Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“There are many things worth living for.”

Grand mansions. Marble floors. Silk sheets. Diamond necklaces. Pearl earrings. Sapphire bracelets. Ruby rings. Emerald headpieces. Expensive dresses. Fur coats. Cashmere gloves. Quality shoes. Shiny garments. Gold watches. Delicious dinners. Delightful luncheons. Rich desserts. Luxury.

According to the Vicuna family, the first rule of living a grounded, sane and happy life in District 1 was to always remember that the goods produced in their neighbourhood were not meant for them. Regrettably, their first child never seemed to have grasped the cruel reality she lived in. While her peers had made their peace with it long ago and when most of them were more than a little thankful to have been born in one of the better off districts, if not the best, Satine had refused to acknowledge it as her truth. Her parents were surely to blame for not putting a stop to it and therefore encouraging it but perhaps even they weren’t above wanting the greatest for their kids. Satine had often wondered if the way her mind worked about these things was carefully crafted by them to make sure she excelled in life. If that was the case, they had been successful: The girl had never been apologetic about what she deemed worthy of her time and attention.

Courtesy of the First Lady's favour towards it, District 1 had more schools than most of the others and therefore, being a teacher was a job sought out by the ones who weren't skilled in turning mere stones into precious jewellery, much like Satine’s mother. She was grateful for never being her student for how humiliating the whole experience would have been. It was better to be acknowledged for who she was than to inevitably hear stupid teenagers gossiping about her mother.

Her father, on the other hand, she was more embarrassed and proud of, at the same time. He was the peacekeeper general and Satine could bet that he was the only one in his field of work who was so proud of being District. Although it was forbidden to have a family while serving, her parents had gotten married in secret when her father came back from Capitol for his first holiday. After a few years of building connections and getting promotions he had somehow managed to arrange a deal for coming back to District 1 in exchange for fifteen years more service than required and less pay than his equals. 

They were far from what was deemed “poor”, she knew that. They could be counted as “respectable” by the majority, she knew that too. Unfortunately, knowing wasn't enough to keep her content with her prospects. As she was going home from school with her best friend for the last time until fall, her mind started wandering about her future and what it held.

“Do you wanna do something tomorrow, after the Reaping?” asked the taller one of the two, pulling the other out of her thoughts. They had almost reached Satine’s house which was at the end of the street.

“Sure, why not? Maybe you can tell me all about Castor, now that you're going out, huh?" Satine said, bumping her friend's shoulder. "I should report you for even considering him to be at your level, but as long as you're happy.”

"Oh, shut up.” Gleam giggled. “As if it wasn't you who made it happen.” Sadly, her moment of joy ended in a few seconds and her face fell quickly. “Tomorrow is his last Reaping, you don't think he would actually volunteer, right?”

Here it was, the same question she had heard for the last month. Something that was understandable at first had become a regularity and with the passing time and her strained nerves, Satine was getting tired of addressing it. What was the point of spending time together if they weren’t going to talk about each other?

“Darling, of course not! He’s been saying that since, when, the Quarter Quell? The boy's all talk and you must know that better than me.” With a light-hearted smile, she tried her best not to sound harsh or annoyed. “Besides, I doubt his sister would let him volunteer when he couldn't even pass Survival class last year without her making a considerable donation to the school. He’ll be fine.”

It wasn't necessarily Gleam's worry that had irritated her but where it was directed at. While Satine had never claimed that “The Hunger Games” was easy because almost every tribute was a complete fool, as Castor did, she hadn't exactly been hiding her thoughts on the “career” tributes, as they were called. She could easily come up with multiple reasons why someone would choose to be a hunter in the Games or even willingly step into an arena. She had never rooted for them but she hadn't judged them either- whoever chose to go for the prize deserved everything that came their way. So why wasn't her best friend telling her “not to do anything stupid” with concern visible in her eyes but worrying about a boy who she didn't even know last year? It was disappointing, at the very least.

The girls stopped as they reached the last house on the street. “Yeah, you're right. I just have this weird feeling about tomorrow that I can't shake.” Satine heard her friend express while opening the garden gate.

