Well, we've made it to chapter 3. Be prepared for some family drama in this installment of 'I Volunteer As Tribute'!
Thanks for taking the time to read this story :3
ONTO THE STORY!
Disclaimer: Never in the history of the universe will I ever own The Hunger Games. But, I do own Laurel Dainton and her family :D And Emery, but he's not the lead part here, now is he?
FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER
Maybe the Games would be different this year.
Maybe a Seam kid would make it back home.
Well. May the odds be ever in our favor.
At the end of the ceremony, the Peacekeepers filed onto the stage, ready to escort us to the Capitol Building where we were to say our goodbyes. The boy and I walked side by side, and I couldn't help but glance up at his face. Why did he seem so familiar? His rough features were that of a typical Seam boy, but he was more well-nourished than most of them. He caught my stare. I hurriedly looked away.
We entered the Capitol Building and my step stuttered when I saw all the expensive and refined things that lined the walls and floors. Never would I be able to afford anything like them in my entire life. The boy appeared to be thinking the same thing as his eyes darted around the hallways.
The Peacekeepers spilt up, taking us in opposite directions. My eyes started to burn as I realized how short of time I would have to say goodbye to my family, and the reality of what I had just gotten myself into came crashing down on me in one big wave. They couldn't show me to my room fast enough.
Plopping down on a velvet couch positioned in the middle of the room, I squeezed my eyes shut and willed away the tears. I couldn't cry. Not yet. I just had to make it to the train, and then I could lock myself in my room and fall apart as long as I wanted to. Just not now.
The door opened with a groan, jerking me to attention. I looked at the door expecting my family to be standing there, but instead, there was a blonde boy holding a small sack in his hands. I stood up, my brow furrowed. Who was this guy?
"Hello," he said with a small smile and a wave. I pursed my lips. His smile fell.
"Um, I know you probably don't know me, but, well, I know you and…and that sounds weird, doesn't it," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. I nodded, but his eyes were focused elsewhere.
"Look, I just wanted to stop by and let you know how much I appreciate you volunteering for Prim. If Katniss had gone…" He grew quiet, his hands slowly crumpling the bag. "I brought you some small cakes and candy from my family's bakery in town…I know it's not much, but I just wanted to let you know how thankful I am to you. I'll…see myself out." He handed me the sack and turned to go.
"So that's it?" I asked, looking at the bag. He stopped, glancing over his shoulder in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
I rolled my eyes and set it down.
"So you come here, compliment me, give me sweets, and you don't even tell me your name? Where did you learn your manners from?" I scoffed. He balked and turned back, surprised.
"I-It's Peeta. Peeta Mellark."
"Nice to meet you, Peeta," I said, holding out my hand. He blinked and stared at it. I snickered.
"What, you never shuck hands before?" His face burned and he frowned at me. He stuck his hand out and quickly shook mine, avoiding eye-contact.
"Goodbye, Peeta Mellark. May the odds be ever in your favor…" I trailed off as he walked out the door. Sighing, I sat back down and idly trailed my fingers along the velvet of the couch. I briefly wondered how he had gotten past my parents to be the first person to see me, but just as soon forgot of his existence when the innocent faces of the twins poked their way through the doorway.
"Lily, Luke," I gasped, holding my arms out. They pushed the door open all the way and rushed towards me, throwing themselves into my arms at full-force. Lily sobbed into my neck while Luke hugged me fiercely. I stroked their hair, kissing both of their heads and holding them tight. My mother and father entered the room right after them, and for the first time in my life, I saw my father crying. I disengaged myself from my siblings and approached him, wary of the much larger man.
"Laurel…" He started gruffly, tears welling up in his big, blue eyes. He had been a town kid who had married a coal miner's daughter. His once bright blonde hair had greyed over the years, but his eyes were still the same. In fact, the usual bloodshot look accentuated the blue, making them appear more vibrant when he was lucid.
"...how could you do this?"
His upper lip curled, yellowed teeth peeking out. My body began to tense.
"How could you damn yourself for a stupid little girl?!" He erupted, clenching his only hand into a fist. My mother jumped at his sudden outburst, putting her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. He shrugged her off and took a step closer to me, jabbing one of his fingers into my face.
"What the hell were you thinking, Laurel? How could you do this to your family? We need you!" He grabbed the front of my dress, thrashing me back and forth. The world blurred around us as the sound of fabric ripping pricked at my ears.
"Do you want to die? Is that it?…Or is it because you hate us? You hate your family. You don't give a fuck about—"
"Dad—!"
