"For today's history class, we will be talking about the mockingjay era on Panem."
The teacher writes "75th Hunger Games" on the blackboard.
"Now, can anyone tell me one of the surviving tributes from that year's hunger games?"
A girl with a round face and dark brown hair with two braided pigtails raises her hand.
"Yes, Macy?"
She stands up and says, "Miss Ronda, none of the six victors who escaped that year is still alive, but the names of the tributes are Katniss, Peeta, Finnick, Johanna, Enobaria, and Beetee."
"Wow, very good!" Miss Ronda writes down the names on the board. "I think we've all been told of the story ever since second grade. Katniss was a hero, a mockingjay, a symbolism for a powerful rebellion. Well, those are all true. She was loved, idolized, supported. She was supposed to kill President Coriolanus Snow, but she ends up killing District 13's President Alma Coin. However, within a week after those deaths, a random guy shot her in the head. She was a symbol of democracy, of power! After her death however, that same madman shot the new president in the head as well. Therefore, a new election was put into place, since there was still no vice president."
She writes "Hannah Jauze" on the board. She taps that part of the board and continues, "She became the new president, and she said that the Hunger Games should still be a punishment to all the outlying districts, because we should not forget about history. The districts rebelled against the idea of course, but her force was strong enough to stop the follow-up rebellion. With Katniss Everdeen gone, everything had changed."
Miss Ronda goes to talk more about what happened after the Snow Dynasty. She asks some more people to recite, and some students care to ask some questions. The class ends more or less an hour after. Macy Roe approaches her teacher. "Miss Ronda…"
"Sure Macy," Miss Ronda cuts her off. "You know where my table is, right?"
"Yes, Miss Ronda." With that, she helps her teacher by bringing down her teacher's stuff to the faculty room. The teacher knew this would happen after every session of class.
Upon exiting the faculty room, Macy sees her best friend, Skylar. She has dark skin, brown eyes, and the curliest hair one has ever seen. She has been waiting for Macy outside.
"Hey!" Skylar greets.
"Hey! Did you like today's lesson in class?"
"I don't know. I heard it for so many times already."
"But you fell asleep for the rest of her lecture."
"Yeah, she's boring."
"No she's not. I like her!"
"You like all your teachers, Macy. We all know that."
"You're right!"
They both laugh as they move to another area where they continue the conversation. They see a cat walking past them.
"Ooh, kitty!" says Macy.
They decide to follow it.
Macy continues, "I always wanted a pet, and I asked my parents for a pet dog at least, but they always tell me that we'll have one someday."
"My parents don't like animals. At least your parents are open to the idea of pets."
They continue walking to a place where they can hang out. These two were far from friends when they first met, during first grade when they were seven years old.
~Flashback Start~
"Skylar, may I borrow your pencil?"
"No!"
"Why?"
"I said no!"
"But why!?"
Of course, the little children didn't know better. Skylar jumped at Macy and they both started pulling each other's hair. Eventually, the teacher sent them both to the principal's office.
"Kids, please don't do that again next time."
They both nodded, but as they leave the principal's office, they glared at each other.
Fast forward to three years later, they were once again sent to the principal's office for cutting each other's hair. They both glared at each other as they waited for the principal to come.
"You know, if none of us will stop, none of us will win something good," Macy said.
"I still hate you." Skylar looked away from Macy.
"Come on, Sky. Do you remember what Mister Young from values class told us yesterday? We need to forgive others."
Skylar stared at the wall to rethink.
"I'm sorry," Macy said. "Let's start over and be friends." She reached out her hand as Skylar turned around to see Macy smiling at her in a friendly manner. Skylar reached out her hand as well and they both shook hands.
"I'm sorry," Skylar said. "I'm sorry for being jealous in your cuteness"
Macy laughed, then she said in a half-not-serious manner, "Really!?"
They both laughed, but it was interrupted by the arrival of the principal.
~Flashback End~
Around two years later, which is present time, they both look like sisters, inseparable until the end of time. They reach the meadows, where different kinds of flowers grow abundantly.
"A four-leaf clover!" Skylar says as she picks it up. Macy tries to look for a four-leaf clover as well, but they eventually move on to the dandelions.
