"The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." - Nelson Mandela
District 7 Reapings: Alix Shiloh (16) and Adeline Price (17)
Some people figure it should be illegal to be as handsome as Alix Shiloh. Even when he has smut on his face, he still looks out of a painting. His hazel eyes are almost golden. His brown hair, despite the fact that it's generally somewhat unkempt, still catches the light in such a way that it seems to shimmer.
Yet, regardless of the boy's good looks, he spends most of his time hidden beneath his hood. And he doesn't reek of confidence or hauteur as most attractive people do. In fact, there's something about the way he holds himself that makes him rather ordinary. But it is because he is easy to overlook that he is a good pickpocket.
And on this spring day, with the reapings only twenty minutes away, Alix stands in the shadow of a grand tree. He fiddles with his sunglasses, then makes sure his hood sits atop his head to his liking.
He studies the passers-by, looking for a luxurious coat, a capital hairdo, any sign that someone rich is close by.
That's when he sees his mark.
Alix slinks down the street with his hands shoved in his pockets. His dilapidated shoes hit the cobblestones, not even emitting a faint scuffle. He slips, unnoticed, behind a blonde-haired woman.
The woman tips her head back, admiring the beautiful blue of the sky on such a fine day.
Alix's fingers circle the change purse in the woman's bag. He holds his breath, careful not to give away his presence in any way. After a quick glance at the surrounding people, he grabs the change purse swiftly, slipping it into his pocket.
He casually saunters past the woman, towards the group of boys huddled outside District 7's bookstore.
"And that's how it's done," Lee whispers to the other boys.
Alix tosses Lee the woman's pouch. He may be a thief. But he isn't greedy. He shares his profit with his friends.
"Dude!" Lee hisses. "She's got to be crazy walking around with this kind of money. This is almost enough to feed my family for two weeks!"
Oliver claps Alix on the back. "Well done, mate!"
"Are you actually going to wear that to the reapings?" Kade interrupts, gesturing to Alix's old sweater and fraying jeans.
"I was going to ask you guys the same question," Alix replies. "Don't you know how stupid you look all dressed up? Like a couple of real snobs."
Once the boys arrive at District 7's main square for the reapings, they all find their parents to exchange one last embrace. All except Alix. He knows he wont find any comforting faces in the sea of parents and loved ones.
Alix knows hardly any adults in all of District 7. He supposes his old teachers (from when he still went to school, anyway) would remember him. But, there is only one adult Alix presently interacts with. And that's the baker. The baker is about as close to a guardian as Alix has. Alix gets to sleep in the baker's basement, as long as he pays the man half of what he makes pickpocketing. Alix couldn't be happier with the arrangement. Besides, sometimes the baker gives him free bread.
Adeline sprints through the streets of District 7. The girl's tightly curled brown hair is blown into a splendid mane around her tanned face. Her light blue, almost grey, eyes are focused on the stretch before her.
She isn't late for the reapings. Adeline is one of the more predictable and reliable girls of seventeen. Even if she were on her way to the gallows to be hung, she would be timely.
Adeline is running because she loves the feeling. She adores the spring wind slapping her face, the way her legs ache, the way her lungs gasp for breath. When she runs, there is no room for anxiety, no room for the desolation she has become so used to enduring.
And Adeline is fast for such a small girl. In fact, Adeline is the fastest girl in all of District 7. Some people, after seeing the girl run, will claim she is the fastest girl in the world. But, this is probably untrue.
Adeline gets stares as she sprints. People are stricken by her speed.
"Adeline!" A shout comes from behind her. She immediately spins around and slows down.
Ava Oakley, a girl paralyzed from the waist down, precariously rolls her wheelchair across the cobblestones. Quite obviously, she doesn't have the ease or the speed Adeline has. But she has a massive grin on her face that seems to make up for all her faults.
"Ava." Adeline nods in greeting towards the girl.
"Been trying to catch up to you for a while," Ava says, breathlessly. "Were you ignoring me? I kept shouting your name like an idiot back there. Pretty sure people thought I had Tourette Syndrome."
