The Girl From The Ashes (A The Hunger Games fan fiction)

Burning (Chapter Three)

The second her name was called Diana's eyes flashed open, the shock seemingly making everything clear again. But it was as if she wasn't seeing anything at all, and it also seemed as if all she could hear was white noise.

The eyes whirling around to look at me confirmed I had heard right. She had just called my name. Diana Mellark. Out of all the name's she could've called, she called Diana Mellark. Only last night she had thought that this wasn't possible, that she was the only one that absolutely couldn't be chosen.

She'd been wrong.

Maybe all of the reasons she was sure confirmed she wouldn't get reaped- were really pushing her closer to getting reaped. Panem loved drama, that was for sure- but this just didn't feel random, not by chance.

A scream woke her out of her daze, and with a panicked glance over her shoulder she saw that it was her father. He was screaming and running along the rows of other girls, begging them in hysteria to volunteer. Meanwhile Diana's mother was close behind him, grabbing onto his arms and whispering calmly to him in attempt to get him to cool down.

"Diana sweetie?"

Back up on the stage Lunesta was gesturing for Diana to join her up on the stage, knowing that she was Diana because of all the people looking and pointing at her. Someone pushed her from behind to get her started, and Diana whipped around only to see the person had slipped back into the crowd. She backed up slowly, turning after a couple steps to walk shakily up the aisle and onto the stage. Three quarters to the stage Diana broke and let out a sob- the only sound you could hear in all the silence. But she didn't allow herself to cry or emit anymore than the outburst as she stumbled up the steps and stood next to Lunesta.

"No! Diana get down from there!"

By then her mother had given up trying to calm him down enough for him to be able to witness the rest of the reaping, and she was now attempting to drag him off to the sidelines. She couldn't do it alone, so soon he was being pulled backwards by two random males that Katniss had drafted. It looked like something from a nightmare to Diana, and she knew she'd see it in her nightmares.

To Diana's surprise Lunesta wrapped her arm around Diana's shoulders, giving her a side ways hug. "It'll be alright honey.." She mumbled softly, taking a moment to just stare a comforting look into Diana's eyes.

"Your fathers just scared. He'll calm down. Everything will be alright." She tightened her hug for a moment before letting go and taking her hand

Her voice had changed now, more rocky and awkward- as if she was realizing what was really happening just then. She had made her voice soft before to comfort Diana, but now she wasn't talking to Diana, and now she was speaking to a crowd that would never understand what Diana would go through, or what Victors had gone through.

It was just impossible to be able to understand The Hunger Games at all if you've never sacrificed something because of it. If you've never lost anything. With her breaking and rough voice Lunesta continued talking.

"Now to quickly play our nations new anthem, and a quick documentary on The Hunger Games as well as the rebellion."

The crowd was silent, either relieved that they weren't pick or upset that Diana was chosen. Lunesta didn't even bother to ask for volunteers- because she knew even through all the emotion, no one would care enough to take her place.

First the anthem played, and Diana only stood rigidly- still watching as her mother calmed her father, them making more noise than anything else. With glassy eyes she scanned the crowd for her little brother, and then started searching more hysterically as she couldn't spot him. Noticing she couldn't just run off stage screaming his name, she turned her back to the crowd, staring at the blank white screen behind her.