Chapter 2- Shore Seawind
The boat rocks under my feet, in a rhythm that's so familiar to me that I barely notice it anymore. Way off in the distance I can see the hazy edge of the district, but we're so far out it'll take an hour to get back at least. All around us is blue-green water. Out here is where I feel the most alive.
"Help me with this, son," Da says, getting the fishing net ready to put out behind the boat. The Jewel is older than me, and probably older than my Da, but she's still the most beautiful fishing boat in the harbor. I swear Da looks after her better than he does his own children.
"You thinking about today?" he asks, looking at me in that way he has, like he can read my mind. My Da has been one of my best friends ever since I was small; I spend most of my time out here with him. I've learned more on the Jewel than I ever could in school. Every so often he makes me go, to pick up more of the reading and writing that he doesn't have, but most of the time I'm out here with him, pulling up the fish the Capitol demands. Every morning we get up before the sun, and every night we return home after the sun has set. Except for Sundays.
Sundays are for Thalassa.
"I suppose I am," I say, hoisting one end of the net. Together we throw it out behind the boat; it falls in a neat circle on the water.
"You'll be fine, you'll see," Da says, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "You'll make District 4 proud."
"I'm worried how Thalassa will take it," I admit.
"She'll be fine too, and so will the girls. You're ready for this, a year early too. We all put it to a vote, and even I voted to have you volunteer, Shore. You're the best the district has to offer."
I crack a small smile. "Won't Ma get hysteric when I go?"
"You know your mother is as tough as nails. She won't cry where she can upset the girls, don't you worry. And soon enough you'll be back home and moving into Victor's Village with Thalassa. She'll say yes when you come home, you'll see," Da says.
"You don't think she'd say yes any other way?" I ask, only partly in jest.
"I think she'd say yes no matter what, but being a victor only helps your case," Da says. "Let's get the net pulled in, shall we?"
As the sun shines overhead, reflecting off the water as we go, the Jewel sails back into port, back into District 4. The docks are swarming with people, mostly fishermen like my Da and me. I recognize some my age from the few schooling lessons I've had, others are men and women I've worked alongside for years.
"Ready for today, tribute?" Hake says, coming up to help pull the load of fish off the Jewel. I've known Hake since we were kids, and he's pretty much my best friend.
"You bet. Just you wait until I'm back lording my victory over you," I say.
"You're going to be so annoying."
"I'll have earned it." Hake and I grin at each other good naturedly as we unload the fish onto the dock. The older fishermen come and start to process them as soon as they're off the boat. Some fish go to the canning factory, but a lot goes straight to the train depot.
"Good luck today, Shore," Kai calls, waving a wrinkled hand. He's one of the oldest and most experienced fishermen on the dock. His daughter, Cressida, is friends with my Ma, and I know his granddaughter, Current, as well. Kai and my family go way back.
"Thank you, Kai!" I call back.
"Let's finish this up here," Da says, coming up behind Hake and me. "Reaping time is at eleven, you know."
"I know," I say, but I hurry up anyways. I don't want to be late, not today.
'Many hands make light work,' is what my Ma always says, and she's never wrong. Within an hour, an army of fishermen, including me and Hake, process the fish and get it to the depot where the train will take it all the way to the Capitol. The day's done early today, since it's Reaping day.
"See you later," Hake calls, waving to me.
"See you!"
Da and I start our walk home, which doesn't take very long since we live close to the harbor. It makes me happy every time I see the two-story rectangular house where I live. My family has the bottom level, the Burnsides have the top, all nine of them. They seem to have a new baby every year, and it never stops crying.
Da painted the house bright blue last year, with paint he bartered for in the Cove. It stands out amongst the other houses with the weather-beaten boards, and I'm proud whenever I see it. Most of the houses have windows around here, but my Ma keeps ours clean and shiny no matter what time of year it is, unlike the others which are streaked and grimy.
"They're home!" I can hear Maris shouting inside, and then the door bursts open; all four of my little sisters come running out and attack Da and me with giant hugs.
"You're worse than a squid!" I say, properly picking up Isla, who's the youngest at only four. She giggles.
"You smell salty, Shore!" she says, and laughs again. That's one thing about Isla; she's never sad.
"Like fish!" nine-year-old Lark says, making Isla laugh again.
"There's a reason for that, my loves," Da says, taking six-year-old Maris in one hand and Lark in the other, marching towards the house where my Ma is waiting, drying a dish in the doorway. I put Isla down and follow after them, eleven-year-old Pearl tagging behind.
"You two go wash up; the girls are all ready to go whenever you are," Ma says, giving Da a kiss as he walks in the door. She looks proud but sad when she looks at me.
"You're going to do just fine today, my boy," she says, ruffling my hair. "Girls, let your brother get ready to go. It's his big day, you know."
