Reapings: Mirrors
Central Capitol:
Moriah Vettore's POV:
"I'm not sure about this," I pouted as I held up the dress I had picked out several days prior.
I was beginning to regret not tagging along with my friends on their shopping trip the day before. The dress I currently was holding was beautiful. It was a steely grey dress accented with sheer lace. I had worn it on several occasions in the past month and every time I received numerous compliments on it. However, now the dress seemed old and tattered in comparison to my best friends' new outfits.
"You're going to look cute, as always," Tanaya encouraged as she applied some light powder to her face.
"I know, but what if someone remembers it from Francesca's birthday celebration several weeks ago? Do you think they'll ask why I'm wearing it?"
"If they do, you can just tell them it's because the dress is freaking adorable and we're allowed to wear an outfit more than once in our lifetime," Maloney groaned as she curled her eyelashes, "Stop being so overdramatic. We're going to go stand in a crowd of colorful children, not enter a beauty pageant."
"It's the Reaping," I mumbled as I began to change, "It's something no one here has ever attended."
"I'm just saying it will be over before you know it," she replied flippantly as she moved on to curling her bright green hair, "Plus, I am so done talking about new dresses and outfits."
Tanaya and I both looked at each other in shock before I replied, "You? You're the one done talking about clothes? That's impossible."
"Not after what I had to deal with yesterday," she grumbled.
I pushed Tanaya away from the vanity as I grappled for some mascara, "Spill. Now."
Never to need much encouragement, Maloney began to gush, "As you know I went shopping with several of the girls on the dance team, and guess who we ran into? The all-powerful, spoiled-rotten Lyra Svetlana."
Tanaya audibly gulped and even my ears perked up at the name. Although I barely knew the girl, I still heard plenty about her. Wherever she went chaos seemed to follow. I never felt like she did things to purposefully ruin other people's lives. She just seemed oblivious to anything that wasn't about her.
"She literally walked up to us and acted all nice and shit. Seriously, by the end of our little trip even I began to think she actually liked us. Then, as soon as we left the store, she orders Sylvia to give her the dress that Sylvia just bought. "
"No!" Tanaya and I gasped at the same time.
"Yes! And, you know what, Sylvia did… Only after she oh-so-subtly reminded us who her 'Daddy' was and what could happen to Sylvia's family's finances. "
"My Minola," I mumbled, "That's pretty ruthless for a dress."
"I know," Maloney yelled in frustration as she waved her hands, "But whatever. Let's stop talking about that psycho bitch."
I nodded, happy to move on to another subject. Soon, Tanaya (always the book nerd) began discussing with Maloney the importance of the math exam that was to take place after the games were over. As they argued, I decided I didn't want to deal with my flimsy, straw-like hair today. I grabbed the silvery threads and wrapped them into a tight bun. Once it was in place, I wore my signature pink headband. One gem covered flower stood out, drawing some of the attention away from my face. It wasn't that I was ugly or ashamed, but I hated people focusing on my face. I would rather they pay attention to the words coming out of my mouth than what color rouge I was wearing that day and if it went with my eye shadow.
And, honestly, it worked. My silvery grey hair blended in smoothly with my very pale complexion. My eyes were a normal hue of blue and my lips were naturally a soft pink. For the most part, I wore understated outfits and the only splash color was this headband. Since I wore it all time, there were only so many thoughts they could have towards it and, eventually, all they had to do was listen to exactly what I was saying.
It was so difficult properly communicating with people my own age.
"Seriously? The headband and bun? Couldn't you have done anything else with your hair?" Maloney groaned.
"Too much work," I explained as I spun around, "But both of you certainly look lovely."
"Thanks, I'd bang you too," Maloney replied.
"You would bang most breathing organisms," I reminded as I slipped into some comfortable footwear.
"Live life to the fullest, that's my motto. I know it's yours too," she nudged.
"I draw the line at being a slut," I joked.
"You wound me," she sighed overdramatically.
Soon all three of us were giggling over nothing; forgetting the seriousness of this day. We piled out of my bedroom and down the simple hallway. We had decided a week or so ago to have a little sleepover, just the three of us, the night before the Reaping. That way we could get started on moving all of our things over to my room and begin what we liked to call 'The Campout'. Every year we practically hibernated inside my bedroom as the Hunger Games went on around us. The television was always on and usually one of us was paying enough attention to alert the others if something vital was happening. Although I enjoyed the games, my favorite part was just spending such good quality time with my best friends. It brought our relationship back to the simple days where we acted silly and carefree instead of constantly discussing school, people, and drama. Not that I didn't like talking about those things, but the break every year was always much needed and appreciated.
