Chapter IV - Behind The Sea
Spring of 3189
District Four
D4M17 - Adrian Tenera Dunbar
The gentle rays of the sun shoot boldly over the lapping waves as I stroll towards the beach. Warmth hits my sun-tanned face and I let a smile grace my features. My bare feet slap against the boardwalk as I start to near the docks. An old man is slouching on a large grey rock, his loose clothing flapping loudly in the sea breeze. He turns when he hears my feet swishing through the sand and raises one eyebrow at me.
"Dunbar. What are you doing here, it's Reaping Day," he says, his voice twangy. A pink-tinted seashell is in his calloused fingers, the sun's rays glinting off of it.
"Aw, you know me, Mr. Zale," I say, cracking my usual crooked smile at him. "I never take a day off."
He laughs, then looks back towards the sea. "Alright, kid. If it makes you happy, I guess I don't have a problem." He nods his head towards the dozens of boats tied to the dock. "Opal's in for repairs, so you can take Lucy," he says, talking about the sailboats.
I nod a quick thanks to him even though he doesn't see it and then make my way over to the cream-colored sailboat they call Lucy. I toss my oyster net to the side of the boat and then untie all the lines. I make sure she's headed in the right direction and then start on my way out to sea. I sigh, satisfied, and close my eyes for a few seconds, letting the heat of the sun wash over me. The sound of the waves floods my ears and I open my eyes again. The sun's risen almost completely by now, sending warm light into the green-blue ocean. I drop the anchor and pull the top half of my wetsuit over me, zipping it up. I run a calloused hand through my long dark auburn hair and then put on my humiliating swim goggles and pick up my oyster net.
I take three breaths and then one long one and sleekly dive down into the murky depths. People say swimming is like flying but I guess those people have never gone swimming before. Swimming is like standing still, pausing time. Nothing exists for as long as you're under the waves. At least, for someone who can hold their breath as long as I can. I start collecting oysters, abundant in the sea of District Four. I'm about to come up for another breath of air when I see a particularly large oyster lying off to my right, just out of reach. My lungs burn for air but I push myself and swim over to it, grab it, and then kick furiously towards the surface.
After a few more dives, I decide to head back to the shore and dock my boat. As I coast in on the waves, I glance downwards at the water. The beautiful grey-tinged seafoam with a dash of teal and blue and- I stop myself before I think too much and reach over to my left wrist. I tug gently on the light blue bracelet, shells carefully interwoven in it.
As I get closer to shore, I see two familiar figures on the golden beach. I dock Lucy and then drop the bag of oysters at the shed for some other fisherman to shuck. I haven't shucked an oyster since Sirena was killed.
"Hey, Merlin," I say, jogging over to where my little brother and his friend Caspian are sitting. Merlin scrambles up, kicking up sand.
"Hey," he says back, then turns and holds out a hand to help Caspian up. Caspian stands up, brushing his short blond hair away from his eyes and I'm struck, not for the first time, at how similar he looks to his older sister. Before she went off to the Hunger Games, Sirena asked me to take care of her little brother Caspian, and I've never once failed to do that. And his blurry relationship between friends and more than friends with Merlin has made me even more like a big brother to him.
"What are you two doing here?" I ask, smiling crookedly at them.
"If we didn't come and bother you, you'd be here fishing all day," Merlin says, slinging an arm around Caspian and flashing the same casual smile back at me. "Am I wrong?" he adds, before I try to say otherwise. Granted, I was about to take a spear from the fisherman's shed to go out spearfishing, too.
"How'd you know I'd be here?" I ask. I gesture for him to unzip me and then let the wetsuit hang around my waist.
"Dad said you left early and I kinda just assumed you'd be here or…" He side-eyes Caspian who kicks at the sand uncomfortably. The graveyard. Typically in District Four, we cremate our dead and then scatter the ashes into the sea, but we have a large graveyard near the center of the District filled with headstones and empty graves.
"Yeah. Uh… you guys wanna eat some breakfast?" I offer, nodding my head towards downtown District Four beside the sea.
"Old Sam's?" Caspian suggests, a hopeful smile lingering on his face. I laugh, shrugging.
"Sure," I say, then turn and lead the way to the old homey seafood restaurant.
By the time the three of us settle down at an ancient wooden table smelling like the sea, Caspian's already halfway through an overly exaggerated story that definitely did not happen the way he's making it sound. Old Sam the Third hobbles over to our table, a peg leg making tapping sounds on the creaky wood. "Hey there, kids," he says, giving us a yellow-toothed smile.
