Determined Hearts | F. Odair

ii. volunteer

68TH HUNGER GAMES
seven years ago 

°•°•°•° 

The blinds were drawn open and light cascaded onto her sleeping face. Covering her eyes with a groan, Glade stretched and turned over to her younger cousin. Delta kissed the two girls' heads before leaving for the kitchen to make breakfast for the entire family. Her and Cordelia laughed at a story from that week’s fishing trip. Ford updated them about Darya’s progress in her pregnancy. She was due any day now, according to him. It was like any other day, but it wasn’t. Dread loomed over her. The day didn't feel right. It never did on July Fourth. Her gut told her to stay in bed and hold Maris close to her, but her mind told her that it was mandatory to go. 

The Reaping was today, she reminded herself. Finnick would be returning from the Capitol after the many scandalous escapades Caesar covered. The first time she would see him in weeks. A smile etched itself on her lips at the thought of seeing him before the tributes would be announced. She couldn’t wait to tell Finnick her idea to get him through the two weeks ahead. Just the thought of the two of them staying in Gran’s old home alone and away from everything else made her giddy.

"Get up, Maris." She shook the girl's shoulders. "You need to get up." 

Glade went to their shared closet and picked out a simple, blue dress for Maris and a flower printed dress for herself. Finnick had given it to her for her birthday the summer before and she wore it any chance she could with the locket he gave her when she turned fourteen. She laid the dresses on the mattress, making sure to keep them unwrinkled. Looking at the frizzy haired girl, Glade noticed how Maris' brown locks were a knotted and voluminous mess after falling asleep. She shouldn’t have gone to bed with her hair wet, but it was too late to do anything now.

"Let me fix your hair.” Glade patted the free end of the bed. "We should have braided it last night." 

Maris nodded laughing once she saw herself in the cracked, body-length mirror on the door. "No kidding," she agreed. Crawling over the tangled blankets, she sat with her back to Glade. It wasn’t the first time they were in this position. Glade loved braiding and playing with her cousin’s hair. She often thought that they were more sisters than cousins as they grew up in the same home and spent most of their days together.

Silence fell between them. Her fingers meticulously weaving Maris’ strands of hair into a braid after brushing through it. Neither of them spoke a word. Glade refused to bring up the events that would take place in four hours while finishing the braid and tucking the end into the opening underneath it. Maris was twelve. It was her first reaping, so she only had one slip to be drawn. There wasn't anything to worry about, but why was there this weight on her chest and a voice in the back of her mind? She was on edge. She stood on the precipice of insanity, and she didn’t understand why.

The two got dressed into their respective dresses. Maris zipped up Glade's while she buttoned up Maris' and tied the bow in the back. Glade also straightened out the tulle underneath the dress for her. Hoping that it would calm the girl’s nerves, Glade gave her a sweet smile despite her own fears.

They entered the kitchen. The smell of bread and bacon filling her nose. She took a seat at the table and piled food on her plate. Maris greeted her mother with a kiss on the cheek and sat beside Glade. "Will I be with you the entire time?" Maris asked, hopeful. Her wide-eyed gaze was a dagger to the heart. 

"No, you won't," Glade answered, her throat tight. "You'll go to the front after registering and I'll go to the back. But...Finnick will be on stage, so just know that you aren't alone. Okay?" 

Maris nodded. A frown tugged at her lips and she poked at the scrambled eggs on her plate. "Will I be reaped?" Her voice was small and fear swirled in her hazel eyes.