Post by countlivin on Apr 23, 2019 4:20:13 GMT
Chapter 6: The Twenty-Fifth
Aura Cantarella
"Move! Get in formation!"
Aura was rushed into the line by a man in white plate. The color was blinding next to the field of gray and black and brown worn by the crowd. There was not a cloud in the sky. The sun was shining for once, yet it felt like its rays missed this part of the earth entirely. Today was the Reaping.
She had been dreading this day from the moment she was told her destiny. Until only a week ago, she believed she had one more year until she was forced into these Games. She had told her father she would volunteer, though, for the sake of her little brothers. Rowan Cantarella may have had more bark than bite, but that had not been an idle threat.
She wiped a bit of dust off of her skirt. It was the fanciest piece of clothing she owned, yet that wasn't saying much. At least she had a steady supply of makeup to apply that morning. It was sick, how the Reaping was treated like a wedding, but it was necessary to dress for the occasion.
"I'm sacred, Aura…" the slender girl to her right spoke, nudging her on the arm. She would not let her head turn, she already knew who she was. It was Cass Cannadine, her best friend of six years. They had met when the two of them were only twelve: young pups in a hunter's trap. Since their names were so close to each other in the alphabet, they stood beside each other year after year. And even now, five years later, Cass had simply never learned to keep her mouth shut. "I put my name in too many times… What if it's me? What will Garth say…?"
"Shut up," Aura whispered, remaining focused on the stage in front of her, as it had been taught year after year. The Capitol and their minions in white had told the kids to line up in two street-wide columns, boys to the west and girls to the east. This year, the seventeen-year-olds were placed just in front of the eighteens, who took the rear. She had been one year from them… It had almost been her turn.
Cass nudged her arm again with her pinky. "Come on, Aura. The guards never catch us chatting here. Why do you insist on pushing me away when I only need a friend to be here with me?"
Aura reached down and took Cass's hand in her own, gripping it tight. Cass seemed to notice a fear in her, even though she was on the wrong side to notice the tear. She was scared, more so than she had been any other year. With that, she reached over and used both hands to comfort her friend.
Aura began to turn those four threatening words over and over in her head. I volunteer as tribute… I volunteer as tribute… I volunteer as tribute… What if someone else beat her to the punch? Would her father send Corvin into the training then? What if she stumbled with her words, pronounced it wrong and they didn't accept her? So many questions were floating in her head, and the only thing she could do was squeeze them all into Cass's hand.
"How many times did you put your name in the Reaping?" Cass asked, with relative calm.
"…Thirty," Aura replied, her voice shaking. She had given up this year, just as every other, on staying quiet next to Cass.
"Dear God," Cass replied. "How can you live taking risks like that?"
"I’m going to volunteer," Aura replied. At hearing the words, all the girls in the general vicinity turned their gaze to her in shock. She saw the relief there, in some of their eyes. It only made her more fearful. District Seven seldom had a volunteer.
"Aura, you can't…" Cass squeezed her hand harder. "Tell me you didn't…"
"I did." It saddened Aura that she would never have a good time to tell Cass the reason why she was doing this. "You have to promise me something."
"Anything."
"Promise me you'll look out for—"
Aura's comment went unheard. The huge brass gates of the Justice Building opened suddenly, filling the yard with the creak. Spilling out of them was a large, jolly man with curly yellow mustachios, hair to match and a belly full of whiskey. He was Ludwig Orretter, the Capitol escort for District Seven. It was his job to bring the tributes to the Games.
The man was vile, but he put on a good show for the audience. That's all that really mattered to them. "Hellow, my young woodpeckers!" he announced with childlike glee. He enjoyed referring to this District as woodpeckers because of their export. "Can I get a show of hands? Who's ready for today?"
There was a handful of children in the front who raised their hands, but no one past thirteen. They all knew better. The twelve-year-olds hadn't spent enough time listening to this man speak. He appeared fun-loving and friendly to the naked eye, but Aura knew who he really was. After many visits to the Victor's Village, and his many back-handed comments about her family, she could only cringe at the sight of him. He had made these comments of Ava too, but after she left and never came back, at least the man had enough common decency to do the same.