"What's up, man?" Merlin says in response, giving Old Sam a fist bump. He pours us all water, exchanges some friendly conversation with us, and then asks us what we'd like to eat. Caspian orders more than he can possibly eat so Merlin decides to finish what he can't. I ask for fish and chips, nothing special. People don't usually work on reaping day, but Old Sam's slogan is 'Open 24/7 even on Reaping Day,' so nobody's surprised when they hold true to their word.
I take a sip of my drink and then look outside at the groggy streets of District Four. I think my district must be the most welcoming districts I know. It's tight-knit, wealthy, and prosperous. We've got a pretty good way of life around here. The bright sun beats down on me from a dusty old window, warming my skin. Across from me Caspian finishes his story and chugs his glass of water.
The food doesn't take long to get to us and we wolf it down, pausing to talk every now and then. It seems like hours have passed when we're all finally done.
"Hey, Old Sam!" The old man looks up from the kitchen in the back of the nearly empty restaurant. "What time is it?"
He peers around the corner of the kitchen and then flashes eight fingers at me. I give him a thumbs-up and then turn back to Caspian and Merlin.
"Looks like we've got some time to kill," I say.
"What do you wanna do?" Merlin asks.
I shrug in response and we all look at each other for a few seconds, waiting for someone to suggest something. "Aight, well I dunno what you two are gonna do, but I'm gonna hang out with my friends," I say, patting the table and standing up.
I walk up the front counter and slide a 20 pae bill to Old Sam who takes it gratefully, a warm smile on his weathered face. The old boards creak under my still bare feet as I walk out of the restaurant and down the now somewhat busy streets of District Four towards Delta's house.
It's not much bigger than the beach-side shack that I live in with my family, but it's comfortable and home to one of my four closest friends. Of course, they'll never be as close to me as Sirena was. Nobody could replace her. It's not often you fall in love with your best friend, and I know it. I guess I never really fully appreciated what I had until I didn't have it anymore. Now I know just how valuable it was. I bite the inside of my mouth, trying to block thoughts of her out of my head. A year ago today things could have been different if someone had volunteered. I swallow as I remember how she had looked as she walked up the aisle to the stage. The way her long blond hair the color of sand flowed behind her. The way her seafoam grey eyes were stone cold until she'd spotted me in the crowd.
"Yo, what's up, man!" I blink my jade green eyes rapidly, coming back to the real world. Delta stands in front of me, running a hand through his slightly overgrown red hair. He flashes a cocky smile at me, but tilts his head. "You good?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine," I lie. He won't know. Nobody ever knows when I lie.
He nods his head slowly, his smile fading. "Oh, come in bro, Nile's here," he says, moving aside to make way for me. I feel strangely unwelcome in his house seeing as ever since last year I haven't been spending nearly as much time as I used to with my group of friends. I know Sirena would have wanted me to stay close with them, but I basically threw them away to dedicate myself to work and lost myself in a sort of depression that Merlin mercifully dragged me out of.
"Adrian?" Nile says when he sees me. He's leaned back on the ragged brown couch, his feet kicked up. "What's up? Haven't seen you in forever. What made you wanna show up?" he asks, his passive aggressive attitude seeping through his easy smile. He glances behind me at Delta and checks himself, lowering the snarky smile and glancing away from me.
"I dunno. Thought I'd just check in or whatever," I say, suddenly and unusually very uncomfortable. It's not like I've completely shut these people out of my lives, I've just avoided them as much as socially possible, spending time with them at lunch and school, but that's been mostly it.
"What's up with the wetsuit?" he asks.
I cross my arms over my chest. "I was pearl-diving," I say flatly.
"Ah. On Reaping Day?" he asks, his easy smile coming back.
The three of us exchange conversation for a while until I look at the clock and realize how much time has actually passed. "Aw shit. Sorry guys, I gotta get back to my family and get ready. See you guys later?" I say, backing out of the house. Nile salutes me sarcastically and Delta gives me a warm smile.
"Sure, man," he says. I smile back at him and then dash out of the door and back down the streets to the beach I call home.
When I get there, I quickly peel off my sleek black wetsuit and throw on a button-down baby blue shirt, pairing it with old sun-bleached shorts. I carefully comb out my tangled auburn hair and then slip on some sandals before stumbling out the door after Merlin. We casually walk towards the center of our district, where the town square is. Merlin's telling me about something cute Caspian did yesterday, when we walk past the graveyard. I find myself instinctively reaching to my left wrist to rub the seashells and lose my mind in the gravestones. I know exactly which one hers is. She'd made it to the final five before they killed her.