One harsh slap and I was on the floor.
"You damned yourself— no, you damned all of us, just to help one fucking girl."
My cheek stung and I gasped for breath, images of that dirty alleyway and brick buildings filling my mind. Movement to my left had my eyes struggling to focus on Luke as he attempted to get between us, Lily burying her face in his back and trying to pull him away.
"Leave her alone!" He cried, holding Lily back as he stood up to our father. "She didn't do anything wrong, Dad! She saved Prim's life! She wasn't trying to—"
"I don't give a shit about Prim!" He screamed, backhanding my brother across the face.
The screams of my mother and sister faded into the background as adrenaline rushed through my veins, my fight or flight response kicking into high gear as time slowed down. I was back in the woods, bow drawn, animal in sight, ready to make the kill. Hurling myself upward, I charged my father, not above aiming for weak points as I forced him to the ground and away from Luke. He let out a strangled groan after my knee connected with his groin, but I had already pinned his arm before he could do damage control.
"Jack! Laurel!" My mother shrieked, clutching my siblings to her. I braced my forearm on his throat, pressing just hard enough to keep him in place.
"Get. Off." He gritted out between clenched teeth, the blood vessels popping out of his face. I vaguely registered my mother grabbing the children and hurrying towards the door as I leaned closer.
"I had to do it, Dad. I couldn't let Prim die. I'm officially a tribute. I chose this fate. Nothing can change that now." I grimaced, squeezing my eyes shut to stop the tears. I snapped them open to glare into his, blue clashing with blue. "But how could you hurt your own son?" He jerked his head away, face screwed up in pain.
Two Peacekeepers marched into the room. Mother and my siblings shrunk behind them, Lily shaking like a leaf. Realizing what was happening, I got up, backing up a fair distance and holding up my hands. The Peacekeepers hauled him up without a fight. He refused to look at me, even when the door was closing behind them. All that in the span of two minutes.
I adjusted the dress Mother gave me this morning with trembling hands. The front was stretched, falling awkwardly across my chest as one shoulder strap hung on by a few stitches. Lily tip-toed up to me, wrapping her arms around my middle as I took time to process what had just happened.
My father had assaulted my little brother. He was never violent towards the twins. He never so much as raised his voice at them. And now, I had to leave. I had to leave on that train and leave them alone with him. What could I do? How could I stop this? My head fell forward as I realized I really had damned them just to save one little girl.
"Laurel," my mother whispered. I opened my eyes, heart wrenching at the heartbroken look on her kind face. She pressed her lips to my forehead, murmuring how much she loved me into my skin.
"I love you all so, so much. I'm so sorry for doing this. I didn't realize— I didn't think…" I tried to say, but the lump in my throat stopped me from trying any more. I looked into my mother's Seam grey eyes, saw the pain there. "I'm so sorry, Mom."
Another Peacekeeper entered the room, announcing that their time was up. Panic gripped me. I needed more time.
"Go to Hazel's, Mom. Take the kids and go to Hazel's. Tell her what happened. Gale will keep you safe, at least for a little while. I'll be back before you all know it." I smiled and put on a brave face, but even I knew how forced it looked. She hugged me to her bony body, startling when the Peacekeeper cleared his throat.
"I will, honey. For you, I will," she vowed, stepping back.
Remembering the Mellark boy, I grabbed the bag he left behind and gave it to Luke, gingerly cupping his red cheek.
"There are some small cakes and candies in there for you, so make sure to split it evenly between you two, all right?"
He nodded solemnly, giving me a squeeze before joining our mother and Lily. The youngest Dainton blew me a kiss between her sobs. They made it just to the doorway before my mother turned back.
"We love you, remember that when you're out there, okay?"
I nodded, placing a hand on my heart.
"I will."
"All right, hurry up now! We don't have all day," the Peacekeeper grumbled, but the words didn't have the hard edge they normally would.
"You're gonna win, Laurel! And we'll be here, waiting until you do!" Luke called, mustering up as much confidence as he could as he waved one last time. Then another Peacekeeper came forward and ushered them out, closing the door with finality…leaving me alone with the first Peacekeeper.
Silence filled the room as I stared at him, unsure what to make of his, well, not leaving. I opened my mouth to question him, but he broke the silence first.
"We'll be holding him for a few weeks."
I blinked.
"Assaulting a tribute is not to be tolerated outside of the Arena," he continued, answering my unvoiced Why?
"I just thought you should know."
