District 7 Pre-Reapings
Penny Harjo, 14, District 7
The past winter had been particularly bitter, Penny recalls as she basks in the soft rays of sunlight that filter through the tall trees that surround her. She had always struggled with District 7's harsh winters, both physically and mentally, even when her parents did their best to keep her warm while she napped and lit candles to help combat the dreariness of Seven's chillest months.
It's why she quite enjoyed these afternoon strolls with Fisher as they collected edible plants to bring home to their families. Conversation never seemed to slow between the two of them as Penny remained engaged in debate over what was to come next in her favorite book series, Goldenfire.
"-all I'm saying is that the Great Fox's prophecy isn't as obvious as it may seem," Fisher continues on, "You can never take prophecies at their face value."
"Sometimes..." Penny replies, attempting to determine if a bushel of berries are blueberries or the eerily similar Nightlock berries, "...the obvious answer is obvious for a reason. Because it's the right answer."
"Well, for the purposes of our game, why don't we just ignore the prophecy altogether. It's not as though we'll have any real answers for at least another year."
"Fine. We can ignore it," Penny agrees, stepping away from the berries which are decidedly extremely poisonous. Regarding their games, it was odd for Fisher to be the one to make these sorts of executive decisions, especially when Penny tended to be the one taking charge. For now she merely chalks it up to being distracted by the berries. Making a mistake there would certainly have far more dire consequences than any changes to the laws of their made-up land.
"Now that we've settled that, help me find something to take home so we can actually have time to play around before it gets dark," Penny grins.
After picking out a varied selection of wild chicory and edible roots, Penny and Fisher return their collections to their respective homes. Carefully ensuring that her mother receives the teeming basket of plants, Penny rushes back towards the woods to meet up with Fisher who's patiently awaiting her arrival. They were both rather responsible like that, even if their parents and teachers didn't always view them as so. Adults always were so dismissive of their wild imaginations, forgetting that they, too, were young once.
It seemed that the harsh realities of adulthood had jaded them, stolen their sense of wonder and Penny couldn't help but pity them, fearful that it wouldn't be long before her own fate was sealed.
Penny was only fourteen and she could already feel her childhood slipping from her grasp. School seemed to be requiring more and more work and her responsibilities at home appeared to pile up at an equally fast pace. It was a tragic thing to grow up, still, Penny remained desperate to sink her imaginary claws whatever remained of her beloved youth.
She and Fisher had vowed to one another that they wouldn't be so fast to forget, that they would ensure these fond memories lived on between them forever.
"All good?" Fisher asks, to which Penny nods happily.
"Let's pick up where we last left off," Penny suggests, "At the chase scene."
Fisher chuckles, "Sounds like a plan. Just don't get so far ahead of yourself that you get lost again. You're very lucky I was able to find you so quickly."
"Well, I think we've all learned a very important lesson that cleverness does not exactly equate to strong navigation skills," Penny laughs brightly, "Ready?" she asks.
"Always," Fisher affirms.
And then she runs.
Maven Cleary, 13, District 7
Dinner parties at the Cleary manor were always quite the event. Maven's father was the finest of hosts, with his light-hearted sense of humor and limitless jokes, while his mother was often entirely preoccupied with work. In fact, Maven could say with confidence that he hadn't seen her once throughout the entire evening.
Unlike Maven, his older brother Rayes had invited a number of friends to the party. To an untrained eye it might appear that Rayes was the most popular boy in his year, but Maven knew better. Rayes's so-called "friends" were only ever after one thing: his money. The Clearys maintained a certain "old-money" status in District 7, the likes of which could only be met by few others. It made it difficult to discern the genuine from the greedy and Maven preferred to keep his trust close to his chest.
Clinging to the columns that line the dining hall of their home, Maven does his best to avoid the large swell of people exchanging idle chatter. It's only when he spots his older sibling, Nell, hiding in the opposite corner, does he finally feel at ease.
"It's louder than usual," Nell remarks, looking up from their textbook as they sense Maven approaching. Nell seemed to inherit their mother's academic sensibilities, that neither Rayes nor Maven seemed to share.
"Nearly all of Rayes's classmates are here," Maven explains, as he watches two pretty girls chat up his brother, all while Rayes remains blissfully unaware of any ulterior motives they may have. "He seems pretty pleased with the attendance."
"Did you invite anyone at all?" Nell asks.
Maven shakes his head, an intense feeling of loneliness washing over him, "Who would I even ask?"
Nell shrugs, "Fair enough. I didn't invite anyone either. At least Dad seems to be having a good time, I guess."
Glancing in his father's direction, Maven watches as his father animatedly retells a story he's told a million times before, only to receive roaring laughter from his crowd of regulars. It made his stomach churn.
"Do you want to sneak up to Mom's office?" Nell suggests, "We might be able to have some actual peace and quiet there."
Maven wasn't exactly one for sneaking around, but he supposes there isn't much to lose. At the very least, they might find out what their mother is up to. The siblings slink their way up the spiral staircase and knock on the door. When they're met with nothing but stark silence, Maven watches Nell turn the doorknob and they both step inside.
His mother's office is...sterile. It's all sleek, minimalist furniture with white walls and marble floors. It's clean and well-kept but lacking any sign of personal touches. There's no photos that hang on the wall, none of the ornate artwork or antique sculptures that line the rest of the manor, and yet, it's very much to his mother's taste.
"I wonder where she is…" Nell muses aloud, "Maybe she's still at work."
"It wouldn't surprise me," Maven replies, already feeling uncomfortable in his mother's space, "Do you think Dad will notice that she isn't here?"
"He never does," says Nell, with a pointed glance and Maven is hard-pressed to disagree. His parents loved each other and loved their children, but there was always a lingering sense of disconnect between the five of them.
"You know, Nell, I'm actually feeling pretty tired. I think I might just head to my room for the night," Maven says, as he steps out of the office and heads towards his bedroom.
Another party, another night spent holed up alone in his room.
If only money could buy real love.
A/N: And this is D7! Thank you to LadyCordeliaStuart for Penny and chcolate for Maven. This chapter ended up being more of a "pre-reapings" chapter, just because I was growing a little sick of the repetitiveness of the actual reapings, but I hope you didn't mind it all too much! Also, I just wanted to send a shout-out to everyone who has been reviewing these past few chapters despite recent ff's screw up. Next chapter will be D4! -Anya