I swallow, ready to curl up and try to block out the world when a warm hand touches mine gently. I blink down at Merlin who stares up at me with worried eyes. "You okay?" he asks.
"Yeah," I lie again. He frowns.
"You're lying." Right. I can't lie to Merlin, or at least I can't get away with lying to Merlin. He can always call my bluff through my infamous poker face.
"Doesn't matter. I'll be fine," I say, digging my hands into my deep pockets. His frown deepens but he doesn't say anything, just turns his head towards the walkway ahead of us. Eventually we reach the square, our parents say goodbye to us(my mother's goodbye lasting much longer than my father's), and then we're pushed by the flowing crowd towards the line of kids getting their blood drawn. Everything around me is triggering memories of that fateful day last year. How can a life change so drastically in one second? Things shouldn't happen like that.
Merlin and I get our blood drawn and then we walk to the boys' section together. We stop at the fifteen-year-olds' section and he hugs me then walks away to find Caspian. I rub a hand over my mouth and then continue on to the seventeen-year-olds' section where I wait in terrible suspense for this to be over. Finally, our longtime escort appears on stage, wearing a large pink coat with sharp, spiky shoulder pads and baggy grey jeans. Her face is pale and soft-featured, like plastic. Capitolites stopped using plastic a while back, though. Now they use some material I can't even pronounce nor do I care to pronounce.
"Hello District Four!" she says primly into the microphone. The crowd cheers insanely as she drags out her words like she's some superstar at a concert. "I'm Lily McAllen and I'll be your escort this year," she says, pointing at the crowd with an electric blue colored leather glove. She must be melting in that outfit.
I choose to ignore most of what she says until she unexpectedly heads towards the boys' reaping bowl first. She reaches inside and daintily picks a slip out with her leather-clad hands. Please not me, I think. The Academy didn't choose a male volunteer this year, so anyone who's reaped will probably be the one going into the Games.
"Caspian Dolorem Nicchi," she says, leaning towards the microphone. "Come on up, kid! Enjoy your few minutes of fame," she says happily, not knowing there are no volunteers this year.
It takes me longer than I'd like to admit to understand exactly what she said. I guess my subconscious recognized the name and already went into denial. But by the time I say, "I volunteer!" Caspian's halfway up the aisle, his haunting seafoam grey eyes the same stone cold as hers were. He swivels on his heels, eyes wide. I notice his hands are balled up in fists so tight that his knuckles are a pale white. Some of the district recognizes me as 'that one kid who was dating that one girl last year' and sigh sadly at the thought that now I'll die too. Tragic, I think. Honestly, I'm not thinking much right now except that I promised her I'd protect Caspian.
Lily looks at me, satisfied at how I look like an average volunteer. She has no idea. Guess she'll never know. Nobody needs to know, I think. Of course, my district partner will know I'm not the chosen volunteer, but I have skills in spears and I can swim like a devil so maybe the Careers won't see a difference. I might not actually die, I think hopefully. I have a chance.
"What's your name?" Lily says, bending forward a little and tossing her unusually natural blond hair around her bold shoulders.
"Adrian Tenera Dunbar," I say, flashing my typical crooked smile at the nearest camera. I have no idea what I'm doing.
D4F17 - Auklet Flanagan
My internal clock wakes me up at 6:30 as if I'm going to go on my morning run today. I try to go back to sleep, but I can't, so I end up tip-toeing out of my room and down the freshly swept stairs in my sister's mansion that my family lives in now. Sometimes I wonder if she'd rather live alone than with all of us. If I were a Victor like her, I don't know what I'd want more.
I step into the pearly white kitchen and silently crack open the cereal cupboard. I pour myself a bowl, wincing at the loud sound, and then add milk. Sighing, I grab a spoon and sit down at the long breakfast table. The cold of the tile seeps into my bare feet and I shiver, pulling the hood of my grey Academy hoodie over my head. It's old and has some small holes in the pockets from when my dog, Sirius, was a puppy and chewed everything he could see. It's the most comfortable hoodie I have though, and I don't mind showing off that I'm a trainee at the Academy.