And with that, he left.
Relief crashed into me and I plopped down on the couch, thanking whatever had been watching for this one mercy. They would be safe for now.
The door hadn't been closed for one minute before it was opened again. Katniss. We met each other's gaze and simply held them, not needing words to understand what was going through both of our minds.
"Thank you," she said quietly, but it meant more than just sparing her sister.
"You're welcome."
We both nodded at the same time, which caused her to crack a smile. I got up and we pulled each other in for a brief hug, holding tight.
"Prim wanted to come, but my mother wanted to be with her. I think Prim getting picked snapped her out of it, Laurel. Maybe now she'll be the mother Prim needs her to be."
"Just tell her that it isn't her fault I volunteered, okay?"
She nodded.
"Oh, and Katniss?"
She looked at me expectantly.
"It isn't your fault either. You're needed here. Keep our families fed and safe, okay?" She smirked.
"Sure. Just know I'll be rooting for you, Laurel." I laughed.
"Whatever you say, Katniss."
She looked at the floor, and I watched as the cool mask started to crumble as tears welled. My eyes widened. She was actually worried about me. But, Katniss being Katniss, she put a stop to it, reverting to her usual self by bottling up her emotions and sending me her signature smirk.
"You'll win, Laurie. I know you will."
Then she was gone.
Slowly, I sat back down, my mind racing with everything everyone said. People actually believed I could win this. Me, a poor Seam kid whose only friend was the loner of the class who hated people. There would be tributes from the career districts twice my size and twice as deadly. They could probably snap my body like a twig if they wanted to.
The door groaned again, and I shook myself out of my daze. Who else could there be? My family had already visited, and so had Katniss. That just about summed up the people I interacted with in my life.
Gale Hawthorne stood at the entrance of the room, shoulders set. I froze. Why would he be here? He didn't even like me. The only reason he even talked to me was because of Katniss.
"Gale? What are you doing here?" I asked, since he hadn't made a move to come any closer.
"I'm sorry," he said. I furrowed my brow.
"For what?"
"For not really being your friend, Laurel. All these years…I didn't really see you. And for that, I'm sorry." He strode towards me, getting much closer than he ever had before. I stood up, uncomfortable with his sudden closeness.
"Look, I know I never said anything when we were out in the woods, but you are a great shot. Use that to your advantage. Get a bow, or make one. Whatever you can do to give you an edge above the others. Get a few knives too."
He gripped my shoulders, making my whole body tense up.
"You can do this, Laurel Dainton."
And with that he embraced me.
My arms hung stiffly by my sides at first, too shocked to move. Was this really happening, or had that slap knocked something loose in my brain?
"Uh, thanks, Gale. But…I thought you didn't like me? Why are you-" He pulled back, for once looking at me as softly as he did Katniss.
"I just realized how much of a jerk I've been all these years. You didn't deserve that, Lau-"
"Time's up! Get out, kid," a Peacekeeper said from the open door.
"...see ya, Gale," I said, my voice hushed.
"Remember what I said," he said solemnly. He reluctantly let me go and walked away, sneering at the Peacekeeper on his way out.
"I will!" I called after him, right before the doors closed.
Eyeing the door warily, I sat down on the red velvet couch one last time, feeling the air of finality lingering now that he was gone. All that was left to do was wait.
Once the time came for us to depart for the train, the Peacekeepers retrieved me. I did my best to make myself presentable again, but there was nothing I could do for my split lip or torn dress. Swallowing hard, I kept my head down as we made our way down the corridor, the boy joining us with more Peacekeepers as we went. I noted with alarm that his left eye was swelling shut, the skin there purpling and shiny. My hand rose of its own accord to rest on his arm, my mouth working to ask what had happened to him when we were plunged back into the outside world. The words died on my lips as rows and rows of cameras began swarming us.
One person tried to get a close-up of my face and I shoved them away on reflex, comfort levels dropping to all-time lows. The cameraman landed on his rear. However, that did not stop him from trying to get even more shots as my torn strap ripped completely, the remainder slipping down my front and forcing me to grip it in order to keep my decency.
Unexpectedly, the boy came to my rescue when the cameraman struggled to his feet, blocking off any potential shots by stepping in between us. Disgruntled, but not discouraged, the cameraman maneuvered this way and that, sidestepping the Peacekeepers that were now finally intervening along with the boy. The other camera people had gone from casual chaos to full-on frenzy as they strained to catch a glimpse of the scene unfolding in front of them.
