The 'Flower of Panem' or 'The Angel of Mercy', Seraphine Reza is the jewel and pride of Panem. One of their most treasured victors in the history of the Hunger Games and a favorite of President Snow.
While she smiles, comforts and plays her part ev...
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Thinking back to the reaping, Sera tried to recall the tributes from that year. Out of the two chosen, she'd be mentoring one as a replacement for Leora. She remembered standing on stage in Foxhalo waiting for their names to be called. Back then, she didn't know who was going to be the mentors, certainly not her.
It was only over a year since her reaping.
Exactly a year since it was Sera who was the one standing in the crowd with girls her age. Had she not been reaped last year, she would again join the crowd of fearful children who looked like lambs waiting for slaughter. It was her with them last year but now she took her place among the victors of her district. She scanned the crowd from behind two Peacekeepers, looking for a sign of her family.
She spotted her brother easily in the crowd among the adults, he was tall enough to stick out. Her sister wasn't too far away. Her two siblings stood next to their aunt supporting her as her aunt hobbled to take their places.
Had it not been mandatory to attend the reapings, she was sure Talissa would have forced their aunt to stay home. Talissa would also choose to stay home to take care of their aunt but unfortunately reapings were mandatory for all, no excuses.
It was the only day where everything was put on hold for maximum attendance, the only ones who were allowed to miss it were the plant workers. They were required to stay in their designated power plants and ensure the plants were running, energy was being produced for the whole of Panem.
Electricity was essential for the day as the reapings were being broadcast live throughout Panem therefore those emergency plant workers had to stay at work.
It didn't matter if some of their children might be reaped, it didn't matter if reaping day was the last they might see of their children, power was essential and leaving your post meant either death or a fate worse than death.
Ramiel, her brother, was only an apprentice at Clemensia 2 water plant. He still had a year or two before he was done with his apprenticeship. She watched as her brother broke away from their elder sister and aunt. He walked over to the area where boys his age were standing. Next to them was the equally large group of girls the same age as the boys, the two groups were separated by a short thin metal barrier.
The combined group had only a year left. A year before they would no longer be of reaping age. Her brother was unfortunate his birthday was in the winter like Huxley's and he was lumped in with the eighteen year olds but she hoped her win in the previous year would save him from reaping. After all, there was an unspoken rule: siblings or family members of victors rarely get reaped.
The stage was propped in the center of District 5's square, Foxhalo. Like its namesake, the square had a recognisable statue of a giant black fox in the center which faced the stage with an unmoving glare. Underneath the statue of the fox was a halo of lights which were turned off as it was still day but when night came, the lights would flicker on one by one.