As I finish my breakfast, I hear a light tapping on the floor and groggily turn around to see my dog. He sticks his long brown nose into the air and sniffs at me. I smile at him and stand up to put my dish away in the dishwasher. He follows me back into the kitchen and I rub his head lovingly. He wags his short tail and barks quietly, which sounds more like a loud huff than anything.
"Shh," I say, putting a finger to my upturned lips. He whines and pads away around the corner, only to reappear momentarily, holding his long green leash between his teeth. I put my hands on my hips and sigh. "Fine, alright. You win. We're going on a walk, buddy," I say. He drops the leash and barks happily, recognizing the word 'walk'. I wince again and try to tell Sirius to be quiet, but it's too late by now so I just grab the leash off the floor, clip it to his collar, and slip on a pair of sandals. Then I creep out of the house before anyone can yell at me. Not like anyone would care anyway.
I run a hand through my dark brown hair, letting it fall smoothly down to my back and adjust my athletic shorts uncomfortably. It's a warm morning, surprisingly warmer than the inside of the mansion, so I'm more than okay with being outside rather than cooped up with my family. I suddenly feel Sirius pull excitedly on the leash, realizing which direction we're headed. I laugh and unclip him, letting him run ahead. District Four requires all dogs to be leashed when out in public, but I know Sirius won't get into trouble. He turns and waits for me at the corner of the block, his fat tongue hanging out of his mouth happily.
It only takes us a few minutes to reach my boyfriend Gull's house, especially with Sirius excitedly bounding ahead whenever I catch up to him. I knock on the door, curling my slender pale fingers around Sirius's collar so he won't jump on Gull the second the door opens.
I knock again and this time the door cracks open a bit to reveal Gull's hazel eyes peeking through at me. "Lettie?" he says groggily. I laugh and push open the door wider. "What're you doing here so early?" he asks. Then his eyes grow wide with realization. "It's Reaping Day isn't it?" he asks, a tinge of sadness in his voice.
I nod, a tiny smile edging its way onto my face.
"Oh," Gull says. He runs a hand through his auburn hair and looks down at the floor. "I mean, I want to be happy you for, babe, I really do," he says, looking up at me again. "I know how big this is for you, I just… it's gonna suck watching you up on that screen."
"I know…" I say, reaching my arm behind me and rubbing a sore spot on the small of my neck. "But I'll be back before you know it," I say. Plus, I'll prove everyone wrong, I think to myself. "You wanna go to the park?" I ask, referring to one of the plenty parks District Four has scattered around. They're just long, flat patches of fake grass, but then again District Four isn't known for its parks, we're known for our beautiful beaches.
"Sure," he says. "Let me change first. He dashes back into the depths of his house, leaving the door open. I carefully step inside, still gripping Sirius, who's threatening to pull my finger out of its socket.
I follow Gull into his small, messy room and plop down on his bed, letting Sirius go. I fold my arms behind my head and lay down, looking up at the smooth cream-colored ceiling. "I wonder what the Capitol's going to be like in person," I say.
"Probably just like it does on the News," Gull says sarcastically. I turn my head to look at him.
"Ha ha," I respond dryly. He wrinkles his nose at me, a smile spreading over his face. "But really. Pretty things are always prettier in person," I say. "The blue one," I add when he holds up two shirts for me to look at. I watch him pull it on and then sit up. He looks at my bare legs and gestures at his closet.
"You can borrow something of mine if you want," he says.
I consider saying yes because wearing oversized clothes from my boyfriend is possibly one of the best feelings in the world, but then I remember where exactly I'll be this time tomorrow morning and decide against it. I'll have to return his clothes before I leave anyway. Just in case…
No. Nope. Not gonna return the clothes, I think to myself. Besides, who says I won't be coming back? If the Academy chose me to be the volunteer this year then they believe I can win, and so I will.
"No, I'm good. It's a warm morning," I add so it doesn't seem weird. "Thanks though."
He smiles warmly and sits besides me on the bed. I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face in his warm shoulder. I almost don't want to leave, but it's too late to change my mind now. It's only a few weeks anyway. I'll be back before either of us knows it.
"I'll miss you so much," I say, my voice muffled. He murmurs something back and tucks my hair behind my ear then plants a kiss on the top of my head.
"Don't go partying with those other Career boys," he says. "They're all idiots." I laugh and look up at him.
"Don't worry, I won't," I say, still smiling. We sit in silence like that for a few minutes, Sirius digging through Gull's piles of clothes at our feet. His fingers curl around mine, resting on the bedsheets, and I close my eyes, trying to make this moment last forever. I wonder when - or if - I'll get another moment like this or if the Games will change me too much. They won't. I'll be fine, I assure myself. They didn't change my sister and they won't change me.