“Well, I hate to break it to you but he isn't the only one who is eligible for the Games, you know? Maybe you should spend the next precious hours hoping that you don’t get called onto that stage instead of thinking about your precious boyfriend who probably will live a long time without having anything to stress over, after tomorrow.” With that, she closed the gate and passed through the garden to knock on the wooden door.

She was proud of not painting herself as another soul to think about in Gleam’s eyes, that would appear too egocentric and she didn't want her friend to see her that way- even for a moment. If being plagued with doubt and fear was inevitable for her, she could remember that there were six pieces of paper on which her name was written, for a change. No one had ought to come before herself and maybe Satine on her list, especially the infamous Polluxia Corcoran’s brother. It would do her good not to forget that she was at risk as much as anyone else in their part of the district.

“One more year until graduation, congratulations honey!” Opening the door, her mother greeted Satine with a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you! Finally the torment will end!” She said, widening her eyes as she laughed dryly.

“Oh, you definitely will miss these times in a few years when you’re working, I'll see how you regret saying that then.” Her mother seemed to be in good spirits today, commenting on Satine’s response with a shake of her head. 

Stepping inside and closing the door behind herself, the girl used the few seconds of turning her back on her mother to roll her eyes. “Sure, Mum.”

Ever since she was ten years old and had learned what the kids in the Capitol called their parents from her father, Satine had been refusing to call her’s “Ma” or “Pa”, even though all her friends did so without thinking about it for a second, because she had decided that she did not want any differences between herself and the Capitol kids. She had already lacked in almost every aspect of life in comparision to them simply for being born in a different place, a small but crucial detail in all of Panem, and she wasn’t going to widen the gap between what she wished she had and what she was living. No, something had to be done to create the illusion that the superiority of the Capitol applied to her too, even if no one would believe it.

“Anyways, I was thinking that we should eat a nice dinner tonight. Shine deserves it after finishing her first year in elementary school, don't you think?” The woman asked, leaving her daughter in the narrow doorway to wash the bowls on the kitchen counter she probably took out right before she heard the knock on the door.

Hearing the innocent and slightly new excuse for preparing “a small feast”, as her father had called it, Satine couldn’t help but frown. “Of course. It’s a very important day for her so we must make sure that she doesn’t forget it.” She changed her expression to a neutral look when she saw her worn out face looking back through the mirror. 

For as long as she could remember, her mother had insisted that they had proper food on the table the last day before the Reaping. The usual mask that was used for this act was to praise the older sister for all she did since it wasn’t hard to find something that warranted a reward when it came to her. She had always done what was expected of her and more, striving to be the best at everything she involved herself in, yet recently her parents have seemed to have forgotten what an angel she was. As much as she loved Shine, witnessing the slow but steady shift of the attention they could provide for them made her intolerant.

Satine called to her mother while dragging the bag she had been using for the past year behind herself without making much noise. “I’m going to take a nap, can you wake me up before dinner?” She hadn't thought that a negative response would follow so she was taken aback when she heard more than just a short, “Sure.” coming from the kitchen.

“Honey, you’re supposed to take your sister from school, remember? Change into something more comfortable and go get her. You can sleep early tonight.” It was easy to pick up the annoyance in her tone, despite the affectionate words.

“She’s almost eight, Mum. If not mistaken it was you who said Shine should learn to come and go by herself.” Satine was using her closed door as an excuse to shout for they both knew that no matter the subject at hand, she wouldn’t dare to do it directly.

“I was talking about next year and you know that. Don't make me say it twice, now. She's probably waiting for you.” She heard her mother's voice getting closer and instinctively grabbed the handle of her wardrobe. Only a second later the door opened. “Hurry up and maybe there'll still be time for you to nap.”

“I can't even keep my eyes open because of my headache right now and you're asking me to go all the way to her school? I was younger than her when I started to walk home.” She sighed, rubbing her temple with her free hand.

It wasn’t exactly a lie. Though it was nothing compared to her real headaches, a sudden one had appeared, probably because of the conversations she had had in the past hour. For some reason, everyone seemed to have another priority today and Satine was not in the mood for acting like she didn’t realise or care about it. Couldn’t she have the day to herself? 

Opening the eyes she had shut while thinking, she saw her mother looking at her with worry all over her face. It must have been the emotional weight of tomorrow. “Please, Mum. You know that I wouldn’t insist on sleeping if I didn’t have to.” She decided to play into it by slightly changing the bothered look on her face to one of pain. 

