THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
Christabel Rose Clade - District 12 Female - Age 13
Christabel Rose would never be as cool as the rest of her family. That was made clear every Monday night when they played a concert in the Hob, while she watched from the crowd, often with her aunt Nancy, who was much louder than her. She missed when her twin brother Simon would watch with her, but for the past year he'd been onstage with the rest of the family, either playing the fiddle or singing the harmonies in a song. It's not that Christabel Rose wasn't musically talented, she could play a killer flute solo, but she would never be confident enough to stand up on the stage with the rest of the Covey.
"That was really good!" She said to Simon one night after a show, "You know that last one is my favorite."
She was referring to The Ballad of Lucy Gray, a song her aunt had written when she was a tribute in the Hunger Games a long time ago. She'd grown up hearing stories about Lucy Gray, and how she won the games while being in love with a man from the Capitol. While Simon always thought the stories weren't real, Christabel Rose was fascinated by the tales of her aunt, and hoped to one day be just as confident and well respected. After concerts, the Clade family would often chat amongst themselves, as well as with the others watching them in the Seam, but that night Christabel Rose and Simon's parents insisted they come home early.
"Mom!" Simon grunted as he walked through the door, "I wanted to talk to Jane Sienna."
"You can talk to your cousin another day." Their father Clerk Carmine said, "Your mother and I wanted to tell you about something very important that's happening tomorrow."
"Tomorrow isn't the reaping?" Christabel Rose was confused. What else could possibly be important besides that?
"Well technically it is–" Her father started before being cut off by her mother Katharina.
"What your father was going to say, is that we Seam folk are having our own little special reaping tomorrow."
"What does that even mean?" Christabel Rose and Simon said in unison, "Jinx!"
"You know how there's a special twist this year right?" The twins nodded their heads, "Well, your father and I, and everybody else in the Seam thought that voting for people who would probably die was rather cruel."
"It does seem cruel." Simon said.
"Yeah." Christabel Rose was always quick to agree with her brother.
"So all of us in the Seem are going to have a reaping tomorrow, just like those in years passed, and whoever's names are called, that's who we'll vote for."
"It'll all be up to chance," Their father said, "Just like it always was."
"Hmm." Simon was lost in thought, "Is this legally binding?"
Lately Simon had become obsessed with using fancy vocabulary. Christabel Rose always teased him and said he only did so because he thought it would make Liana, the most popular girl at school like him more.
"Well, there will be a contract we'll have to sign," Their mother said answering Simon's question, "And I can only imagine you two will do what is told, for the sake of us in the Seam."
"Of course mother." Simon nodded his head.
"I love you both so much." Their mother said, "Now come here and give me a kiss, then go to sleep. You need rest for tomorrow."
Christabel Rose and Simon got up from their seats on the floor and went to kiss their mother on the cheek and hug their father.
"Goodnight Mom and Dad!" Christabel Rose said as she waved goodbye to her parents and walked into her and Simon's shared room.
She and Simon changed into their pajamas and hopped into their beds at opposite sides of the room.
"Goodnight Rose." Simon said. He'd always called her by only her second name, as when he was a baby, it was hard for him to say Christabel, and the name sort of stuck. He was the only person who called her that though, as she was quite fond of the concept of going by two names, just like Lucy Gray.
"Goodnight Simon."
Christabel Rose laid in her bed for a while staring at the ceiling. She was nervous for the reaping last year, and she thought she wouldn't have to have that worry this year, as who could possibly vote for her. But, as her parents said, fair is fair, and she was not keen on the concept of having to vote for anybody anyways.
"Are you awake Simon?" She whispered after almost an hour of restlessness.
"I am now." He grunted.
"I'm sorry for waking you up."
"It's fine. I was barely asleep anyways. Are you okay?"
"I'm nervous for tomorrow." Christabel Rose began to tear up,
"It'll be okay Rose. We were fine last year, and it'll be the same tomorrow."
"I'm still nervous." She wasn't convinced, "I don't want to die."
"Nobody does. Can I do anything to help you feel better?"
"Sing me a song Simon."
"Which one do you want?"
"Surprise me."
Simon coughed twice to warm up his voice and then began,
Down in the valley, the valley so low,
Late in the evening, hear the train blow.
The train, love, hear the train blow.
Late in the evening, hear the train blow.
