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2. reaping ceremony

The dean took a seat on the freshly polished floors in between two of her classmates, adjusting his reading glasses quickly. He pulled out a small sheet of paper, a list of names in fine print decorating it.

Etta glanced at Dean Highbottom before gluing her eyes to the screen, taking Livia's hand in hers. District 1, as always, was first. "District 1 boy belongs to... Livia Cardew." the dean nodded, his voice tired.

Livia squealed with delight, pulling Etta into a tight hug. She smiled, congratulating Livia. Her friend would have no trouble finding sponsors for her tribute. The boy looked strong, however quite nervous.

Etta ignored the next couple tribute announcements, but the District 2 boy going to Sejanus Plinth was shocking. Sejanus himself was from District 2; though he was now in the capitol, you could tell he missed where he truly belonged.

District 3 rolled by, but she needed to pay attention to 4. This could be her last chance of getting a good tribute, as 1 and 2 had already been assigned. Dean Highbottom looked up at the screen and back down at his list of names. "District 4, boy. Persephone Price." Etta glanced up at the screen projecting the boy. He was small, but sturdy. The most haunting thing was how young he looked, and probably was. She gave a reassuring smile to Persephone when she saw how uneasy she looked, but it didn't seem to help.

"Four, girl. Festus Creed." the dean muttered. Everyone turned to examine Festus's reaction, but he looked rather bored, continuing to raise his eyebrows. The District 4 girl looked upset at first, but now angry. Etta pitied anyone who fell victim to that girl.

After a few more minutes of anticipation, she heard Dean Highbottom say her name.

"Seven, boy. Odette Rivers."

Her head jerked to examine the boy on the screen. He was tall, with an athletic build. His clothes appeared to be dirty but comfortable, he also managed to wear them well. A grey hat sat on top of his loose, black curls and what looked like a scarf was wrapped around his neck. His face was, in Etta's opinion, quite attractive which would help her with sponsors. She looked closer and noticed his face starting to get flushed, his eyes glossy, lips parted slightly. Etta clicked her tongue and sighed; showing weakness such as crying wouldn't get you far. She knew she wouldn't forget that face of pure fear for a very long time, making her feel a surge of guilt. All of this for losing a war?

Etta shook her head rapidly. She couldn't think this way, what would her father think? This was just a project to end the school year, she would soon enough be enjoying her summer, no longer thinking about this boy, the other tributes, the cruelty of the games.

She must have gotten lost in thought because once she shook the thought of the boy from her mind, everyone was laughing at the screens. A girl, a very strange one it seemed, was singing on the reaping stage. She had a good voice, nothing compared to some of the singers in the Capitol, but still pleasant.

"You can kiss my ass!" The singing girl screamed, causing Etta to giggle. She obviously wouldn't make it far in the games, but the Capitol would like her plenty.

The screens went dark, signaling for the students to rise. Etta raced over to Festus, Persephone, Coriolanus, Arachne, Clemmie, and Lyssie, grabbing Livia's hand to drag her along with her.

She arrived just in time for Persephone to start talking about her tribute. "Mizzen's too young. If Coral decides not to form an alliance with him, he won't make it far at all, he's too small." she complained, her eyes round with worry.

Festus put a hand on Persephone's shoulder, making Etta grumble quietly. "I'll make Coral stick with him, if she leaves him, I won't send her anything."

Persephone blushed, carrying on the conversation. "Etta, what are your thoughts on Treech?"

Treech. So that was his name. She tipped her head to the side, pursing her lips. "He looks healthy... enough. I'll find out what he needs working on later." she replied, giving a simple shrug of her shoulders. Persephone nodded. "What about you, Lyssie?" she glanced over at Lysistrata who frowned. "They call him Jessup. He looks so sweet, so gentle. It's unfair, really, the games. We are stripping away their futures." she mumbled.

"It's just another project for school." Arachne snapped. "I'll be glad when they're all dead and this is over."

Etta's mouth fell open and quickly covered it with her hand, covering it up with a cough. Lyssie glared at Arachne and walked away, her steps seeming heavier than usual.

