Reapings Part Four:
Jamie Turnor;
District Ten Mentor
''Daddy, how do you make it? I forgot,'' says my little boy.
Oh, boy. How hard is it to make peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Not hard at all. I mean, you take a scoop of the butter with a knife and place it on the bread. Smooth it out, and then add the jelly with a small spoon. If you want, mix it all together and there you have it. Well, that's how I make it, at least.
''Smooth the butter out on the bread, and then add the jelly if you want,'' I tell my son. He smiles up at me and continues doing what he does. I watch as he finishes it up and drools over the sandwich. He bites it with his front tooth missing and starts rubbing his stomach.
''Mmm! So good!'' he smiles.
I sit down on the couch and ponder over whether I want to watch television or not. If I do, it's most likely going to be one of the first death games for District Ten tributes. I'm not too fond of this, but I'd like to get to know some of these tributes before I go ahead and mentor them.
I can't choose between the ones I want to watch; I've gotten way too many tapes. All of the tributes' names are imprinted on them and I want to choose the ones that sound most interesting. Going through them all is gonna be really tiresome. I mean, I just don't feel like watching tributes from home die. It's not something that I would do. Especially not after what happened in my arena.
''Let's see here... Carlin Michaels, no. Monica Welbeer, no. J-Julio Calline.. Huh? Alright then, Julio, let's see what you have to offer District Ten.''
His games were a couple of years ago, actually. How did I forget about this tribute? Hmm. I watch as the tributes are put up through the tubes and multiple of them look scared. Everyone is turning their heads, looking left and right. Nobody in these games seem prepared besides the career tributes, as usual.
The camera focuses on Julio's face and he's sweating. The gong rings and he's one of the first people to jump off of his platform and start running. He's bumped into by the career boy from One and is pushed to the floor. The boy from One, Wesley, I believe his name was, grabs a knife and stabs Julio, who is trying to get up, in the heart.
Julio's eyes roll back and he just falls. Blood drips from the boys chest and Wesley continues to stab. He finally rips the blade out and pushes Julio to the floor. Damn, Julio. How? How did you let him get to you like that?
I remove his tapes as soon as he dies, not wanting to see who won those games. I'm pretty sure it was a career, though. Nobody in those games seemed ready besides them. I go through more of the tapes until I can finally find one that I want to settle down on.
Mickaela Robenson. It says here that she was only twelve-years-old. She died pretty quickly; before the gong barely even rang. I place Mickaela's tapes inside of the television and press play on the remote. All of the other tributes and her are placed on the platforms inside of the arena.
Mickaela starts moving her head vigorously and looks for something. She looks terrified as she sees all the other tributes. I stare at the outline of the arena as the camera goes to the sky view. The arena looks pretty boring. There's nothing special about it at all. It's just a normal forest.
The gong gets to ten seconds and a bloodthirsty career tribute starts hopping from platform to platform. He pushes some tributes to the point where they almost fall off, but they all hang onto their balance. He finally reaches Mickaela's platform and she looks frightened.
Mickaela doesn't know what to do, so she just stands there looking at the boy. The gong finally rings and that's when the career boy reaches towards Mickaela. Everyone stares at the two tributes besides two outer District tributes who use this as an opportunity to run and grab supplies.
The boy smiles deviously at Mickaela and wraps his hands around her neck. He chuckles as he kisses her cheek and then snaps her neck. Mickaela falls off the platform and that's when everyone starts to run. I skip the rest of the games towards the end and watch the finale. That same boy who killed Mickaela is in the finale with a District Six tribute who killed him quickly.
At least Mickaela was avenged. Poor girl didn't know what to do. I really feel bad for her. If she gets reaped back into these games, it's most likely going to be hell for the girl. I really, really hope that she isn't reaped. I don't want her to go through more pain than she already has.
That's coming from me, the boy who basically tortured all of his competition. Using a whip to strangle and kill seven tributes isn't the best way for them to go. I... I feel bad about everything that I did in those games. Knowing that I wrapped a whip around three careers' necks and hung them just makes me feel terrible.
Ahem! Anyway, let's see who else has an interesting name. I brush against my goatee and play multiple tape. Huh? Most of these tributes have the same death. Some tribute from One always throws a spear at them and that's starting to get annoying.
Another tribute jumped off of the platform when the timer hit one. His eyes were watering and he yelled something out. I forgot what it was, but he sounded like he was afraid of something. He said something about his family and if they were proud, but I honestly can't remember what it was.
The last tape that I watched, a girl sprinted her heart out towards the cornucopia and made it there first. I was confused as to why she was shown, but then I realized what she was going to do. She held up a butcher knife and stabbed herself in the throat with it.
I covered my mouth and turned back to see if my son was watching. I forgot that the kitchen was right next to the living room. Eh... He's not watching, he's over there rubbing his stomach while finishing up his sandwich.
I watch as he falls off of his chair and starts giggling. ''Daddy, I finished!'' I smile and shut the television off. As I look back, my son starts running up the stairs and giggles as I watch him.
''Come here you little munchkin!'' says my older daughter as she lifts up little Geeni. He screams and kicks as he tries to get away. He's let down and Hunah kisses me on the cheek. She walks out of the house and I smile as my wife comes out, as well.
