What Goes Around ;; Theme Twenty One : Sacrifice
She was one of the few people who stood with confidence, standing tall, chin up, perfect, shining smile painted on perfect features. She glided around like some sort of princess, poised flawlessly atop six-inch black heels with little pink bows studded with rhinestones. According to the District's standards, Arani was not rich, but her middle-class family gave her enough to get by on. After all, she didn't need much. There were many people who needed much more. Take her best friend, for example. Kamella needed a boyfriend much more than she did. She was not as tall as Arani, nor as slim, and her hair tended to get greasy towards the end of the day. Let her date Istvan. Let her be the one by his side, holding his hand. Arani did not need him. At the end of the day, it was the sacrifice for her best friend's happiness that made her feel good, not Istvan.
Let Linci wear that pretty silver dress to the dance. Let her little brother have the last soufflé. Arani could find another dress, make another soufflé. It was nice being generous and making sacrifices. Knowing that they owed her one was only a bonus.
"What goes around comes around," she would tell herself, "good things happen to good people."
And yes, they do. The very best people get the very best. However, motive can change the way you look at the world. It can also change the way the world looks at you.
The day Arani was herded from the Justice Building into the train, she had never felt better. There were people taking pictures, asking for autographs, screaming her name. She waved, smiled, and looked at her District partner, also waving and smiling. He's pretty attractive, she thought, it could be worse.
Lajos was his name. He was eighteen as well, but had dropped out of school in his eighth year to start training for the Games. The more Arani looked at him, she felt lighter. She was nothing more than a feather caught in the wind. It was all falling into place.
"It's perfect," she sang, spinning alone in her compartment, soft auburn hair flying out behind her. She giggled, laughing at the perpetually swirling ceiling above her. "It's perfect. He's perfect."
"I'm perfect."
She stumbled upon her bed. For a moment she lay, breathless, staring up at the bright lights above.
"I can't wait," she murmured, smiling. The room was still spinning. She closed her eyes, the trace of a grin still plastered on her perfect lips. Though the ceiling had ceased to swirl underneath her eyelids, the mattress still swayed softly. Within moments the gentle movement had lulled her to sleep.
Arani was spinning again. Around and around she went, alone in the middle of a vast room with a high ceiling and swirling chandeliers. She was laughing again. It's all so wonderful, she thought, but as soon as the very idea had flitted into her mind, it vanished. All of the sudden, her mind filled with intense fear. Arani's fingers grasped behind her and she knew that she was falling, down, down, down, hands stretching, reaching, desperate, but touching only darkness. Her laughter changed to a scream. She shut her eyes, willing for it to be over with, wanting it to end. A pair of rough hands caught her shoulder, hoisting her up, up, back from the darkness, back from the fear. She opened her eyes and her gaze fell upon the face of Lajos, handsome, strong, loving.
"You saved me," she whispered, and with that, Lajos vanished.
Arani opened her eyes. There was no one, nothing but the mist and the jagged rocks, jutting out from the hard ground every few meters. Cold, still, merciless. Someone was breathing nearby, sharp, ragged breaths. Someone was moving to the left. No, to the right. Behind. Forward.
Arani fell to the ground, tears leaking from her eyes. Nothing moved. Whoever it was was still breathing.
"Please don't," she whispered. "Please."
The breathing came closer. A hand rested on her shoulder, then pulled her to her feet. Arani did little to resist.
"You didn't even try," said a voice in her ear. "You had no strategy. You weren't prepared."
"You never meant to save me."
"That's cruel, Arani. You can't blame me for this."
She puts her hands to her face. The tears are coming faster now, streaming down her face. She tastes salt on her lips.
"I-I didn't want this, Lajos."
"None of us did, but this is the way it has to be."
"Why? I d-don't understand w-why."
"It's just the way it is."
She pushes him away. "It can't be. I don't w-want to d-die. I want to go h-h-home."
The boy sighs. "I'm sorry."
Again, Arani slides to the ground and sobs, head on her knees. Lajos doesn't move. He is listening, trying to concentrate over the noise of his District partner's weeping. When he finally hears what he has been waiting for, he runs, taking Arani's abandoned supplies with him.
Out of the mist, the Careers advance.
A/N ;; I actually wrote this like a week ago, but I didn't get around to uploading it until now. Family stuff, yeah. Anyway, it's a good thing I did, because it's time for the annual Cram Slam, brought to you by teachers across America. Those lovely weeks where your teachers realize they are only halfway through the curriculum and think it's possible that you will be able to cover everything you should have learned from January till now. Thus all my creativity has been sucked dry and it hurts to think. Still think I'm the procrastinator?