“Okay, you rest until dinner and I’ll find someone to bring Shine home.” Satine gratefully watched her mother close the door behind herself and then changed her uniform while thinking about how wonderful it was to have people to do the work for you.

The room was filled with dark blue rays of light when she woke up abruptly when something fell on top of her and tried to get back on its feet while accidentally stepping on both of her legs. “Hey, get off me!”

“Wake up!” Shine was now jumping on top of her sister. “Ma, she won't get up!”

Satine managed to turn on the lights before shouting, “I’m awake!” to whoever was in the house and glared at the younger and more lively version of herself as she kept jumping, trying to touch the ceiling. “I said get off of me Shine!”

What a shame it was to see her sister act exactly like the other kids. It seemed like she did not feel the need to prove herself to everybody who was somebody. With her two braids all messed up from moving too much and her bright pink dinner dress already wrinkled in some parts, anyone could see that she didn't carry the crushing weight of being the general's daughter, in the same way the older one did. Had they not looked alike as much as they did, no one would believe that they were related, for Satine had gone out of her way at everything she did to show she was better than the rest while Shine was fine with being in the majority as much as the next child.

After getting her sister out of the room, she put on the dress that she had chosen for today. It was her favourite, made from a special type of wool to mimic cashmere with flower embroidery all over and princess sleeves. She loved how the black contrasted and enhanced her features even though her mother claimed that it made her look sick and ghastly, which was a pity considering it was her second best quality dress.

She smoothed the front of her skirt in the mirror and started brushing the blonde hair down her back over her face to create some volume. Satine didn’t like that it was straight except for the times it was pointed out and fawned upon by other people. District 1 was full of golden, wavy locks which were envied by her for their fullness. Strangely, those who she had talked to didn't seem to be aware of their lack compared to ones whose hair wouldn't hold a curl for more than an hour.

Satine didn't leave her room until she heard the knock on the front door which echoed through the entire house. An excited shriek came from her sister, followed by rapid footsteps rushing to get the door. She checked her watch to see that her father had arrived right on time, as always and her solitude had only lasted twenty happy minutes.

“Pa! I missed you!” kept shouting Shine, even though she was now holding onto his neck in the hallway. 

The general took his hat out and kissed his oldest daughter, who was looking disapprovingly at the little girl, on the top of her head before turning back to Shine. “I missed you too, princess. What did you do today?” 

“We played so many different games all day, Pa! I had my newest car with me and Shimmer had brought the doll she was talking about all week- it was amazing! She even stayed with me until one of the peacekeepers came. Can you buy me one of those dolls, Pa?” She said, without stopping to take a breath. There hadn't been a single silent hour in the Vicuna house, ever since she had learned how to talk.

“You just said that your car is new, at least wait until you tire of it.” Shaking her head, interrupted Satine.

When she was Shine's age, the only times that she would be gifted a toy were her birthday and the last day of school. No exceptions and no surprises- twice a year she would choose the one thing that bewitched her from behind the glass and her parents would get it. However, her sister seemed to get anything she wanted almost every month. The rational explanation would be that, after her father's promotion a few years ago, they were doing better than before and yet, she hadn't seen the benefits of this in regards to herself. It was easy to believe the reason why was the seemingly endless spending on Shine’s part and well, that made her angry.

Her father had put her sister down to go and change his uniform for dinner. “Your sister is right, Ma bought that car just last week, Shine.” For a moment, it looked like he was finished with what he was saying but then he turned back on his feet and asked, “Didn’t your sister come to take you?” to the little one, though Satine felt like the question was directed at herself. 

“No, I had a headache, you know what they do to me.” She sighed and watched his eyes form the same worry she saw in her mother's this afternoon. 

“I'm sorry, darling. Did you take something for it? There were some painkillers in the cabinet in my office, do you need me to get them for you?” All three had come out in an instant.

Before she could answer, Shine's cries were heard again. “But I really want that doll! It was the prettiest thing I have ever seen! If Satine is getting painkillers, I deserve something too!”

As if they had decided upon it, both of them ignored the absurd yet unsurprising demand. “I’m feeling better now, Dad. Thank you for the offer though, I appreciate it.” She smiled and left her father to talk to her sister.