"As I have been told only moments ago, today's a very special day for you youngsters. Today, you get to be written into the very book of history!" Ludwig was more chipper than usual.
"What does he mean?" Cass asked.
"I'm sure some of you have noticed—" the man hiccupped, then continued. "Some of you have noticed the glass bowls are not present as in previous years. I'll ask you not to worry! They will be back soon."
"I have no idea," Aura answered. "Maybe it's some kind of—"
"Hey!" There was a loud shout from the back of the crowd and she turned to see a Peacekeeper with a blonde ponytail angrily rushing towards her, gun in hand. She broke through the ranks of children, grabbed Aura by the scruff of her neck and yanked her out into the center lane. Before she knew it, Aura was on her knees with a gun against the back of her head. Her golden hair she had worked so hard on this morning was in disarray.
"No!" There was only one audible voice in the entire court. All the others fell silent. It was her father, her father… behind the fence… His drunken shouts were full of rage and fear. "You take your damn hands off her!"
"If you can't shut your mouth, girl, then spill it!" the Peacekeeper's voice boomed through the yard. "Say those words all the others want to hear."
"Madam!" Ludwig Orretter was distraught over the scene. "This is a formal occasion. I'm sure you have been made aware of the rules. No one talks unless a tribute or on stage. Now, if you would kindly return to your post, and stop talking."
The Peacekeeper was visibly shaken as she released Aura's collar. She stalked off to join the other guards. They hadn't called the Reaping yet, but this was her only chance, her best chance. "I volunteer…" she said loudly, but not enough to wake the audience.
"What was that?" Ludwig spoke into the microphone in the center of the stage. "Speak up if you wish to say something."
Aura slowly stood amidst the dust. Her collar was slightly torn down the back and her blouse had become unrecognizable. The boys were on her left and the girls on her right. She spoke for them all. She cleared her lungs and bellowed, "I volunteer as tribute!"
There was a moment of strict silence, and even Ludwig held his tongue. He hiccupped and cleared his throat. "While I do admire your enthusiasm, miss Cantarella, I'm afraid I have to decline your offer."
The gates behind Ludwig flew closed and a projection appeared on them. It was a short man with long brown hair, a thick beard and friendly smile. It was the Head Gamemaker, Roman Walsh. This was all so unorthodox… Aura didn't even have time to scuffle back to her spot.
The man on the projection spoke with such a forceful splitting tone, Aura's head could have burst. It was as if he was trying to hammer the words into the crowds' skulls with volume alone. They need not hear these words again. Twenty-four get shipped off to die every year, and the Capitol regarded it as a joke. Aura already knew the announcement by heart.
"And without further ado, I announce the Twenty-Fifth Annual Hunger Games! It is truly a special occasion. For this year's Games marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of your salvation. And yesterday, President Coriolanus Snow decreed that, in celebration of this magnificent event that unites our nation, a special rule will be placed upon the Games, to quell the ambitions of those who might disagree with our methods.
"This year, we will demonstrate that you are still free to choose for yourselves, and that all citizens, regardless of District, are still children of Panem. For this year, there will be no Reaping. You shall choose amongst yourselves which tributes shall represent you. YOU decide for your District. And so, this year, we speak to not only tributes, but to every child of Panem. Heed our words."
"May the odds be ever in your favor."
Devastation. The entire District was devastated. Even the younger ones near the front of the pack were visibly shocked. Aura was sure she looked no different. Yet, regardless of the crowd's shock, no one made a peep. None moved, let alone made conversation.
In the midst of the confusion, Ludwig Orretter stepped back to the mic and spoke in a sort of threatening tone. "You may return to your formation, miss Cantarella."
