I sit on one of the plush, red chair in my parents' winery. It had the smell of opened grapes looming around everywhere. You can even smell it from a few feet away from the winery. It gave me a head ache, but I intentionally got used to it. But since there are so many people here, it smells like wine and alchohol.
I nibbled on a piece of flakey bread, a croissant, my brother, Dusk, called it. A few of the flakes fell onto my unwrinkled skirt of my dress. I had to wear that dress. The silk, white dress that fell above my knees, hugging my stomach with a ribbon, a fake, white, plastic rose that sat on the side with little white beads. The identical plastic rose that was supposed to go under the other, fell off. My mother had to create it into a clip, which I kept on feeling it jump when I do.
Dusk sat next to me, sharing the same table, wearing the same shade of white with his dress shirt tucked into black dress pants.
"Brush the crumbs of your dress. Make a good impression," Dusk whispered to me, not making eye contact with me.
I ignore him, obviously trying to make him brush it off for me.
"Gem! Brush them off now!" he demanded, his voice still a whisper, but sounds like a raspy shout. "Almost everyone of the people living in District One are here!"
"So? It's not like they're gonna pay any attention to us,"
"So? We're one of the richest citizens if Panem. Do you want to be labeled as a mutt or someone who lives in the richest district in Panem?"
"A mutt,"
"Just brush it off,"
I brush it off, letting it fall into the polished wood floors. The floors are so polished that you can see your reflections. I bring my hand up, staring at my nails, like what Dusk wants me to act in public, arrogant and rich, and making a good impression while you can, while others can't, even if they want to. They, too, are polished with white, perfect ovals.
"You know mother and father already made plans on who you're gonna marry?" Dusk told me.
I put my croissant back on my plate and raised an eyebrow. I squint at Dusk, his blue eyes shining. I hated when there's so much light in the room that it reflects on Dusk's eyes, so I can't tell if he's lying or not.
"You're lying,"
"How do you know?"
"Cause you are!"
"How do you know I don't eavesdrop on our parents? You're always asleep whenever I do eavesdropping business,"
"Gem, Dusk, smile!" someone with a squeaky voice smiled.
Dusk and I both simultaneously looked at her. Of course, it was Eden Thawood, the photographer of the schoo I go to. Eden had dark red hair color, grass green eyes, and a brush of freckles over her nose. She's nice and all, but sometimes she takes way too many pictures.
We smiled, and once she left, we never went back to the eavesdropping conversation. That is because we had to dance with almost every single person in the whole room.
Awkwardly exchanging glances at each other, me and Dusk danced with each other while everyone else smiled. Smiled because they're having the time of their lives. Or smiled because it could be the last time they'll see each other.
"You're gonna marry someone we know," Dusk stated, twirling me because other people are doing it.
"Who, then?"
"Ash Fairbane. Don't you know him?"
We had to pair up with someone else. Either fortunately or unfortunately, it was Ash.
He had his brown mahogany hair cut short, maybe just for this occasion. Ash always had his hair cutted that way, his hair creating a mountain in his head. pointing upwards, since the day he turned twelve. His brown eyes gave me an indication that he still acted immaturely, somewhat like me. I can see why my parents paired me up with him.
"Gemini Whishart, glad to see you. Again," he greeted. Ash gave me his dimpled grin.
I could feel my cheeks fill up with blood, cooling off then heating up again. Like a conveyor belt. I could feel his arm around my waist and our hands clasping each other. He twirled me once.
"I'm not blind, you know," Ash said with a smile like he's laughing. Can he stop smiling like an adorable idiot?
I take my mind off of him for one second and watch as my mother going on the stage, her dress hugging her whole body, showing her figure, whispering to the conducter of the band, Lux Symphony. There, the music is slowed. She'd done it purposely.
"No. I thought you were blind all along. Especially in school when we accidentally bump each other through the room. Accidentally,"
"Accidentally. Like it was an accident that we got paired up when, in a few years, we'll be sleeping in the same house. Same room. Same bed,"
"You're really creepy," I said, trying to stifle a laugh. I lay my head in his shoulder, my mouth on his shirt, just trying to stop laughing. Dusk wasn't lying.
"You're making my shoulder and shirt very warm and moist," he laughed. Oh, that laugh, sounding like he seriously needs air. His laugh makes his smile grows even wider. Sometimes when he laughs for so long, he just starts laughing without a noise coming out of his mouth, except for a few gasps, just a few, maybe about two or three.
