Chapter 5 – Adrielle's POV

After that, two peacekeepers led us to our visiting rooms in the Justice Buildings. I waited for 5 minutes, but it seemed like an hour, for my first visitors to come in. I was my mom and Adria.

"You get 5 minutes." The peacekeeper, outside my door, said.

"Adrielle!" Adria said as she lunged at me with her arms wide open. "No! NO! You can't go! You said that you won't leave me! No! I won't let you go!" She said sobbing into my arms.

"Ad," I said soothingly. "I didn't leave you just yet. Remember our promise this morning? I'll keep that. I'll try to win for you."

"You promise?" Adria asked for the second time today.

"Yes. I promise very much. I promise." I said to her, repeating it over and over again. She hugged me tight and stayed there. I noticed my mom just sting there, crying.

"Hey, mom." I said.

"Honey! I am so sorry. I am so sorry!" She said as she hugged me.

We were in a group hug. My mom, Adria and I. For the first time I wondered why my dad wasn't here. I was being shipped off to the games and the least he could do is visit me. But I knew that he was probably at work or something. When she finally let go, I asked her a question.

"For what, mom?" I asked.

"That you go picked, of course! I never imagined that you would get picked! You only had 4 names in there! 4, Adrielle! That was a very slim chance you had. But still, you got picked! You had such a good life before all of this!" My mom said, getting angrier and angrier.

"I know that mom. It wasn't my fault that I got picked. The odds weren't in my favor this year." I said hugging Adria tight. "Like I told Adria, I'm not leaving. I'm going to try to win."

"Aright. Show them you skills. I know you can win this. I love you hon." She said, trying to encourage me.

"Yes. I know. And I've been practicing. I have more than what they think mom." I said.

The peacekeepers came in, the short 5 minutes was over. They tired hauling Adria out, but they couldn't. She was stuck to me, she wouldn't let go.

"NO! Adrielle! NO!" Adria said trying to hang on to me.

"Adria, I'll see you again soon. Remember our promise. I'll keep that. If I die, be strong. If I'm suffering, I'm trying. Remember that. I love you." I said when she was finally pulled from me and was getting hauled out. My mother was already by the door.

"I love you guys! I'll try to win!" I yelled at them as the peacekeepers shut the door.

My next visitor surprised me, didn't even think he would come. It was my dad. He had dirty-blond hair, brown eyes, and was 6 ft tall. I got my hair from him, and my height.

"Hey dad, er, Mayor Waters." I said.

"Don't call me that-" My dad said.

"What? Dad?" I asked.

"No. Mayor Waters. You don't have to call me that when nobody's around." My dad said.

"Oh. Okay. So what's up?" I asked.

"What's up? You're being shipped off to the Games! And you're asking me, 'what's up?'" My dad said getting angry.

"Sorry… But what are you doing here? I know to visit me. But, don't you have work?" I asked.

"Visiting you is more important than any other job there is." He said, whispering. "As much I want to tell everyone that right now, I can't, because I might get fired." He said chuckling. "Wouldn't want that, do you?" He said, asking me.

"No. I guess not. But okay. Are you here to give me my token too? Because mom didn't give me anything."

"Nope, I'm here just to visit you. There's someone else doing that." My dad replied.

"Oh. Who?" I asked.

"He will be your last visitor. Oh. I said it was a he. But, oh well. It's a he, alright?"

"Okay. I'll try to win for Adria." I said.

"Alright kiddo. I'll-" My dad said, getting cut off.

"Mr. Waters, your 5 minutes are up." The same peacekeeper said.

"Oh. Bye dad. See you soon. I'll try to win." I said.

"Bye kiddo, see you soon." He said walking out.

My next visitors were not at all surprising. I knew they would visit me. I didn't think they would give me my district token. So I knew there was probably one more visitor I had after them.

"Hi Mrs. Hearst, Kenn." I said giving them a small wave.