She usually didn’t mind lying when it was to her benefit but tonight, it had felt unnecessary. Her first thought was that the headaches were an important and valuable excuse for her and considering their frequency, she had willingly let go of them for at least a month. Then, possibly to make up for the unpleasant realisation, she tried to focus on how both her parents had shown sympathy and were concerned about her and how satisfying that felt. Unfortunately, the small yet loud voice didn’t stop bothering her with its disturbing remarks about hurting people she loved. 

Her mother had already started putting the plates on the dining table when Satine entered the living room. The picture was almost complete with the only thing missing being the long, glass vase filled with peonies which she assumed to be in the kitchen. Wondering the colour of this year's bouquet for even though the kind never changed, that depended on her mother's mercy as she picked them from the front garden; she quickly went to get it only to find nothing in there.

“Where are the peonies, Mum?” She called from where she was, checking the cabinets to find the answer before her mother could reply.

“Oh, I knew I had forgotten something!” A simple request echoed from the tired woman’s lips. “Can you pick some, Satine? The vase is in the second cupboard under the sink!”

Finding her mother’s second plea of the day appealing, she seized the opportunity of choosing the flowers herself with a beaming, “I will!”

From beautiful flowers that bloomed every season to ugly herbs that Satine didn't understand the reason behind growing them, there were many different types of plants they owned. Thanks to her mother's interest in gardening and her father's rare visits to Capitol, creating the biggest and the most diverse garden in District 1 had been possible for them. There was even a small section for poisonous fruits, both native to their district and generally known in Panem, which the teachers loved to get their hands on for Survival classes. 

She had originally decided to pick the red peonies because she loved their vibrancy and thought that was the only colour intense enough for the day’s dinner, but as she was walking towards them, the white ones caught her eye. They had always appeared to be almost dead, regardless of the treatment they received so it wasn’t common to go for them. However, tonight they were tempting for how much they bloomed. Perhaps, her mother had put something different in their soil. She carefully selected the ten that standed out and went back inside.

After she washed, dried and cut the roots of the flowers, she put them in the vase and quickly carried them back to the living room. The rest of her family were already set, waiting for her to come so that they could start eating their well deserved dinner. Upon placing the vase in the middle and sitting down without talking across from her sister, Satine saw all her mother’s dinner preparations for the first that day.

All of the bowls in front of them contained some vegetable soup, made of carrots, parsley and potatoes which she could imagine were the leftovers of yesterday’s puree. The main course was put to the corner next to her mother so that she could fill the wide, empty plates without getting up and leaving the table. Inside, there was a roasted rabbit covered in the rosemary and sage sauce that her father had acquired from District 12, when he was called over there last month for an issue about surveillance. Behind it, she could see the pasta Gleam and she made in winter, was cooked and decorated with tomatoes from their garden. Of course, the dessert was out in the open too. The apple cake was both the daughter’s favourite so it wasn’t much of a surprise but it still made her happy. 

“Tomorrow’s the big day, huh?” It was her father who had broken the silence that usually lasted the whole dinner or at least until Shine loudly started to talk about her day.

“Yeah, that might be the only thing we all agree about as a country.” Her mother replied, without even lifting her gaze across the table. “The Games are important, whether it be your flesh and blood fighting for their life or the biggest show of the year.”

The word “show” stole the little girl’s attention from the flowers. “Can I watch The Hunger Games this year Ma? Pa always said that I could after I started school.”

“We’ll talk about it after tomorrow, okay? You can probably stay until the tributes are in the arena.” Answered the tired woman, holding out her hand indicating that she didn't want to discuss the topic any further.

Satine remembered begging her mother to let her see something about the Games everyone was talking about when she was Shine's age. It had taken a lot of convincing but she had managed to sit down with her parents until the Bloodbath and then she had cried for not being able to watch the rest. Only when her name was written and put in the bowl that determined some children's lives, could she sit through everything, without having to sneak around at night with Gleam. The first game she was actually interested in was three years ago, when a girl from District 8 had won. 

She could thoroughly understand her sister's desire in this case so as a rare occasion, she skipped the chance of protesting against her. Instead, she changed the topic. “I will start working with Mrs. Flatterson next week.”

