AUTHOR NOTE! I really hope you guys and girls are enjoying the story! Sorry about grammatical mistakes, spelling errors etc... Any questions, as me via PM, and I'll answer them in the next chapter. Also, the SYOT is closed, I forgot to mention that in the last chapter... Sorry... Well, heres District 4! Review, favourite and follow! XD
***Avalon Caspian POV***
"Avalon... Avalon..." I groan at the unwelcome voice. "Avalon! Hurry up! We've got to go!" My eyes snap open. "What, now?" I ask the boy sitting on my bed. Ray smiles devilishly at me. "Ray!" I look out the window, looking past Ray's messy bed, and see that it is still dark. I'm about to give him a look, when he grabs my hand, presses his finger to his lips in an attempt to make me quiet, and rushes silently out of the bedroom. We go towards the back door, and rush to the back fence. I can't run as fast as Ray, and I keep tripping over things on the way there. I finally reach the wall, and Ray helps me up. We sit on the cold stone wall, leaning against each other, with his arm around me facing the sea. "Avalon, one of us may get reaped. We've both had to sign up for tesserae, and the odds aren't entirely in our favour." He starts, making fun of the silly Capitol accent everyone makes fun of. "This may be the last normal sunset we see together." He finishes, and I smile at him.
"I hope not." We laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation, and fall silent again. Ray turns toward me, his arm still around me, and looks me in the eye. I look into his dark blue ones, and he my emerald ones. A weight is lifted off of my right shoulder, and I immediately want the comfort of his arm back. But he's now twirling a piece of my dark brown hair in between his fingers. "Come on, Avalon. We should get ready now." I don't want to leave this place, this time. "I don't want to!" I cry, jumping off of the fence, and stealing one last glance at the beach I leave behind. "Yeah, well, the thing is, Avalon, No one wants to." He tells me, walking behind me. I turn around and face him, holding out a hand to stop him from walking any further. "Yes, Avalon?" He asks.
"Look, Ray, if I get reaped today, I just want you to know... I..." I don't know how to finish my sentence, but I am enveloped in Ray's big arms anyway. "You won't get reaped. And if you do," He looks me in the eye again. "You will win, OK?"
"Thanks, Ray." I smile.
"Kids! Time to wake up!" Lana'a voice is heard yelling from somewhere in the house.
"Kids?" She must see we're not in our beds.
"Here Mum! We're coming!" Ray yells back back to Lana.
"Get your butts inside! The reaping's today, you know!" We rush inside, knowing what reaping day means. Special food. Something other than fish. "The food is the only thing I like about reaping day!" Ray exclaims, sitting down at the table, looking at the small bird on his plate. "The only thing annoying about living by the sea is that the fish are so common. Fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner most days!" I laugh at him, and realise how much truth is in that. Mum and I have only lived with Lana and Ray for a month or so, but we know how things work. Lana goes to work, and Mum cleans the house, and Ray and I go to school. Everything works out well for everyone. Lana has to do less, and Mum and I have a guaranteed place to stay. Plus food. Food always helps.
I'm in the new dress Lana got me, a sea-green shimmery thing, and am tying my long hair up in the massive hairtie that came with it. Then someone knocks on the door. "Come in." I tell them. The massive oak door creaks with old age as my mother walks in. "Hi, Mum!" I smile.
"Darling, you look beautiful!" She beams.
"Thanks, Mum." I walk over to my bed, and pull out the white sandals I got before Dad lost his job. They didn't fit properly then, but they are perfect now. I sit back on my bed, next to Mum, and ask her: "Do you think Dad will be there today?" She freezes, and sighs, knowing I won't give up on this question.
"It depends on how drunk he is, honey. I'm... I'm not sure if he actually misses us." A sob escapes her throat, and I find myself reinforcing Mum's decision to leave. "Mum, he could have done anything. He is strong, Mum, and we aren't. We needed to leave that place, otherwise anything could have happened. You said so yourself. I know you miss him, and so do I. But he's not safe to be around. We're safe here, Mum."
"Thanks honey, I love you." She hugs me, and I realise her response was a little too quick for my liking.
***Murray "Ray" Larz's POV***
"Sully, Sully, get up, dude!" I tell my little brother who's still asleep. "Sully! Get up!" I say, a little more forcefully, shaking his shoulder. 'Mrrmmmph," He moans, finally awake. "Dude, reaping day. You might want to get up, and eat. Mum and Dad have prepared something for us to eat." I walk out of his light blue room, and into the kitchen. "Morning, Dad!" I exclaim. "Morning, Ray! Want some eggs?" He asks, gesturing to the eggs on the massive plate in the middle of the table, complete with toast.
