"Talia Edson." I stare up at the platform for several seconds before numbly moving towards it, wondering why fate chose to place this particular cruelty on me. I mounted the steps and turned to face district seven. No one here would miss me, with the exception of perhaps my brother; my absence would mean nothing more than an empty desk in a classroom.
"Cameron…" The first name hardly manages to escape her lips before she's interrupted.
"I volunteer as tribute." Miles says coolly, striding to the platform. Our escort looks mildly annoyed as she mumbles something about waiting for her to finish the name.
"What is your name young man?" Her capital accent alone infuriates me; I chose to overlook the clear excitement in her eyes.
"Miles Harlan." We turn and shake hands; and as much as I would love to say I don't know this fool, I do. In fact, it's because of me I think that he volunteered. Miles Harlan is my one, and regrettably only friend.
And I have to kill him. We lock eyes and I wonder if he can see how angry I am. Probably, he always had before. But this was different; the boy standing next to me wasn't who I'd seen this morning. Grinning like a fool as we walked to the square stepping on my shoes and pulling at my hair. Maybe he was happy, if not very close. Now the stranger next to me stood stalk still, facing district seven with a brave face, but I'd known him too well for too long to be fooled by his façade. His eyes were frightened, and his hand shook when I took it. Why would he volunteer if he was so afraid? Well, really the answer is quite simple. He wants me to live, and he doesn't think I can do it on my own. I'm not insulted, I know I'll die. But if he thinks I'll let him get killed saving me he's going to be disappointed.
I'm shaking and so unfocused I hardly notice that I'm standing in the justice building; Anthony had stepped in behind me after several minutes of my solitude.
"Hey kid." I hardly hear the words fall out of his lips as they die away just as they reach my ears. He'd not been one to talk since the death of our parents two winters ago. I move towards him, this seems so unreal, I wonder dimly when I will wake up from this nightmare.
When I am just in arms reach of him my knees buckle, and I fall onto the floor, having lost any will to stand at the sight of my brother. He kneels next to me, "I love you." He says somewhat hesitantly.
"I love you too." He holds me close while I cry the older brother who had always been there to protect me before could do nothing but watch me die now. The peacekeeper removes him, then soon comes back and removes me. Escorting Milles and I to the train, we smile half-heartedly at the cameras but as soon as the steak metal doors of the train close my smile falls to an unsatisfied frown. Linli, our escort to the capital, guides us to the main room; as soon as we stop I find myself resisting the urge to slap Milles in the face, with nothing now to distract me from my frustration with him. I grab his arm and yank him around to face me, fully intending to yell at him but ending up whispering.
"Why would you do that?" I will back tears as I look into his eyes and see something I'd seen in my brothers, a look that could only mean an impending goodbye.
"Remember?" He asks softly, placing a hand on the small of my back and gently ushering me along to an overly plush chair, as I was shaking a frightful amount. I nod as he moves to sit on the arm of the chair, earning a discouraging look from Linli, he sits anyway. "I promised I would volunteer."
A lonely tear crawls down my cheek before he brushes it away for me. "I never wanted you too." He smiles, something that may have convinced me had I not known him as long as I had.
"I would've anyway." I shake my head slowly, closing my eyes. Willing myself to wake up, though I knew full well this was not a nightmare. Linli watches us carefully from the other side of the room looking somewhat confused. Shane Sulry must have entered while my eyes were closed; he stood near Linli inspecting his hands. Miles watches him, somewhat untrustingly. Shane won three years ago; he would be nineteen now I think. He runs his hand through his short blonde hair in a nerves fashion, Miles adjusts himself to sit in a more protective position. I suppose his protecting me would start sooner then I'd originally anticipated.
...