Chapter 5- Dexsia Greentree
I wake up with the dawn on the most important day of my life. It's here! The reaping day is here! I lie in bed waiting for everyone else to wake, while I tremble with excitement and nervousness. This is what I've been training my whole life for, this moment and the ones that will come after. What if I don't get picked? What if someone else volunteers before me? There're others that have been training with other victors besides Aulus. The only difference is that Aulus is the best of any of them.
Light comes in slowly, then quicker as the sun rises in the east, conveniently where my window faces. They'll be up soon, my parents. The reaping isn't until two o'clock, however. I have a long time to wait.
Finally I can bear it no longer and get up, smoothing my blankets out. If all goes to plan, I won't be back here for several weeks. I want to come home to a neat room. I wonder if Gallus will come today, to watch the reaping. If he'll bring Lucretia. I still don't know how to feel about the baby. They've come a few times for dinner since they told us, but they've said no more about it. I won't ask. I understand that for now, the topic is off limits.
My mother hears me moving around in my bedroom and opens my door, smiling. "Couldn't sleep any longer?" she asks. I shake my head.
"I'm too excited," I tell her. She comes and sits by me on my bed. Suddenly a wave of doubt and nervousness washes over me. "Do you think I can do it?" I ask her, leaning my head on her shoulder. Mother wraps her arm around me and squeezes me tight.
"Of course you can. Aulus has trained you well, and you can't be any more ready than you are now. You'll go and make us proud, Dexsia." At her words I smile again and lean into her embrace. My mother. How I'll miss her when I'm gone!
I hear my father getting up and moving around. Mother pulls her arm away from me. "I should get breakfast. I want you to have a bath this morning, then I'll do your hair. Okay?" I nod.
"Okay."
After a breakfast of toast and some fruit that Mother got at a good price in the market, I get in the shower and wash my hair. When I get out, Mother is waiting for me in the kitchen. Gently she combs out my hair, trims my bangs, and plaits it back into a long braid.
"Do you want it pinned up?" she asks me. I shake my head.
"No, I like it hanging down."
"Okay," she says with a smile in her voice. Mother comes around in front of me to survey her handiwork. "You look lovely, Dexsia." I grin at her. "What are you going to wear today?" she continues.
"My red dress," I say, getting off the kitchen chair I've been sitting on.
"You'll look beautiful. Why don't you get dressed now? Gallus and Lucretia are going to come over for a while before we go to the reapings. We all want to spend as much time as we can with you before you head off to the Capitol."
I make a face but hide it from my mother. She's right. If I am going to the Capitol, I want to spend some time with my brother. No matter how distant we've become in the past years. When we were kids, we were really close, but since he moved out and gotten married, we've drifted apart. I pretend not to mind; I have too much on my mind to linger on my relationship with my brother. Still, I miss our childhood closeness.
I go back into my now sunlit room; my favorite room in the house. I put on my red dress that Mother bought me for my last birthday; it's so beautiful with little shell-like buttons down the front and lace at the hem. I will look beautiful when I get up on that stage, and even though I don't really care about fashions, I'm glad for it.
"Dexsia! Gallus is here!" Father calls from downstairs. And Lucretia, I finish in my head, but I smooth my bangs down and go back into the living room where everyone is waiting for me. Gallus looks somber and Lucretia keeps picking at a seam in the chair she's sitting in. I want to tell her to stop it but I don't dare.
"Hello," I say, taking in the uncomfortable mood of the room.
Gallus gets straight to the point. "You don't have to volunteer, you know. And even if you're picked someone will volunteer and you won't have to go. Why on earth are you sacrificing yourself?"
I don't sit down; I stay standing in the doorway. "I've been working my whole life up to this moment. I can't let Aulus down, Gallus. This is what I was born to do."
"To kill innocent people? Dexsia, I don't think you've thought this through. Do you even realize what this entails? You will have to kill the other tributes, other children."
"I'm not a child, Gallus. I know what I'm doing. And if you loved me you would support me," I say bitterly. Why is he making such a big deal out of this? He'll get a chunk of my winnings when I come home. District 2 will be grateful to me for giving them gifts from the Capitol; my parents and I will move into a house in the Victor's Village. Life will be perfect when I win. No more troubles, ever, for as long as I live. Isn't that crossing his mind too?
Gallus strides across the room and takes my face in his hands. "I do love you, Dexsia. You're my little sister. And it's because I love you that I tell you this: Don't volunteer. Stay home. Stay safe."
I shake his hands off me. "You can't change my mind. I'm going to volunteer."
Gallus looks helplessly at my parents. "Mother? Father? Can't you stop her?"
"She's eighteen, son. I think she can decide for herself now whether she wants to go or not," Father says quietly. His words end the conversation in both Gallus and my eyes. My brother drops into a chair and stares out the window. Lucretia jumps in with some meaningless chatter and my parents eagerly take her up on it. I stay quiet, looking at my brother. When did he become such a stranger? I used to know exactly what he was thinking, but since we've grown up, he's put up a wall. I no longer know his thoughts any better than the president's.