After I've scrubbed the salt from my skin and smoothed my hair back as much as I can, I come back to the kitchen in my best shirt and pants that Ma wove for me. Pearl's sat her down in a kitchen chair and is brushing Ma's hair out. It feels strange being home during the day; I usually get home after dark with Da.
Maris comes and wraps her arms around my leg. She's tiny for her age, since she was born too early. You'd never know it by all the mischief she gets into, though. I pick her up and swing her around the room until she squeals with joy.
"Shore, put your sister down so she can act like a lady," Ma says, but she doesn't sound too stern about it.
"I'm not a lady, I'm a kraken!" Maris says, and she squeezes my head.
"You're rumpling me!" I say, setting her down and chasing her around the room.
"Mind the stove!" Ma says, but she's laughing too.
Someone knocks on the door then, and Lark's head whips towards the sound. "Somebody's here!" she shouts, running to open the door.
"Stop shouting!" Pearl says, putting a pin into Ma's dark hair.
Lark opens the door, and it's Thalassa who's standing there in a sea-green dress, which matches her eyes exactly. I can't help but smile when I see her, and she smiles back at me. I think she is the most beautiful girl in all of Panem.
"My Mum sent this over to you, Mrs. Seawind," she says, coming in. Thalassa knows she never needs an invitation to come into our house. She's practically family at this point, and once I ask her to marry me, and if she says yes, then she'll really be family.
She's the one I love most in the whole world, and she knows it.
"Thank you, dear," Ma says, taking the loaf of bread from Thalassa and giving her a kiss on the cheek at the same time. I know that Ma likes Thalassa a lot, and Thalassa likes Ma in return.
"Are you two going to walk to the reaping together?" Da asks, coming out from the washroom while rubbing a towel over his beard.
"If you all don't mind," I say, trying to smooth my hair back.
"You two run along now; we'll see you in the square," Ma says. Thalassa and I say our goodbyes, and then we leave, walking along the cobblestoned streets that lead to the city square.
"So you're really going," Thalassa says quietly as we walk along, hand in hand.
"I suppose I am."
"I wish you weren't."
"I'll be back before you realize I'm gone; don't you worry." I stop Thalassa and we stand, looking at each other; her eyes are full of tears. I push a red lock of hair behind her ear and run my hand over her cheek.
"I'll miss you," she says.
"I'll think about you every moment, and I'll dedicate my whole interview to you too. You'll see; everything will come out alright," I say, and I mean it. They wouldn't have voted me as volunteer if I wasn't capable of winning.
"You'd better win," Thalassa says, pushing me playfully. "I don't want to see you back here without a victor's title, do you hear me?"
"Loud and clear." People are starting to filter past us now, in good spirits since none of their children are being sent to the Capitol. The voting is a relief to most people; there's no surprise in it when the tributes are chosen beforehand. This year it's going to be me and Aria Combstar going to the Capitol. She's tall and capable too; a good candidate for the girl tribute.
"Don't want to be late," Thalassa says, pulling me by the hand towards the square. "I can't wait to see you on that stage."
"I thought you didn't want me to leave!" I say, following after her.
"I don't! But if you have to, then I know you're going to win, because that's what you do," she says.
"That's me, the best you'll ever get," I tease. Thalassa stops running, kissing me instead.
"You're so full of yourself," she says.
"I love you, you know," I tell her; she smiles that beautiful smile that lights her whole face up and makes her eyes crinkle around the edges.
"I know," she says, pulling me by the hand again.
"You know?"
Thalassa laughs again. "I love you too, idiot."
Thalassa and I grew up together, playing on our fathers' boats as kids. I really fell for her when I was fourteen, but it was a few years before she fell for me back. Now she's my best friend, my confidant, and my favorite person in the whole world. I really don't know what I'd do without her. She's funny, smart, and just the best person I've ever met. And she knows it.
In the square, the Peacekeepers are lining everyone up, shoving kids left, right, and center to organize the ages in different groups. Girls stand on one side, boys on the other, each in our respective age groups. As much as I'd like to stand with Thalassa, I know it's not allowed.
"See you in the Justice Building," I say, kissing her again.
"Good luck up there," she says, and then she's gone, signing in at a different table. I write down my name for the unfriendly Peacekeeper sitting in front of me, and then he pricks my finger.
"That way," he says, pointing to a row of boys my age. I nod and walk off, dodging the shoving Peacekeeper as I do so. The Peacekeepers here are cruel, but not as much as other districts I don't think. Mostly we get left alone as long as we turn in our daily quota of seafood. They're not still not liked, though. Nobody is fond of the Capitol, like they are in Districts 1 and 2.
I find Hake and stand next to him; we don't talk but we give each other a nod. Looking around, I catch a glimpse of my family walking to the square, the girls looking more solemn than I've ever seen them before. Pearl doesn't have to worry about her name being called until next year, and even then she doesn't need to worry about going to the Capitol. There's always a volunteer waiting in the wings.
