96th Reaping [District Five]

[hesper hart 🐺 d9f]

Victor Lysander was the glowing picture of health as she walked across the stage after her introduction as a mentor from Mayor Nox, whose dark circles and disheveled hair implied that he hadn't been sleeping. Understandable- the spectacle that was a reaping was no small feat to play such a key role in. Escort Salazar smiled through a green and blue snakeskin veil to reveal newly-sharpened teeth as he finally addressed the crowd. "It is time," he said as he stood over the impatient people of the District, "To once again send two of our own children to the Capitol to compete in the Hunger Games. Let us begin the Reaping!"

He did not look to see the reaction of his district before reaching into the glass ball that held the names of the children. "First up," the Escort announced, pulling out a slip of paper. He unfolded it and read out to the crowd, "Lionel Estrada!" He then reached into the ball again, selecting another name. "Holden Post!"


OOC - RPing is allowed. If you wish to volunteer, let the tribute post first either accepting or stepping down from their place for volunteers, and then post. If the tribute doesn't reply by Tuesday, January 30th, a staff member will post saying that volunteering is open. Please do not post until you see this staff message. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE.

Tributes, please do not make your acceptance or denial of your spot in character; instead, please leave an ooc note at the end of your post stating whether they accept or are stepping down for volunteers.

[ryan]

he got a letter today that he didnt think he was going to get. it was addressed to him as h. post. the insignia on the back had been watermarked onto the envelope. it had been from a program that he had applied for a couple months ago. he thought he wasnt going to get picked for it, seeing that it had been so long since he had heard anything.

he goes into the house where his parents are doing just enough to not focus on holden. most of the time, they were just tinkering with the solar panels they had just put in. however, the winter hadnt provided much renewable energy, the clouds obstructed everything that they needed. so the hot topic in the house was how do they get around that during the winter time.

they never really included holden in any of those conversations, mostly because they thought he couldnt handle the complexity that came with different sources of renewable energy. holden had worked hard to at least understand the solar side of things, but no matter how much explaining people did, holden just didnt see it.

he stuck to his own lane, and that was enough to keep holden out of harms way. he walked right into his room, the letter plopped right onto his bed. he changed out of his work uniform and into something that was a little more comfy. once he felt like he was relaxed enough, he grabbed the envelope and opened it slowly. he didnt want to rush into it just to be disappointed, seeing as he was sure this was a rejection letter.

the parchment had been thick and well made, like it had come straight from the paper mills in seven. when he flipped open the folds, his eyes had locked right onto the dear holden written in impressive cursive. he read the letter slowly, and much to his own dismay, this was not a rejection letter.

it was an acceptance letter.

his grin went from ear to ear, but he dare not make a ruckus right now. he took a deep breath and hopped right into bed. he knew what was coming tomorrow, and he wanted to be well rested. he could break the news to everyone after the reaping.

---

he woke up, the letter still on his nightstand as he sighed and began to stretch his legs. the creaks and cracks had been a sign that his body was not ready for what was going to happen today. when he walked out of his room, already in his reaping attire, he found a full breakfast waiting for him. his parents always had this tradition, they believed a full stomach would keep anyone from being reaped, simply because it worked for them.

they did not share any words, another tradition. they didnt talk until after the reaping.

he finished eating and they made there was out the door. they didnt live too far from the town square, the walk only being what holden assumed from fifteen to twenty minutes. he usually counted in his head to pass the time. he had been lucky so far and his name hadnt been called all this time. now he wasnt sure if that was his nerves getting the best of him, but he wasnt going to hold that against himself right now.

he had exciting news to share after this reaping.

the letter had been tucked into one of the pockets, and as he made his way through the crowd of other families, realized that he was going to have to leave his boss behind. a wave of sadness had hit him for a moment, but he quickly snapped himself out of it. he needed to keep a positive mentality for what was the come.

he pursed his lips for a moment as he got in line with the other children. the prick was intense this year, but once he was checked in, he joined the other seventeen year olds. he recognized a couple of them, but he didnt really say anything to them. then he looked over and saw his boss standing with the eighteen year olds. he stared for a moment too long, and thats when his boss smiled and waved right at him.

holden smirked for a moment, and then his face got hot. he looked down and focused on the ground until the escort had come up and banged on the mic.

holden looked up and realized that there had been a lot of electricity whirling through the air. he hoped the capitol was paying for all of this at the end of the day. it was such a waste of energy to host every year. he shook his head for a moment as he looked away from the tv that had been projecting something. he didnt want to think about the games. however, that was not realistic. today that was the only thing that was on everyones mind.