After the gates closed and the ceremony was over, the children filed out of the court in the usual, orderly fashion. They weren't chatty as in previous years, but instead, every boy and girl shared the silence. They were all turning it over: the pain and impending choice the District would have to make. No person would want to willingly send someone to die, and now they were forced to choose.
Aura was alone, making her way back home, careful to avoid her father's path as she did. She didn't want to deal with whatever he had to say. Instead, she took a scenic forest route. She hadn't been here in a long time. It led to an old abandoned wood processing plant, she'd explored it long ago.
Halfway along the trail, she felt a small poke on the shoulder and jumped around in alarm. She had been alone! But it was only Cass, with a face somewhere between humor and sadness. "Bloody hell, Cass! You can't startle me like that! How did you even find me?"
"I followed you home. I'd meant to ask you before you so bravely volunteered if you'd like to come with me and Garth to the Haven. It's been so long since we all hung out there and after today, everyone just needs a break. Especially you."
"You can't sneak up on people. You'll give someone a heart attack." Aura frowned.
"If this is the girl we're ending into the arena, we're going to be in trouble. Don't get scared so easily. What if I had been an attacker? You just gave away your position and advantage." Cass shot a frown back. Aura was surprised at the amount of tact in what she'd said. If only she used that same logic in school, she might not be flunking. "Now do you want to come with us or not?"
"I have to get home, Cass," Aura sighed. She had made dinner before they left so Corvin and Barker would have some way to eat once she was gone. Now that she realized she would be home in time to eat some of it, she realized how hungry she truly was. "Dinner's getting cold, and I have to put the boys to bed."
"You eat like a king every day, Aura," she replied. "The rest of us are lucky to get one full meal before the sun goes down. Take a break and see how it'll be in the arena for once. Don't you want to give Garth one last goodbye if you're leaving? You know he'll miss you."
"I'm not leaving. You were there. There was no Reaping." Even though Garth was Cass's boyfriend, Aura knew he had a secret crush on her from the start. Cass got past it though, and the three of them grew to become best friends.
Cass sighed. "I know there's not a Reaping, but if you think the town won't take into account your little scene in the aisle, you'll be wrong. Chance are, you're still our volunteer." Cass extended her hand and turned into their dirt path beneath the pine into the Haven. Aura wasn't sure whether to take it or not.
"One last goodbye?"
67% of readers chose to [A. Follow Cass.]
"One last goodbye." Aura held out her hand and Cass took it. The two began to walk down the old stony path to the Haven. They had spent most every day together since they were twelve. Why stop now?
"I don't want to go to the Capitol…" Aura found herself confessing softly. "I realized that this morning. I want more than most things not to go to the Capitol."
"I know. None of us do," Cass replied. "Yet the minute any of us let out a sigh or roll our eyes, there they are, aiming a missile launcher at our home. Why did you want to volunteer in the first place? You never got to tell me."
Aura's eyes found hers. "My father… He told me if I didn't, he would put Barker and Corvin through the same program he put me and Ava through."
"Man… You're really going to go through with it?"
"I'll go through anything if it means those boys don't have to suffer," she said. "They deserve better than this filthy town."
Aura and Cass passed tree after tree. To any other, they would all look the same, but they knew where they were going. They had scavenged these woods clean when they were younger. "You asked me to promise you something just before you got dragged off."
"Yeah?"
"What was that?"
Aura sighed. She had been hoping she would be able to put this question off until she really left the Games. "I was going to ask you to watch after my brothers when I'm gone. You'd be a good mother to them. They need one."
"I can do that. I owe it to you for being such a good friend over the years. Now I'm going to ask something of you." Cass pulled Aura to a halt. "No matter how much the Games drag you down… whatever they force you into doing… Promise me when you come back you'll still be the same."
"I can't even promise that I'll come back," Aura replied.
"Oh, you'll come back," Cass smiled. "You're different than the other tributes. You have more of a reason to win than just survival. You're doing it for your family. And when you return home, you'll be hailed as a hero. Panem will cry your name. Well… I hope I'm there when it happens… to witness the day my best friend becomes a victor."
