Merry Christmas! Here's a new chapter which I've spend the whole day working on so I could get it out on Christmas Eve. For the review
Rose - I'm glad you enjoyed and I hope you like this chapter.
Pearl's POV
Waves catch the sand as they run up and down the beach. It's so peaceful even though it's the day we train people for. Sophia sits next to me, we're waiting for the others to turn up. The reaping is in about an hour but every year just before the reaping we chosen who's going to try and volunteer this year. Sophia and I are both wearing sleeveless dresses, light blue in colour. The heat of the sun reflects off my blonde hair and warms my slightly tanned skin. My fingers draw patterns in the sand, putting grains under my fingernails. I look up when I hear Muir and Kora's voices shouting loudly from down the beach. Even though both Muir and Kora train they find the games more something to laugh about than something to be in themselves. Of course if either of them were to go in they would most likely win. This year though Kora had to make the rules for volunteering that we make every year. I don't know why we still do this, it was fun when we were fourteen but now it's serious. When Kora and Muir come into view I'm surprised to see Daz with them, he's usually the one to make the most noise out of all of them but he's silent as if waiting for his turn. Kora's long dark hair is soaked but her dress is dry apart from the parts that her hand has touched. making me think that she's been swimming this morning. Both Daz and Muir are wearing tee shirts and blue pants. Muir is trying to grab a piece of paper from Kora's hand who is laughing while dodging his hand. Daz is smiling next to the two of them, even on reaping day they don't stop messing around. When Kora sees Sophia and I are here she runs over and greets us. Sitting down next to us she's still laugh. It's time for her rules, she loves to make something interesting out of this. Muir and Daz join the circle quickly not wanting to waste the time before the reaping. Seeing that everyone one is ready Kora begins to speak. "So who wants to have a go this year?" She asks, I should have know that Kora would this. She wouldn't go random or competitive, she let's us chose. There's silence for a few seconds before Muir puts his hands up slowly as if unsure of what he's about to say.
"I'll do it," he says, I can tell he doesn't care about it, maybe he just to have the thrill of trying to get to the front. Kora turns to Sophia and I, one of us has to do it, so sighing I put my hand up.
"Fine I'll do it," Kora smiles, it's not that she doesn't like me, it's that she likes to be early for things, which means she wants to be early for the reaping. She smiles as she opens the note that reads the terms of volunteering that we make based on sentences we came up with when we were eleven. She looks at it, she most likely has the words memorized but just wants to check before she reads it out loud.
"The rules of volunteering for the girl is if another girl's name is called she has to try to get to the front before any other volunteers. The rules for the boy is if the girl volunteer gets to the front first or if another boy's name from the group is called he must try to get to the front first." Kora's idea suddenly hits me hard, if I go in so does Muir, apart from if someone volunteers first, Kora's ideas are smart but evil at the same time.
"What?" I hear Mir say shocked, he wasn't expecting something like this. " You mean I have more of a chance then Pearl of going in, how's that fair?" Daz starts laughing, this is how Muir reacts. Of course it is, he never finds the serious issue in anything. Sophia and Kora are laughing too but they're about to head off. As they get up Kora says.
"Of course, she needs some defence if she goes in, right." Muir's laughing too now, so much so he doesn't notice Kora until she taps him on the head and shouts "You're it." Sophia and Kora are off like a bullet, running at full speed down the beach. Muir jumps up and begins chasing them down the beach. I'd chase along with him but in less than an hour we could be going in the games together, where only one of us can come out.
Muir's POV
I jump up quickly and begin chasing down the two girls, and people say boys never grow up. I can hear their laughs from where I am and it just reminds me of how alike they are. If anyone was just looking at them they might say they're twins. Same long brown hair, slightly tanned skin, and freckled covered faces. The only real difference is their eyes, Sophia's are a dark brown while Kora's are hazel with visible hints of the common District Four green. Now I see Sophia taking a breather on the sand. Slowly, I make my way towards her. Suddenly I'm being pulled backwards and pushed onto the sand. I find Kora laughing from above me, I'm still smiling though because I know that Kora and Sophia being childish is better than being forced to grow up quicker than they should. If Kora had spend more time listening to what the trainers said to her she probably would have become a heartless fighter that you see in the games, the ones that don't give seconds though about what they do in the games. People like the girl from seven last year. That girl killed two of the youngest tributes last year. The fourteen year old from two and the thirteen year old from twelve. She fell to the boy from eleven and after what she did to his District partner it's not hard to understand why. A voices pulls me out of my thoughts, "Hey Muir, want to head to the reaping with us." I hear Sophia saying. Both her and Kora are looking at me. I stand up and brush the sand off me before answering her.
