ACT ONE, CHAPTER TWO Everyone is Born with a Pure Heart ( Namo Guan Shi Yin Pusa )
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RHIANNON'S EYES BORE INTO THE REFLECTION BEFORE HER, eyeing the crack in the glass that aligned perfectly with her right eye. It ran diagonally across the length of the wall-mounted mirror, and appeared as if a sharp blade entered through her jaw and punctured straight through her eyeball.
Her reflection ironically looked identical to how she felt. The nerves in her stomach overflowed into the adjacent vagus nerve, traveling up to her head. Half of Rhiannon's body weakened as soon as it hit her, the pain ultimately setting up shop behind her right optic.
Rhiannon was well aware that the amount of stress she was put under in such a short allotment of time was bound to result in the unbearable head pain. However, she was hoping that its onset would wait until after the reaping, so she could cover her bedroom window with a blanket and lie in bed until it passed.
Unfortunately, she didn't have that option. Citizens are only allowed to forego the reaping if they're on their deathbed or close to it, and as much as it felt like her brain would combust from underneath her skull at any moment, Rhiannon didn't qualify. Wai Po, on the other hand, did. She never truly recovered from having the flu all those years ago — it's a miracle she survived to begin with — and now, her remaining energy allows her to alternate between her and Rhiannon's shared bed and the flat, worn sofa in the living room, and the kitchen on rare occasions.
Since the Head Peacekeeper is particularly strict, if a citizen isn't present at the reaping, an entourage of Peacekeepers arrives at their door to ensure their poor health. Although Wai Po's still kicking, it doesn't take much effort to perform an "on my last legs" routine.
Currently, Wai Po was in the next room over, sitting on the edge of their bed, repeatedly chanting, "Namo Guan Shi Yin Pusa." It was the chant Wai Po saved for days like this, during which the family needed more protection than usual. It translated to, "everyone is born with a pure heart." Rhiannon, personally, begged to differ. From her youth, Rhiannon recalled when Wai Po tried to explain the original mantra's deeper meaning. She never truly understood it. Something about a lotus and a jewel, wisdom and skillful means.
While Rhiannon and Haymitch went to see Orville in the square, Mrs. Abernathy came over and brought Wai Po up to date regarding her son-in-law. When Rhiannon returned home and began to relay the news to Wai Po herself, the woman told her granddaughter that Mrs. Abernathy had already informed her and monitored her as she ate her breakfast. Then, Wai Po returned to their room and has been meditating ever since.
Refocusing on her own reflection, Rhiannon smoothed down the dress that she fished from her chipped dresser every year. A once vibrantly-colored dress with floral detailing whose inseam seemed to shrink with every passing year on Rhiannon's body. The natural rose color had faded into a dull blush, alongside the florals that were now almost invisible to the naked eye.
