Spark Tarentina – 15 Years Old
District 5 Male
I surge forward as my feet pound on the concrete, practically flying past the shops that lined the district square. Sweat pours down my body, causing my clothes to stick tightly onto my skin. My heart beats faster than it ever had before. I barely stop to catch my breath or relax in any way. I probably would die if the temperature was over ninety degrees. Thank god it was cold out.
Changing direction quickly, I fly by Mr. Charleston's bakery and ran down the alleyway. It's smelly and crusty back there. The scent drove itself up my nose even as I ran through it in a couple of seconds. I jumped over boxes and dodged pipes that protruded from nearby buildings. I made quite the racket as I raced by, causing multiple shopkeepers to come out and yell at me. It didn't matter. All I cared about was getting to the secret meeting spot before any of the others did.
I emerged from the ally to find myself staring at a few trees, concealing behind them a large glade. It was an easy jog the rest of the way there, only having to dodge a few branches before I entered the turf. It was a huge place, surrounded by trees, and filled to the brim with tall grass that probably concealed snakes, bugs, anything else that could bite you. A huge oak tree was centered in the middle of the area, casting an ominous shadow whenever the sun rested over it.
I don't know why the adults haven't decided to bulldoze this place though; it would be a great spot for another stupid factory they always need. The capitol can never get enough electricity, which is why they keep building more factories and employing more workers every year. Seems like the perfect spot to make like five of them.
Whatever the reason is, they haven't decided to get rid of this place yet. Which is good, because I don't think I can survive one week without coming here to talk with my friends about some personal problem of mine. We could always go to each other's houses, but there such long distances away, plus their place are usually filled with their loud and annoying brothers and sisters.
I can relate.
Carefully trying not to disturb any animal creeping in the grass, I make my way over to the huge tree. There appears to be no one there, and for a moment I think I beat them. Then my heart practically drops as I watch Vicky appear out of the shadows. She smirks at the sight of me, all sweaty and tied, gasping for breath like a lunatic. She doesn't even look like she broke a sweat.
"What took you so long!" Vicky shouts, "It's been so boring waiting around for you two here."
I laugh, although it's sort of a whispery laugh as I try to suck down air.
"I… was busy," I cough out, "trying to beat you to it."
"Well, at least you beat Oliver."
Vicky smiles as she points behind me. I look over shakily to find Oliver emerging from the trees, gasping for air, sweat pouring down his tired face. The moment he gets to the tree he collapses on top of me for support.
"Why," Oliver gasped, "did no… one tell me… we were meeting here!"
Vicky laughs and I manage to muster a smile before leaning against the huge oak tree to catch my breath.
"Silly Oliver," Vicky says, "we always come here to chat. Why were you so late?"
"Because... a certain someone left a note… at my doorstep saying we were meeting at the square instead!"
I don't know why it's funny to me, but a smile somehow appears on my face and I start to laugh. Vicky joins me quickly, and soon, even Oliver begins to shake his head, trying to use his huge brown curls to block the smirk appearing on his face.
A cool relaxing breeze enters the turf, causing grass to swiftly move from side to side. The leaves above us fall, then glide away with the wind, being carried off to unknown territory. Sunlight no longer has an effect on us as the wind blocks any oncoming heat our way. Air returns slowly to my lungs, and the wind cools down my boiling hot skin. I lay back against the bark and breath in the clean air around me.
Oliver eventually sits down and continues to complain to Vicky about her tricking him. Vicky just smiles and responds in a joking manner.
"Do you know how far I had to run to get here? My house is like 4 miles away from the square!"
"Of course I know, that's why I did it."
"I had to sprint all the way there to find no one! I ran in my reaping clothes too," Oliver says out of the blue, "my mother paid good money for these.
A stinging pain erupts in my heart. I completely forgot about the reaping.
"Today's the reaping?" I ask nervously, "I completely forgot about it with everything that's happened this year."
Oliver looks at me slowly, completely dumbfounded at my incompetence. Vicky however doesn't seem to bothered by it at all, instead opting to pluck the petals of a daisy instead.