''I'm taking Hunah and Geeni down to the Square early,'' she says as she kisses me. I nod my head at her and hug her goodbye. Speaking of the reapings, I should probably get going, too. I don't want to get out now. I'll probably wait a couple of minutes before leaving.
Sucks that I'm gonna be alone while away. There's no second mentor this year for Ten, and I don't know why. All of our current Victors are still alive, but only I was told to mentor. That's interesting. I still haven't been filled in on why it's that way.
Alright, well that's enough time spent at home for me. I need to get to the Square. I get up from the couch and head towards the door. I lock it on my way out and walk straight out of the Victors' Village. It's not that much of a walk since I live ten minutes away.
I greet the gatekeeper on the way out and smile as she opens the gate. Making my way towards the Square, I'm greeted by many citizens of Ten. They all smile and I love the friendly folks of this District. We're just not the type to love the Hunger Games. All of our Victors have regretted what they've done, but honestly, we had to do it to live.
I finally make my way towards the Square and wave towards the crowd. I take my seat and wait for everyone to settle down. All of the Victors have taken their seats and the children all patiently wait in their assigned sections. Most of them have finished getting their fingers pricked and only about seven children are left until we start, so our escort takes this as a chance to come out and introduce us to this years games.
''Welcome, District Ten!'' our escort, Tres says. ''You all know me since I've been here for the past ten years. Anyway, you already know this years Quell, so why don't we just get into the message President Bengel has to offer?''
We watch as President Bengel delivers the message of the Quell and it plays to the peacekeepers and the Capitol beating the entirety of Panem. I don't understand why they continue to rule us. It's twelve- actually, thirteen against one yet we can't win, sadly.
The video finishes and plays my games. Apparently I'm the best Victor that District Ten has ever seen, so that makes me happy. I do feel bad about killing, though. It was never something that I wanted to do. That's just how life in Panem is, unfortunately. We've definitely gotta fix that.
''What a wonderful video, wasn't it?'' asks Tres. He walks over to the girls' bowl and picks up a slip. I chew on my bottom lip as I wait for which tribute that Tres will announce on the mic. I just hope it's not that poor little girl. ''Mickaela Robenson.''
Damn... Poor girl has to come back into these games, and that's just terrible. I feel even more terrible. She already died once, now she has to go back at it, again? Oh, Jesus...
One of the Capitolites on the stage walks over to one of the miniature coffins. They buried a small girl in a small coffin, huh? They zap Mickaela and the first thing that she does when she looks up is scream.
''Why are you here? I don't want to be in the Hunger Games? Kite, please, leave me alone! L-Let go of my neck, PLEASE!'' Mickaela screams as tears fall from her eyes. She begins to hyperventilate when she realizes that the boy who killed her isn't around.
''Who are you people? Why am I in a coffin? W-Who are you guys? What's in your hand? S-STOP LOOKING AT ME!'' Mickaela sobs even harder than before. I quickly get up and pick the girl up from her coffin. She's almost as light as a feather, and she's such a precious little girl. I hush her and explain everything to her. She looks straight into my eyes and you can tell that she hates this world.
I wipe away the tears in her eyes and then place her down on the stage. She holds onto my hand as she wipes her tears away like a child and then lets go. I pat her on the shoulder and that calms her down. Tres pinches Mickaela's small cheeks and then walks over to the boys' bowl.
He picks up the top slip in the bowl and unfolds it. ''Julio Calline,'' he calls out. How interesting is it that the first two tribute tapes that I watched were the ones who were reaped? The Capitolite that revived Mickaela walks over to Julio's coffin and slowly opens it. He zaps the boy inside and when Julio peers up, he stares at us all in confusion.
''Who are you people and why are you surrounding around me? Did I do something wrong? Last time I checked, I was in the g- The games...'' he stops suddenly. ''I died! How am I alive? Why am I alive?''
''Julio,'' Tres starts to fill him in. ''As you know, you died first in your games. We have brought you back for the one hundred seventy-fifth games to compete once again.''
''Oh,'' Julio looks up. ''So this is a Quarter Quell, and I have another chance to survive and rejoin my family?''
''Yes,'' I mutter under my breath, but he seems to hear me. He looks up at me and chuckles. His chuckle gets a little bit louder, but he soon brings it back down to a quiet one. He tries to get up from his coffin and he successfully stands up. I would think that any tribute brought back to life wouldn't have perfect use of their legs, but I guess I was wrong.
''Good,'' Julio stares straight at the crowd. ''I'll do whatever it takes to get back. I don't care who I hurt, or what I hurt. I'm going to win this time, you'll see.''
What a confident tribute. ''Your tributes representing District Ten, Mickaela Robenson and Julio Calline!'' says Tres. I walk over towards the two tributes and motion them towards the Justice Building. I stare at Mickaela as she realizes that she has competition.
Julio is going to pose a threat during these games, and Mickaela knows it. I want to help them both, but I feel as though I'm going to side more with Mickaela because of how young she is. I know that she can win. We've had a twelve-year-old Victor before, why not get another one?