I smiled; remembering last year how happy Tanaya and I were when we found out Charlotte Fern had won. I always liked her. She seemed nice. Maloney wanted Cami Starkweather to win, but she was too cruel for my tastes.
"Are you girls ready?" my father asked as we stepped into the kitchen.
"We're all dolled up, Mr. Vettore," Maloney replied as Tanaya nodded in agreement.
I walked up to my father and looped my arm through his. Unlike other kids who seemed to constantly complain about their parents, I had always loved mine. My father was a kind, hard-working man who spent hours down at the shipping yard making sure all the supplies got to wherever they needed to go. Although I would be the first to agree he wasn't the brightest, he was always filled with this contagious happiness that made everyone smile.
"You look splendid," my mother agreed as she stole some food from my father's plate.
Unlike my father, she had always pushed me to pursue education. I didn't mind, though. I had always loved learning new things. Museums, libraries, and historic sites: these were all places I found myself spending hours in. When people asked me what I wanted to do with all the things I learned, I never had a clear answer to give them. The best response I could think of was always asking them what they intended to do with all the time they spent drinking and dancing. In a way, we were still so similar. Everyone was just trying to find something to do with their lives.
"Eat up, girls," Father said as he pushed several plates in front of us, "We need to be heading out pretty soon. Traffic is going to be horrible."
We all gave our thanks as we began to consume the food that was provided. Honestly we had gotten the most rotten luck when it came to our location for the Reaping. Our apartment was literally right on the border of where the President decided the Central and Lower Capitol would be separated. This meant we had to leave early and trek all the way to the center of the Capitol. Even with our early departure, we were still going to be at the very tail end of the crowd. Tanaya was in the same boat and while Maloney's house was closer to the Reaping location her parents were away on business (like usual). The thought of being engulfed in a tidal wave of people without adult supervision terrified me to no end.
Actually, many of my thoughts today were ending up freaking me out.
"Lighten up," Tanaya whispered; jolting me out of my own thoughts, "Where's Miss Sunshine?"
I blinked, realizing I had been staring intently at my food as if it was going to start spouting the answers of life.
"She's here," I smiled; mirroring back her expression, "I'm sorry; I must have just not gotten enough sleep last night."
"Understandably," Tanaya said slightly louder, "Since Maloney snores like a muttation with a head cold."
"I do not snore," she bit back.
"Yes you do!" we all shouted, including my parents.
Suddenly, we were all laughing and joking again. The familiarity brought on an ease that silenced any negative thoughts going through my head. In just a few hours, we would be back here and joking around like always. Our lives weren't suddenly going to change just from attending one Reaping. In fact, I probably wouldn't even know the people who were reaped because most of my school resided in the Lower Capitol. This wasn't going to be any different from any other Reaping. The only new thing was that instead of watching it on a television we would be attending it live. With that thought in mind, my natural grin stayed on my face even as we grabbed our jackets and left my home. The only things in my mind were the joy and life I was constantly surrounded by.
"This is worse than waiting in line for Beauty Breeze's Annual Bra sale," Maloney groaned as she leaned against a light post.
"Only because you keep complaining about your feet every other minute," I pointed out as I hopped up and down to see how far away we were from registration.
"You would too if you were wearing heels this high," she quipped.
"Sounds like a personal problem to me," I sighed.
Instead of bantering back, she plopped onto the cement next to Tanaya and wrenched her feet from her shoes. We had been walking, then standing, then walking, and then waiting for hours now. There were only so many things you could talk about and so many games you could play before you were utterly bored out of your mind. At this point, I was dying to get my finger pricked just so we could get this over with.
"How do the children from the Districts do this every year?" I questioned aloud.
"Because that's their job," Maloney sighed, "You know, just like how cows form up in a line and wait their turn as they go through the processing thingys? They're raised to do that."
I rolled my eyes; ignoring the fact that not only that's not how meat processing plants work, but also the callousness of her statement. Maloney, like many people I've grown up with, tend to think of the people from the Districts as barbarians or animals. Since my parents both work in the shipping yards, I've seen they're not like that. They provide so much for us. Without them, we wouldn't have anything. All we really produce within the Capitol is fine jewelry or expensive wine… And we can only do that because they provide the supplies. Idiots and animals can't do that. Still, I knew they weren't like us. They couldn't be… There was a reason why they were part of the Hunger Games every year and we weren't. We were different.
And yet, I still couldn't silence the tugging thought at the back of my mind that was telling me that now we were part of the games…. At least for this year.