"How could you forget about the reaping Spark?"
I shrugged in response.
"I don't know, I got carried away with other things I guess."
"You got carried away? With what exactly?"
"Hanging out with you two," I say calmly, "and besides, It's not like it matters, I know now."
Oliver says nothing after that, maybe he's tired of talking and wants to rest. I agree and decide to pass the time by watching the power plants in the distance, producing titan sized clouds speeding toward the sky. The place is so huge that I sometimes wonder about the number of people in there to run that thing.
My friends talk cheerfully beside me now, but their voices slowly dim as other things evade my mind. It's been so long since I've thought about the Hunger Games and it's reaping. I don't think I really cared that much about them, or maybe I did but never thought about it or dwelled on it too much.
Now, for some reason, the Reaping is all I can think about.
Shock Tarentina – 15 Years Old
District 5 Female
It was dark, possibly due to the dark shutters were drawn tightly in my room. It didn't matter, I can see just fine as I work on perfecting the catapults range. Tweaking and tinkering with the contraption was easy, and I can see that I accomplished my goal by peering through the scope the machine provided. With the calculations I made, it should be able to hit the little target I put up one hundred percent of the time. After making sure everything was set up, I take a step back to observe my work.
Everything looks perfect, to an average person anyway. However, I can see the problems: the loosened screws, the mess of wires around the batteries, and the lack of an electrical transmitter. It is definitely frustrating to look at after spending two stressful months putting it together. Thankfully, I do have all the tools and parts necessary to fix all of this before the Reaping starts, so I should think carefully and get one thing done at a time.
The first thing I decide to fix are the bolts. They wouldn't stay in place on the catapult, so I quickly take a wrench and tighten them. It takes a while, especially with my noodle-like arms, but after hearing the satisfying click of the bolt getting into place, I know I got it in tight.
I used to have trouble putting together the elaborate experiments like this one. I lacked the necessary tools I use now, and the materials I needed weren't available back then. Most of the time, I just scavenged whatever was around the house to use for parts, but I now realize how dumb that sounded, how dumb I used to be. None of the components I found back then would have ever helped me completed the project I'm doing now.
For example, my first test of the project was a complete and utter failure. The electrical current wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be since the materials I used at the time didn't conduct electricity. I don't know what I was thinking of trying to use titanium to conduct electricity, I definitely should have used copper, or silver instead. It wasn't as hard to obtain as I thought it did, just grab your mother's nearest silver bracelet and you should be set.
That was what I was doing now in fact, taking my mother old silver bracelet and twisting it around until it gave me a respectable little wire. Placing it near the battery, I organized the cords to their places and rushed over to the glass bowl that stood in the centerpiece of it all. I haven't yet turned it on, but in my mind, I could already see the electrifying sparks appearing, the light blue wave of power coursing inside the bowl.
I don't like to think of myself as a mad scientist, but I did giggle just a tiny bit at the thought of the experiment finally working after so many attempts. Quickly, I rushed to put on my goggles and straightened my gloves. I carefully wove my long blonde hair back and tied it in a bun to avoid any unfortunate accidents and made sure to carefully put on the protective vest my father provided me with. It wouldn't stop a lightning bolt from possibly killing me, but better safe than sorry, right?
I can only imagine how Spark would react to all of this. All of the complicated engineering and wiring to even make this thing close to working. He would probably get himself electrocuted again, which is what seemed to happen to everyone who tried to help me with my work.
Finally, after checking to make sure everything was in order and nothing was out of place, it was complete. My newest project was finally done. After months of work, I would finally propel the world (or my house at least) toward the future with my newest creation.
I would finally-
"Shock! Breakfast is ready! Come down and eat it before it gets cold!"
Have to go downstairs and eat breakfast before testing it out…
Sighing deeply, I take off my equipment and head down the hallway to the living room. For a moment I'm tempted to go back to my room and continue with my work, but the thought of displeasing mom was greater.
