Sebastian "Seb" Cassara (18)- D7M
"Seb, it's time to wake up."
There's a kiss on my forehead. I reach out next to me for Alexis, but she's already up. I groan and roll up into a sitting position. I glance around the apartment, ruffling my hair. The window is open, letting in the crisp morning air. Usually the sounds of chainsaws and falling trees accompany the scent of pine and soil, but today everything is suspiciously quiet. It reminds me of what today is. The Reaping.
Alexis comes out of the bathroom, freshly dressed. I can hear Benji laughing in the other room with his parents. I never thought I would live with my girlfriend's family, but after moving in almost two years ago, I have to say this is the happiest I've been in years.
"You really do have to get up, Seb," Alexis tells me in amusement. "The ceremony is in two hours."
"I know, I know…"
This is Alexis' and my last eligible year. At least we don't have to go to work today, and after this we won't have to worry about it anymore.
Benji wanders into the room, peeking around Alexis' dress.
"What are you doing?" she asks.
"I just wanted to see what Seb was wearing," he says quietly. Last year had been his first Reaping, and he had wanted to dress just like me for luck.
"Alright, let me show you what your sister picked out for me," I say, slipping out of bed. My Reaping outfit is laid out on the chair beside me, a simple black button up shirt and my work pants. The pants are a little dirty, but no one will really notice in District Seven. Every pair of pants here end up becoming work pants eventually.
"What do you think?" I ask him, smoothing out the shirt.
"It's the same as last year!" he exclaims.
"Wow, really?" I say sarcastically. He knows that I'm joking and hits my lightly on the arm. As he runs out of the room, Alexis raises her eyebrow at me.
"I didn't say anything mean," I huff, starting to change out of my nightclothes. She smiles at me as I turn away.
...
This will be my second Games since what happened. All the blood and violence makes everything worse than usual and I tried to avoid watching as much as I could last year, but the Games are hard to ignore. The large screens in the square are constantly running during the season, and the Peacekeepers bring us updates while we're working in the forest. They're near impossible to escape.
The walk to the Reaping is torture. I can't wait until the ceremony is over and we can celebrate at Alexis' family's house. Last year we had several people over and a frosted cake that her parents had saved for for weeks.
Alexis and I take Benji to get our fingers pricked, and I help usher him to the thirteen-year old's section. He waves over at me when we've both taken our places, dressed in almost identical outfits. Benji's never had a big brother, so I've kind of taken on the role. It's nice to have a little brother as well. Before, I only had my parents, and that relationship was strained to say the least. I put it out of my mind and try to focus on the party later. Not the death that will be coming in the next weeks, or my old family, but the good times with my new family.
Willow Whitebeam (17)- D7F
Juniper and I laugh along with the gamblers as the District Seven escort steps up to the stage, a hilarious looking woman with bright blue hair and neon lights all over her outfit. We haven't checked in yet, instead spending all the time we can with the gamblers before the ceremony. They're terrible people, but joking around with them isn't too difficult, up until Juniper and I steal their wallets.
It's less out of necessity, or as a punishment for betting on the lives and deaths of children, and more for the thrill. With the large crowd and Peacekeepers everywhere, it makes the challenge that much more thrilling.
While Juniper distracts a man in his forties or fifties, I pretend to be watching the movement on stage, and slip his wallet out of his pocket and into mine. Unlike most of the girls around the square, Juniper and I wear trousers, like always. We learned a long time ago there's not many places to hide stolen goods in a skirt.
Today's already been a fruitful day; we hit the food market and even stolen a couple of watches right off the wrists of some wealthier men who own the lumber yards. It's amazing what some flirting and a sidekick can get you. We then stopped by the Shopkeeper to sell our haul. The Shopkeeper goes by no other name around the district, and very few know who he is, but Juniper and I have been working or him for almost four years. The best three years of our life, actually.
"Well, we should get going, right Willow?" Juniper smiles at me, motioning to the check-in area.
"You're right," I nod. Now that we've given the Shopkeeper his fair share, we can keep our earnings from these gamblers for ourselves. Someone's odds were just not in their favor today.
Once we're out of earshot of the men, we start laughing to ourselves and whispering about what we've stolen. We'll be able to fully count it later, when we're back at our apartment. The place is covered in mold and there's only one bedroom, but we earned it all on our own. It's so much better than being in the Care Home, where we were stuck for most of our lives. I fiddle with the apartment key I wear around my neck, smiling to myself.
"Do you think we can buy a cake later today?" Juniper asks me as we make our way to the seventeen-year olds section.