Eventually, we reached the table and I couldn't have been more relieved. Just as I thought, we were at the very back of the crowd. Only a handful of kids lingered behind us. Everyone else was already in their proper places and ready to go.
"Finger please," A small, pixie-like woman smiled as she held her hand out.
I placed the back of my hand on her palm as she grabbed for a small device.
"This is going to hurt a little," she pouted as she gave me a pained look.
The prick was sharp, but fast. Within seconds, the machine beeped and she handed me a small ball of cotton.
"Moriah Vettore, eighteen," she recited as she wrote something down, "Head to your left darling. Everything is labeled really efficiently."
"Thank you," I grinned as I walked to my left. I passed by a Peacekeeper who unhooked a velvet rope to let me pass. I stepped into the area and took in my surroundings. Before today this had been the very center of the Capitol. People were always running through here and it was the most chaotic part of this city. Now, rows upon rows of plush seats filled the space. Shimmering banners weaved through the air and floated among us. I could see countless citizens and parents staring down at us from the windows of shopping centers and business buildings alike. A grand stage had been set up around the large monument that had always marked the center of this city. Our city's symbol stood tall and proud as several people sat below a large screen waiting for the event to start.
Suddenly self-conscious, I began to walk down the lush carpet that was rolled between every section. The younger you were the closer to the front they placed you. Ignoring the eyes that watched me as I passed by them, I soon found the section for my age. I followed the lettered signs until a golden 'V' stood out before me. I noticed one empty seat near the center of the row and pardoned myself as I squeezed past people. I blushed from embarrassment as I almost tripped over one girl's expensive gown, but I eventually reached my seat. I plopped into it, letting out a sigh of relief from both the soothing feeling my feet felt as well as being out of the limelight. I was surprised they set up chairs, since I had never seen any of the children from the Districts have them. They were always standing in tight, disorganized looking crowds.
I glanced around, looking for either Tanaya or Maloney. Sadly, the one downside to this was that I couldn't choose to sit next to my best friends. It was going to be a pain to find them once this was over. I shrugged the annoyance off, though, knowing it would all work out.
After a few more minutes of tense muttering and subtle whispers, someone approached the podium. Two screens on either side of the stage lit up; giving us a close-up of the person speaking. Unlike the Districts, we didn't have any Mayors to start this event. The President obviously couldn't be at every one (or any of them), which left us other officials. I had no idea who was at the other Reapings that were happening in the Capitol, but the designated leader of ours was the Head Gamemaker, Lavender. She gazed out at the audience and had a content smirk on her face. She seemed to be at ease with everything that was happening, which brought comfort to the nervous crowd.
I had much respect for Lavender. She was an intelligent woman who worked her way to her position using her brains. Although the Capitol knew next to nothing about her past, it was obvious she wasn't born into this career like some were. She had to earn it. There was a time where I wanted to be a Gamemaker. To this day I still possibly wanted to have some sort of technical job in that field, just not hers.
"Welcome to the Central Capitol's very own Reaping," Lavender announced.
She raised her hands, as if anticipating us to clap, so we did. A polite applause broke out through the crowd as well as some half-hearted cheers. Once she milked all she could out of us, she smiled and continued,
"There isn't a whole lot for me to say. The President herself made it very clear why this is happening six months ago. To remind those who have forgotten and to establish some new guidelines, I present to you a broadcast straight from the leader of Panem herself. Please lend me your applause for President Raven."
Again, we applauded appropriately as the large screen in the center of the stage came to life. Seated in an ornate black chair in a stark white room was the President. She was dressed in a professional, black business suit. Her sleek dark hair was matted perfect against her skull and her dark eyes seemed to pierce the camera.
"Welcome, citizens of the Capitol, to the 227th Hunger Games. I would apologize that it had to come to this, but if I did that I would be indicating that I was guilty of something or that I did something wrong. What is happening now isn't of my doing. It is the doing of your fellow citizens who felt the need to rebel against us in violent and uncalled for ways. For centuries this government has given you the freedom to choose to live your lives in any way you please. And for centuries, you have chosen well… But recently some people chose wrong."
She paused, letting her words sink in. At the mention of the rebels, even my heart began to beat faster. I wasn't scared of them; I was angry. I knew, deep down, that the rebels had some point. Somewhere in their violent, rash aggression was a worthwhile statement to be heard… But this was their fault. I couldn't help but feel some hatred towards them for possibly endangering the lives of my ones loved and me. I knew that the people of the Capitol could be incredibly selfish, but the rebels were no different. They were acting solely for themselves, not even thinking about the destruction they were causing.
