"Are you going to see your parents before the reaping?" Bright looked out, thinking for a moment.
"I went for my weekly visit yesterday. Besides, they'll come say goodbye before Diamond and I leave for the capitol," He sighed, letting go of some tension he didn't know he had. He reached out, brushing a hair away from her faces as she smiled.
"Claudia, when I come back, remind be to buy Ava every toy she could want, and make sure she gets a place in the Academy, or the Masonry school if she wants," Claudia giggles, shaking her head.
"Honey, she's two. When you get back, she still has years before she needs to make a choice," Bright shrugged,
"She'll get every opportunity I can give her. Mom and Dad would never, and probably could never, give her everything she needs," Claudia smiled, leaned in, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Looking around quickly, sprung up from her seat, harshly pulling Bright up from the bench he was planted on.
"Come on! Stop being so glum. Ava will be just fine, your parents can probably get it together long enough for you to come home. I'll make sure she's okay. Besides, today's the start of the rest of your life! We can worry about all the details later, right now, we have a reaping we need to catch. Diamond's probably getting madder by the second," Before he could process what was happening, she took off running, dragging him in tow. Or, well, pretending to. He could keep up easily, but why ruin her fun? She kept him sane, made his life happier, and made Diamond less relentless. What more could he ask for?
The grassy field molded into marble and glass. Skyscrapers and luxury invaded his line of sight, jolting him out of his thoughts. The people of District 1 were rejoicing. Golden banners lined the street lamps as businessmen walked with cell phones to their ears and posh ladies strutted with tiny dogs in their purses. Bright smiled, looking around at the scrambling people, a staple of District 1. He and Claudia walked the smooth streets, allowing him one last chance to relish in the glow of the city. Before long, he spotted a large group of kids waiting in single file lines. Tall men in all white suits kept them in order, but without much care for anything else. The younger kids had extra energy flowing form them in waves. They were fidgeting, playing with each others' hair, pushing each other. Beautifully controlled chaos, he thought for a moment, just like the rest of the District.
"Bright! There you are, Claudia I thought we were going to get here early?" He turned around at the sharp yet low voice. Claudia laughed,
"Lighten up a little Dee, it's your big day! You can relax a little bit, the games haven't even started yet," Diamond, only Claudia could call her Dee without fear of getting maimed, rolled her eyes.
"Relaxation isn't what got me here today. Bright, are you ready to go? Remember the plan, once we say goodbye we need to meet Clyde and talk about strategy on the train," Bright sighed heavily, but smiled and chuckled.
"I know, I know, but don't forget to enjoy the moment. You only get reaped once," he pulled Claudia close and gave her a quick kiss. Diamond gave a tight lipped, but somehow still genuine smile.
"Don't forget to see me off," Diamond pulled Claudia into a quick hug.
"Of course, I need to support my best friend while she chases her dreams. You earned this," Diamond grinned.
"That's right," she let go of Claudia, adjusting her muslin dress. She looked up at Bright, eyes narrowing.
"Bright, adjust your tie. It's crooked. It ruins the suit and makes us look bad, and I know that it was tailored perfectly, I'll see you on stage," with that, she stalked off past the sea of children. Bright looks down at his simple suit in scrutiny before rolling his eyes. Claudia bit her lip,
"You know Dee, always trying to be the best of the best, if not perfect," She turned around. "Watch her for me? You know what happens when she gets too into the games,"
Bright cringed. He knew. He definitely knew. Smiling gently, he pulled her into one last hug.
"Root for me, okay? I'll be thinking of you in there," He asked. Nodding lightly, Claudia pulled away with a small wave, knowing she'd see him again in a little bit. Watching her fade into the crowd, Bright stood a little taller. He turned, and walked into the mass of people without a look back.
They're wrong. Show them they're wrong.
Thwack!
The dummy hit the ground. A spear was aligned perfectly with where the lungs would be. It was a definite kill.
I'm not a loser. I am not worthless. I will not lose.
Thwack! Thud!
Another dummy hits the ground. This one had a spear right through its neck, cutting its imaginary windpipe in two.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
One after another they fall, spears sticking in every direction. Hadrian barely gave them a second glance as he kept throwing spears. He kept throwing, they kept falling, each hit in the perfect place to make an easy kill. It was almost soothing, knowing that he hit them in instant kill zones. Throwing didn't even tire him out anymore, it almost felt like a hobby.
Except most hobbies wouldn't have his dignity attached their success.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
I am strong, I am prepared. I will succeed.
"Hey,"
Hadrian whipped around, spear poised in his hands. The redhead leaned against the door laughed,
"I swear I can hear thinking from out the door. You're fine. You're not worthless, and you will win," Hadrian dropped his spear, turned around, and started walking away.
"You're not your brother, they can't compare you to him," He stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes bored into the floor, blood pulsing in his veins.
