Evander Soren, 17, District Two Male
"The thing about me is that when it's time, I show no mercy."
To everyone that knew him, they knew only of what he showed him. The side that everyone except his family and close friends saw. The side that was the ruthless killer that he started being called once he turned 15. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that he had been training in the academy since he was five years of age.
Of course, when he was that young, he didn't want to have any part with the Academy or with the Games. All he wanted to do was be a kid. Why should he have to train for something that was stupid? Then he started to learn more about the Games, why they have them and why they should always happen. He was one for them, and often looked forward to watching them each year.
It was just a way to keep them from another rebellion and to prevent more people from dying.
It was as easy as that.
The Capitol offered them safety and in return, they had to give something for that.
And so by the time fifteen came around, he knew the type of person that he was. Evander knew that he would be a victor, it was just a matter of time before he volunteered. He was going to volunteer for the Games this year but then the quell was announced.
That changed his plans.
Of course, little did he know, his one chance was around the corner. But would he be able to make the most of it?
But,there was another side of him, one only seen by his family. He was a family person. Always was there for them and loved them more than anything. The most important person to him, his little sister, Teodosia, who he had been calling Theo since she was born. He had been thirteen when she was born and immediately knew that he would do anything to keep her safe.
Evander is a quietly ambitious and hardworking young person. What he wants nothing more is than the chance to prove that he can be strong. He is a very goal-oriented person and wants more than anything to prove herself to his District by becoming Victor. He wants to be like his mother, a victor herself and be seen as good as she is.
Though he may seem like a people person, he would rather stick to himself and stay in the background in most things. He is an introverted person. Evander is one to show what he's feeling by doing, actions do speak louder than words. Besides, he likes to focus on the upcoming Game and how if it wasn't a Quell, then he would be volunteering. With the twist that came with the Quell, it led him to wondering if he would be the chosen one.
But another part of him is that he doesn't know when to stop. He's competitive through and through and when he's driven towards something, he will do anything to get to it. He's seen as someone who's hard to get along with at times.
Evander is human and even though he hates to admit it, he does have weaknesses. His little sister is one of them and he would sacrifice himself to save her in a heartbeat. People who knew him always whispered about his biggest weakness of trying too hard. He wants to prove himself to his district and show that he is his own person and can live out of his mothers shadow.
He's his own person and can make a name for himself.
He doesn't just want to be Astrid Soren's son.
He wanted to be known for something else.
He's hard working towards most things, never really knows when to stop and take a break. People get him to stop for a bit but he finds himself getting restless after a few minutes and goes back to whatever he was doing before. Another thing that he sees as a weakness is that sometimes he can come off as annoying and full of himself. He doesn't mean to but finds it happening more times than not. Combine that with the fact that he also has a tendency to just go go and go, if he ever went into the Games, that might be a problem. Evander is difficult to talk to and get along with and to people that don't know him that well, he can seem standoffish.
Evander's biggest and most known strength is how hardworking and goal-oriented he is. He's absolutely indefatigable, with a lot of quiet, focused energy to get things done.
And unlike some other Careers, Evander is fully prepared to kill in the Games.
After all it was kill or be killed.
Growing up in District 2 and training in the academy for the last eleven years has instilled in Evander a deep love and appreciation for the Hunger Games. It wasn't always that way but he had grown to understand and come to love the chance to be a part of them.
Besides, they are an integral part of Panem. Evander has prepared psychologically for killing and justifies it by thinking that killing is just what a Career like him would do.
He was prepared, he would do it if he was the one picked.
That morning, he was awake early enough to get one more training session at the academy before the sun even came up. Already too wired for how early it was, he had slipped out of bed and out of the house before making the ten minute jog.
The air was crisp and cold, as he preferred it.
One hour became two which then became three and before he knew it, he had to head back home. His trainer for all those years, Riley, a passionate woman who cared for him like he was her own son, had pulled him into a hug.
"Remember, if it's you that is chosen, do not forget anything I taught you."
"I know, I won't."
Sending her a smile, he returned home at ten in the morning. His mother had apparently made breakfast and was carrying Theo down as he closed the door behind him.