The moment I step into the dining room I already could hear the sizzling of something being made on the pan. My mother must be preparing bacon because I could smell it in the air. I quickly head into the room to see my mother humming quietly to herself. She seems to be happy, even though today there's a very likely chance she might lose one of her children.
Electron, my littlest sibling, sits at the table, enthusiastically eating some bread my mother prepared for him. I walk in and sit quietly next to him at the table. Bread and an apple are what are on the menu today for me. I take the apple and my teeth begin to sink into the sweet, cold juice that runs down my throat.
As I eat silently, I notice the plates, forks, and drinks set neatly. You'd think we were preparing for a feast, which is what most families do after the reaping.
"What took you so long?" Electron says next to me.
"Busy working on an experiment," I quickly tell him.
"Again? Man, you're always working on your crazy projects."
"They're hopefully going to change the world someday," I say as I take a second bite into the apple.
"I'm sure they will," my mom says happily as she passes Electron some water.
Mom turns to look at me, which is when I finally the lovely yellow dress she wears. She almost never wears anything formal unless it's for an event.
"How's it going, sweetie?" she asks cheerfully.
"Okay," I answer, examining the flowers on the table. The scent of bacon rises into the air and invade my nostrils as I do this. It sort of reminds me of Spark, he always loves bacon.
"Have you seen Spark anywhere?" I ask suddenly.
My mother sighs as she quickly starts to move the pan around, causing the bacon to slide easily.
"No," Electron answers, "He's probably off with his friends though. Just because he's older he can go anywhere he wants."
"When you're older you'll get to go anywhere you want to," I say.
"Yeah, but then I'll have to worry about the Reaping like you two do."
"No one will have to worry about the Reaping because none of you will get selected, now please finish your meal."
I nod and instead of eating my breakfast as my mother instructed me to do, I go back to looking at the flowers and count the number of petals it has. There's seven in total, all of them pure yellow, like the color of the sun and my mother's dress.
"However, I really think you should really hang out with them more," My mom says suddenly.
I looked up, confused.
"I already hang out with Spark, mom," I say, "and his friends aren't really my type."
"I know, Shock, it's just... it would really help you in the long run to be more social toward people you don't know. Nothing wrong with having a friend."
I look at the flowers again. There's six petals now, the seventh one has fallen off, down onto the table, out of reach from everyone else.
"I don't need one," I blurt out, "I have you guys, and you're already amazing, so why waste time trying to find someone like that?"
My mom seems conflicted the moment I force out the words. She says nothing and continues to cook as I count, recount, multiply, divide, and subtract all the petals on the flower by every number possible. I finish the rest of the apple and drink my water quickly. Electron doesn't say anything and when he's done, excuses himself and runs to his room.
I sit there however, at the table alone, contemplating mother's words. I don't know why mom seems so bothered about me finding people to hang out with. What's wrong staying in all day to study or do research to get a good job. I know she looks out for me, but I already have Spark and Electron as friends, and one of them is already enough-
BAM! The door slams open and Spark comes in laughing with his friends. All of them are sweating and smelly, but they don't seem to mind and just plop at the table.
"Spark!" My mother calls out. "How many times have I said to close the front door when you enter the house?"
I smirk at Spark as he sighs and goes to close it.
"Sorry, mom."
He comes back and his friends start to settle down. They all look like they've been running a lot.
"Where were you?" I ask.
"Running the track at school," he answers.
I scoff, almost laughing at his attempt to lie.
"You do know schools are closed for the day due to the Reaping, right?"
Spark begins to protest before Oliver intervenes.
"Spark didn't even know today was the Reaping! Really shows you how small his brain is."
Vicky and Oliver laugh, and I sort of smirk. Spark tries to defend himself before he gives up, realizing its futile.
"Whatever. Sometimes people forget things. So, what are we having for breakfast?"
"Only the best for kids like you, bacon for everyone."
Spark smile reaches his eyes as my mother slides the plate filled with warm, crispy bacon to my brother and the rest of his friends. Oliver also smiles but Vicky pushes the bacon away in disgust.
