daylight

chapter two. . . the reaping

THE MORNING OF THE REAPING, THALIA WAS WOKEN UP BY DAWN'S SCREAMS. She rolled out of bed, at her sister's side in seconds. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm her down. "Look at me, Dawn," she held her chin with two fingers, forcing her younger sister to look her in the eyes. "Deep breaths," Thalia instructed, guiding her breathing. Dawn copied her older sister and felt relief wash over her.

Slowly, the young girl became reacquainted with her surroundings; Thalia's worried expression brought her back to reality. Whispering sweet affirmations in her ear, Thalia held Dawn's head to her chest; soothingly, she stroked her hair.

The door slammed open, revealing Dorcas—she quickly crouched beside Dawn's bed. "I heard screams. What happened?" Dawn looked between her two sisters, trying to motivate herself to tell them. Dorcas sent Thalia a questioning glance, which was returned with a shrug and an equally perplexed expression.

"I dreamt that I was reaped for the Hunger Games," she sobbed after some time, nuzzling her face into Thalia's chest. "That the peacekeepers were dragging me away from you," Thalia rocked back and forth, communicating with Dorcas, begging her older sister to say something. After a few minutes between the sisters making faces at each other, Dorcas placed a comforting hand on Dawn's back.

Dorcas scoffed, rubbing a soothing hand up and down her back, "They aren't going to pick you," she consoled. Thalia's eyes twitched at her older sister's words, wondering why she'd lie to their sister. It wasn't that Dawn's name was destined to be called out, it's just there was no guarantee she wouldn't be picked. Dorcas stumbled over her words, trying to appease Thalia, "It'll be jus' like last year, and the year before. You know the mayor jus' picks out who he hates the most—"

"Lucy Gray," Thalia interrupted, fear etched across her face. Getting to her feet and rushing out the door, she left her sisters behind her to watch her leave. She struggled with her shoes, before running out into the square.

Thalia wasn't used to sprinting, so she was dangerously out of breath, but the adrenaline pumping through her encouraged her to continue until she reached the place she needed to be. Resting against the door, she caught her breath, before knocking on the door insistently. She heard Lucy Gray from the other side of the door, cursing her out thinking it was Billy Taupe back again.

The door opened with a harsh swing, "You jus' don't give up, do—Thalia?" Lucy Gray asked, taken aback at seeing her friend. "What are you doing here? At this hour as well, everyone's asleep?" Thalia pulled her into a hug, eliciting a surprised noise from Lucy Gray.

Noticing the rest of the covey lingering in the room, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation, Thalia grabbed Lucy Gray's hand and led her away. The brunette willingly followed, only sparingly wondering where they were going and why. After a few minutes of walking in silence, they found the meadow they hung out in often. "Thalia, why'd you drag me out here?" Lucy Gray asked, sitting against the large rock, watching the blonde pace nervously in front of her.

Thalia rubbed her necklace between her thumb and forefinger nervously. "I jus' realised, Mayfair would've told her pa to say your name today," she replied, playing with a strand of hair nervously as she watched Lucy Gray's face drop. An awkward silence overtook the conversation, with both girls at a loss for words. Lucy Gray wiped a tear that rolled down her cheek as she realised that Thalia was right. "Lucy Gray, I'm so sorry—" Lucy Gray shook her head, placing her head in her lap and her hands on the back of her head.

"I should've known that's why she came up to us the other night at the Hob. She was trying to see if she still had competition," Lucy Gray scowled. Finally looking up at Thalia, she pats the ground next to her. Thalia joined her, wrapping her arms around her comfortingly, allowing Lucy Gray to weep into her arms. It felt weird, seeing her in such a state. Lucy Gray was a beacon of cheerfulness; there was always a smile on her face and a glimmer of joy behind her gorgeous doe-brown eyes. Now, when Thalia looked at her friend, her heart ached as she saw almost a ghost of what her friend was usually like. God damn Billy Taupe, she mentally cursed. If she ever saw him again, she'd kill him—and Mayfair as well.