Chapter 4

Reaping Day of the 67th

Annual Hunger Games

District 14

Scarlet Wolfe

Scarlet's face hit the edge of the wooden chair. Bash Wolfe stood above her holding a birch branch in his thick, wind-torn fingers. She recognized the warm trickle dripping down her temple and forehead and blinked through the blood as it trailed across her eye.

Happy Reaping Day to me.She thought bitterly as she glared at her father.

"Scarlet, just—"He closed his eyes and turned away from her, his face pinching in disgust. Whatever disgust he felt for her was felt twice over by her toward him. He dropped his hand and pointed at the door.

A hand grabbed her shoulder, and she glanced to her left finding Crimson there. She allowed him to pull her to her feet and out of the house, her head still spinning from the collision with the chair.

Once they were a good distance away from their run-down home, Crimson pulled Scarlet to a stop.

She pulled out of his grasp instantly. Scarlet didn't like it when people controlled her movements or tried to control her, but she couldn't stand it after getting a beating.

"You should clean it off the best you can with the snow."Crimson said, eyeing the wound on her face without coming closer to her.

The wind had already frozen the blood on her face, making her skin stiff and uncomfortable. She didn't think the snow would be of much help. Probably, she would need water to get clean.

Still, Scarlet reached down and grabbed a handful of snow. It was hard and more ice-like than actual snow with the cold front they'd been having here. She stood up, knowing that it would only serve to shred her skin to pieces if she tried to use it to clean the blood off her face.

The cold air bit into her skin where fresh blood trickled down her face from her wound.

"It'll be fine until later." She said, dropping the snow to the ground.

"You have a real knack for pissing people off."

"Yeah, I know." It was true.

Crimson did too. He was just better at escaping punishment, and he was better at making amends. He had a way of pissing people off and getting into fights, and then making it seem like it was the other person's fault. Then the very next day, he'd be back laughing with the same people he'd been fighting with the day before like nothing had ever happened.

People liked Crimson.

Adults. Little kids. Older kids. Even some of the peacekeepers seemed to like him. Crimson could talk anyone into doing anything he wanted, even if it meant they'd get in trouble for it. And they never seem to blame or hold a grudge against him.

Crimson was a snake, lying in the weeds, just watching and waiting for the right time to strike. Even Scarlet wasn't immune. It was just that Scarlet knew him well enough to know that she had to take everything he told her with a grain of salt.

Whatever he told her was mostly true, but it certainly wasn't the entire truth. She had learned to look for his motives rather than listen to his actual words. Rarely did he do something just because it was the right thing.

Scarlet had learned a long time ago that being liked by people didn't make a person good. Just like being disliked by people didn't make someone bad.

She thought constantly trying to please people was a waste of time and energy. She would rather be disliked than have to pretend to be someone else all the time.

"Why'd you provoke him like that?"

She rolled her eyes and pulled away from Crimson. They had to get to the District 14 town square stage, and she had no obligation to explain herself to him and she had no desire to. Bash would be on his way as well, she didn't want to wait for him to catch up to them.

What Crimson had seen was Scarlet making a sarcastic comment to their father about not getting breakfast on the morning of District 14's Reaping Day, when it could very well be her last meal in District 14, which would have been justified in its own right. At least, in Scarlet's opinion.

But the petty little comment wasn't the actual cause for their father's fist hitting Scarlet's face and sending her into the kitchen table chair, nor was it the cause for his threat of the birch branch.

Bash was overcompensating, using a show of force to cover his loss of power. Because Scarlet knew everything. All his secrets. All their father's sick and twisted deeds.

He could try to intimidate her into silence all he wanted, but Scarlet had never cowed before anyone in her life, and she wasn't about to start now. She wouldn't tell anyone what she had found out or what had happened. It wasn't for her to tell or share with anyone. But she would be damned if she just sat back and watched it happen again and again. She would make sure that it never happened again.

Slaughter-child or not, Cadmium was a person. A human. But more than that, Cadmium was her brother. No one-not Crimson, not Violet, not even their father-was allowed to mess with him.

