A/N: Here's my tribute to my first fallen tribute, Lily White of District 11. Feedback is appreciated! Without further ado, please enjoy Portraits of Panem.
Tribute Statistics
Name: Lily White
District: 11
Gender Reaped as: Female
Age: 16
First completed story submitted to: Into Thin Air: The Forty-Second Hunger Games by LadyCordeliaStuart
Training Score: 5
Kills: 0
Cause of death: Hypothermia
Time of death: Day 2
Placement: 16th
The oppressively hot sun bore down onto Daisy White as the twelve-year-old girl ambled through the dirt-covered streets of District Eleven, her tattered sandals kicking up fine clouds of dry dust. She came to rest in the shadow of one of the many shacks in the section of the District she was in. This neighborhood was crowded with the humble residences of many families of poor harvesters, who on a normal day would be toiling in the orchards and working in the fields. Today, however, was Reaping Day, so the residents of District 11 were granted a brief reprieve from their labor. Few people were milling about the streets, most of them electing to spend the day with their families as they prepared for the Reaping and the long, agonizing days afterwards.
Daisy shivered, even though the strong sun was high in the sky. This would be her first Reaping, and considering the amount of tesserae she had taken to help feed her impoverished family, the odds were definitely not in her favor. Her sister, Lily, was sixteen and had taken even more tesserae, accumulated over the years. Despite Lily's higher chance of being Reaped, Daisy mostly worried for herself. She knew that she would be dead meat if she were chosen to compete in this year's Hunger Games. Besides, this was her first Reaping, and Daisy hoped that she wouldn't accidentally do anything that would land the White family into trouble. Sure, Daisy had watched Lily go through the Reaping process four times before, but the Peacekeepers in Eleven were strict. One small slip-up, even an accidental one, could be life-threatening.
Daisy heard a chirp above her head. She looked up and smiled. A family of birds was making a mud nest between the wall and the roof of the nearest shack. Daisy recognized the birds as Barn Swallows. Lily, who loved animals and nature, had taught Daisy the name of these swift, iridescent blue-and-orange birds. Thanks to her sister, Daisy was becoming quite the animal lover herself. Barn Swallows were a common sight in District 11 - they loved making their mud nests under the eaves of the many old buildings in the District - and nobody really had the time or heart to shoo away the birds. Daisy wondered how many people actually knew the names of the birds that often built nests on the buildings in the District. Most District residents, Daisy included, didn't exactly have the time to stand around observing birds, when so many crops had to be tended to and shipped off to the Capitol. If there was one thing Daisy appreciated about Reaping Day, it was the much-needed time to be spent preparing oneself for the ordeal that was to come.
Daisy stood and watched the busy swallows until her legs began to ache from standing in one place for too long. She started, suddenly worried. The Reaping was soon. Daisy sighed and bid a silent farewell to the lucky swallows, who would never have to worry about being Reaped. She walked home quickly, her sandals kicking up dust clouds as she went.
vVv
"Daisy, you're back!" Daisy's mother, Magnolia, said, embracing her youngest child as she shuffled through the front door of the White residence. To call it a residence was quite unfitting, because the place the Whites lived in was more like a barn. Daisy smiled and glanced around the small room, which could barely hold the family. Her face fell as she spotted her sister crossing her arms and glaring at her father, a single pear resting on the rickety table between them.
"Oh, no," Daisy groaned, trotting over to Lily's side and holding her hand. "Did Dad steal from the orchards again?"
"Yes," Lily sighed, ruffling Daisy's dark brown curls. She gave her father, Leif, another reproachful look and said quietly, "Dad, seriously, how many times do I have to tell you not to do this? You could have been caught and whipped, and you just got whipped a month ago."
"But I wasn't caught," Daisy's father said stubbornly. "Reaping Day is always a good day to get the food we need. Most of the Peacekeepers go to the square, so if you're sneaky enough you can grab a fruit or two without being noticed."
"And if they had noticed you, you would be bedridden for weeks," Lily said sternly, grabbing the pear and giving it to her mother. "We can't afford that." She glanced at Magnolia. "Mom, cut up the pear so that you, me, and Daisy each have a third. Make sure Dad doesn't get any."
"Don't be ridiculous, Lily," Magnolia said as she grabbed a knife and began cutting the fruit. "Your father was the one who got this in the first place. He should have at least half of it, for providing for the family."
"Yeah, but if he had gotten caught, which would have happened if he hadn't lucked out, we wouldn't have this pear at all," Lily complained. She sighed, sat down at the table, and put her head in her hands. "Mom, Dad, if you keep this up you'll be killed! Why don't you realize that our first priority should be keeping all of us safe?"
Magnolia sighed, handing part of the pear to Leif. "I guess we just value different things, Lily, my dear," she said as Leif began eating the piece of fruit. "Me and Dad are willing to take whippings to provide for the family. We'd much rather die of a bullet to the head than of starvation. That's just the way we are."
"I don't think that's right," Daisy chipped in. "I don't wanna be whipped." She swallowed. "Or Reaped."
