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Here's today's update, District 12, enjoy!
Meet Crown and Shannie!
Shannie Dilworth POV
For District 12 the night before reaping is a thunder storm, everyone has to stay inside.
I hate thunderstorms! It has to be one of my worst fears, joint with clowns and spiders obviously. Who even likes spiders? And who aspires to be a clown! Not that we get many, but even the capitol people look so clownish that it gives me nightmares. But yeah, thunderstorm, with everyone cooped up there's some kind of hope flooding through the district 12 citizens, including me, that we might not have to do reaping tomorrow. Of course that's false hope, no matter what the weather the Hunger Games must commence. Stupid rebellion, I mean, sure, they may have been trying to do something good for us… But, because of them we have this mess.
I comfort eat, I know, comfort eating isn't something you get often in District 12, the poorest district of them all. But when your mother is the first and only victor from District 12 you kind of have the money to get the treat. So yes, I'm comfort eating to try and block out the crashing of thunder and the flashing of lighting.
"Shannie, you okay?" My older sister laughs from the other side of the room, sat on her bed reading a magazine, occasionally looking my way and smirking, or chuckling. Not that she was a bad sister, but I suppose any sixteen –but nearly seventeen!- year old practically crying at a thunderstorm must be funny to watch, I think I'd even laugh if it wasn't me.
"Shut up." I scowl, I can get kind of surly or jealous when I'm provoked. That has led me to here, friendless, but I have my family and that's all I really need. Along with food, I definitely need food.
My sister sticks her tongue out and returns to her magazine. She has red hair, which is unlike me, as I have ginger hair, and yes! They are two different things… Sheesh… Which is neatly tied back into a bun. I don't know why she bothers, I don't brush my hair often, and although I look kind of wild it isn't that bushy…
I walk out of the room, and into my younger brothers. To my dismay my brother is taller than me… He's three year younger, he's not even tall for his age! I just appear to be extremely small. Well, not 'appear' as such, I just am.
"How you getting on, sis?" He laughs when he sees my tear streaked face, just like my sister, but does give me a hug, I guess that makes me feel better.
"I don't like thunderstorms." I reply.
"No, really? Would never have guessed…" He winks and nudges me, I take a seat on his floor and he sits opposite me.
"Excited for reaping?" He asks slyly.
"When is anyone ever excited for reaping… Ever?"
"Fair point, do you reckon it'll get postponed because of the storm?" he asks, a grin spreading across his face.
"Yeah, when unicorns suddenly break through the fences and take over the country…"
"Anything's possible…"
I chuckle. He liked to try and be optimistic even when he shouldn't be.
"Yup, tell me that when you see a unicorn walking around town." I roll my eyes at him and we fall about laughing. That's how the evening continued, me and him, eventually my sister joined us too and we talked the night away, taking my mind completely off of the storm raging around us.
Crown Leroy POV
Well, what can I say about me? There's a lot to say. For one, I'm possibly the most muscular guy in District 12-not that it has anything to do with the steroids I take or anything-, and, everyone loves me. Not kidding, the girls adore me and the guys wish they could be me. I take care in my looks, especially my gorgeous blonde hair, if anyone messes it up, there just as good as dead to me.
You know what would be a good idea in this forsaken place? A male beauty contest! People don't seem to agree though, probably because their afraid of losing, because everyone knows that I'd win the top place every time. That's because I can win everything, even the Hunger Games. I'm brave, smart and just incredible; now now, no need to get jealous!
"Crown! Time to get up, reaping day!" My aunt shrilled from downstairs. I slowly sat up, rubbing my perfectly flawless skin around my eyes. Reaping, psh, just another simple challenge that no one but me can seem to beat in this district. It takes me a while to get myself out of bed, but, the world won't be able to live without me for too long. So eventually, I get up, obviously going straight to the mirror and combing through my amazing hair the moment I stand up. Once I'm ready for the day –Heck, even if I went out in my pyjamas people wouldn't be able to resist me.- I head downstairs, where a platter of full English is laid out for me.
"So, darling, excited for reaping?" My aunt sung, whilst sitting opposite me with a weird protein bar thing.
There's a few things I should probably cover about my family. I live with my aunt, Mafilda Onyx La Fayette and my father, Mario Leroy, who's a wealthy shop owner. My mother died giving birth to me so I've been raised by my aunt all my life. Mafilda was originally a capitol resident, who moved down when her sister died to help with me. She is a brilliant woman, and has taught me all my life that beauty is the key to the future, which surely means, I'm the key to the future, right?
Unlike most people from my district I have a good life, I've never had to work a day in my life and I mainly hanging round with my friend Antoine, who, I must say, can be a bit arrogant at times, and always messes up my bloody hair, and goes out of his way to scare me… Not that I can be scared, of course. But still, he's the only being that I'd actually accept as my friend as I'm not embarrassed to be seen with him.
"Of course, Mafilda, maybe I'll be reaped this year!"