I open up the door to the Justice Building for the both of them after I told them that I was their mentor for this year. I don't know why, but I don't remember Julio at all. It's really bugging me because I mentored back then. Is my memory really fading already?
Good, God.
Hmm. Hopefully my memory starts to come back to me during training. Maybe his movement and the weapons that he uses will help me remember him. I do think he can win, but Mickaela is more of a top priority for me right now. She seems like a keeper and I want her to win, if not, then make it really far. I just hope one of them can win. Julio won't be phased that much, but Mickaela sure will be.
Conly Schism;
District Eleven Mentor
Life is good when you're a Victor. Like, you get all the babes, so much money, and you don't have to do the labor that everyone else in your District has to do. I mean, look at me. Who was I a couple of years ago? I was nobody just like everyone else in this District.
I don't think anybody knew who I was. I used to be that shy little kid who would keep his mouth shut and not draw any attention at all. I would do my best to avoid peacekeepers, people, and work. I sometimes skipped but whenever I was caught, the beatings that I took seemed endless.
Being whipped was something that happened to the weak. I'm not weak anymore, in fact, I'm stronger than ever. They have no power over me, nor can they take away my rights. I'm a Victor, after all. What peacekeeper in their right mind would hit a Victor? Especially one such as myself.
I'm the life of the Capitol. Everyone loves me! I'm the go-to guy, after all. The party banger of the Capitol. I unlock everyone's party animal because that's just who I am. I mean, look at me. I'm pretty, I've got the sexiest skin, I've got good hair, and I'm filthy rich.
Sure, Capitolites are all rich, but they don't know what Victor life is like. All I do is throw money into the air and share my love with everyone that I meet. This is why every time someone brings up District Eleven I'm the one that they talk about.
They don't even need to say my full name. If you ever hear the name Conly, you know who it is. I'm a beast, I'm a monster, I'm everything that a Victor would love to be. Sure, my games phased me quite a bit but I'm not like that scared little boy I used to be anymore. Those four kills changed me.
Like, you don't understand. I don't need anyone anymore because I blaze my own. I'm droppin' racks over here because I'm so clumsy, man you don't understand. I'm filthy rich. It's just... My life is a blessing, man. Not many children from Eleven experience this.
Actually, you're never rich in Eleven unless you win the games. There's no such thing here as wealthy. When you're born, you live in a terrible, broken down shack with no A.C. or running water. You never have anything to eat because your parents are broke as fuck and they have to steal just to feed you.
Once they get caught you have to sit there and watch as they get whipped. Sometimes you cry, other times you look away. Most of the time the peacekeepers take it too far and accidentally kill them! Sometimes... Sometimes you wish that you could go back to that time and change everything that happened.
Sometimes you wish that you had the strength to volunteer to get a whipping instead. Sometimes you wish that you could kill the peacekeeper that ruined your life. Sometimes you wish that you could have whipped them instead of them whipping the ones that you loved.
Sometimes you wish that life was different and that you still had your loved ones around. Sometimes you wish that your older brother would get a real job instead of getting drunk and high with you everyday and banging everyone that enters your house.
Sometimes... Sometimes you just wish that he didn't break down after your loved ones died and that he helped you through your difficult times. Maybe things would have been different if he did. Maybe things would have been different if Eleven wasn't one of the poorest Districts in this damn nation. MAYBE... Just maybe if this corrupted world didn't get into a war we wouldn't be in such a mess.
It doesn't matter. Everything is changed and you can't go back to fix it. You never could. If it were possible, maybe I would have done it already, but that doesn't matter now. I'm not even awake and here I am drunk. A bottle of whiskey is at my side and my lips are touching it.
I move my hand to the side and feel tons of dollar bills next to me. I grab onto them with my hands and throw them up into the air as the blanket flies off of me. Money rains down onto my body and I look to my right. My brother is unconscious with a joint in between his index and middle finger.
I get up from my bed and take it out of his fingers. Looks like everyone else left. I turn around to see all the underwear left on my bed. Looks like it was a full party. Everyone left without their bottoms, ha ha. I turn back to my brother and he's breathing roughly.
I slap him and he quickly wakes up. He seems like he's stoned or something. He gets up quickly and starts to stumble over himself. He runs over towards the pile of clothes that I left on the floor and takes a camera out of it. ''Yo, fam. Check this out, bruh. I filmed the whole party, man!''
I walk over towards him and look at the video. ''Bro, Kylie totally likes you, man! The things that happened yesterday, oh my God!'' I look over at him and leave my hand out so that he can dap me up. After our handshake, I go over to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
''Man, she told me that she hated me, but I'm drenched in money. That's why she loves me now,'' I joke. ''I mean, who wouldn't, right? I'm rich, I'm young, and I throw parties for fun.''
''Ha ha, I feel you,'' he begins to chuckle. I can tell that he's still not in tip-top shape. ''Yo, yo. So I woke up, right? And, like, last night was all a blur!'' I begin to chuckle and then it gets quiet all of a sudden. I ignore it until I get outside and he's not there. Maybe he left? I don't know.
I take a quick shower and when I get out my brother is no where to be found. I ignore it and go put on the clothes I'm gonna wear for the reapings. Nothing fancy, I can dress how I like. I'm taking full advantage of this Victor thing.