Festus narrowed his eyes. "Quite harsh, don't you think, Arachne?" he muttered. "I suppose your right though, it's just another project. Someone will get the prize and we'll forget about everything that happened."

Arachne rolled her eyes and went to talk with other students. "She's insane." Etta scoffed. Murmurs of agreement came from her friends.

"I suppose we just all do our best. Let the best mentor win." Coriolanus grinned, competition gleaming in his eyes. Etta nodded, feeling a surge of competitiveness rush throughout her body. Soon enough, the prize would be hers.

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Etta gently shut the door of her house behind her, expecting her parents to be working as usual. Her mother and her would typically watch the games together, as her father would always be away at work. She rounded the corner, stopping short when she recognized her father and mother sitting on the living room couch, seeming to be waiting for her.

"You're finally here, Odette." her father smiled warmly. "I heard you have a new school project? Tell me more about it."

Etta's eyes grew wider. Her father was never home during the games, always on a work trip or at the office building. "24 students, me included, have to mentor a tribute. The Plinth Prize is included, I'm planning on winning it." she stated.

"Excellent..." her father mumbled, exchanging a glance with her overly-excited mother who stood up as if she was following a script. She pulled her daughter into a hug, running her fingers through Etta's smooth hair. "You're making us very proud, your father is understating his joy." she cooed. "Care to tell us about the tribute you were assigned?"

Etta tugged herself out of her mother's tight grasp and took a seat on the large couch. She played with the soft material of her dress, thinking of how to describe the district 7 boy. "He's tall.. well, taller than me. Well-built. I'm pretty sure he cried at the reaping, though." she admitted, looking up at her father warily. "I don't know how to make him win the games."

Her father stiffened. "You'll figure something out. You aren't stupid, Odette." he murmured. Etta looked away. "I'd just be giving him false hope. I don't even want to meet him, he'd be fully relying on me to survive." she spoke softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Her mother placed a gentle hand on top of Etta's. "It's just a district boy. All you have to do is make sure the Capitol likes him. There's no way out of it, love. Focus on the prize." she smiled, though her voice was unusually stern.

Her father nodded, striding over to the kitchen where he pulled out a decent serving of fresh strawberries, dusted with a sprinkle of sugar. "Bought these just for you." he placed them on the marble coffee table in front of her with a small grin.

She hummed in response and smiled, picking up a strawberry eagerly. Her family sat quietly while Etta ate the red berries, trying to ignore the tension.

"I hope you know how important it is you guide that boy well." her father broke the silence, having to once again bring up her school project. "It's very important..." her mother echoed her husband's words. "In fact, I propose you meet him tomorrow when the tribute train rolls in."

Soren narrowed his eyes at his wife. "Amara, isn't that not allowed?" he grumbled. Amara rolled her eyes. "Well, if they didn't tell you that you couldn't go, she would technically not be breaking a rule." she retorted.

Her mother stared at her with round, pleading eyes. "It would make him more relaxed if you got to know him quicker." she insisted. "He doesn't need to be relaxed, he's barely even human!" Soren snapped. "It's your choice, Etta."

Etta pursed her lips and fiddled with strands of her hair, deciding if it was worth it or not. "Alright. I'll go. I guess it's worth a try." she conceded, tilting her head.

Her mother pressed her hands together and smiled. "Perfect!" she beamed. Soren put his fingers to his temple, shaking his head and sighing. "Go get ready for tomorrow, I'll see you at dawn."

"We love you!" her mother called down the hallway as Etta made her way to her bedroom.

She doesn't reply, though she knows she probably should have. She has way too much to prepare for.

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hiii! i'm sorry this took so long to write, i've been distracted with volleyball games and practices. when i do get a chance to write, i don't usually have the motivation or focus to write for a long time.

i hope you enjoyed this chapter, i apologize that it's pretty short, the chapters coming after will be longer. i'm looking forward for etta and treech to meet in the upcoming chapter. have an amazing day/night!

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- julia !! (ettarivers), july 15th 2024

- published, july 21st 2024