End of Chapter 6
Aura Cantarella
"Move! Get in formation!"
Aura was rushed into the line by a man in white plate. The color was blinding next to the field of gray and black and brown worn by the crowd. There was not a cloud in the sky. The sun was shining for once, yet it felt like its rays missed this part of the earth entirely. Today was the Reaping.
She had been dreading this day from the moment she was told her destiny. Until only a week ago, she believed she had one more year until she was forced into these Games. She had told her father she would volunteer, though, for the sake of her little brothers. Rowan Cantarella may have had more bark than bite, but that had not been an idle threat.
She wiped a bit of dust off of her skirt. It was the fanciest piece of clothing she owned, yet that wasn't saying much. At least she had a steady supply of makeup to apply that morning. It was sick, how the Reaping was treated like a wedding, but it was necessary to dress for the occasion.
"I'm sacred, Aura…" the slender girl to her right spoke, nudging her on the arm. She would not let her head turn, she already knew who she was. It was Cass Cannadine, her best friend of six years. They had met when the two of them were only twelve: young pups in a hunter's trap. Since their names were so close to each other in the alphabet, they stood beside each other year after year. And even now, five years later, Cass had simply never learned to keep her mouth shut. "I put my name in too many times… What if it's me? What will Garth say…?"
"Shut up," Aura whispered, remaining focused on the stage in front of her, as it had been taught year after year. The Capitol and their minions in white had told the kids to line up in two street-wide columns, boys to the west and girls to the east. This year, the seventeen-year-olds were placed just in front of the eighteens, who took the rear. She had been one year from them… It had almost been her turn.
Cass nudged her arm again with her pinky. "Come on, Aura. The guards never catch us chatting here. Why do you insist on pushing me away when I only need a friend to be here with me?"
Aura reached down and took Cass's hand in her own, gripping it tight. Cass seemed to notice a fear in her, even though she was on the wrong side to notice the tear. She was scared, more so than she had been any other year. With that, she reached over and used both hands to comfort her friend.
Aura began to turn those four threatening words over and over in her head. I volunteer as tribute… I volunteer as tribute… I volunteer as tribute… What if someone else beat her to the punch? Would her father send Corvin into the training then? What if she stumbled with her words, pronounced it wrong and they didn't accept her? So many questions were floating in her head, and the only thing she could do was squeeze them all into Cass's hand.
"How many times did you put your name in the Reaping?" Cass asked, with relative calm.
"…Thirty," Aura replied, her voice shaking. She had given up this year, just as every other, on staying quiet next to Cass.
"Dear God," Cass replied. "How can you live taking risks like that?"
"I’m going to volunteer," Aura replied. At hearing the words, all the girls in the general vicinity turned their gaze to her in shock. She saw the relief there, in some of their eyes. It only made her more fearful. District Seven seldom had a volunteer.
"Aura, you can't…" Cass squeezed her hand harder. "Tell me you didn't…"
"I did." It saddened Aura that she would never have a good time to tell Cass the reason why she was doing this. "You have to promise me something."
"Anything."
"Promise me you'll look out for—"
Aura's comment went unheard. The huge brass gates of the Justice Building opened suddenly, filling the yard with the creak. Spilling out of them was a large, jolly man with curly yellow mustachios, hair to match and a belly full of whiskey. He was Ludwig Orretter, the Capitol escort for District Seven. It was his job to bring the tributes to the Games.
The man was vile, but he put on a good show for the audience. That's all that really mattered to them. "Hellow, my young woodpeckers!" he announced with childlike glee. He enjoyed referring to this District as woodpeckers because of their export. "Can I get a show of hands? Who's ready for today?"
There was a handful of children in the front who raised their hands, but no one past thirteen. They all knew better. The twelve-year-olds hadn't spent enough time listening to this man speak. He appeared fun-loving and friendly to the naked eye, but Aura knew who he really was. After many visits to the Victor's Village, and his many back-handed comments about her family, she could only cringe at the sight of him. He had made these comments of Ava too, but after she left and never came back, at least the man had enough common decency to do the same.