I put on skinny, black sweatpants with a gray hoodie over it. I put on my timbers and then brush my hair before leaving. I finish everything up and when I get outside of my room towards the stairs I notice my brother on the floor with red liquid pouring out of his head.
''HOLY SHIT, ARE YOU OKAY?'' I run down towards him and touch his back. Why would you ask someone who's bleeding out of their head if they're okay? HELP HIM! My mind yells at me. Jesus, oh God, w-what am I supposed to do?
''GOTCHA!'' he yells. I jump back and hold onto my chest. I glare at him for a couple of seconds and then start to chuckle. ''It was just red whine, bro.''
''That was a good prank, but come on, we gotta get to the reapings,'' I tell him. ''They'll hurt you if you don't make it there on time, so let's go.''
''Okay,'' he looks at me uninterested. ''I'll go clean up and meet you there in five minutes.''
I nod my head and start to head out of the house. I slip past the gates of the Victors' Village and since we've been hated quite a bit by the Capitol, the Square is quite far from here. You'd basically have to sprint all the way over to the Square if you wanted to make it there in under five minutes.
I walk past the avenue that holds so many memories. This was the exact place that the old peacekeeper whipped my parents to death, the same place that the children used to bully and make fun of me; the place that I told everyone that I'd be something and they just laughed at me. Look at me now, and look at them. They're all poor and homeless, trying to fend off for themselves, but it doesn't work.
That's what they all deserve for being so cruel to ya boy. They don't understand how some people feel, and now they're in a worse circumstance than I ever was when I was little. Ha! It makes me smile knowing that they all live in misery after all the things that they've said and done to me. Maybe karma is real after all.
Speaking of the old peacekeeper, here he is now. I watch as he taunts a little boy and flicks his wrist, making the poor boy stumble and cutting marks on his legs. I close my eyes and take a deep breath when I see this. I try to ignore it, but he lets the boy run off and then approaches me.
''Well, well. Isn't it our little Victor,'' he's trying to start something. He always does this! ''Remember back when you were younger and I used to whip you like that? I think you still have the giant scar on your back, am I right?''
''The Capitol medicine made it disappear,'' I mumble. ''Plus, it doesn't matter to me anymore. I'm not that little kid that I was back then.''
''Oh, right!'' he chuckles. ''You're now the party boy of the Capitol, am I right? Well, I may not be able to hurt you anymore, but your brother is still in the question!''
''You wouldn't!'' I snarl.
''Oh, and why wouldn't I?'' I hate him! He took away my life, he took away the ones I cared the most for, and now he's trying to take my brother from me? ''He's just a drunk, and if he's late to the reapings then he won't be around for much longer, if you get my drift.''
''He won't be late.''
''Oh, and if he is, then I'm gonna kill him the exact same way that I did your parents,'' he begins to laugh out loud. He holds onto my shoulder and starts coughing because of how funny he found that. ''You remember, don't you? The way I made your mother watch as I destroyed your father, and then I ended her? Ha, what a blast! The same thing will happen to your brother.''
''Shut.. up!'' I snap at him.
''Oh,'' he backtracks. ''Are you mad? Well, excuse me for doing my job.''
He chuckles and my skin is boiling. I can feel the demon from Eleven raging back into me. Just like it did during my games when I killed four careers. My temper is being played with and at any moment now I can snap. I don't want to. I don't want to go back!
''Now, get going to the Square before I kill you the same way that I'm going to kill your brother, you filthy nig-''
With a sudden burst of fury, I lash my arm out at the unguarded peacekeeper and get a clean punch to his face. He falls to the floor and looks up at me shocked. He doesn't deserve to live after all of the things he's done to me. He doesn't deserve to laugh and act as if he's above the law. Not after everything that he did to me. He made my life a living hell before I entered the games, murdered the ones I loved, continued to torment me when I came out of the games, and now he's threatening to take my brother next? No way!
Before he can even say anything, I see his old and faded gray hair blow in the wind. Looking at him in pain and agony makes me feel terrible. I don't want to kill the old man, but after everything that he's done, he deserves it all!
I try to hold back, but I just can't. It's the exact same thing that I did in my games when the careers pushed me to the point where I couldn't control myself and killed them all. I-I-I'm gonna kill him. Here and now.
''P-Please...'' his breath is warm against my hand as I bring it down for another punch. I hold him up by the collar of his shirt and repeatedly slam his head into the concrete street that everyone just passed by; he and I are the only ones left on the street.
I turn my head to the right as he groans. ''S-Stop...'' I see a large, blood red brick from the work area and pick it up. I stare at it and back at the old peacekeeper. Before I know what I'm doing I pick it up and slam it down on his face. He yells in pain and agony and I just know that what I'm doing is wrong. Hurting the peacekeeper who took everything away from me isn't the right thing to do, but I just can't help myself.
I repeatedly slam it down until his breathing comes to an abrupt stop. I stand up and kick dirt in his face as I throw the brick down onto his temple. I hold onto my hair and fall to my knees abruptly. What did I just do? I-I-I did something terrible. This isn't the games, there's no reason for me to be killing! What did I... Oh, no!
