Brooke Langston, a determined and resourceful young woman, volunteers as tribute to spare a sickly little girl who holds a special place in her heart. Little does she anticipate that her closest friend, Ray Adhira, would also be chosen, forcing them...
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Brooke woke up feeling worse than she had yesterday. She regretted not vying for more sleep. Her head felt groggy and heavy, her bones and muscles felt like one hundred pounds, and she really, really wanted to never move from the bed again. But she had to get up. It was the first day of training... with all the tributes.
She wished she had listened to Finnick last night, they had sat together for hours, just the two of them, eventually she had begun to doze off and he had reached out and saved her head from smashing into the window next to her with a light laugh, telling her to get some rest. He would be there tomorrow he promised.
Hm. Last night.
Brooke rolled over and buried her face into her pillow, letting out a much needed drawn out grunt of frustration. Why oh why did she finally get enough confidence to make a move now? She could die in five days. Five! And just last night Finnick had shown that he actually did care about her. Now she was going to die with a little more regret than the massive amount that she already had.
It was already unbearable looking at Ray everyday, remembering that they were in this together, which was the best and worst part.
Her eyes found the alarm clock on the bedside table. Seven in the morning. She tried to remember what Maddox had said yesterday about their schedule, which was a first, because she mostly tried not to listen to him. She believed he mentioned that tribute training would start at ten.
Time for a shower then.
Brooke spent most of the hour leading up to eight am in the giant shower. She could fit two horses side by side in it. She had to say along with the food, this shower was the best thing she'd experienced since coming to the Capitol. The spray had different settings and she kept it at a light pattering rain that massaged her back as she turned her face to the spout and let herself imagine she was standing in the rain back home. The warmth of it went deep into her bones and helped wake herself up.
She dressed herself in a yellow t-shirt and gray sweater, choosing dark pants to match. Her dirty blonde hair stayed loose and hung down her back, her preferable hair style, plain.
She had been beaten to the dining table by Finnick, Mags and Maddox, food was set off to the side in a buffet style matter, and Brooke gladly filled her plate. Finnick smiled at her when she took a seat across from him, his eyes never leaving her face, Brooke gave a small smile back, but her mind was still reeling from their conversation. This morning it had all felt like a dream, but it was starting to settle in and Brooke didn't like the ache in her chest when she looked at him, it wasn't exactly longing anymore.
She remembered what they had promised last night. She'd made Finnick swear he wouldn't act any differently around anyone else, that they would keep this hidden, she couldn't let the world know about them when she was a tribute in the Games. Camera's followed her everywhere, the entire Capitol was a stage with the spotlight on her, and she was trying not to forget her lines.