At one-thirty my mother stands up. "We best be getting going," she says, and my father nods. The nerves are making my heart do odd things inside my chest. It's the worst case of butterflies I've ever had. Am I excited? Nervous? Both? I can't tell.
On the way to the city square I hold my mother's hand tight. The pressure of her hand is reassuring. Keep calm, Dexsia. This is what you've been training for since you were eight. Suddenly, somehow, the Games seem more tangible than the abstract goal I've had in my head. Just keep walking.
In the square I squeeze my mother's hand one more time. "I'll see you when you come to say goodbye," I say to her. She smiles and nods. My father looks proudly at me. I turn to see Gallus's expression, but I can't read it. Instead he merely gives a nod. I let go of my mother and go to sign in, then join the section of other eighteen-year olds to await the reapings.
We don't have to wait long for the show to begin. First the mayor comes out with his stack of cue cards, then the previous victors. In thirty-six years, we have had five victors for District 2. One of them is Aulus, of course. He catches my eye in the crowd and gives me a friendly wink. Nothing bad will happen to me with Aulus being my mentor, I'm sure of it.
When the big town clock clicks to two, the Capitol representative, Titia Caleta comes out onto the stage, smiling widely at the people of District 2. I love seeing her outfits every year; this year she's in a smart blue dress suit, embellished with dark blue jewels in sweeping patterns. Her hair is fascinating to me too, as it is light blue to match her dress and very ornately braided. Pinned to the left side of her head is a ship.
"Welcome, citizens of District 2! It's so wonderful to see you again and to start another Hunger Games! Before we pick the names, let's hear some words from the mayor," Titia says, gesturing to our own mayor who steps forward with his cue cards. Like every year, he talks about the Dark Days and the creation of Panem, and why we have the Hunger Games to begin with. I tune it out like I do every year and focus on looking more at Titia's outlandish outfit.
When the mayor's finished, Titia steps back up to the microphone. Two Capitol attendants bring in the two reaping bowls and place them on either side of the microphone in the middle of the stage. I can hear and feel my heart hammering so hard in my chest I think it might explode. Titia smiles and speaks into the microphone, "Let's start with the boys, shall we?"
She always switches it up. I can't bear not hearing the girls' names, but I'm also curious about who my district competition and ally will be. There's no doubt that we will be allies, at least at first. While the crowd holds a collective breath, Titia reaches down into the boys' bowl and rustles around, finally pulling out one slender piece of paper. She opens it, looks at it, and leans into the microphone.
"Galerus Daycloak."
The crowd turns and looks around until we all see the boy who has been chosen. He's tall, a little thin for my taste, with close cropped honey hair. He walks with steady feet up the stairs to the stage and waits. We all know he isn't going to the Capitol.
Titia says, "Do we have any volunteers?" Immediately three boys lunge forwards, hands in the air. The one who yells quickest is tall too, with shaggy black hair. As he climbs the stairs, the other two boys back away. Everyone knows that it's the volunteer with the quickest reflexes that gets chosen. All the others settle back, disappointed.
Galerus leaves the stage as the new boy comes up to take his place. The relief on the first boy's face is unmistakable. Titia says, "What's your name?" to the new volunteer.
"Cossus Underthorn," he says. How old is he? I'm guessing fifteen or sixteen. Titia gestures for him to step back, then she beams at us all again.
"And now for the girls!" My heart starts beating faster and faster. This is it, this is my chance, my only one. Titia reaches into the girls' bowl, rustles around and pulls out a slip. Please don't be me; if it's me then I don't have a chance!
In a clear, crisp voice, Titia reads, "Viria Darkbeach."
The girl comes from the thirteen-year-old section of the square. I bounce on the balls of my feet, ready to step forward when Titia speaks again.
When the short, thin girl is standing quietly by Titia, the latter speaks into the microphone. "Do we have a volunteer for Viria?"
Without hesitating I launch forward with my hand in the air. "I volunteer as tribute!" I shriek, narrowly beating out another eighteen-year-old by me. She scowls at me and I recognize her as another girl who's been training with another victor. I don't care. I've done it! I've done it!
The crowd parts before me as I walk through up to the stage, passing Viria by as she descends. With quick, careful steps I climb the stairs and walk up to Titia. Oh my. I can see everyone in District 2 from here. My heart beats faster. I've done it!
"What's your name, my dear?" Titia asks, and I lean into the microphone.
"Dexsia Greentree," I say. Titia beams at my district partner and I.
"I give you the tributes of District 2!" she says, and the whole crowd claps. Like we're supposed to do, Cossus and I shake hands. His are damp and I fight the urge to wipe them on my dress.
I've done it! I look at Aulus and he gives me a satisfied smile back. I've done it!
I am the District 2 tribute for the Thirty-sixth Hunger Games!