"That being said," she continued, "punishment must be served and it was decided that the Hunger Games had always been the best method to do it. It has been a fair, constant reminder to the Districts and, hopefully, this historic event will now be one to you. I hope that this is the last time it will ever come to this."
I found myself nodding with the audience, digesting her words and accepting them.
"Now to establish some new rules," she began.
I listened to her list, absorbing as much of it as I could. For the most part, she was just reinstating rules that had always been a part of the Hunger Games. She was making sure we remembered them now that two people in this crowd would be in them. However, several new ones stood out. You were not allowed to sponsor anyone directly related to you, either through marriage or blood. You were also not allowed to sponsor anyone from the Capitol if someone you were closely associated with was reaped. There other smaller rules, such as you had to submit your sponsorship money as a family unit instead of an individual, but they didn't change anything major. She told us it was to keep the children of the Capitol from having any unfair advantages.
A few other new rules were the schedule of events happening prior to the games. Since we lived in the Capitol, the reaped tributes were to be whisked away to a Treatment Center immediately after their goodbyes and a private meeting with their mentor. While at the center, the tributes would be able to choose how to alter their appearance one last time. This was mostly for the benefit of those who had gaudy implants that would be troublesome or unfair in the games: such as talons, whiskers, and imbedded gems. After their treatment was done, they got to spend the night in the new wing of the Training Center and then prepare for the Chariot Rides the next day.
As for what happened after that, the President confirmed we would be told about any new changes at the appropriate time. However, new rules for the residents of the Capitol who weren't in the games were stated as well. We weren't allowed to approach the Training Center in any way or come into contact with any of the tributes from the Capitol. This was also a precaution to prevent any unfair advantages. Once the six kids from the Capitol were reaped, we were supposed to treat them like we would any normal tributes.
Logically, it made sense but that didn't stop my heart from aching slightly at the thought.
"And, without further ado," the President ended, "let the Reapings commence."
Applause filled the air as the screen faded away. In her place was a silver symbol of the Capitol with the word 'Central' written beneath it. Instead of Lavender approaching the stand once more, an overdressed man appeared out of the wings. I tried to place him, but nothing came to mind. His jawline was sleek and golden, appearing almost metallic. He was fairly short, but made up for it with his platform boots.
"Hello Central Capitol," he called out in an overenthusiastic stadium voice, "My name is Midos! Are we ready to pick out two people who get to experience an event no one else in this city will ever be able to?"
It dawned on me that, of course, we had an escort. As he continued to say pre-rehearsed lines, my eyes wandered to the two victors sitting nearby. I recognized one immediately because, although he was popular, he hadn't mentored in quite a long time. Invictus Bennett was one of the more prevalent victors from District Nine. He glared out at the audience and I couldn't help but notice how his muscles throbbed. Next to him was the always silent Talisa Filbert. Both were hardened people, but the tributes that came from District Nine tended to be as tough as steel.
"Shall we start with the ladies or the men?" he asked, as if we were going to call out our personal preference. When no one responded, he laughed it off saying, "How daft of me, of course ladies first."
He swirled his glowing hand through the air before plunging it into a glittering bowl. The entire bowl shimmered and gleamed as he raffled his hands through the small pieces of parchment. With a grand flourish, he pulled a single sparkling slip out of the bowl. He waved it through the air before slowly unrolling it.
"Moriah Vettore!"
Shit.
As my name floated through the air, my lungs felt like they collapsed. Instead of focusing on my own name, I could only hear that one word being repeated in my brain.
Shit.
No one looked over at me because no one knew me. For half a second, I thought I could just sit here. I could look around, pretend I was trying to see who was chosen, and be someone else. Then I remembered that my seat was categorized to the letter of my name. I shakily stood up and looked to my right. I had to step over this row of people again.
Shit.
I didn't mutter a single word as I bumped against them. Some looked at me with pity while others seemed uninterested. It hurt, for a second, knowing they didn't care it was me who was picked. Then the hurt went away when I realized I wouldn't have cared if it was them. I stumbled out into the main aisle way and looked to the stage. It was such a long walk, but Midos waved towards me excitedly. As if in a trance, I managed to put one foot in front of the other until I was sailing by the audience. I refused to look at them, knowing that every single expression I absorbed in would only hurt more.
I couldn't put a positive spin on what was happening.
Shit.
I managed to step up the stage and reach Midos. He put his arm around my shoulder and it was then I realized I was shaking like a leaf.
"Do you have anything you would like to say?"
Shit.
"That this is an honor," I recited as I recollected a foggy memory of a tribute once saying those exact words.
