Chapter 2- Reaping Day
Hola! I figured out how to add a chapter. (Isn't I a smart one?) Anywho I hope you likes this chapter and it is as unpriditable as the Reaping itself. DUN! DUN! DUN! Also keep in mind I have no clue how to spell.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE HUNGER GAMES. IT BELONGS TO SUZANNE COLLINS. ALL I OWN ARE MY O.C.S
I will try to stay as true to the story as possible but I do have to change some things. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE A DIE HARD FANNIE OR GATNISS. YOU WILL UNDERSTAND LATER YOUNG KUMQUATS!
On with the story!
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Alexa and the few friends she has run off. Is it really Finnick Odair? I think. Looks like him. Finnick (Or his crazy look-alike) smiles at me, runs his fingers through that oh-so-perfect bronze hair, and cocks his head to one side. Are you real? I wonder to myself. Finnick pulls a handkercheif out of his pocket and slowly wipes the single tear still on my cheek away.
"Wouldn't want anything to happen to that pretty face now would we?" He askes smirking. I know that he's just a flirt. He's only one year older than me and half the Capitol claims to have "owned" him at some point whereas I can't even twirl my hair around my finger without looking stupid. So I sputter out what comes to my mind.
"I-I-I'm not pretty." Finnick laughs like it's the funniest thing in the world. Just the sound of that laugh lightens my spirit a little. But it doesn't erase what Alexa said to me.
"No, you're not pretty." Finnick says. Was this his point all along? To build me up so he could break me down again? He leans in closely and our noses are almost touching. "You are beautiful." I let out a small gasp and jump back. No one has ever called me beautiful except my mom. And she's been dead for half a year now. Finnick looks at me with truth in his words. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"I've seen what you can do with a trident." I say. This only make him laugh louder and longer than before. He plucks a flower from the dirt and places it in my wild-wavy red hair.
"District 4 could use more beauty. Stay strong." Finnick says. I begin to walk away. "Oh," He adds and I stop. "And may the odds be ever in your favor." I understand that he's trying to make me feel better but the Reaping is the last thing I want to think about right now. I live in Shoreline, the roughest poorest part of District 4. A handful of our victors and good careers come from there including Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta as well as Alicia Brighton last year's winner. But they got lucky. Finnick and Alicia have their looks and Annie... is Annie. If I end up in the Hunger Games I have nothing. And it's very likely I could end up in the Hunger Games since my name will go into the Reaping ball 72 times. Four times into the Reaping ball when you're 16 multiplied by 18 extra entries for tesserae. Then there's my older brother Travis who had his name in the Reaping ball 108 times. This will be his last year and that's something to celebrate. If his name isn't called like will be good. It's better for him to take over the family if I died then vice versa.
"Something smells yummy." My younger sister Emily says. Even though she's fourteen she'll ususally act more like she's three. Like my only other brother, Bailey, who is planted on her hip.
"Great, now there's three Caprice's home and one of them is cooking. I can already tell how this is going to end." I joke adding peppers, onions, and garlic to the red sauce. "Emily would you take Bailey over to the neighbor's to play with their little boy, Vincent? It makes me nervous with him running around the kitchen." Emily nodds. I follow the last step on the moldy yellow card with my mother's red sauce recipe. 'Only the Caprices can read it.' Abigal would say if she were here. I add the final ingriedient and the sauce becomes a lovely shade of scarlet. I pull out a bowl and begin peeling shrimp. It's pretty cheap here, shrimp is about as common as a mockingjay. Emily comes back into the kitchen.
"So what are we having?" She askes.
"Shrimp with red sauce over rice, potatoes and Abigal is getting raspberries for raspberry tart." I answers keeping my eyes glued to the bowl. Emily glances at the "rice" which is really just tesserea grain that will boil to mush. She begins boiling water when she speaks.
"You know, we would have more food if we had more grain," She begins. I turn to face her knowing where she's going with this. "And we would have more grain, if you let me... Take tesserea." Emily bites her lip knowing she's crossed forbidden territory.
"Emily we've been over this disscussion before." I start. "You were born with a hole in you left lung, it was small and we got lucky with medicine and doctors. You are considered a cripple. I don't call you that because you are as healthy as me. In the Games that would change. If you were to enter your name as many times as Travis and I you could very well end up in the Games-"
"You and Travis wouldn't have to enter your names so much if I entered my name."
"Emily Caprice! Listen to me! If your name was called I would volunteer. The more you enter your name the more you enter mine. Do you understand me?"
"Yes Angel."
Dinner is long over, everyone in bed. Everyone but me and Travis. We've met at our spot at the lighthouse. Close to our house, but far enough to relax. I can easily spot the boats out for the night shift. Next year Travis will be on those boats and the spot next to me will be empty. Travis puts his arm around my shoulder and I rest my head on his. I look at him wondering a lot of things. How he ended up with so many freckles, how he knows when I'm sad, if I should tell him about my encounter with District 4's sex symbol. Then I say it.
"I had a chat with Finnick Odair today." Travis stares at me. "I'm not joking."
"So what did Mr. Playboy want?"
"Alexa made me cry, he was weird, then he called me beautiful."
"So how many names are in the Reaping ball with 'Caprice' written on them?"
"Your 108 plus my 72 plus Emily's 6 plus Christina's one equals 187 names." Travis says nothing. Just sighs and tightens his grip on my shoulder.
Fastfoward to the Reaping. This year it came right after Travis' birthday. It makes me sad. I wearing one of Abigal's old dresses, Christina is in the 12 year-olds' section and Travis in the 18 year-olds'. I squeeze Abigal's hand. She's like my sister. She hopes my name isn't called. I would worry about her, but her name is there a measly four times. That's less than Emily. Bianca Coil steps up to the platform. I can see this years' mentor sitting next to the mayor. Alicia and Finnick. Would he recognize me? No, yester day my hair was down and I had an old dress. Today Abigal's dressed me up like I doll with my hair in a braid down my back. I think to myself.
"Let's pick our strapping young man first, shall we?" Bianca chirps. This is a game to her. Not Travis, not Travis... "Colin Vain." That's Alexa's twin brother. The odds are not in his favor. Poor Colin makes his way to the stage. He looks pretty freaked. "Volunteers?" Bianca askes. No one. Alexa smiles. She is sick.
"It's not Travis." Abigal whispers.
"Now for our young lady." Bianca says. She picks the slip of paper from the very top of the pile. Then let's out a shierk before saying the name like it's a question. Everyone gasps, the mayor's got his head in his hands, Abigal tightens her grip on my hand. The whole district is in shock. But I think it's safe to say I'm the most worried and I know how this poor girl must feel.
Because I'm holding her hand.
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DUN! DUN! DUN! !
I love reveiws. Like Angel loves raspberries. (Very much)
Review and I write more.