"This one looks the puffiest," says Macy before blowing its seeds away. Skylar picks up another dandelion and blows the seeds away too.
"The tulips are beautiful," says Skylar.
"So are the sunflowers," Macy adds.
They look for more flowers and play around the field. They watch the sunset together. Skylar puts her left arm around Macy's lower back, by her waist. Macy returns the action by placing her right arm above Skylar's back, by her neck.
"Well, the sun is down," Macy says.
"Don't leave yet," Skylar says. She pauses for a while. "I feel nervous for tomorrow's reapings."
Macy gives Skylar a pat on the back. "Me too, honestly. I don't know what to do exactly."
"What if one of us gets reaped?"
"I… I don't know. I don't think we'll be reaped, our names have only been entered once. I should be worried for my brother more. He took a lot of tesserae for me."
They hug each other before saying farewell to each other.
"See you tomorrow!"
"See ya, Sky!"
Macy goes home, to her house that looks just fine, not too extravagant yet not too impoverished. She enters her house to see the sight of her parents and her brother already home. It's not a usual sight, since they are home from work earlier than usual.
"How was school, sweetie?" asks George.
"It's fine. We learned about President Hannah Jauze today."
"Ooh!" George reacts. "That meanie son of a… I mean daughter of a… uh, that meanie."
"I'm glad you're able to control it, honey," Nora says. "Sweetie, why are you home so late?" She sounds and looks worried.
"I was watching the sunset with Skylar."
"How old is she?"
"Twelve, just like me."
"Oh." Nora realizes that it's also Skylar's first year to be eligible in the reapings.
"Mom, Dad, Macy, dinner is ready," Caden calls.
"I'm glad you finally learned how to cook," Nora says.
"But what if I get reaped tomorrow?" says Caden.
Both parents worry, as they have the same fear. Macy says, "Don't worry brother, maybe there are others who took more tesserae than you did."
Silence. Caden then says, "Yeah, maybe, hopefully."
As dinner is served, they all eat in silence. Macy tries to bring a conversation into the table. "Daddy, when are we getting a pet dog?"
"Someday, sweetie." George rubs her head and she smiles.
After some moments of silence, she tries again. "Mommy, what is your favorite book."
"Oh, there are too many to name." She smiles, and Macy smiles back.
Hours later, she goes to bed. She shares the room with her brother, while her parents are in the room across.
"Mommy, what am I gonna wear tomorrow for the reapings?"
"Hmmm…" Nora thinks.
George says, "You can wear the dress we gave you on your last birthday."
"Okay," Macy says.
"Good night, sweetie," Nora and George say in unison. They exchange hugs and kisses with Macy. George turns on the night lamp, before they leave the room. Caden's empty bed is the last thing Macy sees before she falls asleep.
Ogon Warsack and Dorian Belcorn both relax on the sofas in the living room. They are both drinking wine, one of the finest kinds available in the rich part of the district.
"Ogon, I wonder who will be reaped in this year's hunger games." Dorian says it in such a fancy tone with a fancy accent.
"It doesn't matter, Dorian. What are the chances people like us would be reaped?"
"Oh there's still a chance."
They both sip from their respective wine glasses.
Dorian says, "My grandfather used to tell me: 'A true gentleman should never take advantage of any lady.'"
"How many times do you have to mention your grandfather every time we meet?"
"As much times as I want to, because he is my idol."
"You seem to look up really high to him."
"Of course! He is my idol, and I miss him dearly." Dorian takes a sip. "He said he was on a business trip to the Capitol, but I always wonder why he never came back."
"I'm pretty sure he will." Ogon tries to cheer Dorian up, but both of them know it's not gonna work.
Dorian laughs and reacts, "Two years!? I expect him to come back after two years!?"
"Oh no, I'm just being silly." Ogon laughs, and so does Dorian once more.
"At sixteen years old, I lost my one and only grandfather."
"You're supposed to have two."
"Oh I'm just being silly." They laugh at Dorian's mockery. "You're right. I don't know anything about my other grandfather." They keep laughing, but it has to die down too.
"On a serious note, I really miss my grandfather. He taught me how to be a gentleman, how to play fencing, how to be fashionable, and a whole lot more."