"Last training session?" His mother asked, a knowing smile on her face. He shoved his freshly washed hair thanks to the shower he took before leaving the academy, and nodded.
"Your aunt was the same way before the reapings for the 74th." His mother spoke, as she pushed the pot full of coffee in front of him.
His aunt, Clove Soren, had volunteered for his other aunt that day. She and his mother had both been 18 and his aunt was only fifteen. He never knew her in person but still felt that he knew her through his mother. And his mother said that he had her eyes.
"Hopefully if I'm picked, I'll win for her.
"And I know you will. Bring pride to her memory and to the family legacy."
Breakfast was quiet after that and as he made his way up the stairs to get ready.
Blowing out a breath, he grabbed the first shirt he saw. Paring the dark green button down with a pair of black pants and his favorite shoes. Messing with his hair for a few seconds until it turned out the way that he wanted it to, he grabbed the gold chain with his father's wedding band on it and slipped it around his neck.
His father.
How he wishes he was here.
Evander had only been five when his father was killed in a rare shooting in the district. He had been the one trying to stop it when the shooter turned the gun on his father and then on himself. Dark times followed and he found himself forgetting parts of those times.
Shaking his head, he snapped back to reality and took one final glance around his room. Something in his gut told him he wouldn't be back.
At least, not for a while.
The walk to the square was quick and he took that time to carry Theo on his shoulders. Her weight helped steady any nerves that appeared as he walked alongside his mother. The mood was calm and vibrant as people started to fill the rows.A few of his friends waves back at him as he set Theo down. Taking in a breath, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and passed her to his mother who pulled him in tightly.
The check in process went smoothly as he took his spot next to one of his friends, Milos. He had a grin on his face.
Viola Charm was their escort that year and it was safe to say that she was a step down from their escort they had for the last nine years. Her entirety was bright pink and it made Evander's eyes burn if he looked at her for too long.
The Capitol was getting weirder and weirder every year. Running his hand through his hair, he shoved the into the pockets of his pants as the video started playing. Same thing each year, at the least they could switch it up a little.
Seeing the same thing gets repetitive after a while.
Besides, maybe they should show clips of the old games during the video, that would be nice. He blew out a sigh before turning his focus to the rest of the video.
"This is why the Games returned. To show the Districts of Panem that even if they united, they still fail against the Capitol"
"Isn't that lovely?" Viola's shrill voice called out as the video faded to black. "Now, as always the female is picked first!"
Myrcella Addair is called out.
He knew of her, only because of the major event that happened not that long ago. She was going to be a strong person in the arena. Her dark hair flowed behind her as she made way to the stage, her face hard and blank.
He knew that they would be in the career alliance together, and he couldn't help but wonder if she would be the leader. Now who would be the person to join her?
"Evander Soren!"
And that was his name.
He was going into the games.
He got his shot after all.
The handshake between them was firm and he nodded slightly at her before they pulled away, set on saying their goodbyes to their families.
He would prevail and come out of whatever arena is thrown at him. Evander gave one last look over his shoulder. People were clapping for them and shouting words of support. A grin grew on his face as he was placed in a well lit room and the door closed behind the peacekeeper.
Myrcella Addair,17, District Two Female
"My reality is a paradise; your reality against me will be a nightmare."
If there was one thing that most people didn't know about her, it was that at her core, she was a sweet person. She also can come off as extremely agile and there always seems to be gracefulness in her movements. There was just something about the way she held herself that stood out to others. Perhaps it had to do with before the… event, she had been taught how to be an aristocrat by her parents.
She found herself to be the person that is always ready to learn and someone who aspires to be more than what she is now. She wanted to be someone, wanted to make a name for herself. Myrcella, compared to other careers, is an outlier. She was nice to people, always one to be there for others who are going through hard times.
But then the accident happened and everything changed. Her personality shifted to make her become someone she didn't even know.
This new Myrcella?