I look at the blood red brick right next to the inactive peacekeeper who lies still on the floor with his eyes wide open. The winds presses against his filthy, gray hair that blows smoothly across his face and brushes against his ear. I look as the sun glistens the red brick, and it shines against the old peacekeeper's disgusting and brittle cheeks.
Oh God, I can't stay here much longer! I quickly run away from the scene and make my way through the vast area of nothing but grass and trees. This is where everyone picks up apples, and... Oh, that brings back terrible memories!
I continue to run and run until I can't anymore. Once I stop to take a deep breath, I realize that I'm at the Square. This was just like the bloodbath when my District partner was getting a curved knife shoved in her face and out by the District One male. Her blood dripping from his knife as he looked up and chased after me.
I came to a halt and just caught my breath. Quick and simple, oh how they kill so fast. I look up at the Square as Eleven's escort catches my eye and stares at me. I stand quietly and still as I watch the female tribute squirm around.
''Where am I? Didn't I die? Why are there tubes on my forehead?! IS THAT MY BRAIN?'' she screams. I quickly mount the stage and smile at the other Victors who just shake their heads at me. I tell the tribute that she's just been brought back to the games and she looks at me in anger. I turn around and face my mentor ally.
''Hey,'' I say sheepishly. ''Sorry I was late. I h-had to take care of something...''
''Was it another party?'' he asks. ''Why do you always get drunk and jump from girl to girl? Do something with your life, kid! Be like me, get this Victor life crap out of your head and settle down with a girl and raise a family. Look at me, I'm doing fine with my children: Chris, Drew, and Tanya. Come o-''
''No, it wasn't that!'' I cut him off. ''It wasn't important. Just tell me who that tribute is, please.'' He looks at me and knows that there's something wrong. I wave it off and he tells me that her name is Brysia Sanders. I look at the sort of tall girl with hazel eyes and slightly tanned skin. I take a kind fashion to her well-kept ponytail, especially since she died.
She looks back at me and we make eye-contact. I feel as though I'm gonna have fun training with this one. I shrug and motion for her to turn around and face the crowd. She doesn't say anything, but just gives me a weird expression and looks away.
''Quartz Fields,'' our escort shouts into the microphone as I turn my head. I barely noticed her movement towards the boys' bowl. I was never filled in on how they revived the tributes, so I'm pretty curious as to what they do.
I watch as one of the Capitolites walks over towards a small and crusty coffin, and zap the boy inside. The gold light that covered the boys body disappeared and he sits up and looks around. ''Woah,'' he stares out towards us all. ''H-How am I alive? I remember being repeatedly hit in the head. H-How?''
''It was all the works of the Capitol,'' I fill him in. ''You've been brought back into a Quarter Quell, and now you're competing once again. You died first last time, and it's been quite a few years.''
''Oh,'' that's all the boy musters. ''Hmm. Well then. Looks like I'll just have to kill if I want to make it out, and that shouldn't be a problem, should it? I don't think so. Looks like I'm gonna have to get dirty. How unfortunate.''
''Your tributes, Brysia Sanders and Quartz Fields!'' our District escort yells out. I get up and walk over towards the two tributes. I tug on both of their clothes and take a moment to admire their reaping attires. I turn my head and speak to Cythrie.
''Take them into the Justice Building, please. Don't leave without me, I have something that I need to do.'' That's all I say to Cythrie, and he doesn't bother to interject. He just nods his head and walks them towards the Justice Building.
I'm going back to finish off Geoff. I just have a feeling that he's not actually dead, but just hurt. I need to end his life. Someone who hurt you can't be sticking around for long, and that's exactly what I'm gonna teach these two tributes.
Joydin Coalman;
District Twelve Mentor
Oh, boy. He's really not feeling too well, and that makes me sad. It's truly unfortunate how we all might someday end up this exact way. Lying on our bed, coughing and our bodies overheating, and we're just waiting to be put out of our misery.
This is exactly how Calieh feels. I feel bad for his poor, elder soul. It's a terrible thing, it truly is. Knowing that we both won ages ago and that we have no one to take over our place when we pass because none of our tributes have ever been... Oh it hurts!
Neither of the two of us have much time left. Who knows? I could die during the train rides today, or when I'm speaking to the two tributes representing Twelve this year and suddenly my heart decides to fail on me because of my old age. I just hope that this year will be ours because my time is coming to an end.
So is Calieh's. He's on his deathbed, and that makes me incredibly sad. Knowing that my husband has to have tubes up his nose just to help him steady his breathing, and people coming in every day just to wash him, feed him, and clean after him. He can't function on his own, and whenever he knows that something is wrong he just won't say it!
It hurts me inside, it truly does! My love, my husband, my fellow Victor. He and I have been through so much together, and he's just gonna go out like this? Just not even letting us know if he's in pain. I mean, one day he was squirming on the bed and I didn't recognize because I was trying to switch the channel to his favorite show.
I didn't notice until I heard a vase get knocked over and it broke on the floor. I turned around and saw him holding his chest and sweating heavily. His temperature was over one hundred and two degrees and I was scared out of my mind. What was I to do? I had no medical knowledge, and cooking him a meal wasn't going to make it any better for him.