"Dorian, everybody has someone to miss. We have to let go of these people in our lives, because they're either not worth it, or because you love them so. For the latter case, people we love can't stay with us forever. Death is inevitable, unless you're a god."
"Ogon, if you were in my shoes, you'd probably get a better understanding on how I feel deep inside."
"When do you provide me with information about your feelings!?" They both laugh. Dorian realizes that the wine bottle is empty, so he and Ogon finish their respective drinks.
"It seems like we're out of wine," Ogon says.
"It's fine! You're bringing the bottle next time though."
"No problem."
Ogon leaves Dorian's house, while Dorian cleans up all the mess in the living room, which is not much. He lives alone, for his parents have too much money to let him stay with them. They live nearby, however. Dorian comes from a family of factory owners. Money is never an issue, and he as well as the people related to him never know what it's like to be poor.
Dorian proceeds to the bathtub, where he accidentally sleeps for the night. He wakes up several hours later and gets ready for the reapings. He wears a white shirt and boxers, followed by his black slacks and a gold-and-dark-blue-striped necktie. He looks at his wardrobe, and decides to wear the dark green vest his grandfather gave him on his fourteenth birthday. Lastly, he puts on an elegant Victorian-esque suit.
He proceeds to the mirror to comb his light brown hair. He combs his bangs so that he won't have to shake it off from time to time, since it is long enough to reach the neck area. He checks what he's missing, and he takes the family heirloom, an ancient golden pendant originally owned by his grandfather. It was passed to his father before it reaches him.
He goes to the kitchen to prepare French toast. He wishes to have an avox to help him out with chores or preparing food, but he'll think about it once more if he comes back. He goes to the shoe rack to gather his black shoes. He shines them bright like the reflection of the sun from a mirror. He then returns to the kitchen to eat his French toast. He gets a fork and a knife, and he cuts each slice neatly and carefully.
Once done, he washes his dish and utensils before proceeding to the living room, where his shoes are. He wears dark socks and the black shoes he was shining. Before he leaves his fancy house for the reapings, he takes the top hat near the door and wears it. He hesitates whether to bring a cane with him or not. It is his last year to be eligible for the reapings, so he decides to bring the cane with him, albeit he puts the foldable cane in a pocket in his suit.
He walks with his back straight, chest out, and chin up. He walks with fashion, and he eventually makes it to the plaza for the reapings. He makes it to the queue, and he looks at the girls' queue. He can overhear the older ones talking about him.
"He is that rich kid of Marcus and Anastasa Belcorn."
"Cesare was his grandpa, right?"
"Yeah! They own almost all the factories in the district."
The girls look to see Dorian watching them from a distance. He raises his eyebrows, and smiles a little, then winks at them.
"Oh my gosh!" one of them says softly.
"I wish Gerome looks like that too," the other one says softly.
By the time he makes it in, there is still a lot of space. He is early today, and he realizes it just now. He looks around to see many teenagers in the dirtiest clothes possible. He tries to look away from those. After some time, he sees a slender but short guy who is wearing an outfit much fancier than what Dorian is wearing. He looks at the small jewelries on the guy's platinum blonde hair.
"Ogon, you look like an escort!" Dorian says half-jokingly. They both laugh, but since they are in public, they do it fancily like gentlemen.
"Speaking of the escort, I think that's him." Ogon points to a guy shining in silver. Every step he takes makes a sparkle to everyone's eyes. His face is gold, but a portion of it near his right eye is covered by a silver mask. He seems to be wearing an outfit that makes him look either like an alien or a robot. The outfit includes both for his top and his bottom. The shoulder area of the outfit is very huge and long, and he looks like the capital letter Y when he walks with those things. He has shiny pink boots and shiny blue gloves. His hair color seems normal at least, though his hair seems a bit longer than usual.
He can't find the mic, so he starts speaking while some people prepare it for him. "Welcome! Welcome to the reapings of the 140th hunger games! My name is Neomett Elphyz, and I was first here during the 130th hunger games."
He goes to show the updated video after the fourth quarter quell, which includes a little bit about the dark days rebellion, a lot from the mockingjay rebellion, and the rest from the first one hundred hunger games. As the video ends, he approaches the mic once again.