"Now that's a winning attitude," he beamed, "Give a round of applause for Miss Moriah!"
The clapping meant nothing to me, but I tried to raise my mouth in the attempt of a smile.
"On to the matching gentleman!"
This time I didn't pay any attention to Midos. For all I knew, he could have stripped naked and ran around the stage screaming. All I could do was stare off into the distance and will myself not to cry.
"Vair Laconte!"
The name immediately registered and I knew who he was. He was the successor to the popular chain of restaurants, the Dark Duchess. I had only been there a few times because of how expensive it was, but the food was some of the best in the city; especially their desserts.
After a few seconds, a single harsh laughter filled the air. My eyes unwillingly moved towards it to see the man reach the carpeted aisle. One last bitter chuckle rang out before he silently began to walk towards us. He stood out with his wild and unkempt multicolored hair. His hair was a spectrum of colors; ranging from red to violet. Dark blue spirals arched out from under his left eye while dangling silver earrings swept from side to side. His lithe build hopped up the stage and he appeared to be somewhat calm and collected. The only thing that gave away his anger was his different colored eyes. Both the fair violet and pale crimson irises showed a hidden resentment.
"Would you like to say anything?"
Shit.
"Not particularly," he replied coolly with a soft chuckle.
Midos shrugged it off and grabbed both of our arms, "I present to you the two tributes from the Central Capitol, Vair Laconte and Moriah Vettore!"
The crowd clapped wildly, but this time I knew it wasn't because they were excited for us or the games. They were just happy it wasn't them. As the tangible relief flooded through the area, only one thought was running through my mind.
Shit. I'm going to die.
Vair Laconte's POV:
The humidity clinging to the air was the first sense to assault me as I began to emerge from my peaceful slumber. I tried to kick the heavy blankets off of me, but I soon succumbed to the soft silk caressing my bare legs. My jerking movements stirred the light sleeper whose torso my arms currently encased. He breathed in deeply and his ribcage expanded underneath my cheek. I groaned in response as he chuckled,
"You woke me up first."
I mumbled a curse under my breath as I peeled my crusted eyelids open. The sun beat in through the wooden slates as dust danced through the morning air. I pulled myself even closer to Castiel, still attempting to ignore the heat that was driving me crazy.
"That was quite the spectacle last night," Castiel mentioned as he stretched.
"A party for the ages," I agreed, "I couldn't believe how packed it was."
"I was talking about after the party," he teased as he placed his hand over mine, "There was this guy who looked exactly like my boyfriend."
"Oh really?" I laughed, suddenly far more awake.
"Uh huh; total animal in the bedroom."
I looked up at his bright green eyes and began to shift myself until I was on top of him, "I suppose I'll just have to make you forget about him by reminding you how great your actual boyfriend is."
He laughed as I began to ravish his neck, "Not now, Vair. Too hot."
"It's never too hot for morning sex," I argued as I continued down his chest.
"It is when we promised we would be at your parent's restaurant ready for the Reaping in the next hour."
I groaned; flopping off of him and rolling over. As he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed I whined, "You know I can be fast."
"I've been on your family's bad side for years. I think failing to bringing their precious son to a mandatory event that is punishable by law if missed will get me exiled from the Laconte clan."
I rolled my eyes as he stood up. I was supposed to be the responsible one in the relationship. As Cas scrounged around for clothing, I not-so-discreetly admired his form. Even after dating solidly for two years I never once got tired of looking at my boyfriend. We had actually met three years prior at a dingy, dirty party. It started off as raw passion and quick hookups. Soon the hookups turned into spending the night and, eventually, we ended up going on a date. We may have done everything backwards, but I wouldn't have changed it for the world. When I was with Cas we were like fire: uncontrollable and spontaneous. All pretenses of manners and laxness went flying out the window. All that mattered was that we were together both physically and emotionally.
"Don't worry. I won't let them get rid of you," I smiled as I stretched.
"How reassuring."
I sighed as I forced myself to get up as well. Cas was right. Being late in my family was comparable to murder. You were always on time. Being anything but punctual didn't exist. Another thing Cas was right about was that my family, namely my mother, would jump at any reason to attempt to cast him out of my life. She didn't approve of his crass nature or lack of ambitions. She hated the fact I spent more nights in his besmirched studio apartment than in our large penthouse. She saw this as a passionate fling that had been going on for far too long. What she couldn't seem to grasp was that we actually loved each other.
"You want the shower first?" he asked as he picked up a wrinkled shirt from the floor.
"Why not together?" I asked as I slipped into last night's underwear.
