ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ - ʜᴜɴɢᴇʀ ɢᴀᴍᴇꜱ

.₀₁

...— The Reaping —...
(TW for this entire fic considering it mentions, $uicide, mentions of $uicide, death, and gore)

Waking up was terrifying for Delaney Allen, today was the reaping for the 74th Hunger Games and now that she was thirteen it meant her name went in twice, plus two more times for Tessera. Though her father didn't need it, he just wanted her name to be put in more. She knew it wasn't as much as the older kids, but she also knew there was that slim possibility her name would be pulled.

However, as she got dressed in a dark blue dress she couldn't help but think about her best friend Finch. The girl's mother had gotten sick a few months ago and the doctors said they couldn't figure out what was wrong. Considering the girl was fifteen, her name would be going in four times, plus once more for Tessera for her mother, giving her more of a possibility to be reaped.

Last night, Delaney made a promise to herself that if Finch was called — no matter how scared she was — she'd volunteer for the girl.

Sure, being reaped for the games was Delaney's worst nightmare, but she couldn't imagine allowing her friend to go into the games while her dying mother lay watching.

Delaney had already lost her mother, she didn't want someone else she loved to have to go through the same fate.

"Delaney!" Her father's degrading, scratchy voice, yelled from the living room, causing Delaney to blink a few times.

"Yes, Father?" Delaney asked, slightly loud but not enough to be a yell.

"Ladies shouldn't yell," her father's voice rang in her head. "And stand up straight."

Listening to the imaginary voice, Delaney's body straightened, and she moved her hair out of her face lightly. Her father always said a lady should be poise and welcoming, not sluggish and rugged.

"Let's go, It's almost time for the reaping," her father yelled, causing her to walk out of the room and into the living room where her father stood, his shoulders slouched and his hair untidy.

He'd never been in the games, nobody from their family had. This fact just caused her father to become a man who drilled his daughter to be ready for the games. He hated that all of his friends had a family member that had been in the games and he didn't. So, when Delaney was born he saw this as an opportunity.

Of course, her mother disagreed, but after she passed away in her sleep one night, Patrick — Delanye's father — knew he finally had a way to brag to his friends.

Delaney hated her father for the man he'd become out of jealousy for his friends. While she guessed his friends deserved some of the blame, she couldn't bring herself to hate them. It's not like they deliberately tried to make him jealous, most of them didn't even like that they had family that had been in the games.

Still, even if they were the ones talking about it, her father was the one who chose to become the man he is today.

Though Delaney didn't see him as a man, she saw him as a coward.

"I'm ready," Delaney spoke, her hands placed in front of her elegantly — she could be nothing less in front of her father.

"Alright," her father waved her off before walking out of the house.

Delaney couldn't help but roll her eyes, he was hypocritical. However, she still followed, lightly closing the door behind her before following her father down the steps.

Delaney wasn't one to hate anyone, you could ask anyone in town. She didn't talk badly about anyone, and even if someone did something to her all she did was ask them not to before she went on as if nothing happened.