Lily stood up, faced her sister, and hugged her tightly. "I know you have the sense stay safe no matter what, sis," she said lovingly. She broke away from Daisy and glanced towards the back of the one-room shack, where the clothes sat in piles on the rickety beds. "I'll go get ready for the Reaping. Come on, Daisy. Let me help you."
"Take some pear, girls," Magnolia offered.
Daisy's stomach growled. She didn't exactly feel good about eating the food her father stole, but she was hungry, as usual. Besides, she couldn't just turn down the offer.
"Alright," Daisy said, taking the slice of pear in her mother's hand. She glanced at Lily, who sighed, walked towards Magnolia, and accepted the slice of pear her mother offered her.
"Thanks for the food," Lily said, glancing at her father. "I appreciate it, but..." She took a bite out of the pear slice and swallowed. "Don't say I didn't warn you when you get into serious trouble."
Leif nodded. "Fair enough. Go and get ready, girls," he said, leaving the shack so that Lily and Daisy could change.
vVv
Daisy couldn't stop crying. She tried to put on a brave face for her sister, but the tears just kept pouring out. She sat on Lily's lap in the room in the District Justice Building designated for Goodbyes and held her tightly.
"Nobody will hurt you, Daisy," Lily said soothingly, stroking Daisy's back as the rest of the White family, Lily's older twin brothers included, huddled around the eldest daughter. Even though Lily was trying her best to comfort her sister, she was visibly shaking.
"Try your very best to come home, okay, sis?" Thyme said, giving his younger sister a rare kiss on the cheek.
"Just lay low and hide," Oregano, Thyme's identical twin, said. Daisy sniffed and wriggled away from Lily temporarily so that Oregano could give her a quick hug.
Magnolia, who was sitting on the left side of Lily and hugging her, released Lily to take off the woven bracelet she wore on her right wrist. She pressed it into Lily's hand and said, "Take this into the arena. Don't forget who you are and what you love."
"I won't, Mom," Lily said, sniffing as she slipped on the bracelet. "I love you, and I'll miss you so much, but keep everyone safe, okay? Daisy especially."
Leif, who was sitting on Lily's right side, shifted uncomfortably. "We need food," he said meekly, a tear running down his cheek.
Lily turned around slowly and gave her father a sad, reproachful look. "Dad, listen to me," she said, her voice more serious than Daisy had ever heard before. "You too, Mom."
"We're listening," Magnolia said, squeezing Lily's hand gently. Daisy sniffed and left Lily's lap so that her sister could better address her parents. Thyme and Oregano huddled towards Daisy, Thyme putting his hands on Daisy's shoulders and Oregano hugging his twin.
"If I come home, we'll never have to worry about staying safe or having enough food ever again," Lily said, her voice shaking. "And I promise to you that I'll try my very best to come home. But the reality is that I don't stand much of a chance-"
"Don't say that, Lily," Leif said.
"I'm just being realistic here," Lily said, her voice cracking. "If I die in the Games, you two are going to take care of Daisy, Mom and Dad. And she can't stand to lose another family member after I die."
I'll be strong, I swear, Daisy thought, but she held her tongue because she knew that this was the last chance for her parents to listen to what Lily had to say.
"So don't break the law or do anything stupid, got it?" Lily continued. "I know you two mean the best for us, but getting whipped isn't worth it, and neither is dying!" Her voice had risen to a shout. "You'll have one less mouth to feed once I'm gone. This is my dying wish, so you'd better honor it! Got it!?"
There was a silence in the room, broken only by Lily's sobs. Daisy broke free from Thyme's hold and hugged her sister tightly again. Leif and Magnolia wore pained expressions, as if considering their response.
How could they? Daisy thought angrily. How could they not understand that safety is the most important thing in our situation?
Daisy shot her parents a pleading look. Please say yes, she thought as she heard the knock signaling that time was almost up. Please promise to stay safe.
Finally, Leif spoke, his smile full of sadness and understanding.
"I promise I won't break the law ever again, Lily," he said, hugging his daughter tightly. "I will honor your wish."
-END-
Eulogy
Out of all my tributes, Lily was the closest to myself in terms of personality and Games strategy, so I was really gutted when her reception wasn't as warm as I hoped it would be. Granted, she was better received in her original story, The Long Way Down by TheFisher, but that story went AWOL for months even after I PM'ed the author so I submitted Lily to another SYOT. LCS wrote Lily just the way I hoped, but I failed to realize that Lily was pretty similar to Rue. They even shared a District. I was really sad when Lily died, frozen to death by an unforgiving arena. Unfortunately for Lily, being mediocre, forgettable, and invisible wasn't a good strategy for the freezing mountaintop arena of the 42nd Games.
Rest in peace, Lily White. You hoped to stay alive by being forgotten by anyone who would target you, and even though you didn't make it out alive you did kind of disappear like you intended to. At least your family will honor your last request and stay safe. I'm sorry that you got a raw deal, but the elements of nature do not discriminate between personalities as they kill. Lily, I could relate to the way you valued safety above everything else, and I wish I could tell you that you don't have to fade away to stay safe. I will never forget you, even if everyone else does.