Bash would never,ever, use Cadmium again to fulfill his own selfish needs.

As Scarlet and Crimson approached the town square, she saw their four older siblings already there, saying a final farewell to their mother. Their father would probably be in the town square at any moment, but he wouldn't say goodbye to anyone.

He would already be in the crowd of adults and young children, waiting to hear it was their child or the child of someone they knew going into the arena. Honestly, she didn't think Bash cared either way if any of his slaughter-children were sent into the arena.

Cadmium and Honey held the hands of Ash and Ebony. Their mother, Harmony, held their newborn sibling, Marigold in her arms. Even though Marigold was only a week old, and only wrapped up in a thin, worn-out blanket, both mother and child were forced to attend today.

Scarlet hoped this would be the last child born into their family, but knew as long as her mother could have more, she would.

She walked next to Crimson, and she watched as their mother reached up and tucked a stray blonde strand of Violet's hair behind her ear. Scarlet had never known that kindness before. Not from her mother. Certainly not from her father. Not from any of her siblings.

But that was District 14. Cruel. Cold. Unforgiving and Ruthless.

Kindness made a person weak. Weakness might be okay for a tesserae-child, who had the best odds for life in District 14, but for a slaughter-child, who were given less than 50% chance of making it to adulthood, kindness could and would get you killed.

Scarlet believed that a person deserved what they took. What they fought for. What they were able to keep.

She looked at each of her siblings that would be eligible for the reaping today, as Crimson and Scarlet drew closer.

Violet had her blonde hair spun up in a fancy twist, with a few of her natural curls framing her plain face. Her face was pale, clean and well-washed from the bath she'd gotten earlier. Her thin lips were pulled into a smile, because, unlike most of the children here-even the other tesserae-children-Violet didn't care about anyone other than herself.

She wasn't going to end up going into the arena this year. Violet wore one of their mother's old dresses. It was a little too big for her, but Scarlet could already tell that it would be nicer than nearly all the other dresses worn by the other sixteen-year-old girls. And that was really all Violet would care about.

Auburn was the oldest boy in their family, apart from their father. At fourteen, he was as tall as their mother and wore their father's old clothes. They were big on his smaller frame, but he looked good, with the white shirt tucked into his black pants. A thick coat covered his arms and chest, and worn boots covered his feet.

His curly blonde hair was brushed, and his face washed clean. Scarlet knew that most of the girls in their school thought Auburn was good looking. he was tall and lean, and his pale skin was clear. Auburn wasn't as entitled as Violet. He helped look after all the younger siblings and tried his best to make sure everyone got something to eat. Auburn was quiet and he could be kind, but at the end of today, he wouldn't be going into that arena.

Standing next to Auburn was Sienna and Silver. Sienna was fifteen years old, and Silver was thirteen. They both stood quietly. Ever since their older sister Aureolin had volunteered for Sienna, she has never gotten over her fear of the Reaping's.

Last year, with no slaughter child available, Sienna nearly had a panic attack while walking to the Reaping's. She'd almost fainted right before Penelope Bright had announced the female tributes name. This year, Sienna still showed visible signs of unease. Like her tightly clenched fists and her puffy red eyes that spoke of earlier tears. But this year, Scarlet was going to be there to volunteer. No matter what, Sienna would not go into the Arena.

Sienna wore one of Violet's old dresses, passed down from their mother, when she was younger. Sienna wasn't pretty in any particular way-nor was she ugly. She was tall and skinny; her face was thin and her nose just a little too pointed. She had a forehead that was a little too long for her face and lips that were too thin.

She used to be more like Violet, mean and selfish, but two years ago, Sienna had come home from the reaping a different person. Scarlet kept expecting her to change back into the person that she was, but maybe watching Aureolin being forced to sacrifice her own life for Sienna had permanently changed her.

Silver was big for her thirteen years of age. Taller than average and thick boned. Her blonde hair hung down to her midback with her bangs braided back, keeping her hair out of her face. She had the standard hazel eyes and pale skin of the Wolfe Family, but Silver had a rounded face and soft body that wasn't typical of any District 14 child. Nonetheless, no one could say that Silver wasn't pretty.