he took a couple deep breaths as the escort began to gush about the "amazing" opportunity before them. holden rolled his eyes, as he was sure that everyone in the district had. they moved to the glass bowl and holden watched closely as they picked one name.

lionel estrada

not holden post.

good. he took a small breath right up until the escort had dipped their hand into the other bowl.

they pulled up a slip, and opened it rather slowly, probably to create some suspense.

holden post!

good... wait, no. not good. what is going on. he never thought that his name would be called. this was not how everything was supposed to go. he did everything he was supposed too today. followed all the rituals, never thought about his name getting called, and even kept quiet around everyone he loved.

right as he was about to step forward, seeing as peacekeepers were already swarming the area he was in.

"i volunteer"

holden stopped in his tracks, the letter feeling even heavier in his pocket.

looks like he did do everything right after all.

[holden post does NOT accept the position
volunteer post coming soon]

[ryan]

it felt like it had been years since i even thought about amrin. i wondered wherever she went she had been happy. there hadnt been too much news since the last time i had checked. we were told that she accepted a job in another district. six actually. she had to work under secrecy, so that meant that she wouldnt be communicating too much with the outside world. when she wrote, it always made me happy. it was an unexpected gift in a way. my parents thought i was crazy for holding onto hope that one day she would come home.

they never realized just how close we were.

she was the reason i studied as hard as i did. she always pushed me, because she knew i had the potential to rival her. it was never about being enemies with her, she just enjoyed the fact that someone else liked learning things like she did. the difference was, she had a photographic memory, and all i had was a good study habit. amrin knew things like how to make a battery out of a potato and how to build a fire with only a couple of sticks. i never really could apply the knowledge i learned, just absorb it.

that didnt mean that i was useless though.

i spent a lot of time at the library that amrin and i frequented. they thought i was silly for showing up most days when i already read almost all of the books that they had in their possession. the thing is, they were comforting to me at this point. sure, i could have stopped going, but then i felt like i would have been denying apart of myself that i didnt want to let go of.

i wasnt ready to grow up.

---

i came home with an old book about wind turbines that they told me was going to be thrown out soon. they werent even sure why they had added it to the collection. i didnt pay too much mind, it was something that i hadnt read yet. i always liked learning something new, even if it was info that i knew quite a bit about.

as i came through the living room, my parents had been sitting at the dining room table, both of them occupied with a puzzle that they had won in a raffle years ago. "azure, make sure you get some sleep tonight." my father said to me as i walked up to him and gave him a hug. "ill be fine dad. tomorrow is just another day." i looked to my mom and gave her a light smile, she looked worried, and i hated when she wore that expression on her face. "but its reaping day." her hand extends out and touches mine. "lets not think about that guys. lets just think about it like a regular day." i rub my moms hand for a second before letting go of my dad "amrin wouldnt have sweated it.". they both give me a look. "amrin had aged out of the reaping sweetie." they both shook their head. "sometimes you are a little too care free." my mother laughs as i offer a small grin. "i know, but thats why you love me.". they both shake their heads and we all laugh.

its a tender moment.

i tell them both not to wait up for me as i head into my room. i needed some time to just be by myself. after all, tomorrow was my last reaping, and the last thing that i wanted to think about was how sad it would be if i was reaped. amrin always told me that it was statistically impossible. that my family made ends meet, which meant that i didnt have to take any tessera. so by this time, i maybe only had my name in that bowl a couple times. some other kids, well, they werent as lucky. amrin went so far as to do the math, an equation plastered on an old white board that she had salvaged from an abandoned school that had closed its doors a long time ago. she even questioned why the building was still there, but then she realized that wasnt something that needed to be answered.

it did not matter.

anyway, i went to my closet to pull out the white board. i kept it after all these years, just to remind myself the very little chance that i had to be reaped tomorrow. it was comforting, but not as comforting as the book i was about to read. i pulled it close to me as i opened the first page. i flipped through a couple before stopping on a page to see something scribbled in the corner.

i sighed, hating to see a book be blemished like this. until i took a closer look at the writing and then looked at the white board.

it was amrin's.

i was a little confused for a moment, but once i realized that this might have been a book that amrin had read already, i felt a little more intrigued. i continued to flip through the pages, seeing more scribblings of amrin's, each one detailing some "cliff notes" about the page they were on. that was probably how amrin was able to remember things so easily. shed just think of the things she had written before.

