Copious Lartrick
A/N: I love waking up on a snowy morning…
By the way, I always answer questions in the reviews, so…
Zazzy: Trip didn't want to be in the Games, but since he's centered on responsibility, he thought that it was his responsibility to volunteer for the Games. He didn't expect to be Reaped.
Copious opened his eyes to a loud thumping noise. The sunlight peeking over the horizon through his bedroom window took over his sight, and he flinched away.
"Sorry!" exclaimed a voice, one that he recognized. It was his aunt, Lola.
Already? Copious thought. He looked at his alarm clock and read the neon green numbers. There's still five hours until the Reapings!
Copious slid out of his quilted bed, got dressed in a navy blue t-shirt and cargo khaki shorts, and made his way downstairs, his slightly-muscular body slumping as he walked.
In the living room was a large percentage of his family. His aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and parents were all rushing around, wielding hair-dryers, clothing, make-up, and other grooming equipment, trying to get this year's eligible Lartricks ready for the Reaping.
In the midst of the chaos, his mother, Cecile, approached him. Her ginger curls fell over her face, and her soft, blue eyes looked directly at him.
"Grab some breakfast, Copious, and then come back to get ready."
Copious nodded, and headed to the kitchen.
The Lartrick family was one of the richest in the district. Ever since his grandfather, Granite, had invested in the diamond business. He had died ten years ago, so Copious's father, Azarius, had inherited the tycoon. Copious had no worries or bad feelings now, except for one thing…
The Hunger Games.
In the kitchen was one of his cousins (and his best friend) Calla, and his baby brother, Heathcliff.
"Morning," Calla greeted Copious. She was consuming a Belgian waffle. To Copious, Calla was a very beautiful girl. She had curly, chocolate brown hair, shining blue eyes, a small nose, and freckled cheeks.
Heathcliff was on the ground, playing with a toy airplane. He looked a lot like his older brother, even though he was only four. They both had the same dark ginger, almost brown hair and straight-bridged noses.
Copious sat next to Calla, grabbing a plate of eggs and toast that had already been laid out for him. He began to eat.
"So," Calla asked him in her quiet voice. "You scared?"
"Of the salon in the living room?" Copious joked. "Yeah."
Calla chuckled. "No, about the Reapings."
"A little. I didn't volunteer-"
"Neither did I," Calla interrupted.
Copious paused. "I didn't volunteer, and I bet that there are only a few hundred others who didn't."
Calla ate a forkful of waffle. "Why didn't you volunteer? I've seen you do some training before."
Copious gestured to Heathcliff. "I didn't want to risk abandoning him."
His cousin nodded, and the two finished their meals. Soon, Copious slowly rose from his seat, clenching the glass tabletop to support himself.
"Time to be tortured," he sighed. He remembered last year's 'beautification,' and all of the hands preening his face and hair, as if they were some sort of tentacled monster. It made him feel uncomfortable.
"Why bother?" asked Calla. "It's not like you don't look fine already."
Copious blushed. "Thanks. They'll probably notice if I'm gone, though."
"They won't. They've got, like, ten other 'patients' in there."
"But I'm the son of the group. Our cousins are their nieces and nephews. They'll be expecting me the most."
"Well, I guess 'the son won't be getting any special treatment this year." Calla walked over to the arch that led out of the kitchen. "Come on, let's go for a ride."
Copious knew what his cousin was talking about, so he followed her, picking up Heathcliff before leaving the room.
Approaching the living room, Copious and Calla tried to sneak past their family, not making any commotion.
"Where are you three going?" asked a shaky voice.
Copious turned to his grandmother, Summer. She was in her eighties, and was his mother's mother. She had thin, white hair and blue eyes, like her daughter. She looked rather young for her age, as her skin barely had any wrinkles, and she still maintained a good posture and physical appearance. No frustration came from her voice, which confused Copious.
"We're going for a bike ride," Calla responded, truthfully. Copious sighed. Calla had never been one to tell a lie.
Summer thought it over. "All right, but be back in a few hours. I really don't like this whole 'prepping' process, anyways."
Copious and Calla smiled.
"Thanks, Grandma," Copious thanked Summer, his voice containing relief and happiness. The three children ran out of the house.
Crisp, green grass was crushed under their feet as they ran over to the tool shed, where Calla and Copious's bikes were stored.
Calla held the rusty doorknob, struggling to get it to turn all the way.
"You really need to get this updated," she groaned.
"I know," Copious chuckled.
Opening the door, Calla pulled out their two bikes. Copious's bike was bright red, with a black baby seat in the back for Heathcliff, who was still small enough to fit into it. Calla's was colored a deep violet with aqua stripes.
Putting Heathcliff into his seat, the two cousins took off on their bikes, cruising down the street at a half-leisurely, half-competitive pace.
It was for reasons like this; their daily bike rides, that a lot of both teenagers' friends thought that they were romantically involved. Calla got pressured by her friends to ask him out, and Copious got teased by his friends about their bond, but there was no romance between them. It would just be awkward dating someone who was practically your sibling. Plus, to Copious, romances between cousins were kind of gross.
Copious felt the warm breeze streaking against his face. He heard Heathcliff's laughing and the wind rustling. The sunlight partially blinded him, but he had adapted to it.
All of the senses seemed to come together to form a feeling of peace, and Copious's mind pushed the Reapings aside.
He could've stayed like that forever.
