"Dahlia Blossom. Don't let the name fool you. She's better known as the Black Dahlia. And she didn't earn that nickname by smiling and looking pretty."
"She sure knows how to perform for the camera."
"Because she knows how to play the game. She alwa...
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"Welcome, one and all, to the 70th Annual Hunger Games."
Dahlia and Alaric barely manage to contain the eye roll that has become a habit whenever Magenta speaks. He's harmless but clueless, blind to the struggles of people in the districts like all Capitol citizens.
Since arriving in District Five two days ago, Dahlia hadn't found any repercussions waiting for her when she returned home. Alaric was thrilled to have her back, greeting her with a welcoming hug. Lavender had mellowed slightly over the years but still wasn't ready to forgive her sister, only sending her a fleeting nod of acknowledgement. But the important detail for Dahlia, was that they were both alive. She'd become used to immediate consequences from Snow when she acted out and assumed he would act quickly. It seems this time he's decided to prolong her suffering by making her wait even longer.
Spacing out of the mandatory video that Magenta watches with eager eyes, Dahlia's mind replays the scenes from three days ago. The blood spurting onto her face. Yarrow's mangled body twisted unnaturally. The familiar carved smile staring back at her like it was welcoming her home. The Black Dahlia had escaped from the Games and taken her first victim in the hallowed halls of the Capitol.
Dahlia didn't regret what she had done. Yarrow was her most deserving target yet. But she did regret the punishment she would face for defying Snow once more. An unshakeable sense of dread was occupying her mind and she couldn't ignore the little voice in her head screaming that something bad was going to happen. She had crossed a line this time. Whatever Snow had in store for her, Dahlia knew it wouldn't be good.
"Wasn't that wonderful?" Magenta exclaims brightly as the video fades to an end. As usual, he receives nothing but silence from the crowd of anxious children waiting to find out whether they'll live to see another year. "Now is the time you've all been eagerly waiting for. Selecting one lucky young man and woman for the honour of representing District 5 in the 70th Annual Hunger Games." With the nervous eyes of tensed children staring up at her, Dahlia remembers the time when she stood in that place. Nothing could compare to the fear of wondering if this is the end of the line for you. Wondering whether this is the year your luck runs out. Back then she'd had her family to think about. Her mother, Rosie and Lavender stressing over Dahlia's chances of being picked as the dark-haired girl stood alone amongst a sea of apprehension and nerves. Now it's Lavender who stands alone, as she had done for the past few years. The sibling relationship was more strained than it had ever been, but Dahlia wouldn't change a thing about what she had done. She would volunteer every single time if it meant her sister wouldn't suffer the same fate.
Dahlia had tried to help Lavender prepare for the Reaping, even offering for the girl to wear the dress she'd worn at her Reaping. Her sister declined. She saw that dress as the Grim Reaper, hanging darkly over their heads like storm clouds. In her opinion, their lives fell apart the day Dahlia wore that dress and she wanted nothing to do with it. Dahlia hadn't had the heart to get rid of it. Afterall, it belonged to their mother. She decided to wear it herself, to feel closer to the family she'd lost that day... Including Lavender.