"Sure, there's no point of putting it off." We head to the town square where a small line of chatting trainees are waiting to be checked in. It's not long till we're at the front of the line and the Capitolite woman is asking for Kora's hand. As the scanner takes her blood she lets out a small laugh. Sha always lets out pain in this way, maybe so she doesn't show the trainers weakness. When Sophia goes through and she and Kora head for the seventeen year old girl section. Soon I'm through and heading to the section for seventeen year old boys. It's about ten minutes before the Justice Building's doors open. Our mayor is the first to exit , he's ew because our old mayor passed away just before last year's Victory Tour. Next to come on are this year's mentors, Finnick Odair and Shannon Nager. Finnick won the sixty-fifth Hunger Games and Shannon the sixty-eighth. Our escort, Jackson Su, is the final person t exit the Justice Building. Jackson's black hair has this year been coloured with green and blue dye. A lot of makeup covered the area around his eyes, including large flase eyelashes. His classic suit is blue as ever. A black earring sits in his left ear. The mayor comes forward first, to read the Treaty of Treason and the list of Victors. Not much of it sticks in my head, nothing really apart from the name Maria Kincaid, Victor of the sixty-seventh Hunger Games and Kora's mother. The only reason that Kora really trained was to impress her mother and she did. Never really taking it seriously. Victors children are never really safe, the Capitol loves it when they go in. Jackson soon walks up to the microphone to begin choosing the tributes.
"Happy Hunger Games," Jackson says, "and may the odds be ever in your favour." His voice echoes around the square, adding to the tension in the area. "Welcome to the reaping for the Eighty-First Annual Hunger Games. Ladies first." As he walks over to the glass bowl that contains the girls names the taps of his feets hitting the stage can be heard clearly, as can the rustling of paper as his hand moves about the bowl. I can hear my heart beating as the mane is called. "Kora Kincaid," he reads. Gasps of shock run through the crowd. Even Finnick and Shannon are wearing faces of worry. A path is now created across the section of the over side of the square, with Kora in the centre of it, walking out of it. She's laughing because she doesn't want to cry. Not for herself, she's not going into the games. She's scared and worried for Pearl and myself. In District Four barely anyone volunteers for children over the age of fourteen. She's about half way to the front when Pearl's voice shouts,
"I volunteer." Just about everybody turns to look at her. As she comes out of the section and walks towards the stage. Before passing Kora she gives her a hug then goes onwards towards the stage. When she gets onto the stage she says, "My name is Pearl Taylor and I will win this year's Hunger Games." Claps and cheers spend throughout the crowd. Jackson soon regains the crowd and goes to the boy's bowl. I know what I have to do, no matter what name comes out. As he pulls out the name I don't pay attention I just shout,
"I volunteer."
Pearl's POV
Muir comes forward from his section, quickly getting to the stage. When he does he says, "My name is Muir Ghribi and I am honored to be in this year's Hunger Games." I can't tell whether the confidence in his voice is real or fake but whichever one it is it will be gaining him Capitol support. More claps and cheers come from the crowd. Jackson speaks up again, but not before letting the crowd settle.
"Now, shake hands," he says. I put forward my hand and gasp his as we shake hand. Our future is sealed and it is the games. We're taken into the Justice Building where we're both put in different rooms. The blue furniture reminds me of the ocean this morning, of us laughing about the reaping. I'm never going to see District Four again, anyone half as trained as Muir could kill me without a seconds though. Sophia and daz rush into the room, Sophia full of tears and Daz trying to comfort her.
"Where's Kora?" I ask, hearing a croak in my voice. Daz can't look me in the eyes as he says it.
" A new rule was made a few years ago that means if you volunteer for someone they can't say goodbye to you." The news hits me as I realise that I'll never see Kora again, the hug I gave her on the way up to the stage is the last memory I'll ever have with her. Sophia speaks up next,
"She didn't want this to happen, she just wanted to have fun." I understand what she's saying, but my best guess is that the reaping isn't random. Though Kora had a good as a chance as the rest of us of being picked in terms of slips. In terms of Capitol entertainment her chances are a lot higher, being the daughter of a Victor.
"I know," I manage to croaks out, "She'd never want something like this." I feel a tear roll down my cheek, which I quickly brush away, if tears are visible by the cameras I'll be marked as weak, and that's something I can't let happen. Sophia opens her hand to show me a small white pearl. I take it, it's warm because she's been holding it tightly. It's going to be my token for the games, a pearl like me. A peacekeeper comes in and drags Sophia and Daz out of the room. My parents are away on business, apart from Victors they are some of the only people who can travel out of the District. I'm going into the games, and even with Muir going in with me I've never felt more alone.
Muir's POV
I'm pushed into a room where I'll say my goodbyes. My parents enter first, telling my to watch out and wishing me luck for the weeks ahead. I don't listen to them really, I never really do. It's all to soon before they're forced out the room and silence is my only visiter. I'm surprised when Kora walks in alone. Her face, for the first time since I can remember, is covered in tears. She walks towards me and before I can ask why Sophia and Daz aren't here she says.
"They won't let me visit Pearl." Her voice is full of pain and I have no idea of what to do. I want to hurt them, to hurt the Capitol for hurting my friend in this way. She puts her hand onto mine and drops something into it. "Mum used it in her games, maybe it will bring you luck." I pen my hand to find a shark tooth, the one Kora's mother used as a token. "I'll sponsor you, I promise," she says. I remember that she's going to the Capitol with her mother this year. I hug her so I don't have to see the tears on her face. The the Peacekeeper comes in again, dragging her out and leaving me alone. As I wait for Daz and Sophia shouts come from u=outside.
"You have to let us in, he's our friend."
"Please I want to say goodbye."
"I'm sorry but there isn't' enough time, there's less than a minute till he leaves for the station." Suddenly I realise that I'm going to leave without saying goodbye to Sophia orDaz. My journey is beginning but what am I going to have to give up to make it successful?
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next one will be out as soon as possible.
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