Alright! Chapter two time! What shall happen next? Read and find out!
Cast list for this chapter (in order of appearance):
Katniss Everdeen: Lovino Vargas/South Italy
Gale Hawthorne: Bella Dubois/Belgium
Primrose Everdeen: Feliciano Vargas/North Italy
Effie Trinket: Felix Ćukasiewicz/Poland
Peeta Mellark: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo/Spain
Madge: Yao Wang/China
"Feliciano Vargas!"
That name echoed in Lovino's ears. Oh God, any other name but that one. He had made a promise to Feliciano, and if there was one thing that Lovino did, it was break a promise. He couldn't let his little brother, the person who healed everyone in town with a smile, get picked. He wouldn't last five minutes in that arena with the bloodthirsty tributes.
Everyone else was creating a circle around them, ostracizing them so that Felix and the gamemakers would know exactly who was chosen. No one moved, no one even dared to breathe. The gamemakers started moving forward, realizing that they weren't going to be moving on their own. Lovino held onto Feliciano as they reached forward and tore Bella out of the way, almost throwing her to the ground in the process. They pushed Lovino away roughly, hauling Feliciano with them to the stage.
Lovino had to act, and he had to act quickly. He could scream and cry, but that wouldn't get them to stop taking his brother up there. Lovino stood up straight, and screamed the words that he never thought would ever leave his mouth.
"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"
Everything stopped again. Lovino felt every single person and camera turn to record him. Feliciano broke away from the peacekeepers and threw himself into Lovino's arms, tears already leaking out of his eyes. Just as quickly as before though, the peacekeepers broke them apart and led Lovino to the stage, making him shout to his brother.
"Find Nonno! Just find him okay?" Lovino yelled. Feliciano was about to protest, but then Bella came forward and led him away. Two peacekeepers held on tightly to Lovino's arms, making sure that he didn't try to run away. Not like he would, he was a volunteer, but he wouldn't be the first to try.
As he stepped onto stage Felix took his hands, and it took everything in his power not to flinch away from his touch.
"Like that was totally heartwarming. What's your name?" Felix asked, showing the mic right under Lovino's nose. He cringed and leaned his head away.
"Lovino Vargas," he muttered. The mic picked it up clearly though, projecting his voice to the entire crowd.
"Was he like your brother or something?" Felix asked, a hint of concern and compassion on his face for once. Lovino nodded briskly, not trusting his voice to speak anymore. From this moment on he was going to be judged, and he couldn't show weakness like caring or tears ever again.
"Yes," Lovino snapped out. Felix pursed his lips, probably mad that Lovino spoke to him like that.
"Well how about a round of applause for the first volunteer of District 12," he announced, clapping quickly. The people below him didn't though. They stared at their newest tribute, and instead put their first three fingers to their lips, and then held them in the air. Felix looked confused, but Lovino had never felt like crying more than ever.
"Huh, well how about that. Now let's pick our second tribute!" Felix said, as if he was happy that he was choosing the next person who would face their deaths. His hand reached into the bowl, and plucked a card from the top of the pile.
"Is there an Antonio Fernandez Carriedo here?" Such a stupid question. Of course there would be. There always was, yet the second name that Felix would pull he would always ask if they were there.
Lovino almost felt like running away when the second name was called, and fear gripped his heart. Not because it suddenly got a lot more real, but because he knew that name. He knew the person who was going to be in the arena with, who would be another person that would be hounding for his blood. Icy fear gripped Lovino's heart because he remembered that name, and he knew the person behind that name.
Antonio didn't try to hide his shock and fear like Lovino did. He walked on stage with his hands shaking, his normal cheery expression replaced with one of disbelief, as if he truly believed that the next morning he would wake up and this would all be a dream. Felix stepped towards the mic before any new surprises could happen.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, your 74th annual Hunger Games tributes! May the odds like be ever in your favor," Felix chirped.
Antonio and Lovino were rushed off stage, someone each holding onto their arms so that they wouldn't try to escape. Lovino kept his gaze forward, not looking down even for a moment. He could just see Antonio out of the corner of his eye. Antonio walked with his eyes on the floor, not bothering to raise his gaze up. He looked about ready to cry. Lovino was then pushed into one room, and Antonio in another room across the hall. It was a nice room, one furnished by someone who didn't have a budget limit obviously. Lovino didn't want to be in this room though, he wanted to be out with his family, happy that they didn't get chosen for another year. That wasn't going to happen.
