The Living Games
A/N So this was going to be a kind of long chapter, with the Reaping and goodbyes, and all, which are not even that long, but it was 6,000+ words so I cut it in half.
*Insert maniacal laughter.*
In the book it says that District twelve only had one other Victor, but it never said whether Katniss met them or not. Katniss was born the same year as the 58th Games, and right now this is the 41st Games and some . . . things are going to happen around the 42nd and 43rd Games, so that leaves 17-15 years to let the Victor die. Unless they don't . . .
I see a bright future for our friend Aubrey.
Also, there is this thing that happens while Zane and Aubrey are in their private place, (The woods) and they are doing this thing that you'll find out about in this chapter, and Zane says something about her not being mad all the time in the Arena, and Aubrey was like, 'oh yeah watch me,' but she says something that will surprise the heck out of you guys when you read a little later on in the story. Something along the lines about how Katniss escaped out of the 75th games but modified . . .
Okay I'll stop dropping bombs and write the actual story.
BEWARE! CURSE WORDS EVEN THOUGH THIS HAS BEEN IN LIKE EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER.
Chapter Four: Goodbyes and A Trip Down Memory Lane
Aubrey woke up to her mother gently shaking her awake. She thought someone had died, since her mom never treated her this gently. Then she realized that no one died yet, but 23 kids would die in about a week. It was the Reaping, a day where two children, a girl and a boy, would be chosen to participate in The Hunger Games.
She sighed and rolled over, intending on waking up her sisters, only to find them already up and eating breakfast. Aubrey got up sheepishly and went into the bathroom.
She didn't sleep well last night. She couldn't stop thinking about Zane. What he had said. What they were now.
Aubrey shook her head to clear her thoughts. After brushing her teeth and gussying up her hair, Aubrey went out to breakfast. All there was on the table was some very stale bread and dry crackers, with a tin filled with water sitting to the side. She sighed as she sat down for her breakfast.
Aubrey tried not to let the nervousness take control of her. She couldn't afford to let her jitters be shown. Everyone knew the little children and adults will see how everyone acts at the Reaping so they can know which ones to bet on. Not that she had much of a good reputation anyway.
She tried to stop thinking about what was to come, which seemed impossible at the time, and she couldn't help but notice three dresses sitting to the side on the floor. She was expecting the usual pale, worn out dresses that they always wore, but instead, there were three matching dresses that were blue, almost as blue as her eyes, and they were ombré, going from dark blue at the top to light blue at the bottom.
"Oh, mama! Those dresses are beautiful! Where did they come from?" Her little sister Cady seemed to have noticed the dresses too.
"The tailor was feeling generous and noticed our distress with clothes. He gave me 3 new outfits for each of you. For half off!" Every shop did seem a little giving on Reaping day, seeming as one of their customer's children may never be seen again.
"Well, they're a lot better than our usual outfits. Thank you."
Her younger sister was grateful for everything. She would thank you for the gum off your shoe, even if she had enough money to buy the Capitol.
"Yes. Now quit blabbering and get dressed. It's almost 2 o'clock."
They all threw on the pretty dresses and had their mother redo their hair (she said it looked like a blind man had done their hair). (A/N No offense to blind people.) Their mother checked them from head to toe. Then they dragged their drunk father from off a beaten down chair, and they were off.
Through the thick crowd, Aubrey could make out the little stand they had. They would ask your name and shove you on. Even if you weren't eligible, you still had to go so they would know you didn't skip. Skipping was punishable by death. The Capital claimed to be developing a new way to keep up with the populations.
When she was finally shoved along, Aubrey automatically looked for Zane despite everything. He would be in front of her, since the crowd was separated into ages. The youngest in the back, the oldest in the front. Then, in the way back, the people who weren't eligible. The scum of the earth. The people who would bet all they had on people being picked. Aubrey's family never made bets anymore because they always lost. That was part of the reason why they were so broke.
When Aubrey saw their district escort Kerri Klark coming on the stage, she wanted to puke. She was dressed in all pink, with long hair going down her shoulders and falling down until it reached her calves. She look ridiculous, as always. The district escort basically paraded the tributes around, and could step in if a mentor was not there, or the district had no mentors. So the escort has been a terrible mentor for the last 10 years.
The Mayor came onto the stage next and talked on and on about the Treaty of Treason, which was a deal that for rebelling, the Districts were forced to hold the Hunger Games every year, and every 25 years, there was a twist. Aubrey didn't know what the first one was, and she never got around to asking. She didn't want to know.
Once the mayor finally stopped droning on about the games, the escort stepped up to the front of the stage. Aubrey drew in her breath and tried not to pass out.