Adeline laughs softly. "Sorry. I was in my mind, I guess."
"Yeah? What were you thinking about?" Ava asks.
"Nothing."
Ava figures Adeline must be thinking about her parents. Adeline's parents were both reaped only a few months after Adeline was born. It was a harsh and cruel turn of fate, one that made Adeline grow up believing the world was out to get her.
It is as they are checking in at the reapings (which means getting blood drawn from their fingers by a stern peacekeeper) that Adeline notices Walker. Walker, District 7's last victor of the Hunger Games, is staring right at Adeline. He waves in her direction, grinning. It's strange to see such a young man standing on stage as mentor. Walker only just turned nineteen. He is also an inspiration to all the under dogs that are reaped for the games. No one thought the boy would win at only sixteen years old.
"Your boyfriend is waving at you," Ava informs Adeline.
"He's not my boyfriend." Adeline assures her. Though this isn't entirely true. Sure, Adeline and Walker might not decide to label their relationship. But the two have been more than friends since long before Walker was reaped. And they only seem to spend more and more time together.
Adeline follows Ava to the section for seventeen-year-olds. The two girls chat about light topics, warding off the anxiety that the reapings always bring.
District 7's escort, Rizzo Dulce, despite being quite an airhead, is probably the least annoying capital woman Adeline has ever seen. Rizzo never seems to put on an act for the reapings. And on this particular afternoon, Rizzo gets right down to business. She pulls a piece of paper from the bowl of girls' names.
"Ava Oakley!"
It is almost like a reflex for Adeline. She shoots her arm up, and shouts, "I volunteer!"
Ava grabs her sleeve. "You don't have to-"
"It's okay," Adeline squeezes Ava's hand. Then she makes her way up to stage. It is only when Adeline shares a weighted look with Walker that she realizes what she has done. But even then, she is confident in her decision. Ava doesn't even have a fighting chance. Adeline can't just stand back and let her friend be killed.
"What's you name?" Rizzo asks.
"Adeline Price," she says. The microphone carries her soft voice through the audience.
"Nice to meet you Adeline," Rizzo says. She has a certain ease about her that makes her seem much more genuine than most other escorts. She wastes no time moving on to the boys.
"Alix Shiloh!" Rizzo announces.
Alix, wearing his sunglasses and hood, slips out of the section for sixteen-year-olds. His shoes make no sound as he walks across the stones and pebbles that cover the ground.
Walker swipes Alix's sunglasses once the boy gets to stage. And after realizing shadows still cover most of Alix's face, he pulls the hood off his head, too.
Thus, an incredibly good-looking boy with brown hair and soft hazel eyes is revealed. The only thing mildly off about Alix's appearance is the way dark circles surround his eyes, like he's been seriously starved of sleep and nutrition for a good while. It's strange to see such a remarkable looking boy in such shabby and worn out attire. His jeans (which are filled with holes) aren't quite long enough to cover his ankles, the sole of his right shoe has fallen off, and his slim frame is almost smuggled by the huge, dusty, black sweater he wears.
Adeline has never seen the boy before in her entire life. It's strange, since District 7 isn't very large. She has at least seen most of the teenagers in the district before.
The boy's expression is slightly peeved for a moment, as though he was content hiding beneath his hood. But he manages a smile after a while. And a rather brilliant smile, at that.
Adeline notices a couple white scars on the back of Alix's neck. She leans in, wanting to get a better look. But the boy fiddles with the back of his sweater so the marks are covered once again.
Alix presses himself against the dark wall of the Justice Building. He looks down at his shoes. With his dark clothing and his hood casting such a shadow over his face, he almost disappears into the wall.
Lee, Oliver and Kade come in to say their goodbyes. The boys stand around him, their faces sober and scared.
"Oh, one thing…before you guys go…" Alix reaches into his pocket, pulling out a heavily jeweled necklace. "Got this off Rizzo just outside. Damn, that woman is an airhead. I probably could have stolen her wig too and she wouldn't have noticed."
District 8's reapings will be up in the next 3-4 days.