"Because then we'll be late for sure," he smirked; taking that as his cue to jump in first.
The hot water slapped against the tiles and immediately made the sweltering room even more unbearable. I walked away from the bed and into the small kitchenette. I yanked open the refrigerator and sat down beside it. The empty fridge made my skin prickle as the cold air stabbed me. I sighed in relief as I scooted even closer to the icy box.
As much as I loved my life, there were times I wished I could never leave this room. I had worked so hard to get where I was today. I had spent weeks upon weeks of my life learning everything there was to our family's restaurants, both hands-on and business wise. It was only several years ago my father announced that he chose me to inherit everything over my cousin, Lyen, and it still sometimes came as a shock. I always knew that I had the potential in me to take care of everything, but my father had always failed to see that in the past. I was sometimes worried he would become blind to it again…. All it would take was a swift flick of a pen and several dabs of ink to change everything… And I knew my father would do that if he found just cause.
"Your turn," Cas called as he began to dry his hair.
Snapping me out of my thoughts, I stood up and moved away from the fridge. I plastered a smile on my face, already mentally preparing myself to become the Vair Laconte that my parents knew and tolerated.
As I pushed open the door, I was greeted by the dimmed lighting and the meticulous clicking of typing. Cas and I stepped into the large restaurant as cold air blasted through our hair. For the first time in years, the restaurant was empty. Part of the appeal and success of our restaurants was the constant flow of people, money, and merchandise. Every location was open all day and all night every single day of the week. In the morning it was much like a club for rich socialites to eat pastries and drink tea or coffee. As lunch and dinner rolled by it became more modern and people of all ages dined at our tables. Once the day was gone, the location changed to a nightclub filled with dance music, fruity drinks, and rich desserts. Then the sun rose and the cycle continued. No other business in the entire Capitol could claim to be at our level, and the reason why was because they didn't live their work like my family did. Both of my parents were constantly at one of our locations, overseeing things and managing people. They barely slept, usually resorting to different medications to keep them awake for hours on end.
It wasn't necessarily the healthiest life, but it was the only one I'd ever known… And soon it was going to be mine too.
"I can't believe no one is here," I called out to my family as they sat around an empty table.
"I can. No one would be out dining when they should be preparing for the biggest event in years," my father replied while he scanned through accounting records.
Instead of attempting to explain to him that I was referring more to the odd feeling it was to see the place empty, I strode over to the table. I sat down between my father and sister and lazily wrapped an arm around the back of her chair. She flashed me a quick grin as she continued to listen to whoever was on the other side of her phone.
My sister, Weiss, was my closest confidant. She and I were alike in many ways. We both had ambitions and did anything to secure what we wanted. Her ambition had been nurtured at an earlier age, however, when she was scouted by a modeling company. She became a child model and continued it through her teenage years and now into adulthood. Although my sister was very pretty, it wasn't that outer beauty that got her the mounds of success she received. It was the fact she had no qualms paying off, blackmailing, or even injuring her competition. Granted, she hadn't needed to do any of those things for many years now, but back in the day she was hell on wheels. According to Weiss, ruthlessness and ambition were two traits every Laconte had born into them.
I found I had to agree with her.
"I approve of your outfit," my mother told me as she typed furiously away at her keypad.
"Thank you," I responded, knowing that was as good as you were going to get out of her compliment wise.
She eyed Cas up and down, blatantly saying nothing, before turning back to her laptop. I held in the need to roll my eyes and instead looked away. This was my family in a nutshell. When we did spend time 'together' we weren't actually together. We acknowledged that the other existed before continuing to do our own thing. The only time it went beyond that was when either Weiss or I did something wrong or undesirable. Then my parents would look us in the eyes just long enough to tear us to shreds.
The most ironic thing of all was that recently I had been getting along better with them. Whether it was because of the fact I spent less and less time around them or that I was now 'successful' in their eyes I had no idea. Something had changed and now we were all less critical of one another. While others may look at us and think we hate one another, we're actually the happiest we've been in years.
"Are we going to be heading out soon?" Cas asked casually as he leaned against the bar.
"We probably should," my father responded slowly as he wrote something down, "Although, Vair is the only one who needs to check-in. The rest of us have a reserved space with my brother and sister and their families."
I nodded; slightly disappointed by the fact I had to head into the Reaping on my own. Cas had only turned nineteen a few months prior, leaving me barely eligible to be reaped. To me, it felt childish for me to even go. I had been out of school for quite some time now and had been working ever since. Not that you needed to work in the Capitol, but to me it made me feel like an adult; an adult who was going to be sitting in a mass of children.