"As I have been told only moments ago, today's a very special day for you youngsters. Today, you get to be written into the very book of history!" Ludwig was more chipper than usual.
"What does he mean?" Cass asked.
"I'm sure some of you have noticed—" the man hiccupped, then continued. "Some of you have noticed the glass bowls are not present as in previous years. I'll ask you not to worry! They will be back soon."
"I have no idea," Aura answered. "Maybe it's some kind of—"
"Hey!" There was a loud shout from the back of the crowd and she turned to see a Peacekeeper with a blonde ponytail angrily rushing towards her, gun in hand. She broke through the ranks of children, grabbed Aura by the scruff of her neck and yanked her out into the center lane. Before she knew it, Aura was on her knees with a gun against the back of her head. Her golden hair she had worked so hard on this morning was in disarray.
"No!" There was only one audible voice in the entire court. All the others fell silent. It was her father, her father… behind the fence… His drunken shouts were full of rage and fear. "You take your damn hands off her!"
"If you can't shut your mouth, girl, then spill it!" the Peacekeeper's voice boomed through the yard. "Say those words all the others want to hear."
"Madam!" Ludwig Orretter was distraught over the scene. "This is a formal occasion. I'm sure you have been made aware of the rules. No one talks unless a tribute or on stage. Now, if you would kindly return to your post, and stop talking."
The Peacekeeper was visibly shaken as she released Aura's collar. She stalked off to join the other guards. They hadn't called the Reaping yet, but this was her only chance, her best chance. "I volunteer…" she said loudly, but not enough to wake the audience.
"What was that?" Ludwig spoke into the microphone in the center of the stage. "Speak up if you wish to say something."
Aura slowly stood amidst the dust. Her collar was slightly torn down the back and her blouse had become unrecognizable. The boys were on her left and the girls on her right. She spoke for them all. She cleared her lungs and bellowed, "I volunteer as tribute!"
There was a moment of strict silence, and even Ludwig held his tongue. He hiccupped and cleared his throat. "While I do admire your enthusiasm, miss Cantarella, I'm afraid I have to decline your offer."
The gates behind Ludwig flew closed and a projection appeared on them. It was a short man with long brown hair, a thick beard and friendly smile. It was the Head Gamemaker, Roman Walsh. This was all so unorthodox… Aura didn't even have time to scuffle back to her spot.
The man on the projection spoke with such a forceful splitting tone, Aura's head could have burst. It was as if he was trying to hammer the words into the crowds' skulls with volume alone. They need not hear these words again. Twenty-four get shipped off to die every year, and the Capitol regarded it as a joke. Aura already knew the announcement by heart.
"And without further ado, I announce the Twenty-Fifth Annual Hunger Games! It is truly a special occasion. For this year's Games marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of your salvation. And yesterday, President Coriolanus Snow decreed that, in celebration of this magnificent event that unites our nation, a special rule will be placed upon the Games, to quell the ambitions of those who might disagree with our methods.
"This year, we will demonstrate that you are still free to choose for yourselves, and that all citizens, regardless of District, are still children of Panem. For this year, there will be no Reaping. You shall choose amongst yourselves which tributes shall represent you. YOU decide for your District. And so, this year, we speak to not only tributes, but to every child of Panem. Heed our words."
"May the odds be ever in your favor."
Devastation. The entire District was devastated. Even the younger ones near the front of the pack were visibly shocked. Aura was sure she looked no different. Yet, regardless of the crowd's shock, no one made a peep. None moved, let alone made conversation.
In the midst of the confusion, Ludwig Orretter stepped back to the mic and spoke in a sort of threatening tone. "You may return to your formation, miss Cantarella."
After the gates closed and the ceremony was over, the children filed out of the court in the usual, orderly fashion. They weren't chatty as in previous years, but instead, every boy and girl shared the silence. They were all turning it over: the pain and impending choice the District would have to make. No person would want to willingly send someone to die, and now they were forced to choose.
