ʟᴏꜱᴛ || ғɪɴɴɪᴄᴋ ᴏᴅᴀɪʀ

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓒𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓪'𝓼

───── ⋆⋅ Austin ⋅⋆ ─────

Flashback

Today was the reaping. I was wearing a white collared shirt that buttons up halfway, and a normal pair of jeans that hugs my legs perfectly. Mom had on a blue flowy dress with a v-neckline, and the bottom went down to her calf. Aiden had on an outfit on just like mine, except his shirt was grey.

I felt nervous. This was my first reaping, I'm only twelve. If I got picked, surely I would die.

Aiden noticed my discomfort and came up to me. "Hey, Austin," He said crouching down a bit to get to my level, after all he was sixteen, much taller than me. "You doing alright?"  I shake my head no in reply. Aiden smiles and puts a hand on my back in a way to comfort me. "It's gonna be okay, buddy. Your name's only in there once, there's no way you'll get picked." He says in a reassuring tone.

"What about you?" I sputter out, on the verge of tears but I hold myself together. "I don't want to lose you."

He brings up his other hand until both are on each of my shoulders. "That's not gonna happen," He says firmly. "I told you we're gonna be alright." I nod slowly, partially believing him. How do I know we'll be alright? It's not like he can read the future. He pats my back before standing back up to his full height. Compared to him, I look so puny. "We should get going, the reaping will be starting soon."

"Yeah, yeah let's go." I reply, following him out the door where mom is waiting to take us. Dad is staying home to watch Annie. She's too young to be watching the reaping, and we also don't want her to be worrying about it so early.

Mom adjusts her skirt quickly before sighing. "Let's go boys, the peacekeepers will surely guarantee our deaths if we don't get heading along." Aiden and I glance at each other before nodding. Mom starts walking the direction of the town square, Aiden and I keeping up with her. It's not long before we arrive, our house was close to the square.

Mom gives us both a kiss on the forehead before walking into the parents section. Aiden and I go to check in when I see they prick your finger with a needle. I've never been bothered by needles, but this time it's different. They're going to have a record of my blood, and able to track me.

Aiden goes first, showing no emotion to getting pierced in the finger before heading off to the older kids section. My turn comes quickly as she quickly puts the needle through my flesh and takes it out, I let out a quiet grunt of pain in response.

The lady looks at me with a glance that says "Toughen up", and then looks away to put my blood on a chart. The blood stains the paper with it's fresh scarlet color, showing it's fresh. She puts a tool over it that scans the blood and reads "Austin Cresta". "Next." She says, as I walk away to the other twelve-year-old boys.

The peacekeepers guide me to my spot as I'm stood next to two young boys. One has dirty blonde hair, sea-green eyes, and freckles all over his cheeks and forehead. His expression looks unfazed, and it seems he doesn't care at all if he gets picked or not. The other boy has ginger hair, amber eyes, and also has freckles except his are more only on his cheeks and none on his forehead. He looks the complete opposite from the blonde boy, as he is fidgeting with his hands, and his expression has pure nervousness spread on it. 

The anxious boy catches me looking at him, and I whip my head away in embarrassment. It's like it was just on time, as I hear the mic tapping the second I pull my head up to look at the stage.

"Greetings," Elvia Forrest reads as she smirks at the crowd. Elvia was District Four's escort, and not a pleasant one either. She had hair so blonde it was almost white, atrocious makeup that only her thought looked good, and a purple jumpsuit. I don't know who told her purple was her color, because it's not. Her personality was on the negative side. She was pledged to the capitol, willing to do anything for them. She was heartless, and loved watching The Hunger Games. It disgusted me and almost everybody else.