"Well, you know how we always do ladies first? Let's switch it up and do the boys first, shall we?" She walked over to the boys ball and cleared her throat. Please don't be Zane, please don't be Zane, please don't be—
"Jones Harrell." Aubrey let out the breath she was holding. Zane was safe. For now. The boy, Jones, hated Merchants. All he ever talked about was how much he hated them. He had so much hate, maybe he could win.
"Alright. To the ladies' bowl, shall we?" Ugh. Aubrey hated her voice so much. She had such a high pitched voice, and she always hissed her s's. Couldn't she learn to talk like a normal person?
She had only a moment to wish for her and her sisters' safety before the pink escort made her way to the bowl, cleared her throat, and plucked a name right out of the top of the bowl.
"Arianna Oric." Aubrey had a mini celebration in her head until she realized who Arianna actually was. Her big sister.
• • •
Aubrey couldn't breathe, and that was putting it lightly.
Sure, the threat of getting picked always loomed overhead, but she never actually thought someone she loved would get picked.
She was still in shock until someone patted her shoulder.
She turned to look at them and realized it was Payton.
"No! NO!" she screamed and turned around. She wasn't about to let this girl, who has hated her guts ever since she has known her, give her comfort, which was probably fake. "Get the fuck off me! You know you don't care! The smirk on your face says it all! I'll make it so you'll have no face to smirk!" Aubrey was beyond insane by this point. She hadn't even noticed her sister walking up the stairs to her most definite death, the whole District staring sadly at Arianna, or Zane slyly making his way over to her. Aubrey stuck out her hand and slapped Payton so hard, she was sure Payton's whole family felt it. When she heard Payton's cry of pain, it didn't make her care anymore than she already did what happened to the girl, since she didn't care at all. She was tired of putting up with her shit. She couldn't stand it anymore. She was going to be a new girl now. She would be that one girl people cowered away from.
"Aubrey, stop!" She heard Zane before she saw him. She was surprised when Zane grabbed her hand instead of her waist, then she remembered they were in public. He grabbed her hand just in time, preventing her from slapping Payton to District 1. "Stop it! What are you doing? This won't help Your situation at all."
"No, but it will make me feel better! And she has the nerve . . . she's lucky I don't rip her eyeballs out!" Aubrey was so mad she didn't even stop to think about the Reaping. She knew if she thought about what was going on, she might've not been able to handle it.
Kelli was already blabbering on about the games, and Arianna was looking everywhere but Aubrey.
"Listen to me," Zane grabbed her hands and put them in his, while looking deep into her eyes, right into her soul. "The same way beating up Bronc won't help me, you beating up Payton won't fix anything either. You've got the whole District thinking that you're something you're not, so why don't you show them who you really are?" Zane was starting to get through to her. She turned limp and let her shoulders hang down.
Aubrey picked up her shoulders. She would need all of her strength for the upcoming event. The goodbyes.
"Okay. We'll talk more later. Go back before anyone else notices."
Zane sighed and let go. He walked away and didn't look back.
The whole exchange took about two minutes.
Aubrey looked back at Payton who looked surprised, confused, and scared. Aubrey snarled her lips at Payton and loved it when she flinched.
"—lright then!" The Escort looked happy and totally oblivious to the Chaos. "Alright-y then! Let's give a round of applause for the Tributes of District twelve!"
Not a single soul clapped.
"Okay. Come on, children." The Escort waved the children off of the stage. Aubrey was beyond happy when the Escort left.
She rushed to the Justice building to say goodbye to her sister. She burst through the door to see her always strong sister in a crying mess on the couch. She walked in and scooped her sister up in a hug, no questions asked. She patted her back and let her cry on her shoulder.
"Auby," Arianna called her by her nickname. "What do I do? Oh, I am so dead. I can't survive in the a . . . arena!" Her sister barely got out the last word before crying again. Aubrey thought about how her sister wanted to live but there was a high chance she wouldn't. Cady felt the same way about Aubrey that Aubrey felt about Arianna. Her little sister needed her. Her district didn't need or want her, but Zane did need her. She had to be strong for Arianna, and for them too.
"You go out there, you train, and you become the best you can be. Let your inner fire scream out in defiance." All she wanted was for her sister to come home.
"B . . . but I'm not you, Aubrey. You're the one that got all of the fire. You...you've always been the one to stand up to dad or mom, even to society!"
"I don't give a—I don't care, Arianna. You could go out there without a care in the world, and fall off your plate before the gong rings and get blown to bits, and I still wouldn't care. I love you, and I'll be walking around with my nose in the air proudly no matter what." Aubrey could feel her eyes filling up, but she wouldn't let it get to her. "You have to come home, Arianna! I . . . I can't survive without you! You have to fucking win! You just have to. I won't allow you to die."