"Ready to go?" Gull says suddenly, surprising me slightly. "Time's a wastin," he adds, cracking an easy smile.
"Sure. Let's go," I respond, stretching my legs. Usually I'm always sore from training so hard, but my trainers recommended a few days of relaxation so I'd be ready for the Games.
"Ready to go on a walk, Sirius?" Gull asks, standing up and talking in a baby voice to my dog. Sirius barks in response and bounces around Gull, twisting excitedly.
...
There's a small park nearby both of our houses, so we make our way over to that one and then settle down on a light brown park bench. Sirius goes running off across the grass, probably chasing a butterfly or something. Gull and I sit there in silence for a while, listening peacefully to the musical sounds of the birds chirping and people waking up around town. Sirius comes bounding back to us soon, an old red ball held tightly between his jaws. We play fetch with him for a while and I try to forget where I'll be headed in a few hours.
In what feels like a few minutes, Gull says he's got to head back home and get ready for the Reapings, so I hug and kiss him and head back to my own home with Sirius. I knock impatiently, tapping my foot against the cement until my older brother, Nautilus, opens the door. He's 19, a year older than my other brother Arthur and two years younger than Aqua, my only sister.
"We thought you'd run away or something," he says, blinking his dark green eyes at me. He's the only one in the family with our mother's blond hair, and I'm the only one with her brown eyes. It seems like I'll always be destined to be ordinary sometimes, what with the common combination of brown hair and brown eyes and an average height. Nothing like my sister, a near-goddess according to my parents.
"Are you kidding? This is the most exciting day of my life," I say, raising my eyebrows. This time I'm not lying as much when I say it. The closer I get to the actual Games happening, the more excited I get rather than nervous. I push past him into the house, where my family is busily rushing around getting ready.
As per usual, I'm greatly overlooked in the hustle. I pour Sirius's dog kibble into his bowl and set it on the floor, then refill his water dish. He happily chows down, looking around curiously every now and then at the excitement going on around him. I climb the stairs and close the door to my room, breathing a long sigh. I pull a thin, pale turquoise dress off of a hanger in my closet and slip it on after throwing my hoodie and shorts on the messy bed. I press down on the fabric to smooth out the wrinkles and notice blue wave patterns embroidered on it in darker colored thread. I twist slightly, watching as the dress swishes around my legs.
Satisfied, I dig through my jewelry box until I find my favorite necklace. I hold it up in front of the window above my dresser, admiring the way the sunlight shines off of it, then I carefully clasp it behind my neck and let it fall elegantly on my chest.
"Lettie?" I jump, slightly surprised at my sister poking her head into my room. "You ready to go?" she asks. "I have to be there early."
"Uh, yeah," I answer. She steps into my room completely and I frown slightly when I see her dressed up in a similar blue dress, but pulling it off way better than I ever could. Of course she's going to upstage me.
"You sure you want to do this? It's never too late to back out," she says quietly, biting her lip. I narrow my eyes at her. She doesn't think I can do it, I think sourly.
"Yes," I answer coldly. "I'm sure." With that, I step past her and stomp down the stairs.
"You don't have to prove yourself," she calls after me, to no avail.
"Ah, are we all ready to go?" my mother asks, smiling up the stairs at where Aqua is standing. I huff, annoyed, and head out the door after my brothers.
Along the way, we talk about who's volunteering this year and it almost surprises me when they forget I'm the designated volunteer. Almost. "We don't have a male volunteer this year, do we?" my father asks, digging his hands deeper into his pockets.
"The Academy couldn't choose one. Nobody was good enough," I state flatly, staring straight ahead.
"Hm. That's unfortunate," my dad says in response after a few seconds of silence. I roll my eyes, irritated, and try to ignore everyone and my intruding thoughts until we reach the square.
Then I quickly get my blood drawn and file into my section, where I stand on my tiptoes and crane my neck to try and find my best friend, Seela. "Lettie!" I turn to see the familiar blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl I've known most of my life. "I'm so excited for you," she says, smiling broadly. "Ooh, I wonder who your district partner is going to be! Hopefully someone cute," she adds.
"Seela, I'm dating Gull," I remind her, laughing.