His voice always made her feel better, more safe. She knew that whatever would happen the next day was up to fate, and while she was still nervous, as she had every right to be, hearing her brother sing made it easier to sleep through the night. Christabel Rose was already fast asleep before Simon could finish the song, another one written by their Aunt Lucy.
Roses are red, love; violets are blue.
Birds in the heavens know I love you.
Know I love you, oh, know I love you,
Birds in the heavens know I love you.
Simon Steel Clade - District 12 Male - Age 13
Simon had tried not to be too nervous on the day before the Seam's pseudo-reaping, but even for somebody who's usually grounded, he had a hint of anxiety as the Clade family began to prepare themselves for the big ordeal.
"This bowtie is stupid." He complained as he starred himself down in the mirror, "I look like a little kid."
"Don't say that. Your grandmother made it for you Simon Steel." His father said.
Simon hated being called by his full first name. Sure, going by two names was a "family tradition" or whatever, but he was sick and tired of having to explain to people that his first name was "Simon Steel," as people typically assumed his first name was "Simon" and his last name was "Steel." At least "Christabel Rose" flowed better, even though he never called his sister that. Simon's father went by "C.C." so he didn't understand why he had to oblige to the whole two name thing, though "S.S" sounded even more stupid than "Simon Steele."
"Don't call him that!" Rose was always quick to come to his defense, "His name is Simon."
"My apologies." Their father said, "But you have to wear the bowtie."
Despite the fact that she was five minutes older than him, Simon always felt like he was Rose's older brother. She was shy, almost to the extent that it was painful, but he never minded, as she was always willing to talk to him. He could see why others would have a problem with it though. She always tagged along with him and his friends, though she never said much, and his friends would always tell them they felt weird having conversations where somebody was listening. Simon was quick to knock some sense in them though, because Rose was most important to him, and anybody who insulted her, insulted him.
"At least we didn't have to do the blood prick this year." Rose said as they sat down in the Hob for the reaping.
"We'll have to do it Saturday." Simon said, referring to the actual reaping.
"Oh." She sighed, "I hadn't thought of that."
Simon could tell she was yards more nervous then he was. While neither of them would have half a chance at winning the Hunger Games, surely he could last longer than her. Then again, that's what everybody said about Lucy Gray, and everybody knows what happened to her. Granted, she was 16 whereas the Clade twins had barely hit puberty and Simon wasn't even sure that she was real.
"I know you're nervous," Simon said lightly squeezing his sister's hand, "It'll all be okay in less than an hour."
"But then we have to think about next year!"
"Not right now we do."
Before the ceremony could begin, the twins along with everybody else gathered said a pledge to vote for whoever was chosen that night.
"I guess we should just get on with it." Mabel, a middle aged woman who was in charge of the drawings said.
She shuffled her hands through the glass reaping bowl for a moment before picking out a name. Ladies were first, as per usual, and Simon hoped that Rose would finally be able to relax as soon as she read the name called.
"Christabel Rose Clade."
Rose let out a shriek and began to sob uncontrollably. Simon was on the verge of doing the exact same thing, but he knew it would only make his sister more upset if she saw him cry. He was unable to focus on the rest of the reaping, all he could remember was that the male name called was not his.
"Simon!" Rose said when the family arrived home, it was the first thing she had said since her name being pulled, "You said it would be okay."
"Obviously I can't guarantee that."
"Obviously I can't guarantee that." She said, mocking his voice, "You're not helping."
"Well what do you want me to do."
"Come with me." Rose said, then paused for a minute, "Wait, you can't do that."
Simon thought for a minute. Maybe he could. Sure, he had said a pledge at the reaping, but it wasn't the law or anything. Nobody was stopping him from telling his friends to vote for him.
"You have got to be out of your mind." Simon's friend Asher said upon hearing his idea.
"I have to do this." Simon was determined, "For her sake."
"What's so special about Christabel Rose?" Asher had always been more condescending of Rose.
"She's my twin sister. We stick together." Simon said, "And I have to protect her."
"You sound like you're in love with her." Asher said, "What's Liana going to think about that?"
"You disgust me so much at times." Simon grunted.
Liana was a girl at school whom Simon had a bit of a crush on, not that it mattered since he was so young, and quite frankly did not need a romantic relationship to be happy.
"If you insist." Asher sighed, "I'll tell everybody to vote for you, but you're making a big mistake."
