𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗕𝗨𝗧𝗘 ll 𝐓𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐀𝐒

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟔

█▓▒­░⡷⠂1ꜱᴛ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ'ꜱ ᴘᴏᴠ⠐⢾░▒▓█

❲𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙀𝘼𝙈, 𝘾𝙊𝙑𝙀𝙔'𝙎 𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙀, 𝘿𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙍𝙄𝘾𝙏 12, 1:27 𝙋𝙈❳

     "Maude Ivory, you can quit fussin' over his hair now. He looks just fine to me," Barb Azure said with an amused smile, watching Maude Ivory fix and style my hair for the umpteenth time from the doorway. "We're gonna be late to the square, y'know."

     "Just a sec! It's Nate's first reaping, Barb Azure! He needs to look presentable and perfect!" Maude Ivory replied, combing my hair in different styles. I didn't mind, letting her do her thing with an amused smile.

     Even though I wasn't a citizen from District 12 (nor any district in particular), participation was mandatory, especially since I was still in the age range for getting reaped. Though it was highly unlikely, since this was my first reaping and there was only one slip of paper with my name on it. Or, there might be none at all! But I still had many questions. Would this story follow the book or the movie? Wouldn't they get suspicious about my existence? There must be some sort of technology to store names and districts. But in this world, technology isn't that advanced. It's weird to think this is set in the future but not in the Hunger Games trilogy era type of future.

     After a while, Maude Ivory stopped combing my hair and let out a proud smile. "There! I'm done! See, he looks presentable now!" she said, gesturing to a mirror. I looked at myself and was shocked. For a second, I didn't recognize the boy in the mirror.

     I was wearing a green tunic with lace-up details at the neck and intricate embroidery on the chest and cuffs. The embroidery included floral and nature-inspired designs. I was also wearing brown pants paired with a long, black outer garment embroidered with floral and nature motifs, including butterflies. To accessorize, I had a wide belt with decorative details and lace-up brown boots. My hairstyle was a tousled, medium-length cut with a natural wave, parted slightly off-center for a relaxed and effortless look.

     I was shocked at my appearance. Was this really me? I had to blink multiple times to believe it. The outfit I was wearing was so beautiful and mesmerizing that I felt unworthy of it. But it would be rude to reject it; the Covey had worked so hard to make this outfit. Usually, the clothes we wore were hand-me-downs, and it was rare for us to buy materials to make new clothing because of the prices and the items we had to trade to get those materials. But here I was, wearing a new outfit crafted from new materials. They had been keeping it quiet until earlier this morning. That explained why Maude Ivory had been measuring me a month ago. It touched me; for the past year, the Covey had made me part of their family (except Billy Taupe). They gave me food and shelter for free, but I felt bad not paying them back, so I did most of the chores, helped with their performances, and more. I felt grateful to them; if it weren't for them, I would probably still be stranded at the lake, not surviving for a year.

     "So, what'cha think?" Maude Ivory asked, her squeaky voice full of excitement for her craft. I swear I could see her eyes sparkling as she awaited my comments. I smiled at her and ruffled her hair gently.

     "Amazing, Maude Ivory. I love how you did my hair!" I said, making her puff out her chest in pride as she let me ruffle her hair. Lucy Gray wasn't the only one I had grown close to; I was close to the members of the Covey (minus Billy Taupe), but I was closest to Lucy Gray and Maude Ivory. Maude Ivory and I had a sibling relationship. She would often slip up and say she wanted me as her real big brother.

     "The outfit is also beautiful. So beautiful that it makes me feel unworthy of wearing it. Let me guess, you helped sew it too, didn't you?" I asked with a smile. Maude Ivory nodded and hugged me, making me chuckle as I hugged her back.