The door opened quickly, and someone that Lovino hadn't seen in years walked through. A rough voice said that they only had five minutes to talk before they were left alone. Yao Wang, a boy that Lovino had gone to school came forward, holding something out to Lovino. He stared at it, not wanting whatever gift was offered to him. He had never been close to Yao, but his father had a taste for the berries that sprouted in the forest, so they had been acquaintances at least. Yao put his hand out again, obviously not giving Lovino an option about his gift.
"You get to wear a token from your district. Please wear this," Yao muttered. The word please made Lovino look up. Yao had been almost as prideful as he was, they never talked to each other like that.
Lovino finally looked down. It was made of gold, a small wolf center, surrounded by olive branches. The gold from that small little pin could have fed his family for a couple of months at least. At least the animal inside it was something tough instead of girly like a bunny or bird.
"I can't take your pin Yao," Lovino said. It was the first time that he had ever said Yao's name. It felt foreign on his tongue.
"You don't have to take it," Yao declared. He bent down, and pinned the small gold pin to Lovino's shirt before he could even say a word. Yao was out the door before Lovino could say another word. He looked down at his wolf pin, which was crooked in Yao's haste. Lovino straightened it, muttering to himself.
The door opened again. The same gruff voice said they had five minutes before the door closed again. Lovino looked up and saw Bella standing there, tears in her eyes. She ran forward and hugged Lovino. He hugged her tightly back, trying to remember everything about this moment, from the way that she smelled to how warm she was.
"Listen to me Lovi, you have to get to a bow, and you have to stay alive, and you have to-" Already she was rambling.
"Just make sure Feli and Nonno get enough food alright? I can't be there so you have to," Lovino said firmly, cutting her off. She nodded against him, tears falling from her eyes and staining her shirt.
"Just stay alive okay?" she whispered. Lovino didn't answer her.
Bella was gone in a flash as well. Lovino sat down heavily in the chair, already feeling emotionally drained even though his family hadn't even visited him yet. The door opened and closed again, this time his brother was there along with Grandpa Rome. Feliciano ran forward, throwing himself at Lovino just like Bella had not to long ago.
"I don't want you to go!" Feliciano cried, holding tight onto his brother. Lovino gently pulled him away, holding Feliciano at arms length.
"You'll be fine, and Bella will make sure that you get enough to eat okay?" Lovino asked. Feliciano nodded, but he kept crying, the tears spilling down his cheeks.
"Promise you'll win?" he asked with a whimper, brushing away some of the tears with the back of his hand. Lovino smiled a strained smile, it reminded him of when Feliciano was young and he would get injured. He used to brush his tears away the same way back then as well.
"I promise I'll try." It was true, to say the least. Lovino wouldn't go down without a fight.
"That's not good enough fratello!" Feliciano sobbed even louder, clinging to Lovino.
Grandpa Rome looked at his two grandsons, a sad look on his face. He wouldn't cry though, that would be saved for later, when Feliciano was asleep and everything in District 12 was quiet. Lovino looked at his Grandfather, the hard resentment in his eyes falling for a second and showing the scared boy that he was.
"You can't clock out like last time when they died. Feliciano is counting on you, you have to keep him alive," Lovino said firmly. Grandpa Rome nodded, showing he understood. He would make sure that Feliciano lived, even if it meant that he didn't.
"Good," Lovino muttered.
All to soon, his family was gone, and he was taken from the room he had been placed in. Antonio was already waiting for him, tears staining his face, and more obviously on the way. Lovino clenched his jaw, pushing back his own tears. They were going out in front of the people again, he couldn't show weakness like that. Gosh how he wished that he could though. Antonio and him walked side by side towards the one train that came to District 12 before pilling onto the car that was for them. There were no people to wave them goodbye or wish them luck, just a deserted town that looked as if no one had ever lived there before.
Lovino took one last look at the place he called home before he stepped onto the train and towards the new life he was going to have to take on. Hunger Games, here he comes.