i smiled for a moment, trying to figure out a way to keep this book from the library. i flipped another couple of pages to find another scribble, but this time, it seemed like it was a little more rushed. it also, didnt really make sense. things are not as they seem here. i was confused for a moment, thinking that this couldnt be amrins writing, but when i pulled the white board back up, it was.

a couple pages after, another weird message. another one died today. death? what was amrin talking about.

eventually as i kept flipping pages, the messages started to become a word or two. something about help, and i think i know who it is. thats when i realized that there is a mystery behind this book that i did not know of. i got up out of bed and put the book on the desk. i pulled out a letter that i had recieved from amrin almost six months ago. i opened it and realized that the writing was almost similar, too similar. thats when i realized that it wasnt her writing. the way she dotted her i's were different.

i flipped through a couple more pages, but thats when i realized that there were no more messages written in margins. the last one saying if i dont make it out, you know why.

the thing is, i didnt know why. amrin was stil alive? right? i dont know why that is the first thing i jumped too, but a worried sigh and a nervous feeling is all i needed to convince me that i do not know the full story.

what the hell happened at the nox's.

the only way i was going to find out is if i found out myself.

---

i did not waste too much time on this, getting to bed only one hour later than usual. when i woke up, a dress had been laid out on my bed as well as a sealed letter. it was addressed to me. i opened it, reading it slowly before looking up at the mirror. tears streaming down my face as it revealed that there was in fact, more to the story about amrin. it wasnt signed, so i am not sure how it got in here, but i did not ask questions. i couldnt.

i needed to get through the reaping.

i slipped on the dress and put the letter in the pocket that i had sewn in myself. i walked out of my room and my parents had already been in the kitchen. last reaping day sweetie. i smiled as i looked at them longingly. "i know dad. i cant wait to put this behind me." i gave him a hug and then my mother right after. amrin though was still on my mind. "you know that book that i brought home yesterday?" i asked as i took a seat at the table. "what about it azure?" my mother asked nonchalantly as she placed a plate with some food on it. "what ever did happen to nox's estate after all the murders that took place." i asked as i took a couple bites of food. "youd have to ask the mayor about that." dad laughed, but i didnt. they didnt know.

i stood up and went back to my room for a moment, grabbing the book opening it to the very back. there i saw a little emblem at the bottom of the page. nx. nox. this book was from the nox estate.

i sighed and closed the book. a knock at the door meant that it was time for them to go.

i put the book on the desk and held onto the letter that i had received this morning. i was going to get to the bottom of this.

---

as i filed into the town square, there had been an awkward tension in the air. we werent given too much time to really sit in our own silence. my mouth might have not been open, but my brain was speaking in riddles quickly. when i saw mayor nox at the head of the stage, my hand formed into a fist.

he knows something that i dont.

i needed to try to get a private audience with him. the coded messages, the letter left on my dress, the fact that i havent heard anything from amrin in over six months? none of it made sense to me. the usual fanfare played, but it was all just background noise to me. i did not care what was going on around me, i was just focused on the fact that someone is lying to me about amrin.

i just wanted to see her again.

the escort moves to the microphone and tells everyone that they are going to start the process. i look at the bowl on the stage and realize that it is even bigger this year. there had been a ton of slips in there, and judging from the circumference, the odds of me being picked were slim to none.

i take a deep breath as i look up at the stage and lock eyes with mayor nox. my eyes furrow after, he is sitting there calmly, like he has nothing to lose. after the reaping i will get an audience with him. i watch as the escort moves to the bowl and pulls the first name.

lionel estrada.

nope. not me. good.

they all watch as peacekeepers move through the crowds. the escort swipes a second slip.

holden post.

not me again.

however, i am not elated. i am growing angrier by the moment as i watch mayor nox stand up as the children are being brought up on the stage. right as the first one makes it up, i see a peacekeeper tap on the mayors shoulder and i am dumbfounded. is he really going to leave right now?

no. i need answers.

what would amrin do in this situation?

i take a deep breath.

"live." i hear in my head. amrins voice is still clear as the sky was that day in my brain.

"i volunteer."

i dont even know why that left my mouth, but this would now garuntee me a chance to talk with mayor nox about whatever the hell happened that summer at his fathers manner.

the peacekeepers swarm in and they practically pull me to the stage. i do not know what is in store for me, but a microphone is shoved in my face. i am asked what my name is.