"Well, yeah. There's no shame in some eye candy," she says, winking. Seela would be a very great stereotypical career if she trained, I think, not for the first time. "You think we have a new escort this year?" Seela asks, biting her lip and looking at the stage. She's leaning back slightly, her perfectly manicured fingers tapping on the fabric of her black jean shorts. She looks like a regular model.
"Don't think so. The Capitol loves Lily," I say, referring the only District Four escort I've ever known. It almost seems like she doesn't age at all. Seela opens her mouth to say something but is cut off by the superstar-sounding voice of Lily McAllen.
She rambles on about our district and the Games, and then she seems to realize she's losing most of the audience's attention. "Let's change things up this year and draw a male tribute first!" she says happily, waiting for a reaction from the crowd that doesn't come. Not letting it faze her, she steps lightly towards the boys' bowl and picks a pale piece of paper off the top of the pile. Whoever's reaped will have to be the male tribute this year, unless some stupid guy is going to volunteer before he's ready. "Caspian Dolorem Nicchi," she says, her voice ringing around the square. "Come on up, kid! Enjoy your few minutes of fame," she adds, completely oblivious that there won't be any volunteers.
I stand on my tiptoes again, trying to see who it is. There's a bit of movement in the fifteen-year-olds' section and I let out a breath. Looks like it'll be a bit easier for me, I think, right before a voice shouts those two fateful words.
"Oh, shit," Seela breathes when the guy steps onstage. He has the same colored hair as Gull but it's longer and falls in waves to his muscular shoulders. A confident crooked smile plays out across his freckled cheeks. "I'd hit that," she adds, a little louder than I'm comfortable with. A few girls around us turn and glare at her.
I recognize his face, but when he says his name, I remember seeing him pearl-diving at the same place my parents and I dive at. My parents always talk about how dedicated and hardworking he is, as if they don't realize how determined I am, sitting right in front of them. A few people in the crowd make a sad murmuring sound, and I remember vaguely that his girlfriend was reaped in last years games when there were no female volunteers. She was killed unnecessarily brutally by the District Two male, which cause a bit of a rift between our two districts for a while. There was talk of District Four dropping out of the Career pack for good.
"Oh, how lovely!" Lily says, smiling broadly. She winks at the camera for what seems like no reason whatsoever, and then saunters over to the girls' reaping bowl. She pulls the top slip off the pile, wasting no time whatsoever. "Oh look! We have the same first name!" she says, laughing into the microphone. "Will Lily Yaomi please make her way to the stage?" our escort says.
"I volunteer!" I say out of instinct. Then all the thoughts break into my mind, flooding it. Shit. What are you doing? This is happening. Oh wow. Holy shit. This is happening. People know me now. I can feel my hands shaking slightly, so I stretch my fingers out, trying to calm down. It's not like I've never done anything scary before. I love proving myself to people. There's no better feeling than praise.
"Oh, aren't you lovely?" Lily says when I reach my designated spot, leaning towards me like she did with Adrian. She stands a few inches shorter than me even with her tall pale green heels. "What's your name?" she asks.
"Auklet Flanagan," I say into the microphone. I spot my parents in the back of the square, looking a little shocked, and I step back from the microphone, a satisfied half-smile creeping onto my lips. I stand up on my tiptoes, folding my hands behind my back. I glance over to my right at Adrian, who stares out at the crowd. I wonder if he's ever been overlooked. Probably not, I conclude, noting how muscular and athletic he looks. I turn my head to look back out at the crowd as Lily wraps up her speech. Behind me and farther to the right, I know Aqua is sitting with the other Victors, watching me. Everyone knows me now, I think happily to myself again. My parents finally see me. I'm not ordinary anymore.
A/N: hey guys i'm back! sorry for the long delay, i had a lot of trouble writing this chapter for some reason. i really really love both of these tributes and i was really scared i'd mess them up in some way, lol. anyway, if you want to know when i'll be updating/the playlist to this story, it's all on my profile. these are the last careers! thanks to Krystal Fox for Auklet Flanagan, and LongingForRomeo for Adrian Tenera Dunbar. also, i don't think i remembered to thank the people in the last chapter, so thanks to Elim9 for Emrys Langley and TheAmazingJAJ for Charlotte Bowman.
don't forget to leave a review, i love love love hearing from you guys! let me know you're reading :) who do you like better? who's your favorite career out of all six of them? who do you think will make it farther?
- knifey :)
shower thought of the day: why don't they call combination locks permutation locks? (haha geometry joke, i'm so funny)