The gentle buzzing was soothing.
To almost anyone else it would've been a sign of impending doom, but in her line of work, it was a sign that everything was working correctly. Well, it could've also been a sign of impending doom, but that's a chance that you have to take when working in a power plant. The gentle click clack of the keyboard served as a harmony to the gentle buzz in her office, creating her favorite song of all. A song of harmony, a song of mathematical genius, a song of security.
"JENNY! WHERE ARE TODAY'S POWER ALLOTMENTS?"
'Jenny' couldn't help but cringe at the misnomer. The door flew open,
"We were supposed to be done HALF AN HOUR AGO! What the HELL is going ON?"
Angry stomps flooded her office, the gentle buzz suddenly nowhere to be found. She took a breath, bracing herself. Turning around, she found the portly man she'd unwillingly grown to despise,
"Kail, I had to run the calculations again-"
"Why? I thought they told me you were the best in the business,"
She winced.
That one actually hurt.
Taking another deep breath, she stared the man down, literally. He stood several inches shorter than her 5'6" frame. Summoning all the courage in her body, she sighed. Straightening her shoulders and standing a little taller, she announced
"I'm sorry. The need for power has been growing at an exponential rate. I had to make sure that I wasn't making a mistake," The man snorted.
"Get on with it then. I want to be out of here by 6," 'Jenny' started to speak, but Kail had already unceremoniously turned around and stalked off.
"Kail! Wait! My name is-"
SLAM
"... Geneva," she mumbled, more to herself now that the door had been closed. Slumping her shoulders, she ran her fingers through her long, blonde hair. Her last hair tie had broken about an hour ago. The pens and pencils which usually called the hairband home scattered across the office floor. Some of them sat, broken and cracked, as Kail had stomped on them in his fury.
Kail was her boss, but that didn't mean she had to like him. She had been working at the factory, the largest and most efficient power plant in the entirety of District 5, and, frankly, the entirety of Panem, for a little over 7 years. Despite this, it felt like every time Geneva saw him, he found a new way to butcher her name. 'Jewel' and 'Jessica' and 'Jenny' and 'Gia' and 'Ginny' and countless other snide nicknames were thrown in her face on a daily basis. Daily, sometime between 4:30 and 5:30, he'd barge into her office and demand the days' numbers. Usually, she'd already put them in the system while he was lounging about. Today was the day, the single day in the 7+ years she had worked at the plant, that she was late with her numbers. One day out of 7 years. She was on time 99.961% of the time, but the one day, the .039% of the time she was late, she was yelled at as though it was a daily occurrence. The real daily occurrence was Kail not doing anything, and yelling at innocent workers to do his job for him.
Shaking her head, she let the gentle click clack of the keyboard comfort her once more. She couldn't let Kail bother her again. She had a good job, a well paying one at that, and the people she loved were alive and healthy. She smiled, her happy demeanor returning. Sitting down, she stared at her screen, trying to figure out where she had left off. The gentle buzz returned to its usual volume in her ears. She squinted her eyes, the fluorescent lights of the keyboard boring into her cornea. If it weren't for the fact that she'd seen the same form daily for years, she would be struggling. It was always that way with her. Numbers made sense. Numbers didn't change unless you made them. They stayed put as she did her work. Letters and words floated and drifted. They wandered away as she did her damnedest to make sense of them. Numbers seemed to behave, letters were out to get her.
Once the numbers were finally in their proper place in the chart, she hit submit. She glanced up at the clock.
5:59 PM.
Well, Kail would be out by 6.
Smiling to herself, she grabbed her book bag and walked out of the office, making sure to turn off her lights as she went. Besides the usual gentle hum of electricity, the plant was quiet. Most people had left half an hour ago, leaving her to wander around the deserted building.
She couldn't help but smile as she made her way down flights of stairs. Another day gone by with minimal issues and good, honest work done. She had even managed to make her way down to the plant earlier in the day. She had waved to all the workers and cheered up some fellows who thought they were going to get in trouble. She had learned of the new, more efficient, oil refining system being used. Walking out the door, being greeted by the crisp, spring air, it put a small spring in her step as she strolled home.
Her sandals bumped against the pavement as she approached the looming villa she called her home. Stepping up to the front door, and wiping off her shoes, she heard a few voiced from inside.
"Kenzie, love, where did you put my rubber gloves?"