Her sister smiled slightly at her. "Thanks, Auby."
"You're wel—" The door flew open and a Peacekeeper came in the room.
"Your time is up." He grabbed Aubrey's arms forcefully.
"No! Get the Fuck off me!" Aubrey kicked at him and as he was dragging her out of the room she heard her sister yell, "I told you that you had all of the—" The door slammed.
Aubrey didn't know what to do. She just ran home. She didn't dare go to the woods. Not with all of the temporary Peacekeepers the Capitol had brought in.
She curled up into a little ball on the floor and cried. Reality had finally set in.
Her mother came in with a drunk looking father and a confused and sad looking Cady. She didn't even acknowledge them. By that time she had finally stopped crying. She heard a soft knock on the door about ten minutes later. Aubrey wiped her eyes and got up. Her mother opened the door, and there stood a Zane with a look of sorrow in his eyes, and handsome as ever in his grey outfit.
"What are you doing here? Get out, Seam scum!" her mother started to shout, but Aubrey wasn't having it.
"Go away, mother." Aubrey faced her mother head on, but her voice was still hoarse and weak.
"I am your mother! You don't—"
"Please just go."
Her mother looked shocked. She had expected Aubrey to blow up at her. She walked away.
Aubrey closed the door and stepped outside. Zane immediately grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Even after everything that had happened between them, she let herself melt into Zane. She really wanted to be sad. But she could never think thoughts like that if Zane kept kissing her the way he was then.
Zane pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.
"You still plan on being sad?"
"Not if you keep kissing me like this. You know how to make a girl go mad. You sure you've never done this before?"
Zane chuckled and moved his head off hers. "Yeah. Like I said before, I'm not a very nice person."
"Well, your great grip, amazing personality, awesome face—just you in general makes up for it. You're actually really nice. To me, that is."
Zane smiled at her. "Yeah, well you've always seemed to bring out the best in me."
"Ha. No, you bring out the best in me. Before I was just a scared little girl."
"Are you kidding me?" Zane laughed. "You don't give yourself enough credit. You and I bring out a lot in each other, but you've always been . . . crazy, sassy, and you don't put up with anyone's crap. Well, you won't anymore, right?"
Aubrey was flattered. "Damn right. And you've always been my much better half."
"And I think all of you is amazing." He gave her a little peck on the lips.
Aubrey laughed. Then she realized something.
"How do you know where I live?"
Zane laughed. "I just asked Arianna when I visited her."
Aubrey nodded, glad he wasn't stalking her.
"Now, I've got to go give my cousin his socks for his birthday, so I'll see you," Zane put his lips next to her ear, "tomorrow. You know where to meet me." He kissed her ear, then left a lingering kiss against her lips. Then he was gone.
Aubrey sighed and walked back into her house. Zane's absence left her feeling sad again. What was this boy doing to her? They hadn't even known each other for a month yet she felt something weird for him. She saw her mother and father staring wide eyed at her, while her little sister was giggling. She thought they were crazy until she looked out the window, which gave them a perfect view of what just happened between her and Zane, and the goddam window was open.
"Oh my gosh." Aubrey collapsed onto her makeshift bed and face-palmed.
"Aubrey," Aubrey's mother approached her, then sat down next to her followed by her little sister, then her suddenly sober father in front of her. "What is going on between you and that Seam boy?"
"Umm . . . we are . . . really close friends?" She decided to try to play the friends card.
To her surprise, her mother just laughed. "Friends don't kiss each other like that. No matter how close they are." Aubrey must've looked very confused, because her mother sighed.
"Before you were born, a bunch of my friends met guys from the Seam and married them. I would see them walking around the district, poor and starving. They gave up a good home and food for love. I saw how they would smile, and their sinking eye sockets would sparkle. But I never understood why they gave up so much until I met your father." Even though this memory should've been happy, there was a sort of sadness in her eyes. "But I never wanted you, any of you to live that life. So I forced myself to develop a a hatred for the Seam, and I've hated them ever since."
"Oh . . ." she didn't know what to say. "Well, Zane is different. He's . . . he'd never hurt me like that. He's helped me more than he knows. He's helped me with . . . um, problems at school. He's more than I deserve."
"Yeah, okay," Aubrey's father spoke up. "But if he hurts you, I'll mess him up."
They all laughed. "Yeah, okay. But he won't, I promise."
"He'd better not. Does he know how crazy we are?" her mother said.
"Yes. He does."
"And he stayed?" they all laughed again, the Reaping forgotten for just a moment.