“We're so proud of you, dear. You couldn't have found a better place to spend your summer at, this ought to increase your chances at succeeding in Profession classes next year as well as getting a job later on.” Her mother commented, nodding her head.

“If you do well enough, maybe she will take you under her wing right after graduation.” The very thrilling and expected idea came from her father who had finished his soup and was passing the bowl to his wife.

Seeing even her sister stop playing with her food, Satine decided to lean more into the conversation at hand. “Yes, everyone agrees that she is the best at her job and thanks to all the time I’ve spent with Gleam, she knows me plenty. I want to work with her for a few years so that when I’m ready for it, I can prepare and submit my diamond necklace collection to Capitol.”

There wasn’t anything in the entirety of Panem that Satine could call “a dream” more than living in Capitol. She had expressed this often when talking about her future with her parents at night in the past years but recently, she had stopped mentioning it as a possible and wanted reality for herself because of the reaction she recevied, all the while still clinging to it secretly. Of course she knew that district people never made it to Capitol, not entirely. Why else would the Victors return to their respective Districts after every tour or event? Yet, a part of her was insisting on believing that she could somehow find a way to a life in the gem of Panem. That name itself had given her the idea, no one could be more deserving of a life there than the best girl from the district that was responsible for gems.

“Capitol?” Questioned her mother. “I thought we were over this, Satine. Honestly, it was partially understandable when you were young but it can only be called a delusion at your age. You should know better.” 

“No harm can be done from trying, Mum. Besides, either way this gives me a reason to create something enchanting.” She argued calmly as she fixed her posture.

“I know deep in my heart that you will be celebrated in life but this fallacy of yours scares me a great deal! Let go of it for your own sake.” She warned her daughter before the latter could try to reason with her.

The man at the head of the table concurred with her. “If all goes expectantly, you will outdo us. However, that doesn’t change the fact that you will live your life here. The sooner you accept you’re not going to make it to Capitol, the better for you.”

“I understand you, I truly do, but all the reasons are still not answering why I should limit myself.” Satine said, raising her voice involuntarily. “I won’t become the thing that stands in my way!”

“Don’t raise your voice at me, young lady!” Boomed her father’s words in a way that made Shine jump and hit her knee. “You don’t understand us because you do not know just how lucky you are to be here and not in another district! As your father I hope that your entitlement won’t come back to hurt you because that is all I can do.” 

How she hadn’t missed these hidden threats! She was more than tired of hearing the shutting down of any topic that scratched the surface of an uncharted territory and yet, her parents weren’t tired of doing it. She decided to let today’s argument pass more smoothly than others considering tomorrow they would be apologetic and her resigned attitude would once again help her.

“You can always marry a Victor. Shimmer told me that they go to Capitol every year.” Just as they all were returning back to their dinner the youngest member of the family was heard.

After laughing out of frustration for a moment her mother replied in her place. “Maybe she will. It wouldn't surprise anyone.”

“Now, why would you ‘limit’ her, Araminta? She can become a Victor herself.” Her father said mockingly. “That's what tomorrow is for.”

If there ever was something Satine wouldn’t stand, it was being mocked. In her opinion, the right to make someone the object of one's amusement came directly from superiority over them and while the man talking was her father and one of the most important people in District 1, she could claim that she was inherently better than him through the undeniable truth of her being closer to those who he was taking orders from. Consequently, it was expected of her to protest in one way or another now but as a different kind of calmness took over her, she didn’t.

“Of course, I can.” Smiling sickeningly, she continued while holding eye contact with her father. “I can become the best Victor District 1 has ever seen or will.”

Chapter Text

Even though very rarely, there were times when the Vicunas would finish the night without saying more than two sentences to each other and thanks to the conversation about Satine’s undying admiration and obsession with Capitol, the one before the 27th Hunger Games had been added to the list. Her mother had scolded them both for the matters they were joking with, right after hearing what she said and then there had been complete silence for the next few hours.

Bored of waiting for her parents to retire for the night, Satine decided to go to bed early even though it was almost certain that sleep wouldn’t come to her any time soon. She dropped the book in her hand that she was barely reading and uttered a soft, “Goodnight.”.

