T H E R E A P I N G "Revenge is what Valeria wanted..."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
THE THOUGHT OF RUNNING AWAY seemed like a great idea for Valeria. It would've saved her from a terrible fate. Saved her from a life full of misery and regret. Yet — the world wouldn't have been the way it was if she hadn't done what she did.
Orange and yellow hues bloomed in the sky, in front of Valeria as she sat on the cold grass. She wasn't supposed to be this far out of the district, but she needed to hunt to survive. Deer and other animals should be out soon. Valeria steady her bow in one hand, as she let out a shaky breath.
Today was also the day of the reaping.
She had survived 10 years of not being chosen to play in the game of the capital. She wanted to survive another one. The thought of having to fight for your life was ridiculous to Valeria. All to show that rebelling against the capital wasn't going to work. This was everyone's consequence.
It was like trading your life, unwilling, for the capital, so other lives weren't harmed.
Valeria looked down at the dark valley beneath her. She was sitting on the edge of a cliff. There were so many things she could do right now, to take away her pain. Jumping was one of them, but that would be a waste. She would've gotten anything accomplished. Running away, however...
A tree branch snapped in the distance behind her, startling Valeria from her thoughts. Turning ever so slightly, she found her prey. A beautiful deer came into view, eating the fresh green grass, clueless that someone was waiting to kill it.
She hated doing this part, but she needed to.
Without making a noise, she turned her body around so she was facing her prey. She drew an arrow out and placed it silently on her bow.
Drawing the string back, she aimed at the deer's heart. She felt vile and cruel for taking this innocent life. She felt like the capital. However, that didn't stop her from taking the shot. Sometimes, being greedy with a life was fine.
She drew her bow back even more and let it loose when she got the right angle. As soon as she let go of the arrow, a gunshot erupted through the field. Moving quickly, Valeria leapt forward into a bush, hiding herself from whoever was out there.
The deer had escaped without a scratch. Valeria held back a huff of annoyance. She peeked through the branches to see a manly figure walking in her direction.
Valeria was about to flee from the scene when she heard whose voice it was.
"It's just me Val," said the voice, as it drew closer.
A breath of relief came out of Valeria's mouth as she saw her best friend, Florian Solace making his way over to her.
Getting up from her hiding spot, she walked over to him and punched him in the shoulder. "You idiot! Someone could've heard that! Put that stupid thing away." Said Valeria, her voice full of anger.
