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NO REST FLOODED HER BODY AFTER OPHELIA HAD HEARD THE NEWS― about the Quarter Quell. Bags formed under her eyes and yet, she dared not sleep. Her body screamed in agony, her head pounded in the constant pain of wanting just a hint of rest, yet Ophelia remained in her training quarters that night. Her eyes narrowed at the very thought of determination. There was always a chance she would get reaped. But she would not go down without a fight.
She could feel the sun send its rays down in the training room, daylight broke into what would be one of the second-worst days in history. Ophelia let out a small sigh as she brushed the back of her hand to wipe away the beads of sweat that trickled down her forehead. Letting out an exasperated breath, she knew that her training must come to an end. Sooner or later she would be collected, with the fate of her life in the hands of the escort, Sabine Cicero.
Unravelling the bandages on her wrists, Ophelia's eyes flickered to glance around the training room for one last time. The place had done her a lot of service during the time that she became a Victor. It provided her with the perfect way to get her mind off of her problems, here was hoping that she would have a chance to come back to it.
Making her way back to her room, she dressed in the darkest of colours found amongst the exquisite designer clothing she received from the stylists of Capitol. Donned in a tight silk black blouse, she wore a pair of heeled boots and airy pants with frills at the cuffs.
She knew that everyone was going to be watching her on the screens, which meant President Snow was to watch as well with everyone at the Capitol. Hesitant on whether or not making a statement was the best approach, Ophelia found her hands reaching for a fur coat to make herself look more seductive and sell what everyone in the Capitol loved about her. It wouldn't matter anyway, she was just an extra body to them.
A knock on her door was enough for Ophelia to take a glance around her room once more. She prayed that the peacekeepers would not send her on the train until she was able to bring the two valuable items that were in this room alone. And yet, a prayer was not enough for the Peacekeepers to barge into her house, find her in her room, grasp her by the arms and drag her out of Victor's Village.
Her dark brown eyes flickered to see her mentor Enobaria being escorted by the Peacekeepers as well, to her left, Brutus was being treated the same. All three of them Victors of the games that they participated in, each being forced to make their way to the stage in the center of District Two. None of them uttered words to one another as the three walked down the roads to make their way to the stage. For what was there to say?
To think that she wanted to be a Peacekeeper when she was younger, prominent in their white armour, there they stood, as a perimeter to block anyone from leaving the Reaping. How she wished that was her instead of being the one people would watch on the stands to determine her fate in the cause of the Quarter Quell. She hated the games as much as she hated Snow.
Murmurs whispered around as people were quick to eye Ophelia Starkov amongst the other victors on the stage. She had a guess as to what they were saying, bets, wages and how long they were betting she was to survive in the Quarter Quell, should she be reaped to go. Others, mainly the men gawked at her appearance to which she could only roll her eyes at the idiotic thoughts that went through their desperate minds.
Ophelia glanced over at Enobaria, who had a regal stone-cold face in front of the audience. During the time that she had been mentored by Enobaria, she knew that the woman had been hurt from the games as much as anyone else. Her hand reached out and grasped one of her mentor's to which Enobaria gave her hand a small squeeze.
The smallest comfort that anyone from District Two, let alone a Victor could give was that of what Ophelia did. District Two was the area of Peacekeepers, where everyone was wealthy, powerful, let alone ruthless. For someone like Ophelia to even dare to hold her mentor's hand would come as a shock. But even the most powerful of warriors can also fear too.
Ophelia then turned to gaze at Sabine Cicero, the District Two announcer. She had been the woman that too helped Ophelia in her journey when she was first reaped. And there she was, donned in her elegant purple cape that contrasted against her vibrant locks of red hair, the woman stood in front of the podium, ready to announce who was to be reaped. The moment had come.
"Welcome to the 75th annual Hunger Games along with the Third Quarter Quell," Sabine announced to which some of the members of District Two were quick to cheer. The games held a different meaning than a death sentence, Ophelia understood that better than anyone else. She volunteered to go into the games because she was a born warrior, only to come back home broken.
Sabine drew her diamond-encrusted nail in the bowl to her right, with only two names that determined which female would be entering the Quarter Quell this year. Ophelia felt her breath hitch and Enobaria's grip on her hand tighten as Sabine opened the name of the one who was to be reaped. The escort made her way back to the podium, licking her lips before reading the name.
"The female tribute from District Two is Ophelia Starkov!"
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HE HAD WATCHED FOR THE SECOND TIME KATNISS EVERDEEN BEING REAPED INTO― the games. His lips still tingled at the very thought that she had kissed him before falling into the Quarter Quell and yet, something about the whole situation seemed all wrong. After the havoc that was wrecked in District Twelve after Katniss and Peeta had left for the games, going back to work wasn't going to stop him from watching the games on the screen.
His eyes flickered over to see the rest of the Victors that had been reaped into the Quarter Quell, Finnick Odair from District Four, two siblings from District One, Gale had been present to watch a couple of the games, some of the Victors not as easy to remember. And yet, another face had sparked the memory of when he watched the 73rd annual Hunger Games.
Her beauty radiated even with the footage that showed her holding her mentor's hand. He recalled her being mentioned as the jewel of the Capitol when she was first reaped into the games. The name echoed in his mind as he saw the recap footage of who the tributes were in District Two.
And for a split second, he thought he saw the most beautiful girl in the world crumple as her name was called to be reaped into the Quarter Quell. But she was quick to catch her emotions and compose herself in front of everyone. But for someone who had been absent from her reaping, he had been quick to see the diamond smile crack in an instant.
Gale Hawthorne had been quick to catch Ophelia Starkov's true colours. And he wasn't even trying.
ACT ONE: ━━━━━━ DIAMOND SMILE
my mind is complicated find it hard to rearrange it but i'll have to find a way somehow ━━ nial horan
