Remember
RIIIING! That stupid old alarm clock scares me so much I go flying out of bed.
"Dang it, Onyx! I told you to throw that old thing away!" That's when it hits. I don't share a room with my big brother anymore. He doesn't live with us now. Neither does my older sister, Topaz. They're both gone. Dead and gone. Then I remember why Onyx's old clock was set in the first place.
The Reaping.
I think back two years ago. When my family's Hell first began. Topaz was sixteen when she was Reaped and killed. She made it to the final 9 in the Games. But, in that blizzard arena, she just wasn't at her best and didn't see the other Tribute from our dear old District 7. He slit her throat before she even saw who he was. It's not often that district partners kill each other, but not unheard of.
It was such a waist of precious life.
I can't walk by her picture in the main room without hearing her light laugh or seeing her playfully roll her light topaz eyes or even picture the sun flashing off of her platinum blonde hair. At least her death was fast.
I remember last year, last Hunger Games and seeing my big brother fighting to live. Onyx was fifteen when Topaz was reaped, and was sixteen during his own. He was so strong, fast, and brave. I was sure he would win. No such luck. He made it to the final three. He was so close to winning. But, this brother and sister duo from 1 wanted to be the final two. Once the monstrous boy had pinned Onyx down, it was all over. The girl did her part by hacking away bits of him, from his chocolate hair to his right arm. But he stared her down the whole time and that infuriated her. She clawed out one of his jet-black eyes. He didn't scream the entire time. As she raised her little knife to his minced face to deliver the deathblow, he calmly spoke his last words.
"I love you, Safyra. Be strong my little Safyre."
Then they killed him.