"Sorry, I'm a vegetarian."
"No, you're not," Spark points out.
"Spark, do you always have to shoot down my reasons to not eat bacon?"
"That's super rude, Vic, his mother made that," Oliver says.
"I know, but you guys don't understand. That tiny little slice of crispy goodness is actually an evil hiding in disguise. The moment you turn your back on it, it plans to kill you!"
"Is this because of the Tony Tuna incident?" My mother says, supplying Vicky with a hot dog instead.
My brother and Oliver laugh hysterically, but I sit quietly, looking at them in confusion.
"What's the Tony Tuna incident?"
"Oliver's mom invited us to eat at a place called Tony Tuna at the square one time When we got there, Vicky ordered some bacon, and as she was eating started to choke on it. Oliver mom went completely nuts and started to slap her back until she coughed it out!"
"Everyone was laughing, it was insane!"
A dumb sounding story is enough to actually form a smile on my mouth, and as I ate more of my breakfast and giggled as they told their ridicules stories. Electron eventually joined us and started to tell his own stories and we laughed at that too. I spent the rest the hour not even thinking of my long-awaited project waiting for me upstairs.
Spark Tarentina – 15 Years Old
District 5 Male
This tie is way too tight for me.
I tug at the tie on my brown suit as we walk toward the square. It seems to press down against my neck and prevents me from getting any air in. Not to mention this suit is boiling hot, even though the air us has cooled down somewhat.
My family and I walk with a huge crowd of people. Some calmly walk with their kids, but most of them hold their children tightly, as if any second they might be taken from them.
Right beside me are Oliver and Vicky, both talking quickly. There mostly speaking about arena details, possible mutts, who the unlucky girl and boy are this year. Almost anything that is related to the games they talk about.
"I hear the arena is going to be set in a forest," Oliver says.
"Are you five? They've done that like three thousand times," Vicky counters.
"Still a possibility."
"Yeah, a possibility that has like a three percent chance of happening,"
I don't pay attention to them that much, instead focusing on tugging on the tie again. It might ruin it, but I just needed some air. It loosens just a bit but is still very uncomfortable to wear.
Why the heck is it so tight?
Shock has no problem wearing her outfit that she chose. It flows naturally around her, and it looks very comfortable. I guess that's what I get for waiting too long to pick an outfit; you're at the mercy of your parents picking one for you. Electron also wears a brown suit like me, but his little bow-tie doesn't seem to bother him.
It isn't a long walk until the square quickly appears in sight, and I watch as the Justice Building comes closer in view. While the Justice Building might be a monument in the careers districts, in District Five it brings misery to everyone. The sight of the building is even enough to stop Vicky and Oliver from talking.
Parents and kids arrive in their thousands, many of them silently hugging and saying their quick "good luck's" before they journey into the pen with the other adults. A lot of the kids are chatting with friends, or silently waiting in line, contemplating their life choices. I recognize a few faces, like Alissa from my art class, or Hilton who's on the track team, but none of them seem to be in the mood to talk to me.
Before I head into the line, my sister quickly comes up and hugs me.
"Stay safe."
"Thanks, but don't worry about me. You know I won't be called."
"I know, just in case, you know."
My mother comes up next and hugs me tight.
"You'll be fine. I promise they won't call you."
"I know, mom, Shock and I will be fine," I say reassuringly.
She smiles, wipes a fleeting tear from her eyes and lets my dad come to hug me to.
"Look after your sister, okay?" my father says.
"Who says I'm the one who needs to be looked after?" Shock calls out in the background as mom hugs her.
Me and my dad laugh and give each other one last look before I head off to join my friends. They're both already in the relatively short line and I step in with them. The moment I go in, however, Vicky pounces on me.
"There you are, Shock! What took you so long? I had to stand here and listen to Oliver's constant nagging."
"I wasn't nagging," Oliver says, "Me and Vicky were just talking about the games."
"You guys seem to like talking about the games a lot don't you?" I say.
"Just trying to make conversation."