"Hanging on the rack, dear" Geneva grinned and walked through her living room into the kitchen. The two, a tall, bald man and a short yet stunning woman, turn to her. The man grinned, ran up to Geneva, picking her up,
"There's my favorite daughter! How was work?" He asked, still holding her a few inches off the ground. She couldn't help but giggle,
"Dad, I'm your only daughter," she corrected, wiggling in his grip. He couldn't help but chuckle at that, and put her down. Geneva dusted off her pants and pulled some hair behind her ear,
"Work was good, another day of calculations," she continued. Looking at her father, she frowned. "Are you leaving already?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry darling, duty calls. Third shift at the plant pays more, so hopefully you'll have to work less," he explained, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. Geneva frowned,
"Dad, you know I don't mind-"
"I know, and I'm so proud of everything you've done," Geneva couldn't help but beam at the praise. "But that doesn't mean I can't do my part too. I'll be back before the reaping tomorrow. I love you," he gave Geneva one last hug, turned around and left. Turning back to her mom, Geneva saw a sad smile grace her mother's sharp features.
"Mom, what's wrong?" she asked quietly. Kenzie shook her head,
"Nothing darling, the reaping is tomorrow though," the realization hit her, despite having heard it twice now. Geneva smiled, and gave her mother a small hug,
"I did some calculations, do you want to hear them?" she asked offhandedly. Kenzie straightened, looking at her quizzically.
"Sure thing honey, you know I'll always listen," she said, the questions in her head threatening to spill out. Clearing her voice, Geneva grinned.
"I have never taken out tesserae, right?" she asked. Her mother continued to look at her, hundreds of questions burning in her mind. Geneva continued, unfazed by her mother's silence,
"Since I've never taken tesserae out, I have no more than the standard slips in the bowl. One from when I was 12, two from when I was thirteen, etc. I didn't take out any tesserae this year, which means in total, I have 15 slips in the reaping. Now, let's make a super unrealistic assumption that the 553 other kids in the district have never taken out tesserae and are all 16 years old. That would mean, in total, there would be 8,310 slips in the bowl. The chances of my slip being drawn are .018%. And that's if I round numbers for ease of multiplication. There are kids who take out 3 to 5 bags of tesserae a year, there are 18 year olds who have done that for 6 years. I have such a slim chance of being drawn. I'll be okay," Geneva stopped, her mother having wrapped her in a tight hug. Little sniffles filled the room, followed by the feeling of tears falling onto her sweater.
"I am so proud of you, of everything you've done," Geneva smile, but her mother still continued to sniffle.
"Thank you mom, we'll be alright," Kenzie laughed lightly,
"I'm your mother honey, it's my job to worry about your safety. Even though you have a job and have grown into a beautiful young woman, you'll always be my little girl," Kenzie mused, smiling through the flood of tears. Geneva laughed once more, squeezing her mother even tighter,
"Don't worry mom, I'll be alright,"
Smoke.
Burns.
Fire.
He couldn't breathe. He couldn't see. He couldn't feel his own body anymore. The heat had consumed him. Fire flickering in every direction, nothing but an ocean of flames surrounded him.
"Cedric? Cedric, where are you?" He whipped his head around. The voice was desperate, and oh so familiar.
"Mom? Mom, please, where are you? I'll find you! Please, mom!" The crackle of fire was all he heard as the heat dull his senses. His nerves were on fire. His lungs filled with smoke.
"Cedric! Help me!" Rubble dropped from the ceiling, landing on his thighs. The smoke circled around him, trapping him, taunting him.
"Cedric, please!" He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't see.
"MOM!"
The cool night air hit his skin. Sweat dripped down his forehead and back.
In. Out. In. Out.
It was just a dream.
It was all it ever was.
His sheets and blankets had been thrown onto the floor, much like every other night. He looked at his hands. They trembled. His whole body trembled.
He let his legs hang off the side of his bed, his feet dangling a few inches off the ground. He let his head droop as he closed his eyes, letting the darkness soothe him for a moment.
It's just a dream. You're just fine.
Finally, he glanced at the clock above his door.
3:57 AM.
Nothing new there.
Hopping off his head, he walked over to his dresser to grab himself a new shirt. Throwing it on over his head, he made his way out of his room and into the hallway, slowly. Ms. Clarence had been having back pains again, she deserved to rest. Creeping his way into the kitchen, he grabbed an apple off the fruit basket, and started sifting through last evenings mail.