"Yes please!" I plonk myself down at my spot at the table, and begin piling up my plate. Then, a shuffling sound is heard from the door of the kitchen. Sully groans, and sits down next to me. "Eggs?" I ask, holding out the plate to him. "Yes please." He grumbles. "Someone's not a morning person!" I laugh, earning me a light punch to the arm. Dad chuckles from behind his plate of eggs. "Where's Mum?" I ask, making conversation.
"Gone to see your Aunty."
"Oh. Thanks." Makes sense, really. Mum and Aunty are close, because they are sisters.
"Good eggs, Dad."
"Thanks, son." The front door opens, and Mum walks in, struggles against the door, which is being thrown around by the wind, and slams the door accidentally, earning a laugh from Dad. She looks around at us, and realises we are there. "Hi Eula!" Dad says.
"Hi Baston." Mum says, leaning down to give Dad a kiss. "Ewwwww! Mum and Dad kissed!" Sully cries, now fully awake. The rest of us laugh, and Sully eventually joins in.
"So, boys, reaping today, huh?"
"Yeah. My first." Sully looks down at his plate, and the room seems to have dropped a few degrees. I shiver.
"Ray, how you feel?" Dad looks at me from the sink, where he is now washing his plate.
"I'm... I'm kind of nervous, and glad I went to the Training centre those few times." I tell my family truthfully.
"Yeah, although it's illegal, I'm glad you went, too." Mum tells me, after finishing her mouthfull of egg.
"I've finished breakfast, I'm going to get dressed." I stand up, and place my plate in the sink, and walk down the hallway. First on the right is my room. I walk over to the cupboard holding my clothes, and pull out the first decent-looking clothes I find. A dark blue dress shirt, a black pair of pants, and my dark brown shoes. "I'm ready!" I call to my Mum who's probably still getting her self ready.
"Do your hair!" Came the reply. She knows me too well. I walk into the bathroom, and over to the mirror. I pick up the comb from the side of the sink, and I run the black plastic through my dirty blonde hair. "Hey... uh... Ray..."
"Yeah Sully? I ask my little brother who's just come in.
"Can I have help?" I laugh, because he's done his hair all wrong.
"Come here!" I laugh. He slowly walks to the sink, and I wet the comb. In quick movements, his hair looks like it should, and not like he hasn't touched a comb in a couple of years.
"Come on, I'm ready. Let's go." I tell him, walking out the door.
"Stop, boys!" Mum calls. Of course.
"Yes Mum?" I ask Mum, who's closing her bedroom door.
"I just wanted to see how you look. You look great. Come on!" We follow her out of the front door, and into the street, where the wind is still blowing everything everywhere. Dad struggles against the door, and we walk towards the Justice Building. There are people everywhere, and because I'm taller than most, I get the wind straight to the face. Great.
We are all situated at the Justice Building, and the silly escort is walking over to the stage, and in front of the microphone. The wind is making this am impossibility for her, her wig is going everywhere, and the microphone keeps falling over. If it weren't the reaping, it would be quite funny. "I... uh... I welcome you all... not again! I welcome you all to the 76th reaping for the 76th... uh... I welcome you to the reaping for the 76th annual Hunger Games! Is that right? I think so." That was painful. If she weren't from the Capitol, I would feel sorry for her. Because no one feels like feeling sorry for her, or wants to laugh, she is met with silence. "Here's a film from the Capitol." That film again. I tune out, as she walks over to the glass ball.
***Avalon Caspian POV***
I really feel like laughing at that stupid escort. But no one else is. She walks to the glass ball, and says something weird. "For once, I'm going to do the boys first!" She reaches her hand in the ball... and... "Murray," I freeze. Not my best friend Ray! "Larz." I sigh a big sigh of relief. There's more than one ray in District 4. I look up to where Murray Larz is walking up the stage. A voice is heard behind him, saying: "I volunteer-"
"Oh no you don't." Murray cuts him off.
"Murray! Come sit down. No, don't. There's no where to sit." Murray looks awkward, taller than the escort. "Stand there." She commands. "Now for the girls!" I gulp. This could be me. "Avalon Caspian!" It is me. Everyone around me makes a circle around me, and I look around. There's no other Avalon Caspian in District 4. I take a deep breath, and put on a big smile. If I'm going to go in, I'm going to look good doing it. As I walk, I look around the boy's section, and look at Ray. My friend Ray. He has his head in his hands, and doesn't realise I'm looking at him. My smile falters a little, but I put it back on, cheerful as ever. My dark hair is still getting whipped around everywhere, and I'm struggling to stand on the stairs properly. I stumble up the stairs, and nearly fall over walking up. I'm not usually this clumsy. "Come shake hands with Murray." The escort tells me, holding one hand out to me, and one holding her wig in place. I shake hands with Murray, and he smiles sadly at me, with a strong grip. I'm in the Hunger Games. I'm in the Hunger Games. I can't believe it.