She was kind and well-liked by most adults and most of the children in her school. Silver was a people pleaser. She did well in school and stayed out of trouble. At home, she mostly read and helped out with chores. The dress she wore was tight against her skin, but mostly covered by a threadbare coat.

Crimson and Scarlet approached their family, pausing near Cadmium and the younger children, waiting there with the rest of their family, yet standing so clearly separate from them. There was no question who would be sure of being safe this year and whocouldend up in the arena.

Scarlet was small for a twelve-year-old. She was short and thin. Her threadbare clothes hung from her body and her pants had an ever-growing number of holes in them. Her feet were wrapped in scraps of cloth instead of shoes or boots.

Scarlet had thick black hair that hung in a mess of tangled curls, reaching her lower back. She didn't have a coat to wear. Her face was covered in blood from this morning, but under the blood, was dirt and sweat and pale skin that hadn't been washed or scrubbed in a very long time.

Next to her stood her twin, just an inch or two taller than her. Crimson's hair was a mirror image of Auburns, short, curly and wild, but black instead of blonde. It swooped down, just passing his eyebrows, drawing attention to his hazel eyes.

Most people thought they were kind, but Scarlet saw them as calculating and sometimes very cold. His lips were full, and his mouth had laugh lines around the edges.

Crimson could almost always be found with a grin or a smirk on his face. Even though he was a slaughter-child, he was the second oldest boy and therefore got the clothing that Auburn had outgrown. He also had a pair of boots that were too big for his feet and were worn through on the sides, but it was still better than what Scarlet had.

Technically, it could be said that Scarlet also got hand-me-downs from the older girls in their family. But once the clothes had made it past all three girls, there wasn't much left for Scarlet to work with. And if by chance, there were decent clothes that had made it through the years, Violet would make sure to ruin them.

Violet and Scarlet had a rivalry that dated back as far as Scarlet could remember, though she didn't remember the reason for it, if there was one at all. It was just a well-known and excepted fact that Violet hated Scarlet and did anything she could think of to make Scarlet's life more miserable.

Five minutes later, the warning sounded, letting everyone know that it was time for the youth to get checked in and into their assigned spots. Harmony looked over at Scarlet and Crimson and closed the distance between them.

She grabbed Crimson's hands and stared up at him with tears streaking down her face."If..." Their mother paused, swallowed, and let out a breath. "Well, do your duty, for this family."She looked between Crimson and Scarlet once more, before letting go.

Scarlet looked away from her mother as she gathered the rest of the children and headed for where they would wait until the end of the Reaping Ceremony. Was it so easy to worry about one child's health and well-being when you were ready to send another to die? Even if Scarlet survived the reaping's and survived District 14, growing into an adult, she would never get married. She never wanted to have children, either. To make them live in District 14 in squaller and face the Reaping? No. No way.

A hand grabbed hers, as she started to walk away. Scarlet looked back and saw Cadmium holding her. His eyes locked on her face. Her wound. Her lips tipped up in what she hoped was a confident grin.

"Only you decide what kind of life you live, Cad. Only you get to decide what you deserve in life. Don't fall prey to dictators and cowards and the selfishness of others." She pulled her hand away from his. "Stand up for yourself, Cadmium Wolfe."

She walked away without looking back.

The six Wolfe siblings moved like a pack through the crowd toward the lines that were already forming. There were seven lines in total. One line for each age an eligible child could be. Scarlet and Crimson stood together in the line for all twelve-year-old children.

Check-in.

She'd watched this enough to know that they would prick her finger with something, then press her finger into a book with her name. Then she would separate from Crimson, and she would stand with the other twelve-year-old girls, while Crimson stood with the other twelve-year-old boys.

Violet, Sienna, Auburn and Silver would each be in a separate line. And then they would each go to their own section. Each age group had, maybe, a hundred children. District 14 was by far the smallest district and the lower population lowered the odds even more for the children from larger families.

