Lady Red - the hunger games

01

"Now for the boys!" Her voice shrills through District 4, flashing everyone a confident smile. Every step she took across the stage was followed by a click and vibration of her heels. I glance around the edge in search of my family, my mother, Althea and Charlie. Emotionless, Emotionless, Emotionless. I needed to hold it together, to appear strong it's the only way I will survive at least a day in these games.

My mother's eyes met mine, revealing her fear and pain. I longed to rush to her, to promise that everything would be okay for our family. But I couldn't. I forced myself to focus on the crowd, feeling my heart pounding in my chest. The moments stretched out, each one filled with anticipation and dread as Teletia made her way across the stage. Her hand hovered over the bowl, a cruel reminder of the lives she could casually discard.

She had taken so much from so many already. What was to stop her from taking more now? As her hand flicks and shifts through the papers in the bowl, one life is chosen to join me in the games. Yet another innocent child was collected as a prized possession by snow. I can feel her heels vibrate across the stage as she struts her way to the microphone every moment began to feel like a lifetime. Why can't she get it over with? I want to get off this stage and back to my family. "Aren't we all so excited!" She exclaims looking at the paper.

"The male tribute joining Sicily oathes in the 66th Hunger Games is..." she pauses for a dramatic effect, the boys her age ripple in fear the eighteen-year-olds silently pray. "Bryce Portman" Teletia smiles breaking the silence. "Come on dear, come meet your district partner." She smiles beckoning him to the stage, the eighteen-year-olds part some with saddened looks and some with breaths of relief. Although they look sad you can tell beneath that mask they are relieved, relieved that they survived. Survive, that's what Sicily needed to do.

The outlying districts deem four a career district since we have a training school but we don't start until 12, and well Sicily is twelve. Bryce finally makes his way up the stairs, immediately he looks like a winner. Strong, confident but most importantly like a fighter. "Ladies and Gentlemen, your District Four tributes!" Teletia's shrill voice makes it seem even sourer than it already is. "Tributes, shake hands." She instructs us waving her hands around. Bryce turns to me, a friendly but stern smile on his face as he tries to keep me calm, "Best of Luck." He whispers holding out his rough, calloused hand. I slip my small hand into his and firmly shake it, letting a small smile slip to him but only small enough you can only tell if you study the camera.

***

Peacekeepers roughly shove us into the justice building, where I'm placed into a large room with furniture that looks to have been made at least over 50 years ago by expensive fabrics. A dark perfectly polished wood framing for a chair, the rich green fabric thin and worn down, displayed next to a large matching sofa worn down in three spots. The peacekeepers threw me down onto the rug, the room was filled with little light. The curtains were tattered and hung from the outdoors to provide the tributes with no further look to the outside district.

The doors slammed open and my body was engulfed in a bone-crushing hug. "Cily! God cily are you okay?" My mother sobs her words struggling to come out. I'm about to respond when two more sets of little arms wrap around me tears of my other brother and sister soaking my pristine white dress. "Cily, you have to promise me you will make it back we need you." My mother sobs again. "Please cici" Althea squeezes my waist. I barely have time to process what they are saying before words spill out of my mouth.

"I'll try, I'll try my best for you" My tears spill over the edge I try my best to hug the three back when all of a sudden, the doors are ripped open. "Times up!" A stern voice orders and my family is ripped from my arms. "SICILY, CILY!" Althea yells, Charlie is sobbing and my mother is guiding them away. The peacekeepers once again step out of the way and Tatiana comes barreling in sweeping me into a hug. "Sicily if you even dare to die in those games I will bring you back just to kill you myself!" She sobs into my shoulder.

"I believe every word" I chuckle dryly. My eyes burn from the amount of tears I've shed in the past 10 minutes. "I will try my best, for you, for Althea, for Charlie and for my mother." I sniff once again after only two minutes with TT the peacekeepers pull her as she screams. "SICILY SICILY!" Tatiana's screams only made me drop to the floor once more. A few more minutes passed by before I was collected. Bryce must've had quite a few visitors. I'm hauled up and towards a slim fancy train, white of course snow's favourite colour.

As I'm shoved onto the train I notice Bryce is already settled a few tears in his eyes and down his face. "Hey Sicily" he murmurs looking at his hands. "Hey Bryce" I smile sadly and sit next to him, I may not know him but I know we are going through this together. Then the train begins to move as we sit in silence, but not an awkward one a comforting one for both of us. I hear familiar clicks from down the hall and the squeal of excitement slip from our escort's mouth. "Ahh! Aren't you two the most excited!" she claps standing in front of us. "Come, come I must show you some things" she smiles starting to walk as we stand.

Adria speaks 🫶🏻
Heyy! I'm so excited for the next chapter as I finally can get into the beginning of her capitol journey and her games! That's the part of the book I already have so many ideas from so I can't wait!

I'm trying to get into a weekly update system which shouldn't be too hard now that I know where I'm going with the plot, so stay tuned and I'll update probably next Monday! (or earlier if I can write a chapter before Monday!)

Word count: 1098