Larkspur Fisole – District 12
I love my family. I really do. But sometimes I wish they were…different. Less self-absorbed. We live in the better part of the Seam. It's been hard for us for the last few years, but compared to some people, we have it pretty good. I feel like my mother worries more about herself than some of the other people that are poorer. My father works too much in the mines. Sometimes, I think he leaves work after his shift and goes to be with his buddies. At least, that's what my best friend, Halle says.
I sit in the nice, grassy area behind our house. Two bunnies slipped past the fence and into our small yard. I've taken care of them for a while: feeding them, making sure they don't get hurt, giving them love. They've really grown on me. Their names are Primrose and Sully. After I check on Primrose and Sully, I head inside to prepare for the Reaping.
My sister, Avi, stands in front of our cracked mirror, repeatedly fixing her outfit and hair. She's eighteen, so it's her last year to be eligible to be Reaped. She signed up for extra tesserae this year since my father isn't bringing in as much income. "Does this dress make me look fat, Lark?" she asks me, turning so she could look at her dress in a profile view. "It does, doesn't it?" She gazes at me with hard emerald eyes. "Fine. Don't talk to me."
"You didn't give me enough time to respond, Avi," I tell her, skipping to my closet on the other side of the room.
"Ah, yes, sorry, Larkie," she replies. She picks all sorts of condescending names to call me. Avi still sees me as the little six year old that always followed her around. I still follow her around, but not like a lost puppy. "How does it look?"
"Fantastic, as always," I compliment. My sister is quite beautiful with her bone structure and stunning eyes. Sometimes, I imagine her with Artu Regelo during her interview spinning in a beautiful dress that her stylist has created for her. The only reason I don't continue with that fantasy is because it would end in her going to the Games. My sister is strong and tall and stands a chance if she were Reaped, but I don't want her to ever go to the Games. I want her to be with me forever, even though she annoys me at times.
"Thanks, kiddo," Avi says, ruffling my hair. "What are you wearing? What about that little pink dress with that bow on it?" I open my mouth to say something, but she's already in my closet, pulling out the dress. It's in the back, so it takes her a moment to get it out. I purposely placed that dress in the back because it's embarrassing and ridiculous looking. It's something for a three year old, not a twelve year old.
Avi rips off my shirt and pants, throwing the dress over my head. She takes her brush, trying to get the knots out. She yanks and I bite my lip. "I'm going to make you all pretty, Larkie," Avi says over and over. She tightly ties the back of the dress and zips it up. She shoves me in front of the mirror, forcing me to stare at myself in the ugliest dress ever.
First of all, it's bright pink with lots of lace. Then, there's this massive bow in the middle of the waist that takes away from the rest of the dress. It's got puffy short sleeves that don't work well at all. Avi ties the whole ugly outfit together when she sticks a huge bow in my hair that clashes with my horrendous outfit.
"There. You look so much prettier, now." Avi pinches my cheeks, grinning. "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't around, baby sister." She loves me, I know she does, but sometimes she is condescending, and I hate it. But, she's my sister so I have to love her.
Avi puts her hand in mine as we begin our short walk to the town square. Many others are filing into their designated sections. The mayor begins his speech shortly after everyone's in their places. Our escort, Nessie Locket, bounds across the stage cheerfully. She breezes through the openings and quickly gets to the reaping part. Her hand dives into the bowl eagerly and pulls out a name.
"Larkspur Fisole!"
No. No. This can't be happening. My name's been in there once. I'm twelve. This…there must be something wrong. It has to be rigged.
My whole body is trembling as I walk towards the stage. I keep glancing back at my sister in the eighteen year old section. She could save me. She could volunteer. She could give me another year to live. Come on, Avi. I keep staring at her hopefully, tears welling up in my eyes. She stares back with a stony expression. She has no intent on volunteering.
I stand on the stage near our current victor, a man in his thirties maybe fourties. He glances at me, appearing to be curious. Nessie digs through the bowl, drawing a boy's name out. "Ector Cabot!" she yells joyfully.
A young boy emerges from the fifteen year old section. His eyes are a strange shade of gray. They're intense and give off a strange vibe. His charcoal colored hair sweeps across his forehead. I remember him. There are rumors about him too. Parentless. Schizophrenic. Trouble maker. A couple of times he's crossed the gate, traveling into the woods. He wouldn't make it far. Once, he was whipped as a punishment, something that rarely happens here in Twelve.
"I give you our tributes of District Twelve! Larkspur Fisole and Ector Cabot!" Nessie beams.
Ector stands next to me on the stage. We shake hands and I can't help but notice his strong grip. He could easily kill me. Torture me. He scares me. Terrifies me. His crazy gray eyes, midnight black hair, and the scars on his hands. He smiles at me. His smile frightens me too. It's too nice, too perfect. His teeth are surprisingly straight and white, completely contradicting the rest of his appearance. Could he be our next victor? I don't know what to think. He seems a bit mentally unstable. The moment he steps into the arena, it looks like something in him might snap.
If I don't make it, I don't know if I'd want the victor to be him.