Each child silent as they waited for the Ceremony to begin. Waiting to find out if they were safe for another year or if their life would change forever.

This was the first year that Auburn took the tesserae. Along with three additional times that his name was automatically entered into the bowl for each year of eligibility. This year his name was in the bowl eight times. It wasn't likely that he'd be reaped. This was Crimson's first year, so his name was only in the bowl once.

Nine names existed in that bowl that would send Crimson into that arena this year. Only nine.

Even though Scarlet's name was only entered once this year, Scarlet had three people that she would be expected to volunteer for. Violet and Sienna had both taken the tesserae when their older sister was still alive. They hadn't been forced to take it last year, when there was no slaughter-child eligible for the Reaping.

But because Scarlet was now twelve, Sienna and Silver had taken it this year. Splitting their family's needs between the two of them. Between Scarlet, Violet, Sienna, and Silver, their names were in the bowl a combined total of sixty-three times.

Sixty-three names would send Scarlet into the arena her very first year.

Even though Crimson's odds were less than Scarlet's, if any of the four older sibling's names were called, Scarlet or Crimsonwouldvolunteer. Anything could happen.

Both of them knew that if Scarlet was reaped this year, then only Auburn would take the tesserae for their family next year. Crimson's chances of getting reaped would only get higher as the years passed. If he was reaped, then Cadmium would be ready the year after next.

Realistically speaking, no one actually wanted Scarlet to be reaped this year. She was the only female slaughter child of age. Honey was only eight years old. Violet, Sienna, and Silver wouldn't have any buffers or protection against the Reaping for four more years. Violet would be twenty by then, Sienna would be nineteen, and Silver would be on her final year.

They would have to finish out their remaining years of eligibility without a shield.

So, there was a silver lining after all.

Before Crimson and Scarlet parted ways, they looked at each other. Neither one of them smiled as they stood in the aisle way that split each age group from girls and boys.

Scarlet offered Crimson a small nod and he returned it with one of his own."May the odds be ever in your favor, Scarlet."

Her lips curled upward. "And if they aren't, make your own."

With no more words to say, they turned away from each other and took their places within their sections.

Scarlet Wolfe ignored the stares and glances of the other children around her as they looked at her face. Scarlet often could be spotted around District 14 with unhealed lashes on her back or bruises or bloodied footprints left in her wake. So, it wasn't unusual for her and blood to follow.

It just normally wasn't on her face.

She stood with her head held high though and watched as the District 14 escort's yellow-powdered sour face appeared. Her snow-white hair was puffed up in curls. Looking like widened horns on the top of her head. She watched as the escort walked with yellow heels in a poofy blue dress that matched the color of her lips, and sparkling white sleeves that covered her thin arms.

Scarlet remembered a few years back when Penelope Bright first came to District 14, wearing a thin silk, sleeveless dress. She'd shaken like a leaf and her teeth had chattered the entire time she had been on stage. Her words had been broken and it had made reading her lips nearly impossible for Scarlet.

This year the District 14 escort walked up to the center of the stage and proceeded to attempt to smile at all of District 14. However her lips seemed to be permanently pursed in sour expression, so the smile she gave always seemed to be a grimace."Welcome! Welcome! It's so grand to be here in District 14."

Scarlet looked down as she yawned, she'd stayed up late trying to finish her last carving pieces. She didn't need to watch the propaganda video again. With a near photographic memory, she knew exactly when Penelope Bright would wrap up her speech.

She knew exactly when the video would play, and even without looking she would be able to recite the speech said in the video. She knew that it played for 5 minutes and 20 seconds. Scarlet sighed and rolled her head, stretching her neck and spine.

Approximately six minutes later-long enough for the video to have ended and for Penelope to have already made herheartfeltcomments and express her unwavering support of Panem-Scarlet looked up.

"Ladies first."Penelope practically sang as she walked across the stage to the fishbowl with the pool of female names in it. Scarlet watched carefully with a slight frown on her brow as she waited. Sixty-three times.