Struggling to ignore them all, I caught sight of the train and barreled ahead, just wanting to get away from all these people and their stupid cameras so that I could lock myself away and curl up in a ball because it was all too much. And I knew I needed to be stronger than this, but damn it, I just needed time. Soon I would no longer have any.
A woman stepped directly in my way, spouting out questions a mile a minute. I skirted around her, barely registering the boy muttering an apology to her as he caught up with me. Pushing aside another random person, he kept the path clear for us while simultaneously shielding me from prying eyes. I looked up at him incredulously, wondering why he was even bothering. What did he have to gain from this?
We got into the train without much more hassle, the door gliding closed behind us. I took a moment to breathe as I checked out our new surroundings, my heart rate gradually going down. Biting my lip, I winced, my hand coming up to touch the tender flesh and coming away with blood. Right. How stupid of me to forget. It was a wonder no one had commented on it when it was fresh.
"What happened to your mouth?"
Flinching as if I was caught doing something I wasn't supposed to, I turned to the boy, taken aback by how intensely he was watching me. Straightening my shoulders, I wiped the blood away and cleared my throat.
"What happened to your eye?"
His good eye narrowed, but he said nothing.
"Well, um. Thank you. For helping out there. You really didn't have to," I admitted.
He stared at me for almost an uncomfortable amount of time before giving a slow nod. Not like that was any less weird. What was up with this guy?
I looked away from him, unsure of what to do now until I spotted a hallway to our left, the urge to hide hitting me all over again. Hopefully my room for the duration of this train ride was tucked away somewhere over there.
"I…I'm going to find my room now," I announced, feeling the need to say a sort of goodbye even though I owed him no explanation.
The boy…Emery. He bid me farewell and headed off to the right, leaving me alone by the door. Not wanting to waste any time, I took off the opposite direction, taking note of everything I saw until I found what looked like an unoccupied bedroom. Making a split second decision, I locked the door behind me, claiming it for myself.
Sinking down into the plush bed, I touched the broken strap of my dress. Today was probably the last time I would ever see my family. It was the last day I would hold my siblings. I would never get to see them grow up. A sob caught in my throat. I would never get to curl up with my mother and listen to her endless stories of fairytales and feel her heartbeat under my cheek and have her fingers run through my hair—
All the stress of the day tore the false bravado away from my body, leaving behind the scared, shell of a girl underneath. Tears poured down my face and sobs wracked my body. If anyone were to walk in on me, they would find quite the mess.
There was no doubt in my mind that I would die in the Games. I lacked the training, the skill, and the looks it took to make it anywhere in the Arena. Sponsors never helped tributes they thought would lose.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I covered my face with my hands as guilt and self-hatred gnawed at my heart. How would my family survive without me? Katniss and Gale could help for a while, but they had their own families to worry about. Lily and Luke were not their responsibility. They were mine.
The thought sobered me a little. They were my responsibility. And Luke was convinced I would make it home. And Katniss…I couldn't let them down. I couldn't let any of them down.
Taking a shuttering breath, I laid back, looking blearily at the ceiling. I was drained, emotionally and physically, and all I wanted to do was to fall asleep and wake up back in my own bed like this was all a dream. Absentmindedly, I poked at my lip, letting the sting keep me grounded as I wiped the moisture from my cheeks.
"I wish he hadn't torn this dress. It was my only good one," I murmured to no one in particular.
Time dragged on for a while after that. At some point I fell asleep, but that was interrupted by someone rapping on my door. My eyes opened at the sound, but I did not have the energy to sit up. When I failed to answer, they tried to open it, an audible scoff coming from the other side when they figured out it was locked. After a beat or two of silence, they tried knocking again, twice as hard this time.
"What do you want?" I called, my voice scratchy. Boisterous laughter followed and I scowled. Why was Haymitch at my door?
"Time to eat, girly! Can't have ya starving yourself before the big ol' Arena, can we?"
He let out another bout of laughing, his heavy footfalls thudding unevenly away. Inching up, I got to my feet with a sigh. I pulled my dress back into place, wondering if there was anything I could use to stitch it back together.
Unlocking the door, I allowed myself one last steadying breath before leaving. This wasn't going to be enjoyable.
A/N: And that was Chapter 3! What did ya'll think?
Thanks to Lovely Lexie, 74hgpeetakatniss, and The Loved and Unloved for your reviews! They make me smile :)
As always, please review!
6/23/19 Update: This chapter is now updated! It's a bit darker than before~ I hope ya'll enjoyed it!