only wants to wish you luck that wont help whatsoever?
"royal?" I sighed, feeling a slight annoyance flutter in my chest as I looked up, my brown eyes searching for the person who called me. I made him out quickly, noticing him as the blacksmiths son victor, I watched him make his way to me, splashing through the puddles that were forming larger and larger on the cobblestones.
"yes?" I whispered over the rain, watching him blink the water off his eyelashes.
"are you okay? I mean, yeah its reaping day in a few hours, but still, your going to catch a cold." I shook the rain out of my long, odd, blonde hair, and looked up at him. I wasn't short, but he was super tall, standing about a foot taller than me.
"yeah I'm fine victor, just…walking," I traced my foot around in the water, looking for something else to do considering I was so uncomfortable.
"walking isn't probably the smartest solution right now," I glared up at him, and watched silently as he flashed his white teeth in a laugh that bounced back off the walls and into my ears.
"I'm fine victor, thank you though.." I turned to walk away, but he caught my arm.
"hey…um-..i have a piano, inside my house… want to come inside and warm up?" I turned back to him quickly, my eyes wide.
"a-..a p-pian-a piano?" I gasped, wiping some rain out of my shocked eyes.
"yeah, you sing during lunch, and play that tiny little flute thing, so I figured you like music," I gaped at him. how could he have a piano? Those were super expensive and not to mention OLD.
"how?-"
"my father made those contacts… those ones that let you do awesome stuff? Yeah, got paid a little bit cuz they were a big craze for a while, bought us a piano and a better house. He loves music a lot too," I felt like smiling from ear to ear, but instead found myself shivering in my boots.
"come on, just until you get warmed up," I thought about it…but decided I was cold, and If by any chance I got reaped tomorrow, I don't want to be sick! So I nodded stiffly, and watched as he grabbed my hand and lead me across the street, up the steps and into his bright home. My heart skipped a beat as I looked through the window next to the door, and saw that black piano against the wall next to the fireplace.