Aura was alone, making her way back home, careful to avoid her father's path as she did. She didn't want to deal with whatever he had to say. Instead, she took a scenic forest route. She hadn't been here in a long time. It led to an old abandoned wood processing plant, she'd explored it long ago.
Halfway along the trail, she felt a small poke on the shoulder and jumped around in alarm. She had been alone! But it was only Cass, with a face somewhere between humor and sadness. "Bloody hell, Cass! You can't startle me like that! How did you even find me?"
"I followed you home. I'd meant to ask you before you so bravely volunteered if you'd like to come with me and Garth to the Haven. It's been so long since we all hung out there and after today, everyone just needs a break. Especially you."
"You can't sneak up on people. You'll give someone a heart attack." Aura frowned.
"If this is the girl we're ending into the arena, we're going to be in trouble. Don't get scared so easily. What if I had been an attacker? You just gave away your position and advantage." Cass shot a frown back. Aura was surprised at the amount of tact in what she'd said. If only she used that same logic in school, she might not be flunking. "Now do you want to come with us or not?"
"I have to get home, Cass," Aura sighed. She had made dinner before they left so Corvin and Barker would have some way to eat once she was gone. Now that she realized she would be home in time to eat some of it, she realized how hungry she truly was. "Dinner's getting cold, and I have to put the boys to bed."
"You eat like a king every day, Aura," she replied. "The rest of us are lucky to get one full meal before the sun goes down. Take a break and see how it'll be in the arena for once. Don't you want to give Garth one last goodbye if you're leaving? You know he'll miss you."
"I'm not leaving. You were there. There was no Reaping." Even though Garth was Cass's boyfriend, Aura knew he had a secret crush on her from the start. Cass got past it though, and the three of them grew to become best friends.
Cass sighed. "I know there's not a Reaping, but if you think the town won't take into account your little scene in the aisle, you'll be wrong. Chance are, you're still our volunteer." Cass extended her hand and turned into their dirt path beneath the pine into the Haven. Aura wasn't sure whether to take it or not.
"One last goodbye?"
67% of readers chose to [A. Follow Cass.]
"One last goodbye." Aura held out her hand and Cass took it. The two began to walk down the old stony path to the Haven. They had spent most every day together since they were twelve. Why stop now?
"I don't want to go to the Capitol…" Aura found herself confessing softly. "I realized that this morning. I want more than most things not to go to the Capitol."
"I know. None of us do," Cass replied. "Yet the minute any of us let out a sigh or roll our eyes, there they are, aiming a missile launcher at our home. Why did you want to volunteer in the first place? You never got to tell me."
Aura's eyes found hers. "My father… He told me if I didn't, he would put Barker and Corvin through the same program he put me and Ava through."
"Man… You're really going to go through with it?"
"I'll go through anything if it means those boys don't have to suffer," she said. "They deserve better than this filthy town."
Aura and Cass passed tree after tree. To any other, they would all look the same, but they knew where they were going. They had scavenged these woods clean when they were younger. "You asked me to promise you something just before you got dragged off."
"Yeah?"
"What was that?"
Aura sighed. She had been hoping she would be able to put this question off until she really left the Games. "I was going to ask you to watch after my brothers when I'm gone. You'd be a good mother to them. They need one."
"I can do that. I owe it to you for being such a good friend over the years. Now I'm going to ask something of you." Cass pulled Aura to a halt. "No matter how much the Games drag you down… whatever they force you into doing… Promise me when you come back you'll still be the same."
"I can't even promise that I'll come back," Aura replied.
"Oh, you'll come back," Cass smiled. "You're different than the other tributes. You have more of a reason to win than just survival. You're doing it for your family. And when you return home, you'll be hailed as a hero. Panem will cry your name. Well… I hope I'm there when it happens… to witness the day my best friend becomes a victor."
End of Chapter 6