I toss and turn, violently thrashing in my sleep that night. Was it because of the tension of this entire atmosphere? Perhaps. Was it because of how wrong this entire thing is? Yes. The unluckiness of my closest friend and family member to be reaped was insane. It was Van's first year, and I had forbidden him from signing up for tesserae. And it was no wonder Paige was reaped- it was only her second year. However, she signed up for 3 extra tesserae each year since she was 12. So her name is in 12 times. But how, how was Van reaped? Gladly, I am awakened early on in the morning by loud rapping on the door. "Up, up, up!! C'mon!" She barges in. Privacy. I'll add that onto my list of words the Capitol doesn't know exists. I roll out of bed and rub my eyes. "Training day!! Big day, busy day!! Up, up, up!!" she walks to my closet and pulls out an outfit. Its a black shirt with red sleeves. On my shoulders is the number 12, and its on the back of the shirt as well. The pants are tight, black leggings. "Get dressed! Breakfast is ready!!" she walks out of the room, leaving the door wide open. Yep, privacy does not exist in the Capitol. I walk to the door and lock it. I take a quick shower and change. I swiftly braid my hair, before sprinting out to the dining table.
"Hello." I say curtly and pull out a chair. I let out my breath and take a buttered slice of rye toast. I take a bite and look at Van. He was deep in conversation with Serena. Serena looks up at me. "What sections are you going to focus on?" she asks.
"Archery. Knives. I don't know yet." I shrug, once I swallow my bite of toast.
"You already know how to use both of those though!" Serena says, voice rising.
"Practice, Serena! Practice!!" I say back.
"You need to learn new skills!" She rises out of her chair.
"No I don't!!" I say, anger fueling my words.
"IF YOU DON'T LEARN SOMETHING NEW YOU'RE GONNA-"
"I'M GOING TO DIE NOW, AREN'T I?"
"EXACTLY!"
"WHY?! SERENA YOU DON'T KNOW MY LIFE-"
Van cuts us off. "Stop fighting!" Serena and I ignore him.
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE FOUGHT FOR SERENA!"
"YES I DO!"
"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO PUSH ME TO DO SOMETHING-"
"MY JOB IS TO PUSH YOU OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!"
"I LEFT MY COMFORT ZONE YEARS AGO!"
"STOP!!" Zenia's high pitched voice follows in Van's attempt to stop our argument. And just like his attempt, its unsuccessful.
"WELL THEN GO FARTHER!"
"I CAN'T GO FATHER I'M AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD!"
"THERE'S THINGS YOU CAN'T-"
"THERE'S NOTHING I CAN'T DO!"
"Really girls! STOP!" Aurelius's deep voice makes us both flinch. We turn to face him. "Its not a matter to fight about."
"I-"
"No. Eat." he says, and he reminds me of my father. Firm, and irresistible. I sigh, and glare at Serena. She rolls her eyes right back at me. I sit back down on my chair and get a bowl of oatmeal with a side of scrambled eggs. I dig in. Serena occasionally shot me dirty glances, to which I gladly shot one back. Once I finish, Aurelius leads me to another room. He sits down on a couch and offers me a seat. "I know Serena isn't fond of you-"
"She hates me." I correct him.
"Hate is a strong word, Haylynn," Aurelius points out. "Lets say she dislikes you."
"And I'm glad to send those emotions right back."
"You have to learn to understand each other."
"Do I really have to?"
"At least try to."
I sigh and look out the window. "Ready to get to the practice center?" he asks me. I nod. "I'll lead you there," Aurelius guides me into an elevator. "Press the button that says 8 and you'll be good to go. I'll see you later, Haylynn." I nod and walk into the elevator. I press the button as he instructed me to do so. The elevator leads me up, and when the doors open again, I see the empty practice center.
I walk to the knot tying center and begin to briskly tie knots in seconds. I turn, and see the Careers running in. "Oh look, whiny little 12 is tying knots!" Jules sneers. I roll my eyes at him and walk to the throwing knives section, ready to show them who's the boss. I throw them all from different angles, always hitting directly on the heart. I watch Silke attempt to use a bow, but she is clearly incompetent with one. I confidently walk over to the archery section and draw an arrow. I aim it at the bullseye, and shoot it right on target. I turn to look at her, and realize how cocky I had been lately. I straighten up my act and choose modesty. I smile at her, like a little girl, and pull back on the arrow. I aim it quite quickly, and shoot the bullseye directly on target. I walk back and forth, removing the arrow and shooting again.
Oddly, it satisfies me. To be doing my passion in a time I need it most. As I shoot, the arrow cutting through the air, I wonder what everyone really thinks of me. I've changed character a lot. Do people like my variety? I've been tough, sweet, cocky, and innocent. I pull back on my arrow, and release. I've learned to love the sound of the arrow swooshing and sticking into the dart board.
Who will I become? Will my Games change me entirely as a person? Will the Games show my true colors?
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