"It seems silly you even have to participate," my mother mentioned; speaking my own thoughts aloud.
"It's whatever," I shrugged, keeping up my lax attitude.
When I was around anyone but Cas I was like a mirror. I would say that I put on a mask, but that simply wasn't true. Everyone in the Capitol was so vain that, when they looked at you, they wanted to see themselves… So that's what I gave them. In order to remain in people's good graces, I shoved aside my intolerant and snarky side and showed them a far more easygoing person. Customers liked refined, yet relaxed people. They didn't want to be confronted or made aware of their own stupidity or faults. No, that wasn't how customer service worked.
"It's not 'whatever'. It's pretty stupid," Weiss corrected as she flipped her phone shut.
"You didn't even say goodbye," I commented.
"You wouldn't either if you were listening to him babble."
I chuckled slightly, always amused by how Weiss treated her latest boy toys.
"Anyways," she continued as she stood up, "we need to go. I don't want to deal with the crowds, especially if they recognize me. I didn't pen 'getting trampled' into my schedule."
"You're not that famous," I corrected as I joined her.
"I am in my world," she joked; most likely poking fun at the girls who actually believed that.
I laughed and Cas was swiftly at my side. I wrapped my hand around his and smiled. Ignoring the disapproving sigh my mother pointedly gave, we began to walk towards the entrance of the restaurant. Like usual, her opinion on my relationship didn't matter to me. The only important thing was absorbing the fire between us that ignited every time we touched. When that happened, nothing ever seemed to matter.
Not even the upcoming Reaping.
I sat in the eighteen year old section, watching the countless people walk by. The energy surrounding me was filled with nervousness and anticipation. I could feel that people were excited, yet edgy at the same time. No one thought it was going to be them. We were all just waiting to see who got picked, and two people were going to be shocked once it was them. I shrugged off the negative thoughts, willing myself not to think of such things.
I looked past the hordes of children and admired the grandeur décor. The Capitol certainly always knew how to add their own flair to every situation. Like usual, they spared no expenses. I waited impatiently as everyone found their seats. Soon, though, my boredom was relieved when a familiar face scooted past me.
"Hello Vair," he greeted as he sat next to me.
"Lyen," I nodded.
My relationship to my cousin, Lyen Laconte, was toxic at best. Long before we ever fought to inherit the Dark Duchess dynasty we disliked one another. Being around the same age and the only sons in each respective family led to a constant struggle for attention. Whenever one was doing something, the other always tried to upstage them. Many might have found it endearing and child-like, but it escalated to a whole new level once we knew what we were truly fighting for. We tried to trip the other up in every single way; such as making them late for work or framing them for some sort of mistake. It got to the point where my limousine crashed unexpectedly, landing me in the hospital for several days. I never had proof it was him who caused it, but someone tampered with the engineering. As powerful as my family was my parents never made any enemies. If they had, those people had been compensated for whatever they went through a long time ago.
Scandal was something extremely common in the Capitol. In fact, if you weren't involved in something indecent at least once people were shocked. People of all ages in this city partied, took drugs, drank alcohol, and had an outrageous amount of sex. Sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies were almost non-existent. I knew several girls who never used protection and were frequent visitors to a clinic. Their form of birth control was abortion. Of course, these are the most extreme of the extreme and many people never dabbled too far into these situations in life.
However, even with all of this, there were some things that the general citizens of the Capitol found appalling and shameful. Such as laundering money from your family to known drug dealers so they can supply underage, drugged up boys and girls for a party you're throwing with your stupid friends. This situation was one I found my dear cousin to be a part of and it wasn't hard to find evidence of it. Once confronted, he knew he had no choice. If he continued to pursue the Dark Duchess, I would show my father and not only would he never give it to him but his name would be disgraced through our entire family. If he stopped, I would never say anything and he would continue to live with his reputation intact.
I think we can all figure out which decision he chose.
"How is my fairy of a cousin?" he asked as he adjusted his cerulean wig.
"I'm fairly good. Still getting ready to take over management of at least one of the Dark Duchesses."
That comment immediately shut him up. No matter how he tried to insult me I always won. He was never going to be able to top what I had over him. We continued to make small talk and avoid poking fun at the other until the Reaping started. Once it did, I tried my best to pay attention. Frankly, I found it very tiring. As a general whole, I had never been one for the Hunger Games. It wasn't that I found them unenjoyable. In fact, I was always drawn in by how the tributes reacted and how they schemed to take down one another (even though the bloodier deaths always made me cringe). I just didn't have the time for them. I was usually working while they were going on since all of the restaurants had special viewing and betting parties for the wealthy. Since I was working, not only did I not pay attention but I had no reason to even sponsor the tributes. All of these rules that the President was telling me just didn't apply.