"You do know that we can literally talk about anything else." Vicky interrupts.
"Nothing else to really talk about is there?"
I can actually think of a million things before Vicky beats me to it.
"Yea there is, like remember when you got that gross toe infection and-"
"VICKY, OH MY GOD, PLEASE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT!"
And for the rest of the line, me and Vicky talked about it. Luckily for Oliver, the line was relatively short so we couldn't finish with the story. Me and Oliver went together in the fifteen-year-old section as Vicky was carted off with my sister.
"Good luck, guys," Vicky says as she's escorted to the fifteen-year-old section.
"See you soon," my sister says smiling.
Once me and Oliver are split up, it doesn't take long for the square to fill up with millions of antsy, paranoid children. I'm stuck right in between Stephen Hornwald and Eris Grood, who quickly make polite conversation with me before staring back at the stage. They both look like they're about to have a mental breakdown over who the unlucky boy might be this year.
The mayor comes up and like every year and reads some boring list I don't care to remember. It drags on and on and on for so long. it almost feels like it's been entire weeks before he finally finishes and introduces the victors. I don't pay much attention to them either and begin to doze off.
This. Is. So. Boring…
"HELLO, EVERYONE!"
The microphone screeches and I desperately cover my ears to muffle the noise. I look up to see the escort standing there, laughing giddily and eyeing the crowd with excitement.
"I'M SURE ALL OF YOU ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE GAMES THIS YEAR! I KNOW I AM, AND I'M SUPER EXCITED TO SEE THE TRIBUTES! OH, YES, I AM! IT'S GOING TO BE A BLAST!"
Her voice almost makes me lose my train of thought as I desperately try to cover my ears to block the sound. She seems to not notice, even though everyone is clearly giving signs to her that she's quite annoying.
"WE SHAN'T DILLY DADDLE NOW! LET'S SEE WHO THE LUCKY WINNERS ARE THIS YEAR! LADIES FIRST!
The escort quickly goes over to the ball and slams her hand into it. My heart skips a beat as she digs around as all I can think about in the moment are about Shock and Vicky. They must be frozen, watching the ball in horror. It must be torture, and quite frankly, it is for me to watch the escort agonize over witch slip to choose until she grabs one she likes.
You know those moments when something horribly insane happens? People usually describe moments like as time was slowing down for them. For me though, it was completely different. Time seemed to fly quicker than anything I've ever experienced as she holds it in the air for everyone to see, and then unfolds the slip. With her voice as loud as thunder and as strong as lighting itself, she practically screams out the name.
"SHOCK TARENTINA IS OUR GIRL! CONGRATULATIONS!"
It doesn't register at first. I stand there looking at the slip in confusion, like an idiot, wondering what just happened. Did they really just call my sister's name? No, they couldn't have, that's impossible. Her chances are slim compared to many others in the district it couldn't be her. It had to be another girl with the same name, that happens all the time in reapings. I don't snap out of my little haze as the peacekeepers start to drag my sister to the stage.
It's the sound though, of my mother's cries that then pull me into reality. My heart slams in my chest, my eyes widen, everything feels so blurry. I watch, in complete horror, as my sister is dragged up to onto the stage. My mom screams, and her screams echo in my ears. I feel like screaming, because now I know my sister is actually going into the games if someone does not help her. I look at the girl's section, all of them silent and relived. I search for any guilty eyes, someone who might volunteer and save my sister. I knew it was a long shot, but maybe, just somehow maybe, someone would save her.
No one does.
Stephen beside me tries to give me a reassuring pat on the back, but I pull away. Everyone starts to clap for some reason, but their sound starts to dim. I can still hear my mother's cries in the background. The escorts bright colors make my eyes trained on her, in anger, in confusion. I'm enraged and want to run up and destroy her, but I can't and watch as she goes to the next bowl.
"LET'S NOW START WITH THE BOYS!"