“Goodnight, honey.” Replied her father nonchalantly, as if their last conversation had been about something trivial.

Her mother seemed to be more aware even though she was practically sleeping on the couch she was laying on. “Sweet dreams, darling. We should go to bed too, we all have an early morning.”

Not minding her mother’s last sentence, Satine kissed the cheeks of both her parents and went to her room. After carefully changing into her nightgown and brushing her unmoved hair, she felt the need to go to her sister’s room. While they were going to be together until the Reaping, years of experience had taught her that the morning was going to be chaotic. The fact that Shine was silent and still when sleeping was also a pretty good reason too. 

She quietly opened her bedroom door to not draw her parents’ attention and in three steps she was inside the smallest room of their house. Although they were almost impossible to see because of the darkness, Satine took the two dolls that she knew to be on the floor and put them blindly in the cabinet next to her. Turning to the small bed and the little girl in it, she genuinely smiled for a few seconds. Shine was really deserving of the name given to her with every sparkling and glittering inch of her personality and Satine was very appreciative of her sister when she wasn’t annoyed. She leaned down to kiss her temple only to realise that the little girl was very much awake.

“Why aren’t you asleep, Shine?” She whispered in a strict yet worried tone.

“I was thinking about tomorrow.” In the split second her sister stopped speaking, Satine thought that it was because she was scared of Satine’s name being called in the Reaping. While she tried to find the right words to explain to Shine that the chances of her being chosen were very low and they were safe, the little one continued. “I don’t think Ma will let me watch the Games.”

The disinterest and ignorance for Satine’s well being was very obvious today. She couldn’t help but get angry at how the people closest to her have been acting all day. It wasn’t like she was wrapped in a bubble that protected her from the Games. Was it so hard to consider that maybe tomorrow would be her last day in District 1?

She tried her best to not sound the way she was feeling. “Well, I can talk to her if you promise me that you won’t get caught up in them.”

“Thank you, I love you so much! I promise!” Shine screamed quitely, reaching for her sister to hug.

Immediately shushing her, Satine unwrapped the arms around her neck. “Is this how you’re not getting caught up? You know that if you act like this they won’t let you watch it, right? Go to sleep now.” She pulled the blanket up to cover Shine’s shoulders and left the room.

In her room, she went to bed and fixed her pillow so that she could look outside without having to sit up. Her window was facing their backyard so, unlike everyone in their house, she would usually leave it open along with the curtains to feel the air and see a glimpse of the clear sky. The night seemed very peaceful with the tree branches slowly moving from side to side. Since everyone preferred to be with their families on the eve of the Reaping, not a single sound could be heard. Satine wondered if it was the same in every district, surely the circumstances were different in the far off ones, like 8 or 12, since they were sending their kids to be slaughtered but the feelings shared by every parent, friend, sibling and lover ought to be similar even if the odds were different. Although they were close in ideals and general experience in the Games, she didn’t know how alike District 1 was with the other “Career Districts” either. Maybe another version of her family in District 4 was getting ready to sleep and hoping that it wouldn’t be them tomorrow, maybe their child would get reaped or maybe they would volunteer and maybe they would win. Satine started to drift away as these thoughts continued in her dreams.

Very early in the morning, the front door was shut as quitely as possible as the general left his home to check if everything was perfect for the Reaping a few hours later. Waking up promptly to the sound, Satine thought about going to the garden to catch her father for a second but then decided against it. There were always more cameras in Districts 1, 2 and 4 than the others and it was his job to make sure that Capitol didn’t witness any signs of indecency. The task was stressful enough on its own, she didn’t want to be a reminder of his own happiness being indirectly tied to today. 

It appeared as the night had turned into day in a proper manner since the sun was shining brightly despite the hour. Knowing it was too early to start getting ready but also too late to go back to sleep, she decided to make tea for herself and drink it in the back garden. She got up soundlessly to not wake her sister or mother up and went to the kitchen. 

There was a certain calmness upon Satine as she was sitting on the swing in their backyard. Almost no thoughts were passing through the brain which normally wouldn't even stop when the girl would close her eyes to sleep. It was as if every part of her had agreed on something but they had forgotten to let her consciousness know. 

