𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗠𝗜𝗭𝗭𝗘𝗡 - 𝗢𝗡 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗗

𝟐

𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐏𝐎𝐕

I stood in front of the only mirror we owned and stared into the eyes of my reflection. No matter how many times Eliza had told me I was the prettiest girl she knew, I had yet to actually believe it.

Living with the Gulls had brought out the insecurities in me. Persephone constantly nagged me about how I needed to eat more because I was too skinny. Needed to eat less because I was too chubby. I don't know how she expected me to change my diet if she kept feeding me the same measly portions of food each day.

Compared to Eliza and her beautiful, silky, black hair and perfect, shiny, clear skin, I was just an average looking girl from District Six, one you wouldn't pick out in a large crowd. Someone who just blended in. 

I was brought out of my dazed state with Persephone calling out to me in her annoying, high pitched voice. It's so shrill she should take up a job as an escort. "Hurry up, child!" she squawked. "We are going to be late for the Reaping!"

Late? The Reaping started in an hour and we lived two blocks away from the square. I have a good feeling we will make it there on time. 

I took one last look in the mirror and smoothed my black jumpsuit out for what seemed like the thousandth time. It was the same outfit I had worn last year, to my very first Reaping. The fabric was scruffy and itchy but it wasn't tight on me. Persephone hadn't bothered to ask what size I was and bought one that was clearly not going to fit me. At least I had something nice to wear unlike some of the people from the poorer Districts.

I didn't really like using that term to describe Districts Ten, Eleven, and Twelve, but I didn't really have anything else to call them. Besides, it was true. I tried to manage a smile but I didn't really see the point in smiling if you weren't happy so I quickly wiped that off my face and made my way outside. 

I felt contact to my cheek as soon as I stepped out the front door. It was hard, harder than some of the other slaps Persephone has delivered, and it was sure to leave a mark. Another battle scar I guess.

"You're late!" Persephone shrilled. I winced at her high pitched voice. If she had to scold me could she at least do it in a voice that didn't give me a headache? 

"You called me out a minute ago, Ma'am. The square is just down there," I sad pointing. "I think we'll be fine." Her hand met my cheek again.

"Don't speak to me like that!" she screamed. I'm not even trying to be sarcastic, it just comes out. That sure doesn't help my case in the Gull household. 

I felt as Everett's hand slipped into mine and I clasped it tight. I think Everett has been hit once by Persephone but all the other times I took the hits for him. He's just too innocent to get tortured like that.

Other families are coming out of their houses but Willis shoves me forward before I can wait for Eliza. I want to shove him back so bad, but I can't have yet another scar on my face for when I get selected for the Games.

No one can convince me otherwise. I am going to the Capitol today I just have that feeling deep down inside of myself. I couldn't tell you what it is exactly but it's strong. 

Everett's hand grips mine even tighter as we enter the square. There are Peacekeepers clothed in white uniforms, almost like armor as if we were going to attack them. They held guns in their arms, not aimed at anyone but ready to fire at any time. 

Everett always told me about his dreams or his nightmares if he remembered them. At least half of the nightmares were about the Peacekeepers and their guns. I had to comfort him and tell him that if he didn't do anything wrong he wouldn't get shot at. I don't think he believed me but it was all I could do. 

Now came the part I despised the most. I bent down to Everett's height, he wasn't that much shorter than me, there only being a three year age difference. Plus that fact that I'm short for my age. He was already on the brim of a melt down so I took his chin and lifted it up so he would look into my eyes. 

"Everett," I said softly. 

"Rora," he replied, sniffling. 

"It will be ok," I said. It was a simple sentence, but coming from me, it made Everett relax his shoulders and breathe in and out. 

"It will be ok," he repeated, mostly to assure himself. I smiled softly at him and he grinned back. Then we went our separate ways. 

I watched his head move through the crowd until it disappeared. I took a deep breath in as well and slowly let it exhale as I closed my eyes for a minute.

"It will be ok," I repeated again, assuring myself this time. I joined the line of children waiting to get their blood drawn. My mind went to Everett again as I watched a girl, older than me, maybe eighteen or so, comfort who I assume to be her younger sister who was crying. 

"Polina, it's just a tiny poke, you will be fine," I heard the older girl say. 

"That's not what this is about Ophelia!" the small girl cried. 

"It's not?" the older girl, Ophelia, stopped. "Then what is it about?"

"What if you get picked?!" Polina said in between sobs. Ophelia immediately wrapped her arms around Polina and held her there for a while. She was whispering something into her ear but I couldn't make out what they were saying, they were too far away.

"I said, next!" the worker hissed impatiently at me. I hadn't even realized she had been calling me up for the past thirty seconds. I stepped forward and she violently grabbed my hand and shoved the finger pricking object up to my finger.

She pressed a button and the next thing I knew, Barnes, Aurora flashed across the screen and I was shoved away, the worker's hoarse voice yelling next before she was even done with me. 

As I walked among the other kids to get to where the different sections were roped off, I tried to search the crowd for Eliza but I had no luck. A Peacekeeper nudged me into the thirteen year old section with the butt of his gun and I glared at him. 

I stood there for 45 minutes, shifting my weight from foot to foot every so often, waiting as the kids filed into the Square. Finally after what felt like days worth of anticipation, Azalea Harwell, our escort comes onto the stage, her ridiculously high heels clacking as she walked.

Some of the Districts like Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, and Twelve didn't get an escort. They instead had their mayor read the names of the two, poor souls. To be honest, I would rather have Mayor Terrins call out my name than stupid Azalea whose voice is more annoying than Persephone's, which I didn't think was possible. 

The girl next to me grabbed my hand tightly when Azalea reached the microphone. Although I have never been a fan of physical touch, I don't push her away because I know she needs something to hold onto right now. 

"Welcome, welcome," Azalea bursts out, hitting the microphone violently to test it. The thumps are deafening and I feel like my ears are going to bleed. "Oops! My bad!" she giggles. I just roll my eyes. 

I tune out most of her speech, it's mostly just her talking about how the games came to be, all that boring stuff. I finally hear her squeal "As always, ladies first!" and I let my eyes fall upon the stage. 

I prepare myself. I think about how I'm going to walk up to the stage. Should I go for weak and pretend I can't do anything or should I act like I don't care? I am too busy lost in my own plan that I almost miss the name Azalea reads out loud. And then I realize something.

The words Azalea is saying aren't the words I expected to hear. They are completely and utterly the opposite.

"The female tribute will be Eliza Ferris!"   

⋆. ݁⭒ 𝘚𝘖𝘗𝘏𝘐𝘈 𝘚𝘗𝘌𝘈𝘒𝘚 ⋆. ݁⭒

See how I do my cliffhangers? Very cutesy, very demure, very mindful.