"Hello Central Capitol," a flashy man practically screamed at us, "My name is Midos! Are we ready to pick out two people who get to experience an event no one else in this city will ever be able to?"
Would we ever get an escort who just got on the stage and did their job? They always used this time to try and soak up their five minutes of fame. Was anyone ever going to tell them that no one cared about a single thing they said unless it was regarding the new tributes?
"Shall we start with the ladies or the men?" He was greeted with silence and I couldn't help but snicker. This was just getting embarrassing, "How daft of me, of course ladies first."
He made a grand gesture of pulling a name out of the bowl before he called out, "Moriah Vettore!"
The name, as I suspected, meant nothing to me. I found myself slightly relieved it wasn't any of my friends, especially my best friend Ariel. I looked around out of interest to see what girl was going to be heading up to the stage. Within a couple seconds, movement caught my eye and I looked to my left. A rather petite girl, probably around 5'6", began walking towards the stage. Her steps were wobbly and I felt a twinge of guilt for not caring earlier. She looked rather innocent in her pale grey dress and pink headband. Innocence wasn't a common (or prized) thing in the Capitol now days. It was sad to think someone who had that was the one who got reaped.
"That this is an honor," she called out; her voice unsteady because of her shaking body.
Yeah. Such an honor. All because of those stupid rebels.
"On to the matching gentleman!"
I watched carefully, suddenly extremely nervous, as he reached into the bowl. I glanced over at Lyen feeling very paranoid.
Wouldn't it just be my luck if-
"Vair Laconte."
My name was called.
It felt like someone had punched me right in the gut. Before I could even comprehend what was going on, I was on my feet. Then right when I was about to move, I heard Lyen chuckle, "Now isn't this fate. Looks like I'll be the one running the Dark Duchess dynasty after all."
That one comment evoked a cold laugh from deep within me. The harsh chuckle rang out as I stepped over several people to reach the aisle. Once there, I took a deep breath and stuffed my hands casually in my pockets. I tried to place a coy smile on my face and raise my shoulders as if I was shrugging. If I act like it wasn't a big deal than maybe it wasn't.
What about the restaurant?
I kept walking trying to calm every ounce of emotion that was trying to spill over the surface.
What about Weiss?
As I stepped up onto the stage I was to the point where my entire body was bubbling with rage. This was beyond unfair. I was almost nineteen! I was barely eligible! I had everything finally going for me. For the first time in forever, I didn't need to fight for what I wanted. Everything was perfect… Or, at least, as perfect as it was going to get.
"Would you like to say anything?"
"Not particularly," I gritted; trying to keep the anger and bitterness from seeping out.
What about Castiel?
At the thought of my boyfriend my heart ached. The rage subsided and my eyes began to tingle.
My arm was grabbed roughly as Midos shouted, "I present to you the two tributes from the Central Capitol, Vair Laconte and Moriah Vettore!"
The audience applauded, but it was hard to hear them over the ringing in my own ears. A vicious, steely determination latched into my heart and gut. So what if this wasn't fair? Life had never been fair… For anyone, really. I had always worked and fought for what I wanted. This was no different.
This was just one last battle I had to fight so that I could finally get to that perfect life I had spent years working towards.
Yes, I am going to like this format quite nicely.
I greatly enjoyed writing these two tributes and I hope you enjoy reading them as well! I would also like to thank you for the great responses I got from the first chapter I posted! Keep it coming!
One thing that some of you have noticed already is that I finally got my piece to Fandom4LLS. For those of you who don't know, I wrote a piece for this charity and you can donate $10 to not only read it but a compilation of several others fics. They have all of the teasers on their website so you can browse around and see what you might like to read. The money really does go to a good place, but I totally understand if you are not able to/in the place to donate.
A heads up on the fic, though, is that it is different. Per request, I wrote an AU story from Valhalla's point of view. However, it isn't the 'Victor' chapter that many wanted. It is a much simpler chapter that is comprised of only a handful of scenes. It is placed in a world where Valhalla has won, but that was years ago and is no longer the subject of the story. The subject more involves how her life has panned out and her dealing with a problem/event that is happening that very day: her wedding.
I left it very open to interpretation so that the reader can really imagine whatever they want when it comes to Valhalla, the games themselves, and the world that she is currently in.
That being said, the link the website will be on my profile and I hope some of you will check it out! I also can't wait to hear your reactions to this chapter!
I'll see you later,
Europa