The Victor from District 10

Chapter 5 - The Reaping

Some time passed since my Victory Tour. In that time I turn 17 and the day of the Reaping for the 73rd Hunger Games has arrived. The first one in which Cora will take part. I've never been as nervous as I am right now, both for my sister and for the fact that I'll be a mentor for the first time, plus, when I get to the Capitol, I know I'll have to "entertain" whoever pays for my time.

This year I take a shower in my house in the Victors' Village, and I have the privilege of regulating the temperature of the water as I wish. I take my time in the shower as I do every Reaping year. When I come out of the bathroom in only a  towel to put on the clothes I'd sorted, I find Cora in my bedroom, sitting on my bed already dressed.

I give a slight smile. "You look beautiful." I say exactly what my father had told me the year before.

Since then I've felt much more responsible for her, since my father hasn't been the same since I came back from the Games. I think we've all changed since then. I put on the clothes I had sorted earlier and sit down next to my sister. I start to style her hair.

I realize how nervous Cora is. "It's going to be all right." I try to calm her down.

She sighs. "Were you nervous at your first Reaping too?" she asks me.

"Of course. I think we all are." I say. "All I can say is that this nervousness will never end. Every year when you're old enough to participate, the nervousness returns. The upside is the relief you feel when you hear someone else's name called."

That's not what happened last year...

"You were reaped last year." I notice her voice changing, holding back tears. "You both were. The odds aren't exactly in our favor."

I know this. At the moment there's not much I can do to calm her down, I can't lie about her chances being minimal, because, although her name is only there once compared to other girls, the relatives of other victors have already been reaped multiple times to be just a mere coincidence, this should generate more entertainment in the Capitol.

 "You're right, they are not." I say. "But there's no point worrying about the future now, worrying in advance won't help anything." I finish her hairstyle and look her in the eye. "Leave the worrying for if your name is called, okay?"

She nods, still nervous. I kiss her forehead and hug her.

My father, Cora and I go to the square where the Reaping takes place. Cora is separated to register and then goes to the section where the girls her age are. My father, as always, stays in the section for people who no longer take part in the Reaping. And I'm directed by one of the Peacekeepers to go up to the stage and sit next to the mayor and Plumeria.

I'm only paying attention when it comes to the reaping. "May the odds be ever in your favor. Ladies first." Plumeria says. She goes over to the ball containing the girls' names. My heart keeps racing. She takes out a piece of paper, opens it, and then announces the name:

"Raven Dilworth."

I breathe a sigh of relief at not hearing Cora's name. When the girl comes on stage I recognize her, we've never been classmates, but I've seen her at school several times. She must be about 14.

"Now the boys." Plumeria turns to the ball with the boys' names. "Cole Farnhill."

The boy takes the stage. My heart breaks when I recognize that face, one of Cora's classmates, only 12 years old. My heart races for a moment as I realize that my sister really did have a chance of being reaped.

"These are the tributes from District 10 of the 73rd Hunger Games!"

As soon as the Reaping is over, I'm directed to the Justice Building to wait for the tributes to say goodbye to their families so that we can board the train to the Capitol.

I pack my belongings in my room in one of the wagons. As soon as I'm ready, I go after where the tributes are.

"Oh! I was just telling them about you!" Plumeria says when I find them.

We are in a wagon that is like a restaurant. The two of them are sitting side by side, while Plumeria is sitting facing Cole. I smile, pull out the chair in front of Raven and sit down.

I notice their hesitation, especially when it comes to food. "Feel free to eat whatever you want." I say and at the same moment they both start devouring the food. I don't blame them for being so desperate to eat, most of us never have the opportunity to eat food as good and in such quantity as they do here.

I briefly explain how things will go and what awaits them in the coming days.

When we get there we go straight to the Training Center, more precisely to the tenth floor, where everyone gets settled in their own room.

I'm standing waiting for the elevator to arrive when Finnick steps out of the elevator on the floor of my district. I raise my eyebrows, surprised to see him here, even more surprised that he's come to me.

"Good morning, Finnick." I greet him. "I don't mean to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

"We agreed to talk more when we were both in the Capitol, don't you remember?" He gives me a smile, but then his face turns more serious. "President Snow asked me to tell you about your first service."

My heart is racing. I didn't expect it to be so fast. "Oh. Okay."

He tells me the location, even though I don't need to know where I have to go, since Finnick tells me there's a car waiting for me in front of the Training Center. I gulp, preventing tears from forming in my eyes. I take a step forward towards the elevator, but Finnick holds my arm.

"Don't let them see you as weak. Always try to remember why you're putting yourself through this." he says.

I nod my head in agreement. Finally, he gives me a hug, a warm hug that for a moment reminded me of Gavril's hug.