That's why we got servants, or guests. I don't like calling the servants. It doesn't seem like a kind term, and I'd like to treat my guests with open and welcoming arms. They don't deserve the hate or irrelevancy that they get. I think they're a big aspect to the family as much as anyone else is.
I finish up making the sweet ice tea that he loves, but added the medicine that he hates inside of it. I know that he won't take a spoon full of it, so putting it inside of his favorite drink was the best option. I slowly hold it up as I walk to our room and smile at the company who are currently cleaning him.
They wash his body with wash cloths and smile as I enter. I tell them about the breakfast that I mad downstairs for them and that they can take a break if they'd like. They have a work schedule, and they never take advantage of it. I treat them with respect and they treat my husband and I with respect, as well.
It's a fair system, and I love the company that we have here. They're all friendly people who actually care about the problems that you have and actually want to help out. There's always a little bit of good in everyone no matter how evil they may seem.
''Hey,'' I gently kiss Calieh on the forehead. ''How's it going?'' I rub my hand around his receding hairline and softly pinch his cheeks. I can't stand to look at him this way. The sunspots on his neck and below are terrible to stare at. He's always naked under those sheets because of the temperature of his body.
It's terrible!
He can't even eat properly anymore; everything served to him has to be blended into a drink. And even then, he still can't drink through his mouth. We have to remove the tubes from his nose and pour it for a straw into the tube slowly and reattach it. It's a terrible life, and I can't stand it for him anymore! I don't want him to be this way, but the only option outside of this is death, and I don't want him to go!
I'd rather take his place any day than have him in a situation such as this. I don't want to see him suffering like this, and I can't even help myself from crying. The tears just flow right out of me and I can't control them. Holding them back just hurts my eyes and I'm forced to let it all out.
I feel his wrinkled hand wipe the tears away from the bags under my eyes and he holds my chin. I can hear his whistled breathing and heaving, and it just makes me shiver. I hate seeing him this way! I just wish there was something more that I could do. I... I don't-
''Hey,'' he breathes against my arm. ''I'm fine, trust me. J-Just go and get something to eat, will you? You look famished, and we don't want you starving before the reapings now, do we?''
I look at him and blink to remove the tears from my eyes. I try to go against his words, but he brings me to my senses and I get up. I hold his hand as I turn around, and let go. I continue walking towards the door, but I'm looking back at Calieh. Suddenly, I bump into someone.
''Oh,'' I chuckle. ''I'm sorry, Jeo. I didn't mean to bump into you like that.''
''No, no!'' she smiles nervously. ''I just came up to bring you your breakfast. You made a ton for everyone, but we noticed that you didn't have anything to grub on. By the way, we all thank you for preparing such a delicious meal for us.''
''Oh, it's no big deal,'' I let her know. ''It was just common courtesy. And thank you for bringing up my meal, I appreciate it.'' I say as I hold onto the breakfast that I prepared for us all.
I made this specifically for Calieh; it's his favorite breakfast meal: A wild mushroom frittata with cheddar, green onions, and peas; two cut waffles with rich and nutty brown butter and syrup on top of them; four pieces of sizzling, fresh bacon that just came out of the oven with a hint of brown sugar on them; and finally, a golden sunset. This Bloody Mary ditches canned tomato juice(and the tinned flavor) for the freshly pressed ingredients made from yellow tomatoes.
I know, I know. It seems like a lot, doesn't it? But when you're a wife who's husband is dying, all you can care about is his well-being. I've served his favorite dish for a reason. When we were younger, after our games and getting married, this is what I would serve him all the time whenever I had the chance.
He would always beg for this, even when I made something equally as good. I made this for a reason; I know that I can't finish it all on my own, so I'd like to share with him. Feeding him with a fork like I did when we were younger, I just want to go back to those times when we didn't have a care in the world. The thing that makes this all worse is that I know that he won't be able to eat it, and I'll probably try to force him to. I know that he wants to, but he can't! He just can't!
I even made his favorite type of breakfast desert; crusty buttermilk biscuits with just a bit of yeast in it. God, why do I do this to myself? It's no secret that neither of us have that much time left on our hands, but I would rather spend it by being able to move freely as I desire instead of being on my bed with tubes up my nose!
Oh Calieh...
I eat some, and then look back at the door to see if anyone is in front of it. I notice that nobody is, so I get up and quietly close the door. As I do, I look back at Calieh and he looks up at me. He wheezes and I smile at him. I tell him to open up his mouth, and sure enough, he does. I cut the waffles into a small chunk, mix them with the eggs and feed it to him.
He slowly chews on it with his gums and it looks like it's difficult for him. I help him out by moving his cheeks for him, and then giving him a sip of golden sunset. He smiles at me and I rip a slice of bacon, and then cut up a small piece of the biscuit and feed it to him.
''JOYDIN, NO!'' I hear as the door creaks open.
I slowly look back to see Jeo staring at me. Her eyes have widened and she runs over towards us. She grabs my shoulder softly and then checks to make sure that Calieh is okay. She quickly turns back at me and I'm gasping for air, my hands covering my mouth.
''Joydin, he could have choked!'' she tells me. ''This is why we don't want you feeding him. He has the tubes in him for a reason, Joy!''