The new her is more poised than ever before. A sense of grandeur and her ego rising started to happen in her. The sense of perfectionism that was always in the back of her mind started to awaken in her. Growing up and even more so now that she was older, she had just a feeling that she would never be good enough. Who she had that feeling for? She couldn't say
Sure, she was still the caring and nice person she was before but now it was only to those who she could use for her own personal gain. Now, she finds herself almost paranoid of other people and why they would want to be her friend. She, for the most part, shoved those aside. Perhaps the reasoning is that if she lets people in, they'll only ruin her life or shatter some illusive dream. What people fail to realize until it is too late is that she uses people to get what she needs out of life.
She had been preparing for the games long enough to now she knew that killing wouldn't keep her awake at night. It was just something that would just need to happen if it came to it.
Underneath the person that everyone sees, there was something more to her. She never let anyone else know about it, instead wanting to keep it all to herself. A part of her will always think that if she doesn't succeed and get what she wanted, then people would think that she was a failure, or that she was useless and incompetent.
People did tell her that she was too hard on herself. She never saw it though.
If she would have anything to kill for, it would be the dream that was in her head. She had found the ancient fairytale fascinating. That little personal dream is just that of happiness. Her own happiness would be the thing to lead her to kill
And perhaps that dream came raging in when the accident happened .
She had only been eight when it had that time, she had already been training in the family business of sculpting for almost two years. Just barely enrolled in the Academy when something led to her father falling off a tall ladder. Some said must have fallen while reaching for a chisel and others said they saw her push her father off. The fall had sent her father into a three week long coma. She would never be able to forgive herself for the event, blaming herself for it even happening in the first place. She could still remember the sound of her father hitting the base of the sculpture. And the blood, all of the blood that spilled from him, staining the marble and the blood in a bright red wave.
Her mother had shut down hard with in those three weeks. Everyone blamed her and her mother constantly reminded her that if her father never woke up they would have to sell the family business. That was one of the reasons that she all but threw herself into her training. One day, a few weeks after the accident she found herself, flowers in hand, walking into her fathers room. Myrcella then admitted how sorry she was and how it was all on her. She was about to leave when she pressed a kiss to his forehead, her own way of saying goodbye when he woke up.
Call it a miracle but Myrcella was just happy to have her father back.
It was weird adjusting to having her father back and he was different now. He revealed the dream to her that he had when he was under and how he saw her. That was the start of everything. The first step? Getting into the Hunger Games.
She didn't know it at the time but all the training that she completed over the years had made her into a strong competitor in the arena when it came time. They even had it planned out that she would volunteer once she was eighteen and it just so happened to be that the reaping for the 101st Games would be on her birthday that year. How fitting it was for that to happen. Turning nineteen on the day that she would be volunteering for the Games.
That was the one moment she was ready for. The one thing she trained for. All of the blood, sweat and tears that she had put into training.
She was doing what her parents wanted for her, and she wouldn't fail them when the time Quell twist just makes it all that much worse, thrusting her into the spotlight a year earlier than she wanted.
And then, the day came.
The house was already in full swing when the female awoke that morning. Her parents must have already been up for hours, cleaning the house and doing errands in town. If she would have awoken earlier than she would have gotten a session in at the academy. But, the side of her that wanted to sleep in won and here she was. She was still in the feeling of being half awake and half asleep. Not tired enough to go back to sleep but not awake enough to get up and start her day.
Sunlight steamed past the curtains hanging in her room. A sigh escaped her lips as she pushed her hair out of her eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them.
Another reaping more than likely spent by herself. Her parents only cared once they got to the town square.
Her parents only cared about her when it came to training and that was the only time she talked to them for the most part. Ever since the accident, she was pushed away it seemed and it seemed like that wasn't the only thing pushed away. Her parents had gotten further from each other.
Time like this made her wish for her brother and how she wished he was still around. He wasn't dead, just ran away six years ago and since then she rarely saw him.
Another breath passed from her lips as she looked at the clock. It was almost noon and she would have to be heading out soon to make it to the reaping on time. Her eyes found the dress hanging on her dresser, a pale blue dress that sparkled when the light hit it just right. Her mother, it appeared, had been in at some point in the night while she was asleep.