A few hours later, Copious was at the Reapings with his cousins. Wearing a brown shirt, a black blazer, and black khakis, he waited in line with his other male cousins, Jeffrey, Bacchus, Paxton, and Thornton. They were quite recognizable; all wearing the same clothes, with the exception of the shirts, and most of the other people there knew that they were all related.
Copious signed in and made his way to the Male, 17 section, finding his friend, Maxwell. Maxwell stuck out like a sore thumb in District 1, being one of the few of the district's inhabitants to be non-Caucasian, having Hispanic heritage.
"Did you volunteer?" Maxwell asked him.
"No, you?"
"Nah. I'd be the first one to die, and you know it."
The two chucked, and the Treaty of Treason was read.
Levi made his way to the stage. Copious had heard a rumor somewhere that Levi was secretly a famous fashion designer in the Capitol. After looking at his ugly, frilly, shiny blue suit, he dismissed the rumor as false.
Then, the Reapings began.
Shade, a tall girl with jet black hair was the first to be Reaped. She was in Copious's art class at school, but the two had never talked.
Trip, another boy in his grade, and in the same section as him, was the next to be Reaped. He had the reputation around certain social circles to be very smart and persuasive. By the smirk on his face, it could've been true.
A few of his cousins, male and female, had now been let down, since they wouldn't be in the Games.
"Now, for the female non-volunteer," Levi announced loudly. The microphone emitted feedback, and Copious covered his ears.
As Levi walked over to the next bowl, he searched the crowd for Calla. The two made eye-contact, and she smiled.
Fortunately, Calla was not Reaped, but a 16-year-old girl with medium-length, light blonde hair and blue eyes named Angel was. A girl in the Female, 18 section tried to take her place, but she wasn't allowed. Angel was partially dragged to the stage, and then, it was time for the male non-volunteer.
Levi spun his hand around the slips, and Heathcliff flashed into Copious's mind. His cheerful smile made Copious afraid.
Don't let it be me, Copious thought. He needs me so much…
Levi pulled out a slip and opened it.
"Copious Lartrick!"
Copious's image of Heathcliff seemed to burn away at the sound of his name.
He turned to Maxwell, who was at a loss for words. He just stared at him with his hazel eyes.
Not wanting to be dragged along by the Peacekeepers, Copious approached the stage. He looked at the crowd. His volunteer cousins were envious of him, while the others were in shock.
He spotted Calla in the crowd. She was screaming and crying, trying to force her way to Copious, but the Peacekeepers were blocking her path.
He wanted to scream out to her, but an invisible force kept his voice lodged in his throat.
The first group of people to enter the "Goodbye Room" was Copious's family, with the exception of his parents, Heathcliff, and Calla. His cousins that had volunteered; Paxton, April, Thornton, Jeffrey, Ravenna, and Vanessa, all congratulated him on going into the Games, telling him that they knew that he'd come back. Most of his other relatives joined in on the celebration.
Thornton, the oldest of his cousins, at 18-years-old, had a tone in his voice that almost told Copious to not even dare to lose the Games.
About a third of his family, however, was still in shock that Copious would be going into the Games, including Bacchus and Summer.
Copious had asked for a token, but his aunt, Lola had replied,
"You're a Lartrick! You don't need to remind yourself of your family when you know that you'll be coming back!"
But Summer had been prepared. After most of his family had left, Copious's grandmother quickly placed a token in his palm, kissed him on the cheek, and left.
Copious studied his token, a plain, titanium ring with a shimmering diamond in the middle. He immediately recognized it as his grandfather, Granite's.
Next was Maxwell. The two friends both tried to keep their cool in the situation, but Maxwell eventually broke out crying. Copious comforted him, telling him that he'd come back, and then, shortly after, Maxwell left.
Calla was next. As soon as she laid eyes on him, she ran over to him and grasped him in a slightly amorous hug. He felt her tears dropping onto his shoulder, and he started to cry.
"I'll miss you so much," Calla sobbed.
It was strange seeing Calla cry, as she had always seemed so happy. The last time he had seen her sad was over two years ago, when her aunt, Petunia, had died of a heart attack.
The two stood there, holding each other, for what seemed like an eternity. Then, Calla stopped crying, looking right into his eyes.
"Join the Careers," she told him, her eyes still pink from the tears. "Get a high position in their pack, and be prepared to betray them if you need to. I believe in you, Copious."
Copious smiled. "Thanks, Calla. I'll miss you when I'm gone."
The two stared at each other, and then Calla kissed him on the cheek, and left, smiling at him before shutting the door. It was nothing more than a butterfly kiss, but Copious felt like it was much more than that.
He couldn't believe how fast his life was being torn from him.
Next was his parents and Heathcliff. His mother and father, who had never envisioned this moment happening, did nothing more than say goodbye, and tell him that they loved him. It was as if Copious was doing nothing more than going to school.
"Why's he leaving?" Heathcliff asked him.
His mother stopped, not expecting for Heathcliff to ask her a question.
"He, he's just going on a trip," Cecile lied. She turned to Copious, her face giving off false happiness. "He'll be back in a couple weeks. Don't worry."
This seemed to make Heathcliff happy. "Bye, Copi!" he giggled.
Copious felt horrible for Heath, knowing that Heath would most likely never see his brother again.
His family began to leave, and his father turned and gave him a faint smile of gratitude and pity before leaving.
The feeling of immobilization took over again, and Copious just smiled weakly as the last trace of his past life was taken from his grasp.
A/N: Honestly, I like Calla more than Copious, but, that's just me. I still like Copious though, and Summer.
Next up, Shade Colresse!