Her heels creaked upon the solid ground, her teased and billowing crimson wig bouncing with every step. Adara Applebee, the District 4 escort, was dressed in a golden velvet dress which tightly hugged her hips and accented her long legs. She had a pair of crimson heels with little woven in gold bows on the toes, her outfit reminding the siblings of a lion prowling after her prey, then a sweet older woman who was supposed to keep the unlucky tributes punctual and well mannered; nothing too hard in her case. Her eyes grazed the crowed, eyes the split groups of possible tributes; her lips curling into a wide grin. Her appearance always gave Koi the fear that she might one day jump into the crowed and savagely attack the younger grouped children, though she was too high maintenance for something like that, Koi always wondered.
After registering, sticking her pricked finger between her lips to sooth the small ache, she filed in beside a few girls she once knew, now polished and pressed for the reaping. She was on the edge of the herded group, the wide space which separated the girl's from the boy's right to her left. A peacekeeper was stationed beside her, his white uniform and gun in hand earning a delighted icy dagger from the mermaid. She was never fond of the peacekeepers, their guns proving to the rest of the district that they belonged to them, to the Capitol. No matter what they did, those guns would be the final outcome. She bit into her lip, pulling her attention away from the isle, the crowd beginning to calm down as the mayor rises from his place in the back and gladly replaces the prowling lioness at the stage.
He began his routinely speech about the history of the games, something Koi found droll and repetitive. She easily pushed his voice out of her mind as she let her own ideas flourish. She wondered where her brother was, wondered if Harper's younger sister and two brothers were buried among the crowd around her, she even wondered what her old classmates were thinking right now; wondering which would volunteer first. She smiled to herself as she spotted her own betting two, watching as both Grant and Trevor seemed to be in deep conversation about something, she hoped it was an argument on which was going to volunteer; the money was something she didn't want to hand over to her friend anytime soon.
She looked over slightly, watching as the many victors of the district filled in, stifling a laugh as the girls seemed to synchronize their flattering sigh as Finnick Odair walked up, though it was obvious his attention was preoccupied with the girl who followed behind him. Koi tried not to laugh, keeping her icy gaze upon the crowd beside her, straining her blue hues to locate her brother. It seemed to be an almost impossible task among the many tall young men who cluttered the roped in area. She huffed a sigh, leaning her weight over onto her left hip as she took notice of the rest of the repeating spread. Boredom was eating away at her insides, the anticipating sight of the tributes beginning to become more and more unimportant compared to the bet she had. It wasn't until the lioness got back to her feet and strolled across the platform back to the podium, her lips wide in a grin, when things began to pick up once more as she preyed upon the glass bowls which sat on both sides of her.
"As always," she cackled joyfully, her voice making the mermaid cringe, "Ladies first!" Her crooked and long decretive nails plunging deep into the contents of the first bowl. She gave a small girlish yelp as she snatched out a paper and playfully waved it about, smiling back at the mayor before she pulled it apart. The crowd went silent and some of the girls began to take deep breaths, preparing to rescue their friends or enemies, preparing to volunteer. Koi gave a cocky smile as she watched some of them, their hands itching to be shot up high within the air to claim the title of Victor, something she never would think to do.
"Oh! Such a themed name," she giggled playfully as she examined the slip carefully, "Koi Sliverfin!"
The mermaid's heart stopped and her blood ran cold in her veins. Her eyes were wide and her muscles numb and unresponsive. She couldn't put together anything in her mind, the numbness enveloping her mind as well. She stood there for what felt like forever, the taste of salt on her lips and the smell of the ocean behind her, waving at her to come to its shores. She wanted to slip from the crowd, to run as far as her legs would carry her and dive beneath the waters and escape; but it was realized once more when they called her name again.
"Koi? Are you out there darling?" The lioness purred into the microphone, scanning the girl's side.
She would have stayed hidden, stayed within the cluster of girls, if not for the one girl beside her which knocked her from the safety of the group, exiling her into the open isle. She would have nearly fallen to the ground if not for the peacekeeper who grasped her arm tightly, keeping her on her unbalanced feet. She hissed out with venom, tearing her arm from his grasp with a submerged curse in her voice. Another peacekeeper came behind her and grasped her other arm, the one she had cursed at taking hold of her other one as well. Another pair came closer, advancing with a bit of caution as she seemed to have fire burning in her icy haze.
"Koi fish," called a voice behind her, the only voice which would ever call for her, "Koi!" His voice was urgent and loud as he shouted for her.
She snapped her head back, the fire drowning in the melting ice of her eyes, her brother becoming covered by a plethora of white uniforms, his broad figure trying to push through the wall of Capitol guards. That became the only voice Koi could hear, the tireless shouts of her brother from behind her, her heels digging into the soft ground as she tried to stop them from taking her to the stage. She could already feel the peering eyes around her, the murmurs of relief and whispers of a more prideful district spreading. They wanted to get rid of her, she began to think, planned this from the beginning to remove the only displaced family within the district.
"Well," came the crackling howl of the escort, "seems we've already got a fighter; that could be promising!" Her voice was cool and collected as the pale blonde was tossed on the stage beside her. "Now then, on to the boys!"
Koi stood there, peacekeepers close by and preparing to pounce, as her body began to tremble in fear. She was scared out of her mind and trapped among the stage, the eyes of the whole district on her, examining her and eyeing her as they looked at her. The girls she knew who wanted to volunteer, their hands now down at their sides and their lips curled into light cocky smile. They were glad it was her, glad that in only a week they would be easily be rid of the damage girl of their district; the last pearl of her broken family. No one would volunteer for her; no one wanted to save her.
"Alrighty then," Adara smiled, her lips curled back, "and now for your companion, a mister Dante Tredway?" She called, hinting in her voice for a more peaceful tribute to join the venomous girl beside her.
Before anyone could speak a word about the tribute, a hand shot into the air with lightning speed. A rush of voices caressed the entire district as his voice rang over them all, "I volunteer as tribute!"
The bursting cries of a woman from the outer crowds seemed to crackle like thunder to her son's lightning speed, but it was the murmuring of the people which seemed to be the peacekeepers next challenge. Escorted by the white gentlemen, the male tribute was brought to the stage, Koi's gaze only glancing over towards him as he was placed on the other side of their escort.
The cat like lady purred as she placed a gloved hand to her cheek, fluttering her lashes, "Oh! Well, I'm sure we all know who you are," she cooed lightly, waving a hand out to the cameras which were stationed like vultures around the square, "but give us your name for the other districts to know who you are!"
She was right; everyone in the district did know him. The paralyzed mermaid, her hands clamped tightly onto her arms as she stood there, unmoved by his gesture of goodwill.
"Talen Adelaine," he smiled, giving a small wave towards the cameras.
Only son of the Adelaine Fishing Company, largest company in the district, seemed calmed as he stood there with a small smile on his lips. He was a pleasing sight, his dark ash smoothed over hair and blistering cold blue eyes. Koi had remembered back in her school days she had on occasion ran into the boy, even seeing him down by his father's docks when she wanted to visit Harper. She wanted to rub it in Harper's face that he had lost, but there was no sweetness to the victory she had, no glory. She was going to die and nothing there was nothing she could o about it.
"There you have it District 4!" Adara smiled, "Your 71st Hunger Games Tributes!"