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》︎✳︎✳︎✳︎《︎︎
DEVYN WOKE UP with a sharp gasp of the crisp air around her, shooting upwards from the couch she had passed out on. Cold sweat coated her skin which battled against the thick humidity of District seven's summer weather. It was almost always cloudy and dreary here, and today was no exception. The dark patch in the sky told the citizens who worked early in the morning that they would have to cut down trees in the rain. Most didn't mind, but everyone knew it was harder to keep a steady grip on a saw or ax with water seeping through the cracks in your hands.
At the foot of the couch Devyn was on, there was a small loveseat where her older sister, Ophelia, was curled up. She looked to be fighting against a cold force, except the only time District seven was cold was the very midst of winter. A soft patter was heard from the window, and she saw the first raindrop had fallen onto the glass. In a few minutes, it was pouring excessively, and the gravel roads of Victor's Village started to become dirty mush. The soil from underneath the small rocks seeping through and turning every inch of the road a dark and muddy brown.
The tv flickered from the mantle covering the burned-out fire, and Devyn realized the two sisters had fallen asleep while watching tv. But someone must've turned it off for them. Otherwise, it would've continued playing until they woke that following day.
She heard the rustling of pans and cutlery come from the kitchen and got up quietly, trying not to wake Ophelia. What she saw shocked her. Johanna was cooking. Usually, when Johanna cooks, it ends in a fire or her getting frustrated and abandoning the project for Devyn to finish. But she seemed to be making breakfast for the three without any guidance.
"What's this for?" Devyn announced her presence, and Johanna snapped around.
"Thought I could try this again," she shrugged, and Devyn eyed her oddly. She pushed it aside anyway and examined Johanna's attempt to make eggs and bacon. She occasionally swore when she made a mistake, but she did surprisingly well when she started to fry everything.
As Johanna was plating, Ophelia walked in, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Why is Jo cooking?" She groaned, and Johanna glared at her.
"She wanted to try it again," Devyn whispered, and Ophelia studied Johanna's finished products. They looked pretty standard. The grease from the bacon even glistened in the lamplight. They all sat down at the large dining table, which was more than half empty, and took their first bites of Johanna's food.
Devyn's eyebrows raised, and Ophelia hummed in delight. "Good job, Jo," she praised, and Johanna smirked in triumph.
"You can actually cook something," Devyn mumbled.
"Oh shut up," Johanna hissed, and Devyn smiled, nibbling on her bacon. They all knew why Johanna took the risk of cooking today because she thought a good breakfast would cheer everyone up from the solemn day. Devyn's name was only entered 22 times, but that was enough to be selected for the Hunger Games reaping this afternoon. People have gotten picked at random for less, and her number would go up the following year. At least three more slips with her name would go into the reaping bowl.