I don't care who gets picked, I just look at my sister, who is slightly shaking. I can tell she's trying so hard not to cry, I've lived with her for so long that I can tell when she tries to hide her tears. Her face is scrunched up, her eyes squinted tightly, her mouth forms a smile to try and make it seems she's happy.
She's not though, I can tell she isn't at all happy about the situation. No one volunteers for her. She's going to die. I love her, but I know that she wouldn't last a day in there with all of the careers and tributes hunting her down. She would have no one else to turn to.
"WILL JACOB ORION PLEASE STEP UP TO THE STAGE?"
I don't realize the boy has been called until Jacob starts walking to the stage. He's angry, upset, mad. Just like me.
I want to crumple up in defeat, to cry and scream and kick someone for doing this to me. I have Oliver and Vicky to lean onto for support, I even have my other sibling Electron, but no one can replace my sister. She'll die in there unless someone saves her, and I'm sure Jacob Orion isn't handing out any freebies on his life.
No one will help her unless she has someone to trust, and beside me and my family, who can she trust really? A bunch of strangers in different districts with who knows what personalities will kill her in a flash for a chance to win. I can't let that happen. I can't be at home and watch her die like that.
I have to be there for her.
My eyes tense up at the stage, staring at Shock. She tries so hard to stop shaking. A lump in my throat appears, maybe because of the tie. My hand starts to move. I start to sweat like crazy. I can't stop myself, I have to practically spit out the words before everyone can finally hear me, and I make sure to scream louder than I ever had before.
"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!"
No way is she going into this alone.
Shock Tarentina – 15 Years Old
District 5 Female
The reaping…
What a sorrowful event to have to participate in. Every year, ending in the same result. Twenty-four poor children forced into an arena with no hope for survival. Except for the careers of course, but they're considered psychotic anyway so no one really cares about them as much.
I stand in the fifteen-year-old pen, which is not at all fun. The number of girls chatting about things I don't really care about and bumping into me harshly is astronomical. Not to mention that it's kind of boring out here, standing alone with no one to talk to.
Whenever I wasn't home, working on my projects and experiments, I always talked to Spark to keep myself from going mad. Now that he's not here, I have no one to really talk to, except Spark's friend Vicky, who stands two girls away from my right. I don't know her that much though, and she seems like she's already talking to another girl I don't know.
Nevertheless, the reaping should be ending soon. Our escort this year, Harper, is very speedy and seems to want to get over the reaping as fast as possible. She's freakishly tall for a normal human being, and her eyelashes exceed the normal limit of reality.
"HELLO, EVERYONE!"
Not to mention she shouts really loud.
Everyone covers their ears as the mic screeches across the square.
"I'M SURE ALL OF YOU ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE GAMES THIS YEAR! I KNOW I AM, AND I'M SUPER EXCITED TO SEE THE TRIBUTES! OH, YES, I AM! IT'S GOING TO BE A BLAST!"
I can't help but roll my eyes at this escort, and then I smirk at the thought of Spark reacting to my reaction to this.
"WE SHAN'T DILLY DADDLE NOW! LET'S SEE WHO THE LUCK WINNERS ARE THIS YEAR! LADIES FIRST!"
My annoyance with the escort quickly turns to slight fear as she slams her hand into the girl's bowl. She practically throws slips out until she finds one she likes. She holds it up for all the girls to see.
I stare at it, coldly. That slips seals one girls fate, one girl that probably has friends, family, love interest. She's about to lose it all with that single slip the escort holds high above her head. I don't know why I think too much into it, I've done this so many times I've never really cared anymore. However, I have a feeling, like something bad is going to happen this year.
She, the escort I mean, walks to the microphone, unfolds the slip, and her loud booming voice cuts through the square with the name.
"SHOCK TARENTINA IS OUR GIRL! CONGRATULATIONS!"
Nothing prepares me for it. I stand in horror as the air in my lungs dissolves, my heart pounds against my chest, my legs start to fail. I almost fall unconscious until a girl behind me touches my shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze. I don't know who she is, I don't remember who anyone is at the moment. All I can remember is hearing my name, bouncing up and down in my head.