Penelope fished the slip of paper with the name of the female tribute written on it out of the bowl and practically pranced over to the microphone. She unfolded the slip and read the name.

"Violet Wolfe."

Scarlet's eyes shot to the spot where her older sister was standing. No.

Surely not.

Violet didn't move as the seconds ticked by, and a trickle of doubt flickered in Scarlet's mind. Perhaps she had misread the name on Penelope's lips? It didn't happen often, but occasionally...

Scarlet looked back at the stage. Penelope's eyes scan the crowd, her puckered grimace of a smile on full display, searching for this year's new tribute.

"Violet Wolfe?"

Then, Scarlet was sure that it was in fact her sister's name coming from Penelope Bright's brightly painted blue lips. Violet Wolfe.

Scarlet's eyes skated across the silent crowd until they found her sister once more. Violet began to move, almost as if in a daze. Her limbs were not quite in coordination with one another.

For just a moment, Scarlet considered not volunteering.

Violet was spoiled, selfish, and took every opportunity to make Scarlet's life completely miserable. She still remembered when Violet had seen Scarlet being assaulted by Storm, only to smile and walk away.

She watched as Violet emerged from the group of sixteen-year-old girls and was escorted to the stage by two peacekeepers in freshly polished white uniforms. Halfway to the stage, Violet turned around, her eyes scanned the crowd wildly, until her eyes found Scarlet's. Panicked desperation sought her impassive ones.

Scarlet's lips curled upwards. Violet's panic turned sharply into disbelief and anger.

Scarlet waited until Violet was up on the stage, staring into the crowd, thinking that this was the end of her rope. That her carefree life was cut short by the sister she hated the most. She waited until the cold realization set in that Scarlet didn'thaveto volunteer. Her family mandated it and had raised her for it. District 14's society reinforced it.

But she didn'thaveto.

At least, that's what Scarlet wanted Violet to think. Scarlet knew that the few slaughter-children that refused to volunteer were shunned by District 14 and left for dead. Their families turned their backs on them, and most would starve or freeze to death in under a month. Anyone that took pity on them would be turned into an outcast as well, which had proven equally fatal in the past.

Scarlet Wolfe took a single step forward, standing out of the line of twelve-year-old's that she had been lined up in.

It wasn't for Violet. It wasn't for her family. It wasn't for District 14 or for the Nation of Panem.

It was for herself. Scarlet volunteered not because she was accepting death, but because it was her only chance at life. She would enter that Arena and fight with every ounce of strength that she had to get out of it.

"I volunteer as tribute." Scarlet said loudly.

For the first time in her life, she was glad that her parents were ashamed of her deafness. From the time her hearing had been lost when she was just a small child, her parents had berated her every time her voice was the slightest bit off 'normal'.

Cadmium and Crimson had helped her practice in private for years. And from those years of carefully practicing how to modulate and control her voice, tone, pitch and volume, she was sure that it was steady and unwavering.

With sure steps and her head held high, Scarlet stepped out of the group of twelve-year-old's and into the aisle that separates the boys and girls. She kept the smirk on her face as she gave a quick glance back at her family, her eyes falling on Cadmium.

He held Honey's hand tight in his as he watched her, expressionless. Scarlet knew that he must have been devastated, but there was nothing either of them could do. She could not show any weakness or hesitation. The whole of Panem was watching and each of the twenty-five other tributes she would be facing in the Arena would likely watch this as well.

Be strong, Cadmium. This place has no home for weakness. If pain is what you want, then live. Because pain is for the living. The dead feel nothing.She wished she had told him that before. Now she wondered if she'd ever get the chance to.

Scarlet lifted a shoulder and let it drop carelessly, as if to say, 'Oh, well'to her family.

Then she turned and walked toward the stage.

She knew what people would see. A poor, wild girl from 14. No shoes, even in the dead of winter. Hernice clothesconsisted of a threadbare pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Her face, which she thought was pretty nice looking—normally—was half covered in blood and had some sort of gash near her left eye. The blood on her face had frozen, forming trails of blood from her wound to cross her face and down her neck, staining her shirt.