At the time, Simon was sure he hadn't made a mistake. Rose was going to die out there, and now she had him to protect her. However, the night before the reaping, Simon realized just how serious what he had done was.
"Rose!" Simon said before they went to bed, "We're both going to die."
"And whose fault is that?"
"Mine." He sighed
"You didn't have to go ahead and tell everybody to vote for me. Besides, you're mom and dad's favorites anyways. I'm sure they're secretly glad it's me and not you."
Their parents hadn't heard about Simon's plan, and he didn't want them to, because the only thing it would cause was more chaos that the family did not need. He'd probably be faced with a whole lecture about disrespecting the Seam and Lucy Gray's legacy. At least when he would be elected the next day, he could pretend everybody broke the promise and voted for him, and it wasn't his fault.
"I'm sorry I care about you." Simon said in regards to Rose's comment.
"Don't apologize. You're the only person who's ever been nice to me no matter what."
Christabel Rose Clade - District 12 Female
"I don't have to vote for you if I don't want to!" Christabel Rose whispered to her brother in line for the real reaping.
"Rose, please." Simon said, "This is for your own benefit."
"That's true." Rose sighed.
She really would prefer dying alongside her best friend and not Jarred Clarkson, the boy whose name had been called earlier that week. Her parents had said it was grim of her to assume she was going to die, but she knew they were lying to themselves. She felt guilty that they'd be losing not one but two children, but that was Simon's fault and not hers, and it's not like she'd be alive to deal with the repercussions.
"I'll see you after voting." Simon waved at her before heading to a polling station a few stalls away from hers.
Christabel Rose hadn't thought about what it would be like to write her own name down on the paper until the moment arrived. She teared up a bit as she wrote her full name, letter by letter, and was fully sobbing by the time she finished writing Simon's.
"I did it." She said after sitting down next to Simon.
"Thank you." He said.
Dennis Fling - District 12 Mentor
Dennis was so fucking tired of all the mentor bullshit he had to do. Once a year he was forced to pretend to care about two punks from District 12 until they died. It was honestly unfair that District 12 still had to have a Capitol mentor. They did have somebody win the games, but of course Lucy Gray had to do whatever the hell she did, and condemn Dennis to a vicious cycle of repetitive torture. The tributes this year were no different from the others in years prior. Sure they were young, cute almost, but it didn't matter because they'd both be dead in less than a week. Was he curious as to why they were voted for? Maybe. But not enough to care, that's for sure.
Simon Steel Clade - District 12 Male
"There's no use being mad now." Simon's mother said to his father in the train station, "It is what it is."
"Simon Steel, I cannot believe you would do this to us." He said
"I wanted to protect Rose!"
"Well we wanted to have at least one kid," It was safe to say that he was furious.
"I told him he didn't have to!" Rose said, "It wasn't my idea!"
"I know sweetie." Their mother said, "And Simon, it's sweet that you did that for your sister."
"Thanks mom." He sighed.
"Your father and I brought you something to remind you of us when you're in there."
Their father reached into his leather bag and pulled out a flute, handing it to Rose.
"You can use this to woo the Capitol," He said, "Just like Lucy Gray did."
"Thank you so much!" Rose said, "I'll do my best."
"And Simon," Their mother said, "I have your fiddle!"
"I don't want it." He said, "If they need me to woo them or whatever, I can sing."
"Okay then." She sighed, "Honey do you have any other ideas?"
"Sure." Their father said.
He took off the hat he was wearing. It was a simple tan hat that he had adorned with rainbow feathers. Simon had always thought it was a lovely hat. He placed it atop his head and smiled,
"Now I'll always be with you." He said, "I'm sorry I was mad at you earlier."
"It's okay dad." Simon said, "I understand completely."
Before the twins could depart, their mother insisted they sing one song all together in the train station.
You're here, you're not
It's more than me,
It's more than you, it's more like we
They're young and soft, they worry so
You coming or going, they need to know
Deep inside, Simon knew that it would be the last time they sang together, but he cherished the moment anyways. Whatever happened, he knew his sister would be there for him.
Thank you so much for reading Chapter 8. I would like to give my friend Chayse, also known as Fifidear, a huge shoutout for creating both of these precious babies for me. We are officially halfway done with reapings. Wow! I am so excited to finish these reapings hopefully in the next week or so and then we can get this party started!