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An Unfair Life

Date: June 05, 3349

Location: District 5

Hunger Games year: 259

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.
-Abraham Lincoln

~.*~.*

Draco Rylan

~.*~.*

"Boys come in for dinner!" Mama called. My brothers and I raced to the house, tossing our muddy jackets and boots to Gemini, my twin sister. We were the oldest at fifteen. Gem usually didn't complain about chores, not even when they involved the muddy clothes of her brothers.

Papa came into the dining room from his study where he spent most of the day to join us for dinner. He and Mama couldn't be anymore opposite. Mama had long, beautiful red hair that she had to dye at that point in her life to hide the grays and had green eyes and freckles to match. Papa had bronze hair when he was younger, but being a man in his mid-thirties with considerable stress in his life, it was graying. Unlike Mama, Papa was proud of his grays. He always told my brothers and I that it suggested wisdom. I always thought it looked lame, but that just my opinion and a child's opinion doesn't matter. That is another lesson Papa was sure to teach us.

Papa cleared his throat, realizing that everybody was not yet at the table. "A-hem!"

"Oh!" Gemini squeaked, utterly surprised. Papa rarely allows her, Zaniah or Sagitta to sit at the table with the family. Gemini takes her seat next to me.

"Not you!" Papa hissed. "Go!"

"Yes Papa." She said in her scared, squeaky voice. Really, she sounded like a cartoon mouse.

"Caelum!" He called the name of the youngest member of our family, four year old Caelum, to the table.

"I comin'!" He shouted, hurrying to the table. He took his seat next to five year old Leo.

Papa nodded to him in approval. He was never really cross with us boys, only my sisters. We began to eat our dinner in silence like every day. Except the girls of course. They had to wait for Mama, Papa and all of us boys to eat before they could eat.

The good part about that was that we had a large family and they could easily find plenty of leftovers.

I suppose everybody is kind of lost until I break the family down. About us children-

I was the oldest, born a mere twenty seconds before my twin sister. My full name was Draco Elias Rylan. My first name came from a constellation but my middle name is just something my father decided on when I was born. My twin sister and I were both delivered by Mama, but neither parents are our biological parents. As was the norm in District 5, our parents selected two suitable DNA donors to create my sister and I. That is why I was freakishly tall while Mama was of average height and Papa was rather short. I had red hair like Mama and the woman who helped contribute to my existence, but I was different because I had hazel eyes instead of Mama's green.

Twenty seconds later, Gemini Vega Rylan was born. Gemini and Vega are both celestial names. Some of the younger boys called her 'Gem,' but Papa insisted I simply call her Gemini. Gemini was a rather odd girl in appearance. Mama and Papa never told us who our donors are but they did tell us their appearances. Gemini's white blonde hair, paler than a sheet skin and very light blue eyes didn't match either of the donors. Gemini was of decent height. She would have been beautiful if she took care of her looks instead of being worked like a slave. I suppose it was never really her fault- Papa made all of his daughters work like that- but there is always time for beauty.

The year after Gemini and were born, Mama and Papa went to the DNA facility again to implant Mama with contributions from two other donors. The is why the next child, Scorpius Alfirk Rylan, had dark skin, brown eyes and black hair. Despite fourteen year old Scorpius's different appearance, he was almost as treasured by Papa as I.

Mama and Papa went back again a year later to try the DNA facility again. It was always Papa's request- no- his requirement that Mama go so often. She really never had a choice. Papa wasn't very happy with the result from the third set of donors. The child was a girl, my sister, Zaniah "Zannie" Bellatrix Rylan. Despite Zannie's innocent nickname, she was always a wicked child. She never did her chores and always snuk out with firends that she wasn't supposed to have in the first place. None of the girls were supposed to have friends. Zannie was thirteen at the time and was absolutely hellbent on being in the Hunger Games this year. Mama tried to tlak her out of it, but Papa said she can go and die is that is what she wishes. Zannie's looks matched her personality- stringy, oily black hair with green, envious eyes. Yuck.

Because of the "failed" attempt with the facility, Papa insisted he and Mama try the "natural" way. It took two years, but Papa got his wish for another boy along with another girl and a spare boy. Yes, triplets. Mama insisted on picking the names, so she went with Orion (the hunter), Sagitta (the arrow) and Sagittarius (the archer). She did not give them middle names, so tiher first names were simply followed by, "Rylan." Papa treated Sagitta better than his other daughters, probably because she was in a set of triplets. I suppose twins just were not special enough and it took the- at this time I am telling you about- eleven year old triplets for him to treat a daughter well. I envied all three triplets red hair that was the perfect shade of red that was paired with stunning green eyes.

One would think Papa would be satisfied, but he wanted more' winning sons' as in sons who could win the Hunger Games. He made Mama try the facility eleven times in three years before they were successful again. That is when eight year old Taurus Volans Rylan came in. Taurus had bronze hair and brown eyes. Papa said they used the same donors as used for Gemini and I, so I always felt a close connection to Taurus.

The second-to-last child was Leo Haedus. He was five and had never really spoken a word. We recently discovered that he had severe Autism, and is capable of speaking but for reason just...doesn't.

Lastly, there was Caelum Rigel Rylan. He was four and was...dare I say it...adorable. He was a the baby of the family and almost as favored as Scorpius and I were.

I wish I could say the same for my twin sister.

"Gemini!" Papa called after we had all finished eating.

"Yes Papa?" Gemini squeaked like her cartoon-mouse self.

"Clean up after dinner, then you and your sisters may eat. Except you, Sagitta. I had your mother prepare something special."

"Um, Papa?" Gemini whispered, rather than squeaked.

"What is it?"

"Aren't you forgetting that today is my birthday?"

He lit a cigarette, took a drag and blew the smoke in her face. "No Gemini, I did not. I just don't care. If you'll recall, we celebrated Draco's birth this afternoon."

"But I was born mere seconds after him!" Gemini began to tear up.

Papa smacked her across the face. "Go upstairs! You will not eat tonight!"

"Yes Papa." She returned to her frightened mouse squeak.

"Corvus, don't you think that was a bit...much?" Mama asks, kissing his cheek.

Papa shoves her away. "Of course not, Andromeda. That child just needs to learn respect!" He spat.

And that was that.