"Let us begin!" he says with the mic in a robotic tone that echoes. People start to doubt that he's still human. They are also reacting to the way he walks with the outfit, because he really looks like a walking capital letter of the alphabet.
"Our female tribute this year is Macy Roe!" As he speaks, his robotic voice echoes.
A girl with dark brown hair styled as two braided pigtails wearing a simple navy dress that reaches to her ankles slowly walks out of the twelve-year-old section. People gasp in surprise as this short and skinny girl is reaped to represent for this year's hunger games. She adjusts the white sweater over her dress as she walks to the middle aisle. The usually-smiling lips have faded ever since her name was called. She looks up with her big and round eyes at the stage to see the escort waiting for her to come up. Tears start falling on her pale and freckled face. She sniffs with her little button nose as she makes it to the stage. She looks at the many rows of girls with her teary green eyes, silently begging for someone to volunteer in her place. She then looks at her brother, who shakes his head with a more-than-worried look on his face.
The escort finally moves to the other side of the stage to reap the boy's name out. He reads aloud with his echoing robotic voice, "Jesse…"
"I volunteer!" Dorian announces aloud.
"What!?" Ogon reacts in a surprised manner.
"What?" says Dorian confidently. Ogon is still shocked as Dorian moves away from his position. People see his oval, angelic, and symmetrical face, with thin pursed lips and a small pointed nose. He is tall and slightly tanned. He keeps his back straight, chest out, and chin up as he makes his way to the stage with nobility.
"A volunteer!" Neomett says echoingly and robotically. "Can you please tell us your name, and why you volunteered?"
"I go by the name Dorian Belcorn."
People react upon hearing the last name.
"And I volunteered because I want to go to the Capitol to investigate on my grandfather's death, Cesare Belcorn."
"Cesare Belcorn!?" Neomett reacts. "I didn't even know he is already dead!"
There are too many reactions from the crowd, but it eventually dies down.
"District Nine, Macy Roe and Dorian Belcorn!" They both shake hands before being led to the Justice Building. Dorian looks to the crowd confidently, while Macy tries to smile with tears in her eyes.
Macy remains to cry in the room. Her family comes in first, all looking devastated as expected.
"Sweetie," Nora says. She doesn't really know what to say, so she goes to hug her. She tries to wipe her tears with tissue paper, then goes to wipe Macy's tears as well. She gives Macy the small pack of tissue paper, and another hug. Tears continue to flow on both pairs of eyes.
George comes closer to hug Macy as well. "Sweetie, everything will be fine." Macy continues to cry, knowing that his father is just trying to cheer her up. He gives her some pats on the back, as he holds her close while shaking his head in devastation.
It is then Caden's turn, and he tries to cheer Macy up too. "Macy, just remember the good times we used to have. When we were young, we played so many games at home. Remember?" He smiles, or at least tries, but Macy is not done crying her eyes out. She thinks of the happy days, but in a way in which they are over.
Caden then goes to hug her. "Oh Macy, why!?" He cries for her as well, for he has taken so much tesserae and it is his last reaping. Macy on the other hand is on her first reaping without having taken any tesserae at all. Caden sacrifices himself to provide Macy with enough food.
The two siblings commiserate almost endlessly. It takes up a lot of time, but Macy starts to speak. "Brother, you are the best person in the world. I love you." They both hug once more, and continue to cry aloud. "I love you too, Macy. I love you!" It goes on for a while.
"Why is this so hard!?" Caden says tearily and rhetorically. He calms down after a while.
"Macy, don't forget to get an ally, a friend," says Caden.
"I will!" Macy replies as she continues to wipe tears away. They all exchange flying kisses and say their last farewells before Skylar comes in.
"Macy, I wish I can help you."
Skylar comes closer to Macy, and the former gives the latter a hug. "I want to say that it's all gonna be fine, but I can't." Skylar rubs Macy's back in order to calm her down. Luckily, it works.
"Remember the days when we were not friends?" Macy laughs a bit at what Skylar just said.
"You are so funny. I can't believe we fought like that back then."
