Electric Heart (Coriolanus Snow)

10

Just Four months after Sally had been forced to leave her life in the capital behind her, the reaping had creeped up on the districts, reminding her once more of the monsters who still lived.

She walked with the Winslow family to the reaping ceremony, just a large bottle of water in hand. Most people wore white, but Sally was wearing black. A long sleeved black dress that came just above her knees, and a large black coat to go over it. She just found she looked better in black.

Other people walked among them, and it was obvious who was nineteen and above by the relaxed carrying of their shoulders.

"Are you nervous?" Elizabeth whispered, and Sally shook her head. It was a lie. Everyone was nervous.

When they entered the gathering which was just neat lines and rows of women on one side, and men on the other, Sally and Elizabeth stood in the back.
The rest of the Winslow family went to linger over on the side, where other non eligible people were.

The tension in the air was almost unbearable, and it felt as if everyone in the crowd was holding their breath.

Sally felt a hopelessness that she'd felt before, but amplified. No one was really in control of their lives, not here. Not as long as the capital stood the way it did. The thought that nothing would ever change, and that there wasn't anything Sally could do about it was daunting. It loomed over her like a dark cloud before the rain.

The mayor, Erik Janson, shuffled onto the stage, wearing a suit and tie, and his hair was strangely slicked back. He was a lanky man, tall and skinny with a curly mustache. His son, Philip Janson, was apart of the schoolboy group that used to heckle Sally and Elizabeth. In front of him, were two bowls, full of paper slips. Each with a name.

On each side of the stage, there were peacekeepers lined up, just like the ones that lined the outskirts of the ceremony area. They were also scattered in the aisle between the Boyd and girls lines, their weapons held tightly to their chests.

Cameras hung at every angle of the ceremony. One larger one was held by two peacekeepers in the very back on both lines, centered on the front stage.

The chosen ones would be broadcasted in probably their most vulnerable moment, to the entirety of the capital. This included all of the academy students, which were forced to watch the reaping every year.

Sally felt Elizabeth tense beside her as the Mayor took to the microphone, speaking about the weather and something about waiting for the camera cue.

"As always, ladies first." Mayor Janson tried to chuckle, but it came out dry and forced. He was avoiding eye contact with the crowd. The cameras were rolling, and Sally felt the entire crowd stiffen as he reached his hand into the bowl, letting his fingers swim around for the right slip of paper to grasp onto.

One finally got caught in his hand, and he pulled out with a sigh, reaching for the microphone and squinting at the written name on the slip.

It all came in a flash, that the name he uttered, sending echoes through the rows of innocent people, was "Sally Davenport".

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Coriolanus
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Coriolanus cursed himself for not wearing extra fragrance on the shirt Tigris had perfectly crafted for him. It was reaping day, and he was nervous. Nervous often meant sweaty.

Only the top 10% of students were allowed to be mentors. He wasn't exactly sure what it entailed, just that he knew he deserved to be one of them.

Unfortunately for him, the Dean, Casca Highbottom, was the one in charge of assigning mentors to tributes. Coriolanus knew he would do everything in his power to ensure that he failed, and Coriolanus couldn't fail.
His family was barely getting by on Tigris's salary, and rumor had it that the mentor with the most successful tribute was bound to get the Plinth prize.