Mrs. Hearst was like my second mom. And Kenn was like my big brother. I knew them ever since Vala and I started being friends.

"Honey!" Mrs. Hearst said soothingly as she gathered me into a hug.

"Hi." I said, kind of whispering.

"Honey, I need to tell you something." She said all of a sudden, sounding alert.

"Okay."

"Val's dad…he won the games. He tricked the gamemakers, and resisted. They killed him not long after coming home. They said it was an accident, but we all knew it wasn't. The Capitol doesn't like being stood up. That's why they killed him. And now the Capitol is punishing us. That's the reason all of us had been picked, in Val's family. And that's the reason why you got picked too. They want Val to suffer. They know how close you guys are. One glass bowl had Val's name on them. The other, was filled with yours." She said.

I fell silent. All of a sudden I felt fury. I blamed Val's dad for everything. If not him, I wouldn't be in the Games. If he didn't resist or trick the gamemakers, the Capitol wouldn't have been stood up. If the Capitol didn't get stood up, we wouldn't be punished. I WOULDN'T BE PUNISHED. Now that I think about it, I was being PUNISHED for being VALA'S TWIN. HER TWIN. I DIDN'T do ANYTHING BAD in my LIFE. And I was being PUNISHED. I played this over and over in my mind.

I kept my anger at bay knowing something bad would happen if I didn't. I felt that I should kill Vala. But the sane part of my mind was saying Vala didn't do anything. And I shouldn't because she was my friend. My TWIN.

I didn't decide now. I was going to decide in the arena. If I was still sane, I probably wouldn't. If I wasn't, then sorry, Val. I knew that I had to keep her close and watch out. She was probably deciding if she should kill me. I knew Vala probably wouldn't. Probably. I also knew that she was hoping some else would kill me.

I tried to calm down, and succeeded only a little. "Thanks for telling me Mrs. Hearst." I said, exhaling sharply.

"Your-" she tried to say.

"But it probably wasn't for the best." I added, cutting her off. My anger was still bubbling inside me.

They looked at me weirdly after I said that.

"Your five minutes are done." The peacekeeper said.

"Bye, Mrs. Hearst, Kenn. See you guys after the games." I said cheerfully.

"Here is your last visitor Ms. Waters." The peacekeeper said.

My last visitor came in. This meant that I was finally getting my token. He had dark hair and blue eyes.

"Rye?" I asked, very surprised.

"Hey." He said, giving me a smile.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"To give you your district token remember?" He asked fishing something out of his pocket.

"Oh. Yeah." I said, totally forgot about that.

"Here," he said giving me a blue box.

I opened it, inside was a locket. I was shaped a like a sphere. And inside the locket, when you open it, was a tiny orb. It was a pearl. The pearl was white and glistened in the sun.

"I love it!" I said, hugging him. "How did you get it?" I asked.

"Adria and I bought the locket. The pearl, I found it." He said replying.

"Thanks." I said.

"Hey, no problem. Adria was going to give you the locket. With nothing I it. I asked if it was okay with her if I gave you the pearl. I showed it to her. And she loved the idea, so we went with it." He replied.

"Thanks, again."

"Yeah. Hey, can I ask for a favor? It's nothing big." He asked.

"Okay. What is it?"

"Can you try to win?" He asked, surprising me.

"Yeah. Of course! I promised Adria that, and I'm going to keep it." I replies.

"Yeah. Okay…for Adria." He replied.

"Your 5 minutes are up." The peackeeper outside the door said.

"Bye, Adrielle. Try to win okay?"He said.

"Yeah. I will. Thanks for the necklace, again! I really love it. Bye, Rye." I said as he was walking towards the door.

"See ya." Was the last thing he said before going out the door.

"If I win…" I mumbled.

I looked at the locket and pearl one more time. I really did love it. I was really pretty. The pearl reminded me of the ocean and Rye. The locket reminded me of Adria and home. When I put the pearl in the sun, it sent of reflections of rainbows across the room.

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