They laugh shortly, then Macy takes out a dandelion she picked from the meadow earlier today.
"You kept one with you?"
"It will remind me of home. It is all I will have left if I won't come back."
"Macy, get a better token. That is not gonna last forever."
"What is a better token?"
"I'll give one to you later."
They both smile at each other. Macy gives Skylar a hug, and she also stops her river of tears from flowing continuously. The peacekeeper knocks on the door.
"I have to go."
"Stay with me, Sky, please."
Skylar stays for a while.
"I don't know what advice I can give you."
"It's okay. I'll know what to do once I meet my friends."
Skylar gives Macy one last hug, a warm and tight one.
"Macy, you HAVE to come back."
"I'll never forget you, Sky. Thank you for being my friend."
Skylar gives Macy a kiss on the cheek. The peacekeeper swings the door open, and Skylar leaves before she will be forced out by other means. The peacekeeper closes the door and Macy is left on her own. She looks at the dandelion she and Skylar picked this morning, but she can't get Skylar's last actions off her mind. She somehow feels attached to her now, but she doesn't really know the feeling. She just can't forget Skylar now.
Maybe this is the token she wants to give me, Macy thinks.
"You buffoon!" Ogon says in a fancy tone as he enters the room. "Are you serious with this kind of action!?"
"Yes, yes I am," Dorian replies fancily.
"You're an idiot! You're sending yourself to a fight to your death, just because you want to look for your grandfather."
"I will do everything to find out what happened to my grandfather."
"You can't just leniently walk around the Capitol! You're a tribute now."
"I know what to do in order to find the answer to this."
"What the hell!?"
"Trust me."
"You're an idiot."
"You already told me. Thanks!"
"Ugh!" Ogon turns away. Not long after, he and Dorian hears some knocks on the door.
"Dorian!"
"It is your mother and father!"
Three more knocks.
"I'm going," says Ogon.
"No! I don't wanna talk to them."
"You're an…"
"…idiot. I get it."
Ogon decides to shut up from here on. Dorian's parents can be faintly heard saying things, but Dorian is zoning out with the way he fidgets things and makes other random noises Dorian's father is a businessman, while his mother was an actress before she was married. They know what happened to Cesare, but now they regret lying to Dorian, because they are losing him already. They never knew he would be in the games this year, because they know Dorian would never take tesserae, and that there is little to no chance he would be reaped. They only came when they heard the news, but Dorian refuses to see them one last time. They continue to say aloud from outside what happened to Cesare, but Dorian remains ignorant from the inside.
"Dorian, open that door, now!"
"Right, Ogon. You might want to reconsider staying here as well."
Ogon gets up and goes out. Dorian unlocks and opens the door. Ogon goes out, and before Dorian's parents go in, he calls the peacekeepers.
"Dorian, please forgive us," Marcus says, not knowing whether Dorian has heard what he has been shouting for the past minutes. Anastasa says one last time, "Dorian, we love you!"
As they are pulled away, Dorian leaves himself alone, in peace. He thinks of what he wants to do, and what he should do, once he gets to the Capitol. Revenge is the only thing in his mind now. He is getting closer to his desired goal.
Grandpa, I need an answer, and I will find out soon, Dorian thinks.
AN:
We have finally reached the halfway point of the reapings, and this would not have been possible without the support and/or submissions from you.
Credits to CelticGames4 for some fanart over here: seaweed-hands-from-hell (period) rlbmut [spelled backwards] (period) com (slash) post (slash) 149823081536 (slash) this-is-some-art-i-did-for-platriums-syot-on
I have received another fanart before this one, but I'll show it next time when we get to the interviews.
I have a poll up on my profile, because I am indecisive of it. Please check it out!
I have all slots filled, but I am still accepting tributes. Don't be afraid to submit to any of the remaining slots that are indicated as TAKEN. Most submissions are decent, but there could be better ones out there. I also have higher standards for career tributes, so I don't think I will be closing D1 and D4 until I start writing their reaping chapters, although I have received a lot of good career submissions.
I don't know when I can get the next chapter out, but I'm glad school is not killing me with too much work, yet. We'll be moving to D12 for the next chapter, so stay tuned!