Scarlet moved up the aisle toward the stage, reaching the bottom of the stairs as Violet reached the top of them.

"Go and die, Bitch."Violet said, her mouth barely moving, likely to keep her voice quiet so that no one else could hear her wicked words.

Scarlet took the next step up without faltering, never letting the smirk fall from her face. She was used to dealing with Violet and her wild temper. "Who's going to volunteer for you next year?"

But as the words left her mouth, she didn't have to try so hard to keep the smirk in place.

Maybe she was a bit more like Crimson than she'd like to admit, because she could honestly say that she enjoyed the way Violet's eyes widened in fear so much that the whites of her eyes surrounded her hazel irises completely.

In that moment, Violet Wolfe's fear was like the rare warmth of the sun in District 14. Scarlet raised her hand to her mouth and blew her sister a kiss before turning away and taking the stage. Scarlet keeps her eyes on the escort, knowing that she'll make a comment or two. She always does.

Scarlet didn't miss the way Penelope's eyes went straight to the blood on her face or how she took a small step back, as if Scarlet really was a wild animal and she might lash out if she got to close.

"Oh my, another volunteer from District 14! What's your name...Sweetheart?"

Scarlet fought a snarl at the endearment, though she's not sure she entirely succeeded, judging from the way Penelope's face faltered for a split-second before perking back up in that grimace-smile that only she could manage.

"Scarlet Wolfe."

"Well, I'll bet my button that it was your sister you volunteered for, am I right?"

"Yes." Though she was tempted to say no for no other reason than to be contrary. There was something extremely unlikeable about the escort of District 14. It was more than her just being from the Capitol and more than her coming year after year to draw the names of the tributes. It was something about the way she talked and thought and acted that made Scarlet want to make her as uncomfortable as possible.

"Didn't want her to have the glory of being reaped?"

Keeping the smirk on her face as she answered Penelope's ridiculous question was hard, but she managed. "Not at all."

What glory? Scarlet didn't understand how the Capitol could be so different, and how the people that lived there could think so differently. She didn't understand how their minds worked. And she wasn't sure she wanted to. Regardless though, as a newly reaped tribute of the 67th Hunger Games, she knew that she'd have to learn. And learn fast.

Penelope tittered, taking Scarlet's statement as an agreement. Her faulty assumption grated on Scarlet's nerves.

Up close, Scarlet could see that her yellow powder didn't meet her wig, and she was left with a peach-colored strip along her forehead. Scarlet stepped closer to Penelope with a frown, ignoring the way that Penelope stepped back the smallest bit. "Did you forget to put makeup on your forehead or is that a new style in the Capitol where the make-up doesn't cover your whole face?" Scarlet gestured to her head and the approximate location of the makeup less line.

Penelope's eye twitched, as her smile-grimace barely stayed on her face."Well... aren't you a..."She paused, as if searching for the right word to describe Scarlet.

"A very wicked wolf?" She emphasized her words with a snap of her teeth.

Penelope's hand shot to her throat, and she said something that Scarlet couldn't read because her lips barely moved. Scarlet thought it might have been either a curse or prayer.

Penelope Bright looked out at the crowd, then back to Scarlet, looking a little scared. Scarlet let her smirk widen, showing her teeth more. If Penelope wanted to treat her like an animal, then she had no problem pretending to be one.

Scarlet didn't know, but at that moment Cadmium let out a wolf howl into the cold snowy day on her behalf, with Honey and Crimson joining shortly after. Now all of Panem would know that a pack of Wolves live in District 14.

"Well,"Penelope said, trying to recover in front of the crowds, or maybe remembering that this was being televised."Let's...Let's move onto the boys now."

From the stage, Scarlet watched as Penelope Bright moved toward the glass bowl with thousands of small pieces of folded paper, each with the name of a boy from District 14. Penelope pulled her hand up, her fingers holding a single slip.

Scarlet swore that there was a collective draw of breaths. In all the faces she saw in the crowd below her, not a single one was moving or breathing.