Slowly, the square fills up with this year's eligible tributes. The younger kids stand nearer to the stage, while the older ones like me stand towards the back of the group. Nobody is smiling, because this is generally a serious occasion.
How am I feeling right now? I try to piece it together. I'm nervous and excited all at the same time; this is what I've been waiting for since the end of the Games last year, when the votes were cast choosing me. I'm determined to give District 4 a victor for the second year in a row; Riptide Morain won last year in a well-deserved victory.
The last few stragglers file in, a couple of twelve-year-olds from the look of them. I manage to catch Thalassa's eye from across the square, and she smiles and nods at me. I can do this, I can do this!
Mayor Cowal Molony comes out on stage, flanked by Peacekeepers and followed by our district escort, Kitty Prior. I'm horrified at Kitty's appearance this year; she looks like she's been dipped in red paint, and she has new white tattoos on her face that give her a startling and terrifying look. She looked a lot more normal last year, I'll tell you.
Mayor Molony, a short, stout looking man, steps up to the microphone and clears his throat, sending echoes all around the square. The Peacekeepers on either side of him have backed away to guard the door to the Justice Building, the tall wooden hall with flaking white paint. Like many of the houses in District 4, the Justice Building has looked better.
"I would like to wish you all a Happy Hunger Games," the mayor starts out in that voice of his that sounds like he's rolling pebbles around his mouth. Thalassa and I like to imitate him when we're out on the docks alone; it sends us into hysterics every time. Mayor Molony reads out the Treaty of Treason like he does every year, and I don't pay attention, like I do every year. I start to listen when he introduces our past victors.
"Mags Flanagan, victor of the 11th Hunger Games," he says, gesturing to the woman with grey streaked red hair and a sharp nose that everyone in District 4 knows. She stands up, gives a wave, and sits back down.
"Glass O'Hare, victor of the 26th Hunger Games." Glass, a woman in her thirties with dark hair, waves but doesn't get up.
"Riptide Morain, victor of the 40th Hunger Games." Riptide, a boy two years older than myself with an unsure smile, bows briefly, then sits back down.
"Now I would like to introduce our District escort, Kitty Prior," the mayor says, gesturing Kitty forward. She walks up to the microphone in all her brick red glory, and beams down on us.
"Happy Hunger Games!" she says. I can see her teeth from here, and they're way too white to be real. "I'm sure you're all eager to get going, so let's start! As always, we'll start with the girls."
Kitty goes over to the reaping bowls provided, full to the top of white slips of paper. Each one has a name written on it. Six in the boys' bowl are mine. She digs around in the girls' bowl for a few seconds, then whips a slip out, holding it up in the air for all to see. It doesn't really matter who's on it; Aria Combstar will be volunteering for whoever it is anyway.
Kitty's back at the microphone, opening the slip and reading the name. "Kelpie Agan!"
Kelpie, a girl with reddish hair, walks slowly up to the stage from the fifteen-year-old section. The crowd is hushed, watching her climb the stairs and take her place next to Kitty.
"Do we have a volunteer for Kelpie?" Kitty asks, looking down at the girls' section. This is when Aria is supposed to volunteer. But she doesn't. Kelpie is looking around in confusion, looking for Aria. But Aria doesn't say anything.
"Well, let's have a hand for our girl tribute, Kelpie Agan!" Kitty says. Kelpie is obviously trying not to cry, and I'm really annoyed with Aria. I'll bet nobody else will be very fond of the girl after today, her being voted to volunteer and all.
"And now the boys!" This is it; this is when it's my turn to volunteer, and I won't mess it up like Aria did. Kitty pulls out a slip from the boys' bowl and walks back to the microphone with it. This is it.
"Ewen Darkcloud!" The boy walks through the crowd from the thirteen-year-old section, clearly nervous that I won't volunteer. Nobody under the age of fifteen has ever won the Games, so he's right to be nervous. Even so, he takes his place next to Kitty and clasps his hands behind his back.
"Do we have a volunteer for Ewen?" Kitty asks. I surge forward, raising my hand in the air.
"I volunteer as tribute!"
"We have a volunteer!" Kitty says delightedly. "Come on up to the stage, young man."
Hake slaps my shoulder one last time, and then I'm making my way up to the stage as Ewen is walking down the steps. He shoots me a grateful look as I walk up the stairs past him, onto the stage, going toward Kitty and Kelpie Agan, who still looks shell-shocked.
"What's your name?" Kitty asks, pointing to the microphone.
"Shore Seawind," I say.
"And how old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"Excellent!" Kitty says, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet. "You two shake hands."
Kelpie and I grip each others' hands and look at one another warily. I get a good look at my ally and opponent; she's thin, but she's strong, like most of the tributes from District 4. Pretty, but not my type. Thalassa is my only type.