"Get away, you filthy animal," he joked, still laughing.
"Good bye, Ashby," I whispered to myself. I watch him as he dances with another girl. I just want to kill that girl. He's going to be my husband, not yours.
Another person takes my waist, but I just want to push him away, push the girl away, push everyone away, leaving me and Ash alone. Everyone feels that way, right? A fifteen year old girl, feeling that way. Is that normal? Just one night can change your whole feeling for someone because of someone telling you something.
I sat back to the same chair I sat before, Dusk being next to me.
I slowly cut back and forth on my piece of roasted turkey, trying to see the joker boy that I happened to fall in love with this night.
"Gem?"
"Yes, Dusk?"
"You're cutting your plate?"
"What?" I look down, noticing that the turkey is already cut.
"You're losing your little intellectual mind, Gemmy,"
Mother, father, Dusk, and I travelled back home on a carriage, pulled by horses. Gasoline had run out for more than a century. I squeezed between the wall and Dusk, feeling his heat radiate through his dress shirt to my bare arm. The seats were the same velvet cushions as the winery, or so I think.
"What happens if I get reaped?" I asked my parents, interrupting the silence.
"There's this girl, aged eighteen, named Catri Vothes who will volunteer for you. She's been working out, getting muscles, automatic win, sweetheart," father answered, his voice monotonous and deep.
I have a doubt on Catri, actually. Dusk and I have been in her bad side, lately. Dusk and Catri used to secretly date. I would know because I used to go to Dusk's bed a few years ago everytime I get scared, which is always. Catri came through Dusk's window. And Dusk always say to me, putting a finger to his lip, "Our little secret," Afterwards, they broke up for a reason, and I was always on Dusk's side.
My older brother looked at the floor of the carriage. Awkward silences follow after.
I wave at a Peacekeeper, Tillus, who became a Peacekeeper just to provide food in his district, District Twelve. He waves back, showing a smile. Tillus isn't like most Peacekeepers, he's respectful to others, a trait that most of them don't have. He didn't abide the rules, so he became a Peackeeper at age eighteen, now twenty one. If Ash wasn't in my life, I would actually wanted Tillus to be paired up with me.
If I do get reaped, Catri won't even volunteer for me, I thought.
I watch as the tips of my blond hair swim around the bath tub, little blue bath beads swim with it. The warm water comforted me from the endless night of dancing, covering my whole body with its warmth.
I sink down and back up, bobbing my head in the water. I always wanted to move to District Four,the fishing district. Waking up to the sound and smell of the sea. Fishing out in the morning sun. Just everything about it seems like a fairy tale.
"Gem. Dinner. Outside in the gazebo," Dusk called to me, he wore a different dress shirt. He closed the bathroom door afterwards.
I wrapped a fluffy bath robe around me and went downstairs, my hair dripping down the Victor's Village steps.
My father was the victor of the 78th Hunger Games, volunteering for another male. He won by his looks, he had muscles and all, recieving a bunch of sponsors because of that.
"Ash's family is here," Dusk announced, pushing me back up the stairs. He turned back, heading downstairs.
I take off my robe, feeling the October wind touch my skin. It's not too cold like November, but not too hot like May.
I wore a green V-neck shirt and a brown skirt, just reaching under my finger tips. I tied a green ribbon around my hair. I looked in the mirror on my dresser, unsatisfied, especially because of what Dusk was wearing. I changed into a black and white dress that is about an inch over my finger tips. The dress covers my collar bone, but has no sleeves. The skirt of the dress is just a black ruffle. I kept the ribbon.
I open the door to my room and found Ash leaning against the banister wearing the same clothes he wore.
"Hi," he greeted.
I just couldn't help it, but I just smiled, no words spoken.
Our arms were linked together down the stairs. Ash read things off the wall.
One of those was a poem about death or something. Remember that time when we laughed all day? But right now, we're both decay. I know that I love you. And you love me. That no other person can take my heart away from you. But when you let go of life, there is only one thing in the world you are. My wife.
I could feel his breath on my neck as we hugged.
"Bye," he said quietly. Ash had his eyes reflecting the light from my house.
"Bye," I sighed. "See you tomorrow, I guess?"
"Sure,"