To Capitol
I froze in shock as that one name echoed through my head. I distantly acknowledge the fact that everyone has turned to look at her as she makes her way up the wide center row. I myself turn to look, and that is what causes me to loose my grip on logic for the moment. The sight of her walking up the center row alone, nervous and frightened as the Peacekeepers walk towards her is simply too much to bear. The next thing my befuddled mind can comprehend is forcing myself through the crowd desperately, crying out her name in a strangled voice like a mimicry of a birds call.
"Adei! Adei!" I cried out, and then I was being pushed away from my sister- the one person I care about most in the world- as she wa being lead to, basically, her death. I had to save her, I knew that I has to, so I did the only thing I could.
"I VOLUNTEER!" I screeched out, and for a minute, everything froze as I realized what I had just done. Then, in a slightly calmer and less fear-laced voice I repeated that damning phrase.
"I volunteer as tribute."
"A-A volunteer?" Louisiana squeaked and stuttered out, flustered by the going-ons of this Reaping.
"It is usually protocoll to wait until the reaped has taken the stage, but…. Come on up." Lloyd- No, Louisiana- Garmadon said. I hesitantly walked forward, not sure of myself anymore. The wave of emotion that had hit me was gone, and now I was empty. Louisiana stood on the side of the stage coxing me forward, and I mentally gave a sigh of relief for a familiar face, no matter how hostile. Too much had changed. So much was different.
I mount the steps hesitantly, knowing each one brought me closer to my doom- and death. I could run, but they would shoot me and then make Adei-
"-Your name?" Louisiana says, and i'm suddenly made aware that I am in fact standing next to the woman- man- that I once swore to destroy. I realize what she's asking, and respond.
"Skales Slitheres." I try to say it as evenly as possible, but my voice still shakes. A wave of recognition runs through the crowd. One of the generals, they all think, one of the people who put us in this situation. Instead of looking out at the crowd, I look at Louisiana. She at least is a somewhat familiar face to me. Anything helps in this type of situation, really. That's how desperate I felt. It was almost sickening, really. I was supposed to be stronger than this, people expected me to be, but people change, and its been so long since I've had to lead…
"Skales?" Louisisana asked me, and I snapped back into focus. She looked at me anxiously, in a concerned way, like I was weak. And that is what snapped my Commander persona back in place, I believe. I was never meant to be a weak person, and never wished to be portrayed as such.
"Yes, Lloyd?" I quietly snapped back, and she at least had the gall to look affronted. At least she had some self and dignity about her.
"Was that your sister?" She bluntly asked. I almost smirked- the game was being played once more, and I almost cared who was going to play it with me- almost.
"Yes, it was." I curtly replied. Louisiana's head bobbed as she tried to make sense of this new persona I has apparently adopted.
"Very heroic of you. May I now present your female tribute- Skales Slitheres." As I watched, the crowd stood straighter, held their heads higher, and slowly raised three fingers to their lips, then held the high for the whole country to see. A sign of respect for the fallen, for those who are now inevitably damned. For those brave enough to look the tyranny in the eye. I let out a small gasp, knowing that this gesture was rare enough to see, let alone be on the receiving end.
"Well then, lets move on to the boys, shall we?" Louisiana said, almost nervously, unsure of the situation at hand. She had no real control here, and she knew it. Her small hand dove into the glass jar of slips, yanking one out immediately- she didn't want to risk the anticipation. She walked over to the microphone, holding the slip in front of her.
"And the male tribute is-" She opened the slip and gasped, eyes widening, "Pythor Parkenson…"
The crowd simultaneously turned to the very back, where a tall boy, almost 17 by the looks, stood. My eyes widened- he had been in the same district as me the whole time. His eyes locked on mine, and I couldn't look away. That's how I knew I was still hopelessly trapped in his web, and he knew how enraptured I still was. He never looked away from me, even as he walked up to the stage to stand by Louisiana.
"Your male tribute- Pythor Parkenson." Louisiana shakily said, presenting Pythor. I finally tore my gaze away from him, looking out at the crowd. That's when everything melded together, blurred into a cloud of unfeeling and suppressed anxiety. Then I was on the train, stuck with Pythor- all the the while Louisiana and the mentor would be breathing down my neck. I knew I was in for hell.
Well, after a long wait, I present a ridiculously short Chapter Two. Not that this is a very side side fic. Wont be updated as often, as you can tell, since it's been a year...(Way to go, Ally...)
