Highway to hell

04. Veronica

Mara's POV:

When I get home, the sun is rising in the horizon. I quickly get up the stairs, without making any kind of noise and close the door to my room.

"Mara! Are you awake?" My mother's voice gets louder by the second. I hear her shoes making noise when she walks up the stairs that lead to my bedroom. "Ah. You are awake, weird. You usually wake later."

"Yeah, I'm late for school." I say dryly

"Well breakfast is ready downstairs." She suggests

"I'm not hungry." I admit.

"Well you're eating, I don't care if you're not hungry." She orders. "I'd like you seeing you again after the reaping."

This sentence takes by surprise to be honest. I didn't expect this behavior from my mother, she barely reacts anymore since my father... you know. She's been absent, like her body's here but her mind is somewhere else.

And I get it, it happens to all of us, but she's been like this for eight years and now she suddenly decides to react and take care of us? My brother Caspian basically raised me, and when Jaster was older he also took care of me. I wonder if it's got anything to do with me going in the Games.

I choose my outfit for today, black cargo pants and a white top, my hunting boots and my knife nicely tucked in my left boot. I leave my room and go down the stairs for breakfast. Surprisingly enough, breakfast is more consistent than what it usually is.

Usually breakfast isn't really the best meal here in district two, but today it's much better. The toast with butter, a glass of milk and a piece of fruit is the best we can get. I don't eat breakfast, my first meal is usually lunch at home, which isn't much either.

People think that, because of being from the higher districts we get as much food as people from the Capitol do. But we don't, we may be the Capitol's favorite district, with one, three and four, but Capitol people are selfish. Very selfish. They only think about themselves and what is best for them, not for the districts. But I am grateful, since I imagine that they can't afford breakfast in the lower districts.

"You didn't have to prepare such a big breakfast, you know?" I say once my mother enters the room.

"Well I need you to be strong." I glance at her and then at Caspian, who just shrugs. "For the games." She comes behind me and my father's leather jacket over my shoulders. "Mara Black, victor of the 74th Hunger Games."

I thank her quickly when Jaster enters the room, large, dark circles under his swollen eyes. I can tell he's been crying the whole night. He stares at me with a mixed look of disbelief and disgust, grabs his bag and leaves.

I hurriedly finish my breakfast and grab my bag. "I'll be back before dinner, I fell like today's training session will be longer." Both my mother and brother say goodbye to me as I walk out the door.

I enter my classroom and sit in my usual spot next to Clove and class starts. After five long hours of boring shit (a.k.a: class), it's finally time to get back home. Well not me, I got training. Clove and I are getting out the door when a girl from my class hits her elbow with mine. She quickly apologizes and I'm about to tell her that it's nothing when I see her face.

Veronica Talon, third year in training (I'm in seventh year, training doesn't go by age but by ability), 15 years old. I think she's the person I hate most, and I hate a lot of people. But she just has this liking for pissing me off and, boy, does she piss me off.

"Oh hey there Black." She says in her annoying tone.

"What to you want?" I ask, trying to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Well I just want to make sure you're volunteering for the Games, right?"

"Yes I'm volunteering. You got a problem with that?" I ask.

"Well actually yes, you see." Here we go. "I wanted to volunteer."

"Well tough luck precious, 'cause I'm going this year." I mimic her tone and smile. Then I add in my psychopath voice: "Now get out of way before I beat you to a pulp in front of the whole school."

I get past her and meet up with Clove, who was waiting me a few meters away from the little scene, laughing her ass off. "You never learn do you?" She asks.

"Shut up." We get to the training center where Aymen is waiting for me, Cato's already there, waiting for me too.

"Get changed and start training Black." She says coldly. "Oh and you're late, again."

I do as she tells me and go white Cato at the shooting range. "Well, last time we did your thing, now we do mine." I take a bows and a sheath of arrows for me. Cato can take his. We each take a range and I start shooting. Hitting the bullseye every time. "Now you go."

Surprisingly enough, Cato isn't as pathetic as I thought he'd be when he hits quite close to the center of the target. I tell him how to aim better and he hits the bullseye once. I feel the best teacher ever.

The week goes by and I didn't get into any more trouble or fights with anyone, my days are usually the same; I get up, go to school, train, eat dinner and go to bed. Soon enough, the reaping day is here already.

"Wake up sis!" My brother Caspian shakes me out of bed. "Mom is waiting for you."

"What? Why?" I ask.

"It's the reaping? And I think she wants to give you something." He goes out of the room and a few moments later, mom comes in.

"Hey I just wanted to give you this." She hands me an off the shoulder white dress with a cinched waist.

"It's beautiful." I say.

"Well, go on, try it." She tells me. I put on the dress and it's beautiful. It adjusts perfectly to my curves.

"I love it , thank you." I give her a big hug. And sit on the bed, she sits behind me and starts doing my braiding my hair into a beautiful masterpiece. I've always wondered where she learned to do hair like that, I've asked her a few times, but she seems to hate recalling it.

"There, beautiful as always."

We go into the living room where my brothers are both sitting on the couch talking about god knows what. "Well, look at you!" Says Caspian. "You look great sis." I look at Jester with sorrow as he looks at me the same way.

I thank him for the compliment and we get out of our house (not before me tucking my knife in my belt), destination: the justice building. On the way there Jester warns me a few times. "I hope you know what you're doing." He said.

When we're already there we register and take our place in the square. They order by age and gender, and since Clove and I are the same age and gender we get to be together.

"Happy Hunger Games." She whispers in a mocking Capitol accent once I get next to her.

"And may the odds be ever in your favor." I mumble back with the same mocking accent.

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