A Part to Play // Hunger Games

23 // Not Again

"You're supposed to keep it in your pants, not your personality" - Jefferson Lake (knightsrachel)

***

Aria's year was the best one she'd had up to that point, and it was all due to her extended family, that she considered more of a family to her than her actual blood-father. The young girl was now surrounded by love and genuine people who all cared about each other.

She got really close to Haymitch, Pietro, Tanner and Ulisses during the year and now considered them as family as well as Layon, Fae, Josh, Finnick and Johanna. And with her help, Haymitch was able to get himself clean - at least under normal circumstances, reaping day not entering that category.

She was still closest with Josh, building an unbreakable bond with the young man over the time that they had known each other, bordering two years.

And president Snow had not been a threat to her. He even tried to, but the young girl was growing stronger by the day and she wasn't scared of the old man any more than she was scared of butterflies - which she wasn't at all.

But nothing good can last for too long, as her birthday - therefore, also the reaping day - was approaching. The girl, apart from being scared to actually mentor that year's tributes, was very excited to spend her fourteenth birthday with all of those she cared about. Josh was organizing a small kind of party - but not really a party, because the girl didn't exactly want that - with all of the residents of District Five's Victor Village - except Villòn, for he still held the strongest dislike for the youngest Victor - for them to all come together and have one last carefree night before they both had to leave. The girl had done the same kind of party thing for Josh's birthday and it had been awesome and one of the best days of the year for them.

***

The day came and Aria was woken up by her closest friend's horrible out of key singing, which made the young teen smoosh the pillow on top of her head, to try and muffle the sound that resembled that of a dying cow.

"JOOOSH." Was heard throughout the youngest Victor's house in an annoyed matter, making the called-for man laugh out loud at his accomplished mission.

"Yes sunshine?" He asked the grumpy girl, liking to tease her with ironic nicknames every time she got a strong emotion - he obviously was sensible enough not to do it after a nightmare, though.

"You suck at singing." She replied, giving out a small smile and eye roll at the young man, unable to stay annoyed at him for long.

"You wound me Ari." He called, feigning hurt as the man brought his hand to his heart. 

"Happy birthday!!" The young Victor exclaimed, hugging his close friend, almost house mate at that point, none of them going back to sleeping in separate houses all alone after they discovered that it was way better to have someone there to support them through a tough night, still in the rotating houses regimen. Except for when the man had to leave for his Capitol 'visits', when the young girl would go over to Dania's.

The youngest Victor smiled and hugged him back, both of them making their way to the kitchen, which was exhaling a mouthwatering scent. The girl guessed that her fellow female Victor was probably over, cooking something for them.

Right she was, as both friends entered the room and saw the older woman making some pancakes, her back turned to the kitchen door.

"Dania!" The girl called, making the kind-hearted woman turn around smiling at both of the younger Victors, putting down her spatula and opening her arms to give the birthday girl a motherly hug. She knew that Aria never knew her mother, as the late woman had died during childbirth, and tried her best to be that motherly figure to the teenager.