"azure delphine."

and i look mayor nox right in the eyes.

[azure delphine volunteers for the D5B spot]
[trib wall is up to the graphics team, miley cyrus FC. blonde hair pics perfered.]

[lionel estrada d5 ᥫ᭡ kiah]

Can you hear my heartbeat?
Tired of feeling never enough
I close my eyes and tell myself
That my dreams will come true

The lyrics rush through me, wrapping around my heart, around my soul, my very being. Eyes closed, arms burning, body covered in a thin layer of sweat I surge forward. My fist connects with the bag, and then my other. My punches land hard, in time with the beat of the music, one after the other after the other until nothing but the sound of my gloves against the bag, the beating of the music and the lyrics are all that mattes. Don't stop us now, the moment of truth, punch. We were born to make history, kick. We'll make it happen, punch. we'll turn it around uppercut. Yes, we were born to make history combo.

As the song comes to an end my breaths leave me in ragged un even pants. Sweat drips into my eyes, burning as I hastily wipe it away. For a moment the only sound is my heavy breathing, and the gentle sways of the punching bag as it begins to settle. I had had more pent up energy than usual this morning. Last night Wren had come home smelling like a fucking disaster, with no fucking cares in the world and yet Mother had still praised him like the golden boy he was in her eyes. Never mind the fact that I had been home all afternoon assisting her with numerous chores that had had me wanting to punch my head in due to the sheer boredom of the tasks.

Though she had thanked me and showered me with kisses, not once had she looked at me the same way she looked at her perfect little baby boy.

Perfect little Wren.

The thought alone has my shoulder tightening, and my fists balling in my gloves. But with effort, I shove the feelings away, slipping off the sweat soaked gloves I toss them in the corner of the room before slipping out of my shorts and jumping into the shower. Head tipped back under the cascading searing hot water, I push all thoughts of Wren and my mother to the back of my mind. Today was a big day. And not for the reason most might think. Sure there was a reaping, but that was nothing but background noise compared to the meeting that would take place after the annual event.

Tonight I was going to finally make my father proud. I was going to close my biggest deal and he was going to clasp my shoulder and say the three words I had been waiting half my life to hear, "I love you" "good work, son." The songs lyrics echo through my head once again, pounding like a mantra. Yes. When you believe in yourself, you are unstoppable . It was going to happen, because I was fucking born to make history.

Smiling, I step out from the shower and prepare for the biggest day of my life.

* * *

In the square my attention drifts from the stage. This morning before we had left I had made sure to add crush this deal onto my vision board, right next to the picture of Wren which I had pettily scribbled devil horns and an obnoxious beard onto one day in an attempt to lighten my mood. It had worked- temporarily, now it just made me feel foolish. However, I still refused to remove the image. Additionally I had tucked some notes into my pocket to read through the monotonous ceremony that we were forced to stand through year after year, to make sure that I was fully prepared for tonight.

Pulling out the notes now I flip through the contents, ensuring that I had every name memorised, in addition to each intricate details-

"Dude," an elbow is shoved into my stomach and my head whips up from my notes my lips pulled back into a snarl.

"What the fuck man," groan as I rub at my ribs, "that was uncalled for-"

"your name was called, Lionel."

I blink at the boy, cocking my head slightly as I stared at him with disbelief, "nah man, you got the wrong..." my voice trails off as a peacekeeper pushed their way towards me. "Wait, me? No no no," I chuckle. "There must be a mistake. Look," I sigh as the peacekeeper nears standing barely a foot away. "I have the biggest meeting of my life tonight. I- I dont have time for this." The peacekeeper grabs my arm, "sir, no need to man handle me." I try to pull out of his grasp but another joins and they herd me towards the stage.

I look towards the escort, my lips tilting up into the most charming smile I could muster after years of practice with charming the asses off my father clients. "Sir, do you mind if I call you Mr Salazar? I know you're a good man, my father speaks very highly of you you know. You see, the thing is I dont have time to play these games. You're a business man, correct?" I pause, clasping my hands together in front of my firmly as I studied the older man. "You understand? So you can understand that I request you to pick another name."

The peacekeeper shoves me in the back, towards the steps. "My Salazar?" I ask, but the man already had his hand shoved into the jar, fingers digging through the contents for the next name, ignoring me completely.

Rude.

lyrics: history maker (dean fujioka)

Lionel is ignored, and becomes d5a tribute
x x x