For some reason, District 5 was the only district to deliver the mail in the evening. Most people didn't care, they had no reason to. Cedric, however, patiently waited each month for a specific envelope. He let a small smile spread on his face as he felt the crisp, white paper. The rest of the mail was addressed in aging, yellow envelopes. Only a few citizens had the privilege of clean, new paper, but at this point, he couldn't wait as he tore apart the pristine envelope. He found the usual check, but more importantly, another crisp white paper.
My son,
Living in District 7 has its occasional perks. We're never short of wood to burn in the fireplace, we're never short paper to write letters, and we never seem to have harsh winters. The other peacekeepers love it. Besides, the Capitol, District 1 and District 2, they say 7 is the best place to be stationed. The people are generally obedient and the food is good.
They always laugh at me when I tell them I'd rather go back to District 5. They call it a slum, a dump, and other, more impolite things. I don't even try to defend myself anymore, they know my stance, and I won't back down. District 5 gave me the two best things to ever happen to me: you and your mother. Of course, I've never told them that. They don't need to know, they'll always be the same.
How are you? Doing well in school? Ms. Clarence wrote me last month to tell me your piano skills are improving. Is that what you've been doing in your free time? You never told me. I'd love to hear it when I come back to visit. She told how helpful you've been and how great you've been with the local kids she helps. I had to tell her off about the baked goods though. Yes, you're a growing boy, but no one needs dozens upon dozens of cookies lying around the house for no reason. That's just too tempting.
No word yet on getting you to come with me. I put in a special request with President Holstein a few months ago, but nothing has come up yet. She's probably too busy worrying about the new head gamemaker, Lincoln Diel. He was appointed by Leopold himself I heard. I hope he's not as bat-shit crazy as the old hoot. Those last few games were completely insane, but they worked? Oh well, hopefully she'll get back to me soon. Maybe, if all else fails, you can train to become a peacekeeper and I can be your mentor. I'm exploring any and every option I can think of, let me know what you think.
I know that one day we can come back together and be a family again. Something will work, one of these days. I'm so sorry I'm not there. I'm so sorry I can't do more or you. I send you all I can without raising suspicion for myself. I can't wait to see you again. I love you, Cedric. You're becoming a fantastic young man. Keep making me proud.
Love,
Your Old Man
P.S. I managed to bribe Jax to do all my reports for me for the rest of the year, except for one. Isn't that fantastic?
His dad never stopped amazing him.
Every year since Cedric was 12, his father wrote the same postscript at the bottom of the letter that fell on reaping month. Cedric jumped out of his seat and scrambled around the kitchen. Opening and slamming drawers, he didn't care what he had to do. He needed to find it. Finally, in the last cabinet, he saw it. He grabbed the small blacklight and made his way back to the table. He only used the light once a year to save battery. Turning it on, he let the light shine on the bottom of the letter.
P.S. I managed to bribe Jax to take most of your reaping slips out of the bowl, except for one. Isn't that fantastic?
Cedric couldn't help but let the wildest grin take over him. His dad had done it again. He never knew when, he never knew how, but he always managed to get most of his slips taken out of the District 5 bowl. He felt wet trails start to trickle down his face once more. His dad might be in the District, his mom may no longer be with him, but even now they did everything to keep him afloat. The tears streamed, and he just let them fall. He let himself be happy at his usually dark time of night.
One day, he'd have his family again.
In the meantime, he had to sleep.
He needed all the energy he could get to sit through the reaping tomorrow morning.
Hi Everyone!
So I definitely went a bit crazy for District 5. I just kept writing, and I didn't stop? I honestly try to keep all my chapters a similar length, but this one just spoke to me. It might've been that I just felt super inspired today, or it might've been that I wrote this late at night and I just let words flow until they sounded good. Who knows? I had to separate District 5 from 6 because they were both so long. I'll put up 6 soon, but for now, thank you for reading this chapter!
Thank you nevershout for reviewing, you've been super supportive since I came back and you're just a super great person in general. I'm glad you're happy with how I portrayed Vista, she's definitely going to be one of my favorites to write :)
Thanks to everyone who reads and enjoys! Leave reviews, I want to talk to you guys! What do you like? What don't you like? How was your day? I want it all!
Thank you again! I'll see you guys next time!
Much Love,
Dia
