1: Promises
"Now, class" Mr Sonesta is attempting to quieten the class so he can begin his Reaping Speech. The whispers and giggles eventually die down into an awkward quiet, and the teacher begins.
"70 years ago tomorrow, the first ever Hunger Games were held. Over the past 70 years, District 4 has had 20 Victors." He does this same speech every year, in what I could only guess is a dignified and subtle way to bring shame and guilt to us. "For some of you" He continues, "This will be your final Reaping, but for others, you still have one more year after this. Opposite this school is District 4's Academy of Excellence. 18 out of 20 of our winners are from the Academy, and this year, one more boy and girl will be pulled from our Reaping bowl, one of them may be you." Any kind of noise has stopped completely, and I can hear the waves rolling on to the beach through the slightly ajar window. "Maybe this year we will have a volunteer. Our last Victor, Finnick Odair, was a volunteer. Look where he is now!" Everybody knows Finnick Odair was a volunteer. At just 14, people thought he was buying a one way ticket to death, but with a natural ability to charm- and the now rare traditional District 4 looks under his belt, he was a born star it seemed. Several girls sighed at his name, and began giggling. Every girl who is old enough to have a crush has one on Finnick Odair. Except me though, I get weird looks when I don't sigh, shriek or flick my hair when he's in a 100 metre radius of me. "This year, bring the stardom back to District 4. We are a Career District! We may not be the Academy, no, but we still have the power to win the Games! Do your duty to your District! Class dismissed"
I think through his words as I'm walking down to cobbled paths back to my home. The mixture of hot sunlight and salty air is a firm reminder of summer, and I shrug off my jacket and sling it over my shoulder. In front of me I can see two Careers, a boy and a girl. I can tell immediately that they're Careers, the boy is tall, wide shouldered, and extremely muscular, and the girl is lean and toned. District 4 was a Career District by chance; we're not all naturally born fighters like 1 and 2, so we opened a Careers Academy and also kept our normal school open. At the age of 9 you 'audition' for a spot in Career school, my Mother, Father and Sister all went there, and it had turned into almost a rite of passage that I go there too. However, when you're scared of blood and can't stand hurting anyone or anything, it makes matters harder. I wasn't accepted into Career school, and ended up in 4's comprehensive. My family were shocked; my Father was a naturally born spear and trident user, being from a fishing family. My mother looked nothing like a Career, but could still cause critical damage with her knife throws from 50 metres away, and my sister inherited my Mother's talents.
"Hi Mari," I call as I open the driftwood door. My sister comes running down the stairs at my voice, and her name couldn't fit her better. Her full name is Marissa Cresta, Marissa means 'Princess of the Sea'. Her sandy blonde hair flies behind her as she runs down the stairs, and her sea blue eyes always reminds me of a mermaid.
"Hi Annie, I went to the bakery today and got us a treat!" She smiles. This is my sister's Pre-Reaping tradition, ever since our parents died. My sister only became safe from the Games 3 years ago, and is legitimately too young to look after me, in 4 you're not allowed to have children until the age of 25, and with both our parents dead, my sister is my only family now.
As I follow her through the hall to the kitchen I secretly thank my sister for doing this, as she knows how much I hate Reaping Day. She pulls a small cupcake out of a brown paper bag, and I smile. It's a simple cupcake with green frosting and a small sugar seashell on top. I then feel guilty, this must've cost her a fortune, we're always low on money, and some nights we go without dinner. She cuts the cake in half, and passes me my section.
"Mari, this must've cost you dinner for a week!" I gasp, but her mischievous look makes me decide to not go into details of how she got the money, and I instead begin eating. Dinner passes, and I decide to bathe tonight instead of tomorrow. In the bathroom mirror I look myself up and down. I stick out like a sore thumb in 4, I'm dark haired and pale skinned, and my green eyes resemble the colour of well kept grass as opposed to the traditional lapis blue and emerald green. I'm petite, and quite thin due to the lack of food. I sigh as I run shampoo through my hair, and try to forget that this time tomorrow I could be on a train to the Capitol.
I don't sleep as usual, and the thick quilts we have on our bed to reduce the risks of hypothermia in the winter are making me sweat. I get out of bed when a soft dawn light begins to glow through the window, and I see my sister has already laid out my outfit- A maroon cotton dress with oversized sleeves, a small sash round the waist and a white frilled collar. Definitely a dress bought before our parents died. I go downstairs, and the wood suddenly feels sharp against my bare feet. My sister is already up and dressed in one of my mother's old Reaping dresses.
"Hey there, Star" She smiles as I pace into the lounge. She has a comb and hair accessories in hand, and is about to prep me for the Reaping.
Star is Mari's pet name for me; it was also used by my Parents and Grandma. My full name was actually Andromeda Cresta, another traditional District 4 name. Andromeda was a goddess thousands upon thousands of years ago in a place named Greece. She was described as beautiful, and later became a star when she died, hence the nickname. It was changed to Annie when I started school, and I never knew why.