Shock Tarentina! Congratulations! Shock Tarentina! Congratulations! Shock Tarentina! Congratulations!
This isn't happening. It can't be! I'm not done yet! I'm not done changing the world, my future!
Right now, however, my future is literally yanked away from me as a couple of peacekeepers grab my arms and drag me to the stage. Dirt climbs into my boots, tears threaten to spill out of my eyes, I'm gulping down air like there's no tomorrow. The kids in the different sections watch me in despair as I'm dragged away.
I can see my mom shrieking; her mouth opens wide, producing a choked uproar. Dad's trying to calm her down, but it's a futile attempt. Was it just an hour ago when she was calling me down for breakfast? When she smiled at me great reassurance? Had it really been an hour ago when all that happened?
They drop me onto the stage and I shakily stand up. The escort, having no awareness to the situation talks excitedly to me, cheering happily and encouraging the crowd to clap for my demise. They clap, but I can tell they're not enjoying it at all. It's sickening to hear it, and it's sickening to watch the excitement on the escort's face.
"LET'S NOW START WITH THE BOYS!" she says happily.
No one says a word as she digs her hand around violently into the bowl of slips. The pieces of paper fly around in excited movement as the escort finally grabs a slip she's happy with. As this process happens, I no longer think of myself, or of my fate. Maybe I should be, crying over myself about what's to come, but all I can think about in the heat of the moment is my brother.
What if his name is on the slip?
The single thought of having to fight my brother in the arena, or having to watch him die, tears me apart. I pray harder than I ever had that it's not his name. I might already be dead, but he does not deserve the same fate as me.
The escort opens the tiny piece of paper, almost too quickly for me to process, and she's already calling out the name before I know it.
"WILL JACOB ORION PLEASE STEP UP TO THE STAGE?"
I don't know which emotion I feel first, but relief and fear run through my body at the exact same time at the realization that it will not be my brother joining me. Instead, I watch as the boy, Jacob, comes out of the fourteen-year-old section in shock, disbelief, anger. He seems to slow down as he makes his way to the stage, as if he's still trying to process what's happening.
Then, I hear his voice. My brother's voice.
"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!"
My world shatters, literally shatters, as I watch my brother race out of his section without hesitation and run to the stage. The look on his face tells it all, concern, bravery, acting complete calm as he passes Jacob and rushes to my side. He doesn't even look worried about what he just signed up for to be at my side.
His arms wrap around me and I return his embrace. So many emotions are running through me at this moment. Anger, confusion, fear. It takes so long for me to process what's happening until I see Jacob Orion returning to his section.
My brother just volunteered.
He looks at me with concern. It almost makes me want to cry as I see his eyes water and sparkle. I can tell he's holding back tears.
"Why?" Is all I can muster out. I have to force it out of my mouth.
"I had to," he simply says before standing by my side.
For the moment, the world doesn't exist. I don't hear the widely clapping escort or catch the worrying look from the victors. It's just me and my brother for the tiniest moment in my existence. For a moment, nothing existed. For a moment, it was just me and my brother standing side by side.
Then I hear the anthem play.
It vibrates my bones, shakes my skin. My ears pound with sound as the anthem continues, cranked so loud I can barely hear our parents screams and sobs anymore. I tightly hold onto my brother's hand, and he grips it tightly as well.
Maybe there will come a time where I scream and shout at my brother for being so horribly dumb. To lecture him about what huge consequence volunteering just caused between our family. Maybe there will come a time where I make him realize his mistake.
But for now, I'm just glad he's by my side, ready to take on the games together.
Finally got this chapter out. It took way longer than I expected it being.
I don't want to bore you with any details of why this chapter took so long to publish, but if you want to know really badly, you can PM me and we can talk about it.
But whatever about that, the next reaping is finally out and I'm moving onto district 6. Thank you so much 2017tnt for both Shock and Spark. There quite an interesting pair and I can't wait to write more of them together.
Please leave a review if you can and enjoy the rest of your day!
Take Care
CandleFire45
