"if i'm a ghost
then so are you"
Emerald Colter hasn't known peace at any time in her life; and with her reaping comes a chance for her to finally make her mother proud of her. Only, when she returns home, everything remains the same and...
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Emerald has always wished that somebody would love her, that her mother would love her the way a mother is supposed to love their daughter. It had been her biggest wish as a small child, the girl doing everything Jewel said in order to meet her approval and gain praise. Nine times out of ten it would end in tears, the older woman spewing out lines about how "disappointing" she was and that one day she wished to be rid of her.
The brunette cannot even imagine the pure elation that Jewel must have felt when the girl's name was pulled out for the 73rd Hunger Games. She would've celebrated in the comfort of her own home, shutting her door as if she was in mourning but in reality, she was drinking cups of cheap booze and smiling at the sky. Jewel wasn't fit to be a parent, she still isn't.
When Emerald returned home, well Jewel put on a happy persona for the audience and hugged her daughter like she never had before. The brunette thought things were going to be different, that she had finally made her mother proud and that they would finally have that strong relationship she always wanted. Of course, that isn't remotely close to what happened.
Jewel became more dependent on her daughter, using her money to buy things she wanted and sending her to do the errands she simply didn't want to. Things simply went back to the way they were before, sad and lonely.
These things haven't left her mind all day, the girl desperately trying to piece together what Caesar will ask her in her interview tonight. If they ask about her home life, her mother even, she will have to lie to his face whilst sporting a terribly fake smile. She's gotten good at putting a mask on, concealing all the things she's feeling and appearing as the smiley girl the Capitol wanted her to be.
"You look nervous," Silas speaks up from beside her, their conversation from the previous evening still present in her mind. It hadn't taken her too long to grow comfortable with him, and his endearing words last night only helped to seal her trust in him. She assumes, although she probably shouldn't, that he trusts her as well. If they have to go it alone in that arena, Emerald will have his back like she hopes he has her's.
"I always am for these. They ask way too many questions," Emerald responds, biting her lip softly. Silas understands it well enough, the boy having been through his fair share of Capitol interviews during his tenure as a victor. "There's only so many times you can fake being happy about being sent to your death, you know?"
"Yeah," Silas breathes lightly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Emerald looks up at him, their slight height difference allowing him to stare down at her. "We'll be okay. Just let Caesar do most of the talking, he's good at that. If the question is too hard, answer it as vaguely as you can manage,"
"And when he asks about how I feel about these games? Do I tell him the truth? That I hate them so much it makes my blood boil,"
"A more watered down version of that, yes. It's just another game, Emmy. You've played them plenty of times before,"
