So on to District Three shall we. Ha-ha; this whole chapter goes to The Fabulous Killjoy since she was kind enough to submit 2 tributes for this story. Hope y'all have been enjoying my story. Don't forget to read and then review! Thanks sweeties for making my life this week that much better for all the kind words. I love you ALL!
District 3 Reapings (Enter Eris Balbonie POV)
My boyfriend and I were walking through town, to pass time before the reaping. As we strolled through the streets of District 3 Henry tried to convince me not to volunteer during this year's reaping. I wasn't going to be easily convinced, though. I wanted to bring more honor to the district. When I entered the games I was going to make sure that I joined the career pack. Nobody was ever again going to refer to our tributes again as the "weird techno paths" after my games.
Henry, too, wasn't going to be swayed in this matter either. He loved me and knew that if I went into the games there was a possibility he may not get me back. He also knew, better than pretty much anyone, how hard I'd trained. My father and twin brothers were all District 3 peacekeepers. It's all thanks to them that I know how to use pretty much every weapon in existence. My mother was even the victor of the 1st Hunger Games. That didn't really help much seeing as she's now a morphling addict and dislikes me. When I was 5 I met Henry. I brought him to trainings with me. Soon he was stronger than I was. We would both be forces to reckon with in the arena.
"Sweetheart, please don't do this. How do you think I'd feel knowing that you could leave me forever? Who else could capture my heart as you have? I love you Eris, please don't do it." He pleaded with me.
"I have to; it's what I've trained forever for. I'm ready to do this. Don't worry Henry I'll come back. I promise I'll come back."
"You can't promise that and you know it! Eris, please…" His tone had become pleading. I felt bad for what I was putting him through. However my choice was made and I wasn't going to change my mind.
Henry must have sensed this because he stopped trying to persuade me. We rounded a corner and continued down the street towards my house. He clenched onto my hand tighter. He walked me up the stairs, across the porch, and to the front door. I turned to him and my goodbye was stuck in my throat. Henry was looking at me with such intensity. He then leaned down and kissed me. I could feel every emotion he had for me in that one kiss. We broke apart.
"I really do love you, you know." He stated simply. He kissed me once more on the forehead before walking away towards his aunt's house.
As I entered the house the smell of morphling rushed to greet me. I really wish my mother wasn't addicted to that stuff. It changed her. She was once supposed to be the prettiest girl in the district. Everyone who knew her then said that I look so much like her, I was like a blast from their pasts. Not only was she changed physically, but mentally too. She hated me. She never had anything pleasant to say about me either. My mother was a big reason of why I hated looking into mirrors. Every time she saw me she had to make a comment about my appearance. I was never good enough for her. She loved my brothers though. Both of them had left school early to become peacekeepers like our father. I walked through the house trying to avoid my mother. No such luck.
"Eris!"
"Yes mother?"
"Where have you been the reaping is going to start soon."
"I was taking a walk with Henry."
"Looking like that? No wonder you're a disgrace; running around here like you don't have decent clothes. "
"Sorry I displease you. I'm going to get ready now."
"Yes. Go, get out of my sight."
I turned and ran. I made it to my room before I started crying. I wish Henry was here I though miserably. He always knew how to make me feel better after an episode with my mom. He could make everything better, really. He just had sweetest personality and the ability to see the good in everything, even my drugged out mother. In my mind I slowly repeated words that Henry said to me when I was down and upset: You are a good person, you are important, you're somebody special, You're beautiful, Nobody can change those facts…I love you. He really was the most amazing person I knew.
I slowly drug my body off my bed and dressed carefully, making sure not to look in the mirror too much. I pulled on an ivory silk dress so that the heat wouldn't kill me during the reaping. I also put on the gold heart pendant Henry had given me. I walked down the stairs towards my father and my brothers who were all dressed in their peacekeeper uniforms. My mother was in her wheelchair. My brothers may be twins but they look as different as a bird does from a tree. Damien, the older of the two, looks like our mother. Derrec, with his red hair and greenish eyes, looks like our father.
We walked to the square. My father rolled my mother to her spot on the stage along with the other 2 victors of District 3. My brothers took their positions in the crowd. I searched through the crowd for Henry. Once I found him we went to stand with the others our age.
Calpurnia Kaddy was the escort for our district. Skinny as a twig with blue hair and sapphires implanted into both her arms, she was impossible to miss. She giggled too much for my taste though. Half the time she seems to have taken leave of her senses. Mayor Jackson began on schedule and soon it was time for the reaping to start.
