A forbidden bond: part 1 (life before)

Reaping day

Part 1: reaping ceremony

Arachne crane stepped out of her family's car in front of the steps that led up to heavensbee hall
She was wearing a black dress and a white blazer she wanted to look her best for today because today was not only reaping day but the most important part of the day was the announcement of who would win the plinth prize and that's all that mattered to her as her made her way up the steps and into the building and mingled with her classmates and ignored other students she didn't care for

She grabbed a glass of posca and started towards Festus and Felix when she saw them and she started engaging in conversation but stayed silent for most of it only interjecting at small points, she looks up from her glass to see in the distance clemensia and— him Coriolanus snow who is making his way over to their group

"Finally the star pupil" - she says in a mockingly voice before taking a quick look at his obviously makeshift shirt it's not bad but are those tiles as buttons pretending to take a closer look she continues

"That's a snazzy shirt, what are those buttons tesserae?"

He looked down then made a joke about how it reminded him of the maids bathroom

Not funny, lame but not funny

Then Felix commented on how scandalous the lamb he was eating was

Festus retorted that only the vulgar ear with fingers and asked him if his father taught him table manners

'Lucky the president wasn't here' arachne though

Felix however countered with that fact that his father ran the country then said with caution that dr.Gaul was in the building, if there was one thing that could send a shiver down her back it was dr.Gaul that woman has screws loose

The conversation then turned to the plinths
Particularly Sejanus, honestly in arachne's opinion she couldn't care less about them but hey as long as they pay for her education she doesn't mind

Festus then made a comment on mrs.plinths dress before correcting himself by saying "his ma's"

"Dress a turnip in a ball gown and it'll still beg to be mashed" - Coriolanus joked causing festus and Felix to chuckle

"Don't do that we all know you like him"- she baited him

However he quickly told them that he didn't like Sejanus he tolerates him which arachne didn't believe for a second 'yeah sure'

Festus went to make a comment but stopped when Sejanus walked up and after a few jabs at each other including one at herself the 24 top students were called to take their seats in the front and when they were all seated when she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to her left and found Sejanus looking at her

' what does he want' - she thought

He leaned over and whispered in her ear not to freak out and then told her that there wasn't going to be a prized today because of a change

And to her credit she didn't let her reaction show on the outside but inside she was screaming ('then what's the point of today!!!') she had no idea why Sejanus told her this because while she didn't really bully him she didn't exactly go out of he way to be nice to him either and something inside her found it sad that he trailed after Coriolanus either Sejanus didn't know that snow insulted him behind his back or he did but didn't care

She was brought out of her thoughts by the creepy giggle of Dr. Gaul and she made her introduction and while she was talking arachne glanced a look at Sejanus and saw nothing but a grimace on his face

Eventually after a while dean high as a kite bottom started talking about the games and eventually got to the part where he would announce the prize... only he said that the plinth prize won't be determined by who had the best grades

'Then what will it be determined by?'

Her unasked question was answered

" the winner of the plinth prized will be determined by who is the best mentor in the hunger games and that your role will be to turn these children into specticals not survivors"

Before anyone could properly react the horn of panem played signaling the star of the reaping ceremony and the dean started reading off names

Livia got the boy from 1 and palmyra got the girl from 2

Then it was time for district 2 and while Florus got the girl Sejanus got a boy named Marcus
Arachne looked at Sejanus just in time to hear him say that he was part of the litter making her frown as the uncomfortable thought occurred that maybe he knew the boy

The dean went on and festus got the strong looking girl from 4 while persephone got the boy from 4

The ring twins got the tribute from 6

Pup Harrington got the girl from 7 who was crying
'Good luck' she thought with a grimace
While the boy went to vipsania sickle

Juno got the boy from 8 who only had one arm
Arachne thought that he wasn't going to last long

While Hilarius got the girl a tiny girl ( ooof)

After the tributes from district 9 were announced and given to two of her other classmates tge dean got to district 10

"District 10 boy goes to domitia whimsiwick"

Looking up at the screen the boy's name was called
Tanner mills he looked lanky but strong but dread was forming in arachne the dread that she would get a kid from the poorer district and she dreaded how he parents would react

They'd be disappointed in her they favored her 3 brothers over her

"And the district ten girl" - the dead's voice brought her out of her mulling

"Goes to arachne crane"

Huh 🤔. She thought

She looked up at the screen as who she assumed was the mayor drew a piece of paper and stared at it (somehow longer than necessary) before he put the paper in his pocket and announced the female tribute of district 10

" Brandy Harlow"

As arachne looked at the screen waiting for her tribute to show up but she didn't and she grew worried until she saw a girl wearing orange being dragged by two peacekeepers up onto the stage and then shoved forward and she looked right at the camera and arachne found herself drawn to the girls blue eyes that glared at the camera

' her eyes are pretty' she thought before immediately wondering why she thought that

And then her tribute "brandy" shouted at the camera " FUCK YOU ALL!!!" Before being dragged away again by peacekeepers

" good luck with that one" she heard festus say but she didn't respond because her chances at winning the plinth prize just got cut drastically

But then she chuckled as Coriolanus got the girl from 12 and Lysistrata got the boy

Finally snow will fall she thought and then the runt girl stepped out wearing a rainbow clown dress and made a spectacle of herself.

If arachne thought her chance were low, they just got lower but she wouldn't let that stop her

She Arachne crane will win the prize.