I look at the ground and a tear drops from my left eye. She notices that I'm crying and tries to touch my shoulder. I move away and smile up at her. ''I'm sorry,'' is all that I let out. I run over to Calieh, give him a kiss on the cheek, hug him, and then leave the house.
''Joydin, wait!'' I hear Jeo try to call after me. I'm down the stairs and have already closed the doors. I try to run down the Victors' Village streets but my tired body just doesn't make it that far. I eventually just start to walk.
I finally make my way towards the gate and wave as our gatekeeper opens them up so that I can leave. I smile at her and start to speed walk. It's difficult to make it to the Square on time, especially since I'm one of the elders.
It'd be nice if someone in this District would help me out, but everyone is afraid of me even after I've aged. Nobody here is friendly enough, they all just completely ignore me. I don't see why. I never do anything bad to this District. Every single time I'm in public, I act like my usual self and try to speak to everyone. I try my hardest to reassure them all that everything will be okay, but it never works.
It would be nice if I could actually get these people to not be afraid of me. It'd be nice for anyone in this District, really. We all just ignore each other, and nothing turns out properly. Mothers scold their children for being afraid, children run away and become homeless, and everyone just ignores each other unless they're speaking about trading a squirrel for some type of food. It's sad, honestly.
I finally reach the Square after a couple of minutes and get on the stage. I look back at the crowd and smile; nobody moves, not even an inch. I'd think that everyone would be happy because they don't have the chance to be reaped into the games, but it looks like I was wrong.
Everybody here is still upset and nobody dares to move or say a word. It's dead silent until our escort, Justin, walks out and cracks that silence.
''Hey, Twelve!'' he shouts. I love his catchy tone whenever he says that. He's always called us Twelve, and I really enjoy that name. ''I thought that you'd all be happy since none of you will be reaped today, but I guess that I was wrong. Anyway, who cares what you all think? Let's just start these reapings officially.''
The video that they play every year shows up. I look away because I don't want to see everything that the Capitol has done to the Districts of Panem. It's quite sad. I hear the whirling from the video. This is how I know that they're playing the past victories. Everyone in the audience gasps as they watch my games.
I hated them. I don't ever want to see those games again, nor will I ever speak about them. They should have never happened. They should just be forgotten. What everyone in that arena went through was despicable. Nobody should ever suffer from something as terrible as that. The mutts, the floods, the buildings crashing, the fire, i-it's all too much.
''Give it up for our fellow Victor, Joydin Coalman,'' Justin says as he claps. Nobody in the audience claps, and I don't blame them. I wouldn't clap either, especially if I wasn't a Victor. I'd be like everyone out there in Twelve; afraid.
''Well,'' Justin says unimpressed. ''Let's just see who our two tributes for this years games are, shall we?'' I watch as he walks over towards the girls' bowl and quickly pulls out a slip. He wasted no time picking it up. He even had his eyes closed.
''Sashen Baize,'' he reads out. ''Once again to you imbeciles, Sashen Baize.''
I watch as one Capitolite walks over towards one of the largest coffin that has a spear entering someone's head. Ouch...
I watch as the girl gets zapped with the gold light and she quickly sits up. She gasps for air and then touches the back of her skull. ''Agh!'' she yells as she rubs her skull. You can't see the cut in the back of her head, but you can see that some of her hair has been cut because of the spear.
''Huh?'' she asks. ''What's going on?'' She looks around at everyone in front of her and realizes that she's on the reaping stage for the Hunger Games. ''Wait, am I being reaped? I thought I already was- wait! Is... What?''
''Listen, sweetie,'' Justin says in a slow voice. ''You died first in your games, that's why your head hurts. You already know that, though, don't you? The Capitol brought you back for the one hundred seventy-fifth games to compete once more.''
''So a Quarter Quell...'' she says to herself. She looks up at Justin and holds her breath for some time. ''There's nothing that I can do to change that, damn. I just hope that this time will be different.'' she says as she looks over towards me. I can see the pity in her eyes as she realizes that I'm the only Victor in these chairs. I smile at the sweet girl and hold my hands towards my chest.
''Cia Arongan,'' Justin calls out into the mic. One Capitolites all walk over towards a coffin almost as large as Sashen's and open it up. He zaps the boy, Cia, inside and then walks to the back of the coffin. Cia sits up and starts looking around.
''Who the fuck are you people?'' his language absolutely shocked me. I haven't heard anyone speak like that in quite a while. I put my head down and then begin to shake it. ''Who the fuck is that old bitch?''
Everyone gasps and then Justin steps up. ''Watch your damn mouth! That's your mentor, child. You've been brought back into a Quarter Quell to compete for the Capitol, once again.''
''Oh, okay,'' he chuckles. ''I don't give a fuck! Fuck everyone else in these games, I'll kill them all. Oh, and fuck her, too!'' he says pointing towards Sashen. ''Who is that, my partner or something? I'll kill her even worse than I do to anyone else. I'm just better than all of you here!''
He receives a slap across the face by Justin, and the he huffs. Justin then turns around to the crowd and states, ''Your tributes representing District Twelve, Sashen Baize and C-Cia Arongan...''