"When has that ever stopped them? You know this, Maxima," he didn't need to turn around to see her visibly flinch. Her full name only came out when she was in trouble. Hadrian stared at the floor, breathing heavily. He heard her light footsteps trailed up behind him.
"You know, the girl that everyone says is trying to volunteer? Avery Maceon? Her best friend died in the games. She gets it too," Hadrian turned around, not daring to raise his gaze.
"She doesn't have to carry the guilt. It was her best friend, not her brother. She doesn't have to live with shame attached to her name. She doesn't have to live with people calling her worthless because her kin couldn't win. She's nothing like us. In fact, she has everything. Her dad is one of the most notable victors of all time,"
"You'll be fine, you've trained every day from dawn until dusk. You can do it," Hadrian felt her hand rest on his shoulder, light and unsure. He looked up. Maxima sucked in a breath, waiting for something. He smiled.
"You know, since my brother lost, you've been the closest thing to a friend I've had. When I get back, let's talk," he decided. Maxima grinned,
"There are a lot of us carrying the same shame, maybe we should all talk," Hadrian chuckled. He might've had the entire district waiting for his failure, but he could prove them wrong. He walked back over to the dummies and picked up his spear. Something was still there though, the small pit in his stomach. His arm wavered every so slightly, as the spear sat poised in his hand.
Thwack!
Thud!
He grinned, the pit vanishing.
I will win.
"Again! Harder!"
Aim for the chest, crotch, neck.
"Be relentless! The other tributes won't back down, you need to catch them before they get you!"
Come on, a few more.
"That's it! There you go!"
You are Avery Maceon. You can do it.
Avery straightened up. The man standing to the side grinned. In front of them sat twelve targets, all with knives perfectly aligned with the bulls-eye. How could they be unhappy with that?
"Hey honey, that's the best I've seen you do yet," Avery laughed as the man kissed her temple.
"Dad, you haven't seen me throw in over a year. I've gotten a lot better since then," The man chuckled,
"Of course! I knew you would, you are my daughter after all No child of Clint Maceon would be bad with weaponry"
And there it was. The stupid, blasted phrase. Everything started to feel tense as those words sunk in. Avery looked up at her dad with a tight lipped smile.
"Thanks Dad, I think I need to go get ready," She turned, only to be stopped by a hand. Blue eyes met green as her father stared her down.
"Don't be like that," Avery looked down and pushed his hand away, only to be stopped again.
"Avery, you know-"
"To be a victor is the highest honor that I can have. Not only does it bring glory to the district, but our family and friends. It makes us, as people and as a district, stronger and better," Clint stepped back. His daughter still didn't look up at him. He smiled sadly, pulling her in for a hug. He felt her sigh, and nuzzle into his chest.
"Honey, do you know why I tell you that?"
She didn't move. Clint stepped back and tilted her chin up, her frustrated gaze boring into his mind.
"I tell you this because I know you can do it. From the moment you were born, I knew you were going to be a victor. You're strong, smart, talented, relentless, and so many more things. You are prepared. No one else in the district, heck, in the country is as good as you. I believe in you, and I know the games will help you become even greater than you already are,"
Avery frowned.
"Dad, I can't be like you-"
"I never asked you to be, and I never will. Each victor is different, but they are all great. You don't need to be me, you need to be you. That's how you win," Clint was beaming, though his daughter still looked pensive. Finally, she smiled.
"Alright Dad, I trust you. Always have. I'm gonna go get ready, I'll see you at the reaping," she said as she started to walk back to the house. Once her father was out of sight, she stopped. Looking back, she smiled. It was her turn to shine. It was her turn to make every proud.
Hello everybody,
I bet you never expected to see me again!
I promise, i can explain, but I don't know how you guys will feel.
You see, I've struggled with self-esteem since I was small. I've always been a bigger girl. I've always been aware of this and tried to combat it with sarcasm, in an attempt to make my personality bigger than the number on the scale. I've always had a slight hatred of who I am, as a person and as a picture on my desk. I never had anything good to say to myself. My writing was terrible. I couldn't sing. I had no talents, I was stupid etc.
Last spring, it finally caught up to me.
I got so tired of feeling terrible all the time, so I scrapped it all and tried to find who I really was. I took up until now to find me. I needed to find Dia, not the number on the scale, not the scathing sarcastic quips, but Dia, me and only me. And I feel like I've done it.
Unfortunately, in this reckless pursuit, I left everything in the dust, including this.
BUT!
I'm back! And I can't wait to get started again. I forgot how much I loved writing and I how much I loved manipulating and giving characters full stories and arcs. I can't wait to see how this goes now that I have a fresh set of eyes and a new style under my belt.
I'm sorry for the wait, but I hope it'll be worth it.
And I promise this time, I'm staying for good.
I promise we'll get into the real meat of the games soon, but I just know these characters again and give them the justice they deserve.
Much love,
Dia
New, improved and confident for once.