"Why bother buying it?" I ask with a grin. Juniper throws her head back and laughs, her long blond hair blowing in the wind. She's much taller than I am, and more classically beautiful, but we never seem to have much of a problem when it comes to finessing the men and women around the district. They are captivated by my brown hair and somewhat mousy features anyway.
When we enter the roped-off area for our age group, a girl bumps into me, not bothering to even apologize. I scowl at her.
"How about an 'excuse me'?" I snap at her, feeling Juniper's hand on my arm.
"Leave it, Willow. Let's just get through this."
She's right. I forget about the girl and turn away, leaving behind her confused, frightened expression. The Reapings are long and boring and I can never stay still for so long. My mind is on all of the jewelry that's available to steal throughout the square.
The escort steps up the microphone and begins her usual Capitolite chirping. I have to hold in my laughter when she says, "Happy Hunger Games!" and the accent makes her sound like a cross between a snake and a bird.
"Let's do the girls, first, shall we?"
I stiffen up in anticipation. I only have two people to worry about; myself and Juniper, and we haven't taken out tesserae since we were kicked out of the Care Home. But the chance is still there…
"Willow Whitebeam!"
For a moment, my heart stops, and the only thing I can hear is the wind whistling through the trees, the eyes of every lumberjack's son and daughter on me as I make my way to the stage. I pray silently that Juniper won't do anything stupid, and my wish comes true. When I meet her eyes onstage, they're filled with horror, but she isn't moving.
"And now for the boys!"
The escort reaches into the ball and retrieves a new slip. "Benjamin Lee!"
Surprisingly, there's a distressed cry coming from the girl's section immediately after the name is called. She tries to run forward but the Peacekeepers grab her and hold her back as the young boy, only thirteen, trembles as he mounts the stage.
"No!" the girl cries, desperately trying to get to the boy. "Benji, no! I volunteer!"
"Unfortunately, only someone of the same gender can volunteer," the escort says, obviously uncomfortable with what is occurring. The boy is now standing next to me, his eyes wide and terrified. "If another boy would like to volunteer for this fine young man, than that would of course be acceptable…"
"I volunteer." A firm voice is heard above the racket that the girl is making. The volunteer comes from the eighteen-year old section, with white-blond hair and striking blue eyes. When he reaches the stage, he pats the boy on the back and sends him to the girl. He runs back to her and she throws her arms around him, both of them crying.
The escort is clearly as shocked with this turn of events as much as anyone, turning to the new tribute and saying in a flustered voice, "Um, well, what is your name, young man?"
"Sebastian Cassara," he says, a mixture of obvious anger along with strange boredom in his voice. He's strong, by the look of it. Probably a lumberjack.
"Well, there you have it," the escort says nervously. "Willow Whitebeam and Sebastian Cassara! Shake hands, you two."
Sebastian shakes my hand, his expression murderous. I know he will be a force to be reckoned with in the arena, and maybe a possible ally. If I'm truly going into the Hunger Games, I'll need to start thinking about these things.
Sebastian "Seb" Cassara (18)- D7M
Alexis' family are about as distraught as you would expect them to be. Her mother gives me a small locket that she said she was going to give to Alexis one day.
"But it belongs with you," she says with a tearful smile. Her kindness has always reminded me of my own mother. I give her a hug and try to comfort Benji.
"This is my fault!" he cries. "Why did you volunteer?"
"I had to," I tell him. "That's what brothers are for, alright?"
He nods and buries his face into my chest. I meet Alexis' eyes over his head. Her expression is grim, but she knows I did the right thing. Even if I die, she'll be grateful that I saved her brother. That's just the way life is. Save one life by taking another. I learned that a long time ago.
"You have a good chance of winning," Alexis tells me, her voice choked up. "You're tough and strong and… you have experience."
I wish she wouldn't bring that up right now, out of all things. The image of my father choking my mother to death still haunts me in my sleep.
"I'm not sure that's the same thing," I say quietly, rubbing Benji's back. She is right, though; violence is something that I might be more used to than the other tributes.
"You have to try."
She kisses me and wraps me in a hug along with her brother, possibly for the last time. When the Peacekeepers come to take them away, I hold onto her hand for as long as I can. I can't help but wonder if this is my punishment for everything that I've done. I wasn't able to help my mother, and honestly I wasn't able to help myself either. Killing my father never brought me any peace.
Hey guys! I know I didn't update yesterday and I'm sorry. I had terrible writer's block, which sucks because I love both these characters. I hope I did them justice.
The Reapings continue! I can't wait until we get to see the tributes interacting with each other! Thanks for reading!
