Thank you to booksandmusic97! Loved this tribute lotsss! Hope you viewers all did too! love you all, hugs all around!
Nemet B
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Ria Girffords-District 4
Shouts and chattering echoed all over the house. I counted in my head to see who filled up the biggest house in district 4.
Me, my father, Hollyn Michelle (Step-mum), Galvan XV (half brother), Trixie (half-sister), Pippa (Sister) and Madilee (half-sister).
My father, Galvan the thirteenth owns the richest and oldest fishing company in District 4, so he has had a few wives. My own mother died when i was younger. My step mum is nice, but my older half sister Madilee has always been a mother figure to me, even when my mother was alive. She was so kind to me. She would always be the one to patch up my scraped knees, and hold me in the night when I had nightmares. Madilee and Galvan XV (Van) basically raised Pippa and I, our father being too busy with work.
All four of us hated Trixie. She was the only one our father actually loved or gave any attention to. She was bratty, selfish and manipulative. I bet it was her making all the noise downstairs, throwing a fit because her dress wasn't the right colour or something.
"Hey Bug," Van says, popping his head into my room, "Start getting ready, kay?" I nod and head to my huge, walk-in wardrobe.
I pick out bandeau bathing suit top, short jean shorts and no shoes. I tie my bright curly red hair back into a ponytail. I creep out of the house, slinking past silently. But unfortunately, Galvan the 13th stops me.
"And where do you think your going?" His voice booms at me. I resist the urge to shrink back from him, but I managed to hold my ground. "I was going for a quick swim with Ari and Kai..." I trail off, unable to look him in his sea green eyes, so alike my own. After a painfully long pause, he nods robotically.
"You can go, just be there for the reaping." I nod quickly, not believing my luck. He never says yes to me. I start to walk off before he grabs me.
"Don't forget the deal. Trixie is reaped...?" I stare up at him, anger bubbling up inside of me. "I volunteer." I snap. He nods and lets me go.
A couple of years ago Galvan made me promise that if Trixie was reaped, I had to take her place and volunteer. I knew better than to refuse.
I just reach the bottom landing, where I'm caught in the middle of a fight between Trixie and the now pregnant Hollyn. I skid to a stop, but not before bumping into Trixie. I mutter an apology and back away slowly. She doesn't forgive me though. A sorry and a promise to sacrifice my life for her isn't enough apology to bump into her, apparently.
"Oh my days! What is wrong with you Ria? You have actual mental issues." Trixie snarls at me, glaring at me with unblinking, wide eyes. She knew it creeped me out.
"Now, now Trix. She apologised, OK. Now, what were you saying before, sweetheart." Hollyn interrupts. I glance at her gratefully and she gives me a friendly wink.
"No! Ria can be the decider. Isn't that right Ria?"
"Um..."
"Good good. Now, what me and Hollyn were discussing," Trixie put air-quotes with her fingers when she said 'discussing', "I want to volunteer as a tribute this year." I stare at her in shocked silence. Was she serious?
And then I burst out laughing. The whole idea was so ridiculous. I was actually gripping my sides, I had a stitch from laughing so much.
"Hey! Why are you laughing?" Trixie demands, looking hurt. I take a few deep breaths and wipe tears from my eyes. I glance at Hollyn, who is also trying hard not to laugh. I take another deep breath and dig my nails into my palm.
"Listen, Trixie. Um, I don't think you should volunteer. Galv-Dad would be distraught. You know how much he loves you, and you haven't had as much training as the other tributes. And seriously, Trix, you won't win. You will die." I say seriously.
"I would not die!" She protests, pouting a little.
"Okay, whatever you say, Trix." I laugh, before heading out of the door, shaking my head with disbelief. Trixie wanted to enter the hunger games, and she thought she could win. The idea was so hilarious it made me stop in the middle of the street, bent over in fits of laughter. I finally composed myself and made my way over to Ari's house.
I stop by Ari's house, and knock on the door. She joins me a few moments later, her dark hair let loose and her dark eyes shining with excitement. She liked to think this as breaking the rules. I strongly disagreed.
We meet up with Kai, who was waiting casually by the dock, his black hair all messy and just wearing jeans. He greets us both with a big hug. Kai I are so close, but not in the way that you'd think. He was like a big brother to me. He even looked it! He used to look so alike me people used to think we were actually related, and him always hanging out with me and Pippa supported the point. So he dyed the colour black, and he prefers it I think. He is always at my house and is the only friend my father approves of, because his company is in partnership with Vidar Lyon, Kai's dad.
Then suddenly, Kai tackles me, and pushes me over the dock and into the sea. But luckily I have a tight grip, so I bring him down with me. We resurface, spluttering and coughing, but ginning our heads off. Ari grins widely, and does a bomb into the salty water, splashing us.
And we stay there, playing in the sea for hours. We have no sense of time or anything. We finally get out is when we hear the bell ringing all over district 4. All three of us sprint to the square, in dripping wet clothes and swimming costumes. And Kai was shirtless.
We got a few funny stares as we settled down into the crowd, breathless. But more people were looking at Kai who was very muscular and was showing off his abs. District 4 has the best looking people out of all the districts, but even by our standards, Kai was gorgeous. You could see the way girls stared at him longingly.
I point this out to Ari, who stiffles a laugh, biting the inside of her cheek. We stare at him for a bit more, who looks at us questioningly. Ari doesn't hold in the laugh this time, and the Mayor who has just finished his speech, tells her to shut up. She does and sits in stony silence, looking down. I roll my eyes and look at the stage, finally paying attention to the escort, named Melinda. She was dressed up as a fish for district spirit. I made Ari take a peek at her, and she burst into a laughing fit. But Melinda read out a name right after, silencing her giggles with sobbing.
"Ria Giffords?" Melinda trilled in her stupid Capitol accent.
Terrified, I walk to the stage, but i make sure my terror doesn't show. I step calmly on the stage and face the audience with a cool and collected expression. I catch Kai's eyes, whose are huge and looked frightened. I wanted to tell him I'd be fine, that I had trained for a couple of years.
Melinda asked for volunteer's and suprisingly, none were forth-coming. But, of course they wouldn't. They wouldn't want to die in the place of me, the girl who was related to two past victors, the girl whose daddy was one of the richest men in the District. Of course they wouldn't.