She was staring at the small table in front of her, where the whole family would take their breakfast when her father would stay home in the morning. All of their places were set here, just like it was in the living room. The school life of both of the sisters had already been mapped out by their parents when they started to walk and their professional lives couldn’t really vary in any way. The holidays had a routine not very different from the school days, even the times they would visit their grandparents were planned in advance. Unless Satine failed horribly in her job, there was an expected salary and house waiting for her. There wasn’t a real way to surpass this monotonous life, not if she continued on with it.

Finishing her tea, she knocked on the glass door of the balcony. She didn’t have a watch but it would be a good guess that enough time had passed to get ready for the Reaping and her mother was awake. Not a minute later she heard Shine’s footsteps and then saw her with a hairbrush in hand.

“Good morning! Ma was asking where you were just now. She said it’s time to get dressed.” Exclaimed the little girl, as she kept brushing her tangled hair. 

Satine replied while getting inside and closing the door behind herself. “Good morning, baby. No brushing in the kitchen, do it in your room.” 

Passing through the corridor she met with her mother in her room. She was already dressed in a long, white summer dress with orange patterns and had her hair in a perfect bun. It took her a few seconds to notice her daughter as she was tidying up her bed.

“Oh, Satine, I’ve left your dress on the chair. I’m going to prepare some breakfast for Shine, would you like something?” The woman asked hurriedly.

Walking past her to take her dress off the chair Satine glanced at her mother for a moment. “No, thank you. I’ve had some tea while waiting for you to wake up, that’ll hold me until we come back.”

“Okay then, is fifteen minutes enough for you?” Without waiting for an answer she exited the room.

A quarter hour meant that Satine wasn’t going to have time to admire herself in the mirror. The white dress she wore had short flutter sleeves and an asymmetrical cut. It was very similar to silk in terms of feel so to an untrained eye it would look like it too. Since it was a plain dress, she had decided to wear a small tiara that matched her hair colour to stand out from the crowd. 

Her mother was waiting for Shine to finish eating when Satine called on them. “Unlike you, I actually have to be there in ten minutes. Are you coming or should I go alone?”

“Shine, go put your shoes on.” Replied her mother indirectly as she put the dishes in the sink.

The little girl did as she was told and used the few seconds apart from her mother as an opportunity. “Did you talk to Ma yet?”

“No and if you pressure me, I won’t.” Ending the conversation in a moment, Satine walked towards the front gate.

All of them were silent on the way to the square due to varying reasons. They could hear the noise of the crowd from where they were and seeing the amount of people rushing towards the same place wasn’t helping their anxieties either. Instinctively, Satine had passed her mother and sister because while they were going to stay at the back, she was supposed to get in the line behind the eighteen-year-olds. The lines were established from the oldest to the youngest to avoid problems with the volunteering process.

Catching a glimpse of Gleam’s yellow dress in the line, Satine turned back and waited for her mother to get close so she could give her a temporary goodbye. “Will you wait here until I come back or can I stay with Gleam a little?”

“You can stay, darling. I’m sorry about yesterday.” Her mother kissed both of her cheeks. “We really do believe in you but Panem doesn’t work the way you want it to.”

In an appreciative tone Satine responded with a quick “I know.” and waved goodbye to them.

After their talk yesterday, both of the girls had decided to be softer separately which was why Gleam looked delighted to see her best friend. “Oh, you look beautiful!”

“Why, thank you. So do you!” The older one smiled before continuing. “How are you feeling?”

Pausing for a moment the taller one fixed her posture. “Fine, I just want this to be over, really.”

“Well, it should start any minute now so basically it’s almost over.” Satine laughed. 

As she predicted, the peacekeepers started counting the potential tributes by having them come forward two steps from their line one by one. Since they would always start with the eighteen-year-olds, Gleam had time to get back to her place which was towards the middle of sixth timers. The children were given their numbers depending on their parents’ rank in the district. Although Satine’s situation wasn’t common and there could have been a debate if she or the mayor’s daughter deserved Number 1, the other being two years older had solved the problem from the start. 

Following a tiresome hour of counting, the mayor took his place on the stage as the cameras started rolling. “Ladies and gentleman, it is with my great honour and pleasure today that I welcome you all to our Reaping Ceremony for the 27th Hunger Games!”

