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Dressed in a blue satin dress, I make my way up to the stage, where Verena will have to pick two tributes to compete in the Games. Finnick isn't far away from Mags and myself, but I would still rather be next to him. Seeing my discomfort, Mags grabs my hand. I give her a sad smile as we watch the video made from the Capitol. War...Terrible war.
"Gives you chills, doesn't it?" Verena's voice didn't sound too excited; like the rest of the escorts. I liked to think that there was a part of her that didn't like doing this.
"As always, ladies first." As Verena plunges her hand into the reaping bowl, I'm reminded of when my name was called. The horror I had felt. I had waited desperately for someone to volunteer - some girls were aching to fight, but it never happened.
"Evanora Farhorn!" I heard mumbling in the crowds; I think I might've met her before, but I'm unsure. A small blonde makes her way up to the stage, being helped up by Verena. She looks to be about sixteen years old, but I could be wrong.
"And now, for the boys!" I make eye contact with Evanora, and realize that I had been blinded by my nerves to even listen to her last name. Evanora Farhorn. My actions had gotten her father killed; how was I supposed to look her in the eye? What was I supposed to tell her? Snow's men had brutally murdered him, leaving him almost unrecognizable. "Tyler Wildforge!" A boy with red hair starts making his way towards the stage, but a boy with long brown hair stops him.
"I volunteer as tribute!" His voice cracks - he's scared. The boy, Tyler, yells at him, screaming that he broke the pact, but the brown haired boy is already near the stage, a heartbroken expression on his face.
"What's your name, brave, young gentleman?" Verena asks, leaning the mic towards the boy.
"Ash-Ash Everlock." He stutters, his lip quivering slightly. From what I could tell he hadn't exactly been waiting his whole life to be reaped. Tyler must have been special to him. He looks around the same age as Evanora.
It feels like a blur as we're guided to the train, letting Nora and Ash say goodbye to their families for what could be the last time. I run to my compartment, ripping the tight necklace off of my neck. It feels like I can't breathe, and my heart is pounding out of my chest.
"Cora! Cora, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Finnick puts his hand on my back, and tries to get me to calm down. "Eva-Evanora, her father..." Tears cloud my vision. Finnick doesn't push me, but he waits for an answer. "I got him killed!" He pulls me into a hug, stroking my hair.
"Snow- Snow killed him to prove a point to me. He died because of me, what do I do?" I stammer, trying to catch my breath. Finnick doesn't say much, but he tells me it's not my fault.
"You had no idea what Snow was going to do. I should've warned you...Cora, it isn't your fault. It's Snow's. Just help Evanora stay alive, okay?"
***
I'm sitting at the table, waiting for Evanora and Ash to come out. I don't blame them for taking their time; I'd hid in my compartment for a while. I wondered if they'd be allies. Blaze and I weren't; the first time he had been nice to me had been in his dying breaths. If I would've come into contact before he had gotten wounded, he probably would've killed me. Evanora is first at the table. She sneezes a couple of times, before shaking her head. "I have bad allergies." She tells me.
"I just wanted to tell you," Sneeze. "that even though I don't want to be here, it's an honor to be trained by you, Finnick, and Mags." I thank her, handing her a tissue. She chuckles quietly, and it's taking all the energy I have not to tell her about why her father was killed. I knew that would only make things worse, though. Instead, I would get as many sponsors as I could for her. I wanted Ash to get sponsors, but I knew that I owed Evanora this. When Ash and Finnick arrive, the boy with the long hair looks like he's been crying. I have to stop myself from asking if he was okay, because I knew he wasn't. We discuss a few survival tips, and tell them what we did to stay alive.
***
Tonight, they were on Caeser's show. They'd already been through the tribute parade, and training; they'd even got their scores. Their tribute parade outfits had been similar to Blaze's and I's, but that was common. We learned that Evanora was a little spider-monkey, and could practically climb anything. Ash was good with any type of knife, but was best with a machete. Evanora had scored a six, and Ash had scored an eight.
I held Finnick's hand as Evanora walked on stage. We had said Caeser was easy to entertain, but they needed to leave an impression on the crowd.
"Pretty Evanora! Can I call you Nora?" We watch from the screens backstage. She's doing well; making Caeser laugh, and wowing the crowd with her beauty. Until, she lets out a tiny sneeze and her eyes go wide. It's silent for a second before Caeser speaks up.
"Bless you, Nora! Was that not the cutest thing you've ever heard?" Caeser gets the crowd going, and I sigh in relief. She apologizes, telling them she has bad allergies, but Caeser insisted she was cute, like a little kitten. He asks her if she thinks she can win, to which she responds: 'I think anything is possible if you try.' She meets us backstage as Ash goes on, pulling me into a hug. She seemed to be a lovey person, and I happily accepted the hug. We watch as Ash makes all the girls swoon with his flowing hair, and bright blue eyes.
"Now, Ash, I want to ask you; did you know the boy you volunteered for?" Caeser asks the question I've been wondering, myself. "Yeah, Tyler's my best friend. I've known him my whole life." Ash answers. He seems a little touchy about this subject.
"It might have just been me, but did anyone else her this Tyler yell something about a broken pact?" Oh, Caeser, you're so good at respecting other's boundaries. Ash frowns.
"Yeah, uh, when...when we were eleven, we made a pact that if the other's name was called, we wouldn't volunteer because it would just...make things worse. But when they called his name, I saw how scared he was, and how broken I felt. I couldn't let him, so I volunteered. I know he would've done the same for me. I guess the pact never really meant anything." Ash explains. By the end of his speech, his eyes are clouded with tears, but he doesn't allow them to fall. Caeser asks him a few more questions before bringing the next tribute on stage.
***
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sabrina carpenter as evanora chandler riggs as ash