Calpurnia picked a name from the girls reaping ball. She smoothed the bit of paper over the podium and read out, "Anna Lee"
"Eris please don't…" whispered Henry from my right. I gave him a subtle shake of my head. This was my chance to make sure nobody ever again looked down at our district. In a clear voice I said, "I volunteer as tribute!"
I walked up towards the stage. Calpurnia asks for my name.
"Eris Balbonie."
"Well let's get a male tribute now, shall we?" Her voice was so annoying. She pulled a name out of the boys reaping ball.
"Stanley Pierre."
"I volunteer."
My mouth almost dropped open in shock. That voice was none other than my boyfriend's. Henry walked up to the stage.
"Your name?" asks Calpurnia
"Henry Wishceltt-Bach."
"Well please stand here by Miss Balbonie." Henry obliged.
The mayor finished his speech. At the very end he motioned for Henry and me to hold hands. Henry, however, had other ideas. Instead of holding my hand he kissed me for all of Panem to see.
_Flashback 2 Hours_
(Enter Henry Wishceltt-Bach POV)
My girlfriend and I were taking a walk through the streets of District 3. I was trying to convince her not to volunteer this year, but Eris is stubborn and won't listen to me. She had this idea that she was going to single-handedly turn District 3 into a career district.
"Sweetheart, please don't do this. How do you think I'd feel knowing that you could leave me forever? Who else could capture my heart as you have? I love you Eris, please don't do it." I pleaded.
"I have to; it's what I've trained forever for. I'm ready to do this. Don't worry Henry I'll come back. I promise I'll come back." She replied.
"You can't promise that and you know it! Eris, please…" My tone had become more desperate. Unfortunately I could tell her mind had been made up; so I gave up trying to convince her. We walked around the corner, up the steps to her porch. Eris turned around to say something but the words died in her throat. I was trying to put all my emotions into my expression. I leaned down and kissed her. I struggled to think of what to say. All I could manage was, "I really do love you, you know." I kissed her on the forehead and walked off.
I walked towards my aunt's house. I'd been living with her since I can remember. I hadn't known who my mother was until recently. I'd thought she was dead, but from searching through district files in the library I found a curious document that lead me to the mayor. It took a couple of months of knowing him and gaining his trust, but finally I managed to get him to tell me what happened to her. Apparently she'd run off and married the mayor of District 1. The word betrayed didn't begin to express how I felt. I tried not to dwell on it though, because it wouldn't change anything.
My aunt took care of me but she wasn't very motherly. Mostly she was stern and humorless. I was just grateful she'd taken me in so I didn't wind up in the community home. I hadn't many friends either really. Just Eris. My life always came back to her. We met when we were both 5. She took me I under her wing and we trained together ever since. Last year I realized how much I liked her and asked her out. We've been together ever since. And if Eris was that determined to go into the arena, then I was going to go with her. Everything I did from here on out would be to keep her safe.
I finished dressing and headed back to the living room where my aunt was waiting for me. Wordlessly she got up and together we headed for the square. When we got there I met up with Eris and we headed for the 15 year old section. Mayor Jackson got the ball rolling and then handed the mic off to the bejeweled escort, Calpurnia Kaddy. She giggled way too much and the sunlight reflecting off her jeweled skin drove me to distraction. She raced over to grab a name for the girls' reaping ball. She read out the name, "Anna Lee."
I turned to Eris in a last ditch effort to change her mind: "Eris please don't…" She gave me a subtle shake of her head, indicating no.
"I volunteer as tribute!" She said in a clear voice.
I shook my head, resigning to the fact that I'd have to go through with my plan after all. I watched her walk towards the stage. Calpurnia asked for her name.
"Eris Balbonie."
"Well let's get a male tribute now, shall we?" Her voice grated on my already raw nerves.
"Stanley Pierre."
"I volunteer." I spoke loud enough so everyone could hear me. I saw the shock and surprise on Eris' face as I walked to the stage.
"Your name?" Calpurnia asks.
"Henry Wishceltt-Bach."
"Well please stand here by Miss Balbonie." I obliged. The mayor finished his speech and motioned for us to shake hands. Instead I kissed her for our entire world to see. Then I grasped her hand.
The mayor had recovered from his initial shock of my actions. His voice rang out through the square.
"Ladies and Gentlemen I give you our tributes for District 3. Eris Balbonie and Henry Wishceltt-Bach!"
If you loved me you would click that review button ! Also some ideas from this chapter came from the book The Help and some sentences came out of the amazing The Hunger Games.