“How funny!” Satine muttered to her best friend’s ear as she had come back to stay behind her after the counting. “Now that his daughter is safe, he seems to be as careless as Marcus Feast.”

While the two girls were talking to each other in hushed voices, the mayor had finished the same speech that he gave every year about the Rebellion and The Hunger Games and started listing the previous Victors’ names in order to call them on to the stage. “Now, a big round of applause for the best of District 1! Victor of the 3rd Hunger Games, Lear Glint. Victor of the 5th Hunger Games, Caius Garnet. Victor of the 12th Hunger Games, Marivel Bloom. Victor of the 18th Hunger Games, Flare Cervelt. Victor of the 20th Hunger Games, Polluxia Corcoran.” 

Using the noise that surrounded them as a shield, Gleam asked a question that she knew would lighten up the mood for them. “Satine, is it just me or is Mr. Cervelt becoming more and more handsome every year?”

“It’s just you, shut up!” Said the older one in a tone she wished to appear serious but they both knew that she was blushing.

Finally, the escort appointed to District 1 by Capitol came forward from where he was standing and greeted the crowd. “Welcome to all of you! As you know we haven’t had a Victor since dear Polluxia here and I believe that this will the year you will change that. May the odds be ever in your favour!”

Satine had recently started to find this phrase to be very explanatory of The Hunger Games. Physical force wasn’t as important as it used to be in the arena anymore and intelligence could take a tribute only so far. One had to have the entirety of Panem on their side so that the circumstances would be easier to manage and if that wasn’t possible, they had to be the luckiest one in there. 

“Ladies first!” Exclaimed Marcus and mixed the tiny pieces of paper in the glass bowl for a minute before pulling out one in an extravagant manner. “Gleam Flatterson!”

Satine felt Gleam’s hand grabbing her shoulder in order to avoid falling. Her grip was so tight but it was gone in a moment and she saw her best friend headed for the stairs of the stage. Unintentionally, half of her mind was busy with thinking that there was no way Gleam was worrying about Castor or anyone else anymore. 

The girl took her place next to Marcus and he didn’t waste a second for the most exciting part of the Reaping. “Any volunteers?”

Suddenly, every thought hidden from Satine’s consciousness in the morning made their appearance. The only way to have what she had always wanted was to volunteer and right now was the best possible time for it. Even if she didn’t get reaped, a part of her was praying for that, this would show her parents just how serious she was about everything. With Gleam being up there, she had an excuse for everyone else that wasn’t easy to come by. She was going to volunteer.

Raising her head and hand at the same time, she saw that two girls in front of her had also decided the same thing. Their potential escort from this moment on seemed to be having fun as he invited them on to the stage. “Three volunteers who want to represent their district, come on up ladies!”

The volunteers made a small line next to Gleam based on their age. Even though there were two people between them Satine could see that her friend had stopped crying silently from the side of her eye, all that she felt now was confusion. Meanwhile the second glass bowl was retrieved. Taking the cameras into consideration Marcus started explaining. “Now, I will give you three numbers and you will put them in this bowl alongside Gleam Flatterson’s paper. The paper I pick will determine the female tribute of District 1.”

Much to Satine’s dismay, the numbers were going to be given in order of the one closest to him, meaning that she was going to be Number 3. “Excuse me, do you mind if we change? 1 is my lucky number. Thank you.” Without waiting for the girl’s answer she walked over and almost snatched the small paper from Marcus’ hand before putting it to the bowl that only had Gleam’s name in it. 

While the other girls were doing the same, Satine decided to smile for the cameras. Sympathetic tributes’ road started at the Reaping she reckoned. The contrast between her and her best friend was very dramatic since the other had started crying again. She couldn’t tell if this was in her favour or not.

“The moment you’ve all been waiting for, the female tribute of District 1 for the 27th Hunger Games shall be,” He made a pause to read the paper in his hand. “Number 1!” Turning his head towards the girls standing next to him, he looked expectantly.

Satine swallowed hard. Was this real? Was she really going to The Hunger Games? The smile she had crafted disappeared promptly. There were no turning backs after this. “Satine Vicuna.” She said in a low tone so that her voice wouldn’t tremble. 

“Please congratulate our volunteer female tribute, Satine Vicuna from District 1!”