"District 4, I give you your tributes for the 41st Hunger Games! Kelpie Agan and Shore Seawind!"
We're escorted into the Justice Building by the Peacekeepers who were waiting on either side of the doors; Kelpie is taken one way, and I'm taken another, into a nicely decorated room. This is where I'll say my last goodbyes to my family and friends.
Ma, Pearl, and Maris come first. Maris climbs into my lap and says nothing, choosing to suck her thumb instead; a habit she never quite lost. Ma wraps me up in one of her hugs, squeezing me so tightly I lose the ability to breathe temporarily. Pearl simply holds my hand.
"You're my boy, my best boy," Ma says, smoothing my hair,
"I'm your only boy, and it's a losing battle, Ma," I say, pointing to my hair. "It's never going to lay straight, no matter what you do to it."
She laughs a little. "I'll be watching you every night, and I'll be praying for you too. They wouldn't have voted you in if you weren't capable of winning, so I expect you to be the victor. You hear me?"
"I'll win, don't you worry, Ma. I'll be back before you know it."
"That's my boy," she says, kissing me on the forehead. Then the time is up; Maris and Pearl both kiss my cheeks before giving me little waves on their way out. I'll see them soon, there's no need to worry, so why is my throat getting choked up?
Da comes next with Lark and Isla. He's beaming from ear to ear as he looks at me, his arms crossed.
"You're going to do so well, Shore. It'll be hard without you on the boat, but I'll manage. You've been such a help all these years, and I want you to know that I'm proud of you," he says.
"Thanks, Da."
"So, why do you have to go again?" Isla asks, her green eyes wide.
"I'm going to go win the Hunger Games. You know how on Parcel day the district gets all sorts of nice things?" I ask.
"Yeah."
"Well, I'm going to go win, like Riptide did, so we can keep having candy for another year!"
"Well you better win," Lark says.
"What, don't you have any faith in me?" I ask, pretending to be hurt.
"Your brother will be the best in there, don't you worry, girls," Da says.
"Time's up," the Peacekeeper says, opening the door. The girls pile on me, giving me one last hug before they run out the door. Da gives me a bear hug.
"I'll see you on the other side, son," he says, and then he's gone.
Thalassa comes in right after Da leaves. She's trying to hold it together, but she starts crying as soon as she sees me and flies into my arms.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I say, trying to reassure her.
"I know you will, but I'm nervous anyway," she says.
"Here, I'll give you something that might help your nerves," I say, leading her over to the couch. From my pocket I pull out the ring I've been carving out of driftwood I found on the beach. It's smooth, with a pattern of waves etched into it. Thalassa's eyes grow wide.
"Thalassa Harren, when I return as victor, will you marry me?"
She cries even more, then nods. "Of course I will."
I slip the ring on her finger, then kiss her. "I love you so much," I say.
"I love you too. Be safe, alright. Promise you'll come home?"
"I promise. Don't you worry."
"I won't then. You always keep your promises, I know you," Thalassa says, wiping her eyes. "Here, take this as your token." She unclasps and hands me the necklace she always wears; a shell hanging on a chain. I take it and put it around my own neck.
"You look fetching," she says.
"As always."
"You're full of yourself."
"And still you love me," I say. Then the Peacekeeper is back, and it's time for Thalassa to go. I walk my fiancée (my fiancée!) to the door, kissing her one last time.
"I'll see you in a few weeks," I tell her.
"You better keep your promise," she says, quickly kissing me again, and then she's gone and the door is closed.
Hake comes last, clapping me on the shoulder.
"You're off then," he says. He doesn't seem too worried about me.
"I'm off," I agree.
"Did you-" he asks, then grins when I nod.
"And?"
"She said yes."
"You did it! You did it!" Hake says, shaking me.
"I did it! She said yes!"
"When you get back here, you're going to be a married man, and I can't hang out with you anymore. You'll be too old for me," he says.
"We're still seventeen you moron," I tell him.
"You know who's a moron? Aria Combstar. On the way over here I heard her mum talking; Aria just didn't want to volunteer. Didn't want to go through with it. She was voted in and everything. Kelpie's mum is upset; I saw her going in to see Kelpie while I was waiting for you."
"She'll be facing some hell," I say, and Hake nods.
"She'll be written off by quite a few Agans, I'll tell you that."
The door opens and the Peacekeeper sticks his head in. "Right, I'm going," Hake says, jumping up. "I'll see you in a few, Shore."
He gives me a one-armed hug, a thumbs up, and then my best friend is gone too.
At the station, we're greeted by cameras and the other victors. Mags gives us a warm smile, but Glass and Riptide don't really acknowledge us yet. I smile my way into the train, while Kelpie next to me looks shaken and teary.
A few minutes later, we're on board the train, and we're leaving District 4 and everything I've ever known behind us.