Chapter 4: To Watch From The Sidelines

Colten Henley, District 6 Reaping Day

Colt didn't want to go to the reapings, but he had to; he was being forced to be the mentor for the boy tribute. He had fought with them about that, but they said that he had to be the mentor. He wanted to stay home with his only sister. He remembered a time when the house was filled to the brim with people; his loving parents, his two older sisters Nat and Shyla, and his three younger sisters, Delaney and the twins Tisha and Tori. But now only two of them were left. Two Henleys. The world was a cruel place.

"Let's go," he called to his sister, his throat closed up when she walked into the room. He wrapped her up in a hug. Last year it had been Nat ushering them out the door. Now it was up to him. He had never been one to dwell on the past, but now, that was all he could do.

"Get off me Colt," she said as she pulled away. His sweet sister was becoming her own person, one who was unemotional and unattached. He had been the one in the Games, yet they had visibly changed her as well.

"I can't help it, I have to hug you just to make sure you're still here, still alive."

Her eyes filled up with tears, she knew exactly what he was going through, well almost exactly, she hadn't had the experience of going into the arena like he had, but she had watched him while he was in the games. She had seen everything. Most of the things she wished that she could forget. Nightmares filled her head at night, but she knew it was even worse for her brother.

"Let's just get this over with," she said as she squared her shoulders.

"You sound so much like Nat," Colt said, both of their eyes filled with tears as he said the tabooed word. It had just slipped out, even though they had a silent agreement to never mention her name again. It was just too painful.

He knew that he was a reminder that he was alive, that he was the reason Nat was dead. He was the reason that Casey was dead too. He would no longer see her face again in person again. He shook his head to clear his mind from the painful images.

The two Henley siblings walked down the path to the square where the reapings were held every year.

For once Colt didn't have to go to the area meant for the fifteen year old boys. He felt the urge to go over there though, all of his friends were there. It felt strange not to be with them. He felt cut off from them, as if he was a disease that was in isolation.

His sister separated from him, going to her specific area. He prayed that she would be safe this year. After all, what were the odds that three Henley children would be chosen to go to their deaths within two years.

Colt went to the stage where their escort Lydia was waiting. Giga, the girl mentor was already there in her seat. Colt sat down next to her. He looked out into the sea of faces, wondering which two would be the unlucky ones this year, which two would he have to mentor and watch as they died.

He was only fifteen, he was too young to be a mentor, the chances were that a seventeen or eighteen year old would be chosen because their names were in the ball so many times. Why would an eighteen year old listen to a fifteen year old? It wasn't fair.

The treaty of treason was read like it was every year, and just like every year, Colt tuned it out. It wasn't important enough to listen to, just a bunch of junk that no one believed in.

Then before he knew it, Lydia had her hand posed above the ball, she reached it and her fingers delicately plucked out a little slip of paper that held one girl's fate. He felt the strangest sense of déjà vu.

Please don't say her name, he pleaded, he had never believed in a higher power, but if there was one, now was the time for it to show up. It didn't, he hadn't expected it to.

"Delaney Henley," her voice rang loud and clear. Colt should have stayed home today. The President was definitely out to get him, because he had that feeling that they had rigged the reapings. They wanted her to get chosen. And they were going to orchestrate her death. Colt was going to be the last Henley. That was a horrible feeling. He was going to lose his last remaining sister, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He felt helpless. Nat was not going to be happy with him. She had given him two jobs, keep Delaney alive, keep Shyla alive. He had failed with both tasks.

He was almost glad that she wasn't alive to see this, because this would kill her.

He was so busy calculating Delaney's odds (which weren't good) that he almost missed the boy tribute. Erli Jonesi. A redheaded boy emerged from the thirteen section. Colt didn't know Erli personally, but everyone knew the Jonesi's. They were the only family in the District with that telltale red hair. Erli had eleven other siblings. Colt wondered if any of his brothers would volunteer.

The floor was opened for female volunteers, Colt held his breath, hoping for a miracle, but no such luck. No one wanted to take Delaney's place. None of the Jonesi brothers volunteered to take Erli's place, they probably didn't like him that much. Not enough to play the games at least.

If Colt could, then he would have taken Delaney's spot in a heartbeat. But it was against the rules. He had already won, he was safe. Nat would if she was there, but she was gone. No matter how many times he said that, he still couldn't believe it.

He didn't go to the Justice Building to say goodbye to her because he would be going with her. He wondered who had gone to say goodbye to her. She was too young to have any beaus, (thank goodness), because Colt didn't feel like chasing any away. Personally, he didn't think that Delaney should be able to date until she was at least thirty two. Well, now he would get his way. Unless she pulled a Colt and found the love of her life in the arena just to watch him die. Colt hoped that wouldn't happen, it had been a very painful thing. He wouldn't wish that on anyone. Not even his enemy, and all of his enemies were dead, so it was a mute point.

The recaps of the other reapings were playing when they settled onto the train. Colt had the strongest urge to turn it off, but he couldn't. Like a moth to the flame, he was entranced. Who was his sister up against?

He knew who he was up against, the Capitol. They had already forced him to do things that he never would have done in a million years. At first he had said no when they asked him to be an escort for the young ladies in the Capitol. That had been a costly mistake. Shyla had been murdered the very next day. Though it seemed to be an accident, Colt knew that it was a message from the President. He accepted the offer before further harm could come to Delaney. He had learned the hard way that one should never ever say no to the Capitol.

Colten was now the most sought after boy in Panem, and he was only fifteen. He was now stuck with Tilly Vaneguard. She was different then Casey in all the wrong ways. Where Casey had been fun and sarcastic, Tilly was downright crazy, she was random and off the wall and very creative.

Sometimes Colt wondered if there was something wrong with Tilly's brain.

She had assured him that there wasn't, that she was just creative, and not to worry because her mother had taken her to see many specialists. So it made him feel a tad better that he wasn't the only one who thought that Tilly was wasn't right in the head.

Delaney curled up on the seat next to him and fell asleep. Colt watched her breathe in and out, counting, making sure she was still alive. That's all he could do now, watch his sister and hope for the best.

The girl tribute of eleven caught his eye. There was something so familiar about her. The familiar pain settled in the pit of his stomach again. She looked so much like Casey that he knew right away, it was her younger sister. He was going to have to watch both his sister and Casey's sister die in the arena.

The President really was out to get him.

To watch from the sidelines, he had to be brave and believe in the impossible.

Yeah fucking right.

Trivia Question: Who said, "Yes you can, it's easy."

The answer to the previous trivia "well it worked last time" was Skylar, she said it in chapter 25.

So review, answer the trivia question, join my forum, answer my poll.

~*Misty*~