She only hoped that Auburn or Crimson didn't get drawn. Anyone else. It could beanyoneelse. Penelope walked back to the microphone. It felt like she walked slower on purpose, though it probably was just as quick as when she'd walked back from the girls' bowl.

With Penelope facing the crowd, Scarlet kept her eyes locked on the screens that have zoomed in on the stage of District 14. From there, Scarlet could see Penelope and was able to read her lips as she announced the male tribute of the 67th Hunger Games.

"Auburn Wolfe."

She froze for a second, forcing the smile to remain on her face. Eight. Auburn's name was only in there eight...

She looked out into the crowd, knowing what she would see before it happened.

Crimson stepped out from the twelve-year-old boy's section and into the middle aisle. Unlike her, he didn't wait until Auburn reached the stage to speak up.

"I volunteer as tribute." Crimson said and Scarlet knew that his voice was strong and steady even though she couldn't hear it. There was no trace of fear or hesitation on his face as it filled the broadcasting screens. He stood as tall and proud as she had when she volunteered.

Scarlet looked at her older brother, still standing in the exact same spot he had been in before his name had been called. Not even a single step had been taken by him before Crimson had volunteered.

Auburn's entire face was pointed to the ground, not even looking up as Crimson passed the section of fourteen-year-old boys.

Scarlet watched Crimson approach the stage with a quiet calm about him. He walked up the stairs evenly and crossed to the center of the stage where Penelope and Scarlet wait for him to take his place on the other side of Penelope. Opposite Scarlet.

Because from this moment on, only one of them could survive. From this moment on, they were each other's competition.

"Oh, my."Scarlet couldseethe interest gleaming in their escorts' eyes and could imagine the newfound sincerity in her words that were missing from her earlier comments about Scarlet volunteering. There was nothing interesting about a volunteer from District 14. But two? And siblings to boot. Now that was unheard of."What a year for District 14! Brother and sister reaped and brother and sister volunteers, please tell me it is so?"

The excitement that practically burst from Penelope at the prospect of what had just happened left Scarlet disgusted.

"Yes. She is my sister..."Crimson looked across Penelope to Scarlet."My twin sister."

"And now you get to compete with her in the Arena for the glory of the Capitol! Isn't this your dearest dream come true?"

Crimson stared at Scarlet, seemingly, for the first time, truly at a loss for how to answer someone. Her brother, Crimson Wolfe, who could charm anyone, was at a complete loss of how to answer. Not that Scarlet blamed him.

Dearest dream come true? Fighting to the death with her twin?

How could they come from the same world? Breathe the same air? But be so completely different from each other.

Instead of answering Penelope's question, Scarlet closed the distance between her and Crimson. Penelope skittered back a few steps, but she paid little attention to the escort as she stretched out her arm in the open air between her and her twin.

Crimson's lips curled as he griped her forearm firmly with his hand spanning around her entire forearm. Her fingers curled around his arm in return, holding tight.

"One Wolfe comes home this year."

"One Wolfe comes home."He repeated her words, a grin spread across his face, matching the one on hers.

There was no fear in either of their faces. Both of them are ready to fight to the death in the Arena. Both of them were sure of their desire to win. Their desire to live.

Neither one of them would back down. Not even for the other.

They let go of one another at the same time, stepping back and looking into the somber crowd of District 14.

She looked behind the reaping aged children to the adults and the younger siblings. She could see Honey curled up against Cadmium's side from here. She thought Cadmium's face was still blank, but she couldn't tell from this distance.

Her smirk hadn't left her face, and she didn't plan for it to leave her face either. She was coming back. She wasn't done yet. She would fight to live. And she would do everything in her power to survive.

Scarlet knew in order to do just that, she couldn't falter, she could not hesitate. She would need to be ruthless and willing to do anything and everything. And she was.

She put her hands to her mouth, lifted her head up into the air and howled. Crimson, Cadmium, and Honey joined her.

Scarlet turned on the heel of her foot and left the stage without looking back, ready to leave District 14 behind.