Myrcella rolled her eyes at the sight as she pulled herself out of her bed and into her bathroom. Tugging her braids out and shaking out her hair, she turned the sink on so she could wash her face. That helped pull her out of the haze of sleep, and she hurried through putting her makeup on. Not as much as she would put on, just something to highlight her features. A little blush to brighten her cheeks, a little highlighter to brighten everything up.
She was pulling her dress on when her mother passed by, a somewhat pleased expression on her face as she took in her daughters appearance. Luckily, she got to pick out her own shoes and chose her trusty flats, not wanting to risk falling on the way over.
"okay, let's go." She heard her mother call from downstairs. Taking one last look of her room, she let the door shut behind her as she made her way down the stairs.
On the way over, she luckily ran into her best friend, Renou Davenshield. They had met when they were young and quickly formed a strong bond. He was the only person that she would ever trust and would be his friend until he got sick of her or until she died. Her father always seemed to be trying to push them to get together. It would never work but she had to admire the effort that he was putting into it.
The walk was in silence as she walked beside him, his eyebrows raised as if asking the simple question of how she was. She nodded back at him, 'I'm okay' she mouthed in reassurance. It was all hustle and bustle as the pair reached the check in. It was all noise, from the peacekeepers checking in people to the millions of conversations happening between everyone.
She squeezed Renou's hand three times as they separated, their little secret sign of I love you. He returned the gesture as she stepped into the closest line. Myrcella's fingers twisted together as the line shortened and she grew closer to the front. Then it was her turn and she kept a blank face as her finger was pricked and her bloody finger was pressed to the book and scanned.
Finding a spot was easy as she turned out the conversations happening around her, focusing on calming herself down from the slight anxiety that she was feeling. The air changed as the noon hit and the town clock tolled.
Viola Charm was their escort that year and it was safe to say that she was a step down from their escort they had for the last nine years. Was she pink? Jesus this woman was an eyeful already. Eyes rolled once more as she tapped the microphone, drawing all attention to her.
The same fucking video played and she always watched it even though she knew it word by word at this point. Hands twisted the ring on her finger as the video came to an end.
"This is why the Games returned. To show the Districts of Panem that even if they united, they still fail against the Capitol"
"Isn't that lovely?" Viola's shrill voice called out as the video faded to black. "Now, as always the female is picked first!" Her heels clicked against the ground as she grabbed the single slip from the female's bowl.
She expected it to be a younger kid that year, or at least someone that wasn't her. Not this year at least.
"Myrcella Addair." was called to her complete absolute horror. A flash of sickness washed over her as her stomach cramped. So that was how it was going to be it seemed. At least she was getting her shot right? It was a win-win situation as she wouldn't be losing her volunteering spot for next year. And there wasn't a way out, she noted as she made her way to the stage. Unless she wanted to die that was, and Myrcella did not want that. At least, if the tribute pool was weaker this year, she knew she would have a good chance at winning.
Maybe then her father would be proud of her.
She stood on the stage as the male's name was called.
Evander Soren.
Everyone knows about him, whether it be via his father's death or his mother being a victor of a past game. He was strong, she knew that but she would find out his weakness before he even knew that was happening.
His grip was firm but she shook back with the same intensity as she met his eyes dead on.
She could come out of this. That was the only outcome in her mind. One that would see her alive and coming back to her district. She would finally give her parents a reason to notice her and actually think highly of her.
It was her only chance. This was it.
But why had she been chosen?
What was their reason for picking her?
Was this revenge for her causing her father to fall into that coma?
For her brother running away?
Myrcella would find out , it was only a matter of time before it revealed itself to her.
Her father's eyes bore into hers as she was placed into custody and into a clean room. Soon her parents would be in and she would have to face them for what could be her last time seeing them.
And go time.
and breath! Here is the lovely Evander Soren from thelasttimelady and Myrcella Addair from Paradigm. I absolutely loved writing them and i hope everyone enjoyed them!
Make sure to leave your thoughts in the view and even some constructive criticism.
next district is district five!
til next time
simplyaspen