Okay, truth is, and don't tell anyone, I can't fight, I know! Who'd have guessed it from my amazing muscular warrior like build. I'm also very afraid of ever getting reaped, obviously I could easily win it, but just in case, you know, playing it safe.
"Yes that would be interesting, of course, you don't want any cuts to ruin that charming face of yours!"
We ate the rest of the meal in thoughtful silence. Every now and then… Okay maybe every few seconds… I brushed my hand through my hair, making sure that it hadn't been messed up by the humidity in the air from the storm the previous night. Wow that was a huge storm, I totally spent the whole time out there, saving the homeless people from being hit by lightning and not weeping silently under my duvet, praying for the storm to end.
After we eat and clean up, well, I don't clean up but I watch aunt Mafilda do it. We head out of the house, striding down to town centre, along the way I bump into Antoine.
"Hey Leroy!" He shouts, tackling me and ruffling my hair. I let out a weird hysterical groan and hit him in the shoulder.
"Why do you always have to do that please don't touch my hair you know I don't like it!" I say way to high pitched with no pause, taking a deep breath after to calm down before I freak out. I get out my small pocket mirror and the small golden metal comb that my aunt presented me with a week ago, a birthday gift, and comb through my hair till it's as beautiful as usual.
"Whatever bud, so, who's betting that one of the Dilworth's gets reaped? Wouldn't that be a laugh, a victor's child reaped. Oh man!" He chuckled,
I'd never really met the Dilworth's, but alongside my family, Antoine's family- The Hans- who'd become rich through selling mining equipment, and the mayor, they were the richest family in the district. Not that they actually worked, but the mother had won the Games years ago and they'd lived comfortably ever since.
"What's the betting it's that Shannie girl? The short redhead, that would be interesting!" I join in, she was the only Dilworth's name I actually knew…
After too short a time we approach the village centre where the scene for the Capitol viewers have been set. We were late, which was no different to usual, and Malone Coliblue was smiling at the camera and the square was in silence.
"The girl with the lucky duty of fighting this year is…" She takes a piece of paper from the many which inhabit the large glass ball in front of her.
"Shannie Dilworth!"
There were gasps, I was quite pleased with my guess and even Antoine leaned in and said "Nice one.", which in truth got us some dirty looks…
Shannie Dilworth POV
I don't believe what I've just heard, I turn to my sister who's in tears, and suddenly fill with butterflies.
I'm scared.
Not like the same kind of scared I was with the storm, or with spiders, but the kind of scared when you've been given a death sentence. Terrified, Petrified, those two words sum up exactly how I feel.
I take a few deep breaths and slowly make my way through the crowd, who part as I approach, some looking at me with sorrowful, pitiful expressions, and some avoiding looking at me completely. I walk onto the stage and feel the hot of tears trying to make an appearance but hold them down, I may be scared but I'm tough, I can't show it.
"Any volunteers?" I barely register the voice talking beside me. When I hear this I only pray that my sister doesn't volunteer. She stands the same chance that I do, and those chances are very slim.
No one volunteers, to my dismay. I accept my death as if it were embracing me, but I still have time left, and I need to make the most of it.
My thoughts are interrupted suddenly by a high pitched scream and plenty of laughter, I look into the crowd to see Crown Leroy looking terrified and people around him laughing. Both two things seem strange, for one, Leroy was the most conceited beings to walk this earth, and wouldn't ever look terrified in case it ruined his reputation or whatever you called it, secondly, people don't laugh at a reaping.
I realise as I look at Malone who's holding a slip of paper, that Crowns name must have been called. Despite the situation, I end up smirking a little. No one deserved to go into the Hunger Games, but if I had to choose I would pick that guy. I tend to avoid him and his friend, Antoine, they're as bad as each other and if you're not a supermodel then all they'll give you is grief.
Crown Leroy POV
Play it cool. Play it cool.
Okay, the scream may not have been cool. I mutter some expletives under my breath to everyone laughing around me then shake it off. Planting what I like to call my 'suspicious smirk' on my face and using my best strut propel myself to the stage. I look back once and see Antoine laughing with all the other pathetic lower class. Wow that guy's arrogant, what a bad friend.
I walk onto the stage where Dilworth and Malone are standing, and go to the spot where Malone directs me to stand, when I stand there I look at the camera and grin, the wink.
Definitely playing it cool.
I keep my grin plastered on my face as Malone asks for volunteers and no one does, and when the reapings rapped up, even off camera when I get half dragged by peacekeepers into a random building I'd never really taken notice of before.
Inside I'm panic stricken, but I can't let that show through, even if maybe –obviously this maybe is a 0.0000001% chance- I die, I have to be looking good from beginning to end.
Okay I seriously loved writing Crown with his arrogance.
Every spot is taken now! Thanks every single person for submitting even I couldn't fit them into the story!
I'll introduce sponsoring over the next few chapters too!
Thanks again for reading!