She brushes through my hair and uses a pin to keep my fringe away from my face, which makes me feel very exposed. We leave later, hand in hand, towards the Town Square. Mari leaves me at the counter, and wishes me good luck. I have my finger print taken then walk to join my fellow 17 year old's at our roped off area. Our Escort, Chiara Edeson, trots onto the stage in another ridiculous Capitol get-up. Her skin is dyed magenta, with golden flowers tattooed strategically everywhere. She has on a very strange dress, it looks like it's made of plastic and is completely see-through everywhere except places she isn't allowed to show; where it is white, but she still pushes the limits there too. Her hair is now yellow, not blonde, but the colour of a fruit we once had on my Mother's birthday called Bananas. Accompanying her on stage is Mags, an elderly woman who won the Games 40 years ago, and Finnick Odair. He is the centre of attention, as usual, and keeps smiling seductively at random girls in the audience whilst the cameras are trained on him, which seems to be permanently. Chiara gives her usual speech, and asks for volunteers. After Finnick won five years ago, there were 2 volunteers hoping to follow in his footsteps who died almost instantly, diminishing all of our volunteers.
"Very well, then!" Chiara sings in her strange Capitol accent "Let us begin our Reaping! I shall start with our female Tribute!" She places her hand into the bowl, her diamond encrusted nails flickering about for a slip of paper. 7 of those have 'Annie Cresta' on them; it would've been more if Mari threatened to send us both to the orphanage if I signed up for tessarae. Her hand dives in unexpectedly, and I realise I'm sweating, and wringing my hands. I suddenly experience that feeling of 'something bad is going to happen', the same feeling I had when I walked onto the Career auditions, and the same feeling I had when my Parents stepped on their last ever train to District 1.
She unfolds the slip carefully, as if it is a small insect she doesn't want to hurt.
"Annie Cresta!" She trills.
I hear Mari scream from somewhere in the distance, and suddenly every eye is on me, staring me out. It can't be me, they've got it wrong! It must be a different Annie, surely.
'You're the only Annie in District 4, go up there and do your duty to your District!' I suddenly hear Mr Sonesta say sternly in my head. Fine, I'll go up, and wait on the stage until they realise they have the wrong Annie. But despite my plan, my fingers feel like twigs on winter trees, they're shaking shaking shaking, and my knees are locked.
"Well come on up, Annie!" Chiara says, somewhat impatiently. I continue walking, slowly as I can, up to the stage where I'm practically hauled up the steps and straight into the cold, bony hands of Chiara Edeson. I can feel the whole of District 4 watching me intently. I'm the fragile girl, whose Parents is dead and should be in the orphanage, but is instead living with her under age sister, who is forced to occasionally sell her body just for some food.
I glance up and see my sister in hysterics, being comforted by several friends. It's then the realisation sinks in. It is me. Annie Cresta. Not any other Annie, me. And I then can't hold back, and I'm crying. I now feel even more stared out, I know you're not meant to cry at the Reaping at all, but all the pressure only makes it worse, and I'm quietly sobbing, oblivious to any of my surroundings until Chiara says "Seger Chariston!" .
Seger walks on to the stage defiantly, with his head held high, however on closer inspection I can see the fear embedded into his eyes. I think I recognise him, and realise- He is the Career I saw yesterday, walking home from the Academy. I remember the girl with him, and remember how they were holding hands, and I'm crying again. Chiara seems to notice this time and tries to finish her closing speech as soon as possible by just singing "Happy Hunger Games, everybody!" Before rushing us off stage, and I'm grateful, I wouldn't expect somebody from the Capitol to notice another's distress.
The wooden doors of the Justice Building close, and Seger and I are led into separate rooms. Mine is wallpapered with all of District 4's fish carefully inked and painted on, and the carpet is plush and turquoise, like the sea. This makes my muffled cries become full on tears as I sit on the red futon and bury my face in my hands.
"Two minutes only, miss" I hear a stern voice say from behind the doors,
"How dare you, my Sister is leaving for the Hunger Games tonight, I will stay in there as long as I wish!" I hear Mari screech, I lift my head and run to the door, and swing it open, and Mari falls into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably. I begin doing the same, and we just stand there, giving each other what will probably be our final embrace. Were clinging on even tighter when the Peacekeeper my sister was arguing with notifies her that her time is up.
"She has no other visitors! Only me! Now back off before I get myself in trouble!" Mari screams at him. He backs off, clearly intimidated by her. That's one of my favourite things about my Sister, she reminds me so much of our Mother, who could get anything she wanted by snapping from innocent to deadly. The thought of leaving Mari alone, with nobody left breaks me, and I'm struggling to breathe when Mari gasps "Win, Annie. Promise me you'll try to win, do it for me, for Mama and Dad, please Annie don't die, please! Join the Careers, learn some weapon skills in Training, anything, please, Star!" She begs, and I'm forced to lie to her, something I have never done until now.
"I will win, don't worry about me" I give Mari a weak smile, and she just hugs me again, tighter. The Peacekeeper now has no choice but to haul her out, despite her screams and curses thrown at him. I wait until the door is closed when I really begin crying; heart-wrenching sobs that rake through my body, until I'm left gasping for air. Outside, I can hear the frantic voice of my sister. Positive I'm deluding myself I ignore it, but the conversation in my head is still audible.
"Please, please help her, she doesn't deserve to die, she didn't go Career school! Teach her to throw a knife, wield a sword, and use a Trident, anything. Just keep my baby sister alive, please Finnick!" My sister is begging Finnick Odair to keep me alive, and any slither of confidence I had is gone. I hear the murmur of Finnick's voice before I drift away.
The imaginary faces of who my opponents may be flash through my mind, and I see a Career use an axe to chop both arms and legs off of a screaming 12 year old boy before I black out.
A/n-
I've decided to put any other series I have been doing on hiatus, as I've just about lost all inspiration and willpower to do them, so I've started a fresh with something new! Reviews are appreciated, and I will reply to all of them :)
-G x
