i. the reaping

GRACE-VIOLET is no fool, so don't take her as one. She knows her chances of getting picked this year and she knows it's been five years since district 4 has had a victor. She doesn't care about winning, she cares about surviving, after all, she has a family to feed. Grace-Violet trained for this, she's dreaded the day her name gets picked out of that stupid bowl.

She has a feeling this is her year. The 70th Hunger games is the one where her life ends. But Grace-Violet doesn't have time to think about that, she shouldn't think about it at all. She took the most tesserae out of all of her family, her name is in there twenty times. twenty.

"Silas Sage!" she calls out to her younger brother. "You need to stop hoggin' the bathroom, some of us still need to get dressed!" she shouts, banging on the door.

"C'mon grunt! Others have to use the bathroom too!" Charlie Red shouts through the door.

"I'm going to kill that kid" Grace-Violet grits out, while banging on the door.

"Already? I'd thought you'd wait until the games" Charlie retorts.

"I'm about to pick this damn lock." Grace says absentmindedly, not paying attention to Charlie Red.

"Silas Sage i suggest if you want to live to see thirteen, you get your ass on out this damn bathroom!" She shouts again, jiggling the doorknob. Finally, the door opens and Grace Violet runs into the bathroom and slams the door. She locks it, while she hears her older brother, Charlie Red, cuss her out through the door.

"Grace-Violet i'll get you for this!" She hears Charlie Red shout through the door.

"Only if you catch me!" she yells back.

"and you ain' gon' catch her" Silas Sage says

"shuddup grunt" Charlie grumbled, smacking his little brother at the back of his head.

༄

Now that Grace-Violet had some time alone, her back against the door as she slides down, down, down onto the wood floor. she stares at the metal bath, the steam coming from it. her head makes it into the palms of her hands as she lets out a sigh. twenty. the number repeats in her head. she sighs and stands up, pushing herself off the decaying wood floors. 

Grace-Violet had to do this. She had to pick herself off the floor, dust off her hands and bounce back. She sinks into the metal tub, scrubbing until her skin is raw. She gets in her sundress, and does her hair. When Grace-Violet finished she boils a new pot of water for Charlie-Red. 

They all sit around the table in silence, only speaking to tell both Clarissa Pearl and Silas Sage not to play with their food. They eat and prepare for what is to come. The inevitable, so to speak. 

༄

Grace-Violet walks with her family, hand-in-hand. All wearing colorful clothes, Grace-Violet wearing a vibrant blue sundress to combat the cloudy mood in the air and in the sky. A blue bow in her hair to match. Then the inevitable separation came, between Grace-Violet and her family. They all had to check in, prick your finger, put it on the paper and stand. Grace-Violet watches Silas Sage go with Charlie Red as she walks alone. Grace-Violet counts Delilah-Green lucky, she's nineteen, she doesn't have to participate in the reaping anymore. She just gets to stand there with Clarissa Pearl and watch.

Grace-Violet still gets nervous after the separation, it feels as if everyone is looking at her. She feels so uneasy. Twenty. The number taunts her, repeating over and over in her head like that. like a curse.  She goes to stand who she usually stands next to, a nice girl, eighteen just like Grace-Violet. Grace-Violet's mind turned off the second the escort, Kaia Clampitt started talking, her voice a soft hum in the back of Grace-Violet's head. Grace-Violets eyes stay on the eyebrow less blonde as she does the usual speech, explaining why this is necessary, how it is good. Grace-Violet wonders what someone like Kaia would actually do in her position. What Kaia would look like without the extravagant makeup and glittery pantsuit, how plain she'd look. Because right now Kaia looks stupid, with her rhinestone heels, and black sparkly make up and pantsuit. Well, at least Grace-Violet thinks so. She looks to the chairs behind Kaia, where the two victors Finnick Odair and Mags Flanagan sit. Where the Mayor and his son sit. 

Kaia puts her hand in the bowl, its time.

Her chest feels tight all of a sudden, she clutches her necklace, for support, to ground her. Grace-Violet's ears are ringing, and she can hear her heartbeat. Her breathing gets heavier still not paying attention.

Alright Grace-Violet, count.

30 blondes

20 brunettes

19 guys in peacekeeper uniforms

Repeat.

Her breathing isn't slowing down.

30 blondes

20 brunettes

19 guys in peacekeeper uniforms

Her dress keeps rubbing against her the wrong way, and she can't take her eyes off Kaia's hand in the bowl. Her eyes dart around. Twenty. That's how many times her name is in the bowl. She start's counting again. 

30 blondes

20 brunettes

19 guys in peacekeeper uniforms

Repeat.

Grace-Violet looks up as soon as the first paper is pulled out the bowl. Kaia flips her straight blonde hair out of her face before reading: "Grace-Violet Wilkes"