Cia quickly gets up and starts to stumble. ''Fuck!'' he yells out. Oh, Lord, someone please help this child. I don't know how in the world I'm going to cope with him around. I know it's wrong to favor tributes, but Sashen is by far the one who I want to make it far. If Cia wins, District Twelve is doomed.
I watch as he flicks off the entire crowd and then crawls towards me. ''Hey, old bitch, help me up!'' I get up and walk over towards Sashen. I hold the girls hand and then start to walk with her.
''I'll teach you everything that I know,'' I smile at her. She smiles back at me and gives me a quick hug. I didn't expect that, but I give her one right back. ''Oh, thank you!'' she jumps.
''HEY, HEY!'' I hear Cia shouting from the back. ''HEY, FUCK YOU GUYS! UGH, FUCK YOU TOO, OLD BITCH!''
Oh, God... I don't understand what goes on through this young mans mind, but I know that it's nothing good. I just hope that he changes his ways by the time these games start because I know that he won't be lasting long. Especially not with the careers; I doubt anyone of them is going to tolerate that obnoxious behavior of his.
I brush my arm against Sashen's dark brown hair and wipe the sweat away from her warm, brown eyes. I look closely at Sashen's skinny build and compare it to Cia's lean build. Cia seems to have muscle on him, but I don't think that's enough for him. Sashen seems like a person you'd be able to like easily, someone you'd like to meet, someone that you wouldn't expect a killer instinct from.
I can do a lot with Sashen, especially because of how she is now. I think Sashen is going far, but Cia, on the other hand, is different. I don't know what I'm going to do with him, but I'll try. If Calieh was here, he'd know how to deal with Cia. Oh, Calieh... I miss you already.
A/N: Omg, reapings are finally done. I'm so happy, because who likes writing reapings? If only I just jumped into the games, but oh well, it doesn't matter much to me. I guess it gives you guys a little insight on the tributes, and I guess that's enough of the Victors' POVs. I'll be focusing on all of your tributes' POVs from now on, and sorry if I get your tribute later on in the story. It's totally nothing person, I'm just trying to get some earlier than others because I have plans for a ton of these tributes and I don't want to be giving one person three POVs before the game even start.
Oh, and the polls are closed, so you can go check out where your tribute stands. Look at District Two killing the polls, omg! Well, at least everyone at least has one vote, I think. Anyways, I'll try to get these chapters in more quickly. I kinda ran out of ideas for the Victors' POVs but I have a ton for your tributes. God, I'm gonna have so much fun making you guys love some of them and then just ripping them away from you because only one can win. :)
You guys asked for more male Victors POVs, and I actually wasn't intending on making three female Victor POVs last chapter. Zane was supposed to be the POV for District Nine, but then I just started thinking about Lilac's problems and that escalated to her POV. I tried my hardest to make Jamie memorable, but I don't think that turned out well. I think I did pretty good with Conly because of his peacekeeper problem, but Idk. You guys let me know, please.
Omg, Ansley! A death before the games? Yes. I always planned on someone dying before the games started whether it was a peacekeeper, stylist, mentor, etc. I mean, I think that you all would rather have Caner die than some random peacekeeper, but after all he did to Conly, I think he deserved it. They both deserve it and it might happen to Caner, as well. Who knows?
I have no idea why I named him Conly Schism. What the hell? I went back and looked at the name, and I absolutely hated it. It sounded fine in my head when I was thinking of the Victor names at the time, but as I reread that name, I absolutely despised it. It just sounds weird and awkward. Conly Schism... Conly Schism... No, it just.. i-it doesn't sound good to me, lol.
Did anyone else get hungry when reading the food thing in Joydin's POV? No? Okay... I mean, that's so easy to make. I mean, like, what even is a frattata? I can totally make that... My recipes... I can totally make that on my own... :'( Well, I'm gonna go get a snack c:
Sorry for those of you who might not like the 9000 word chapters. I dunno, I've gotten used to writing 9000 words, and it's totally changed the way I write. I used to do like 5000 words with 6 POVs a chapter, but I totally changed that and I don't feel as though I can go back. I mean, I thought the longer the chapter is, the better, but idk. Hopefully you guys can understand if you don't really like it.
OH! I almost forgot. If you guys can catch the Everybody Hates Chris reference in Conly's POV, I'll give you one thousand sponsor points straight off the bat. Yes, there will be a sponsor system and one thousand can get you a lot ;) Also, if you can tell which celebrity Conly is based off irl, that'll be another one thousand points. No, it's not his FC. I just tweaked out his history a bit. Also, one last thing. If you can find the Wild N' Out reference or the song lyrics, then I will add another one thousand. I'm not given any tips besides one: The celeb that Conly is based off of made the song. It's three thousand points, guys. You got this! Good luck if you decide to try xD You can basically buy yourself the win with those points. Have fun! :)
Favorite mentor of this chapter?
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Least favorite?
Favorite tribute in the entire story besides your own?
Least favorite in all of the story?
Anything I can do to make this story better?
Anyways, that's all for this chapter! I hope that all liked it, and I'll see you next chapter. The train rides will be up next and I'll try to make it as interesting as my mind and fingers can possibly make it. I hope it's enough for your satisfaction. Bye! ^-^