𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝚁𝙾𝙺𝙴𝙽 𝚁𝙰𝚅𝙴𝙽 ~ 𝙲𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚞𝚜 𝚂𝚗𝚘𝚠

❆ PART 1 ❆

ISABEL'S POV

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I was sprawled over my bed, my dark brown eyes fixated on the moving black dot on the ceiling. The fly would continue its pace towards the molded corner of the wall in the small room I slept in, suddenly stop, wait a few, short seconds and then continue on. 

The morning was cold and quiet even in the middle of July. A person would think, people would be already out in the blooming orchards, crop fields or cattle farms, gathering the food and attending the small livestock we had. A person would think children would be out in the streets, their laughter echoing, even an occasional cry.

There was nothing.

All I could hear was the fluttering of that single fly's wings as it landed on the pile of dust on the windowsill. However, that shouldn't have been a surprise. After all, this happened each year on the 15th. Each year, on this exact date, one of the family's would be stripped from the happiness forever.

Last year, my family was one of them.

Good thing my parents didn't live long enough to see my brother being taken away.

I opened the faucet of the tap water, overflowing the glass cup I held. Taking quick gulps, I drowned the liquid, placing the cup back into the sink that was already filled with plates and utensils.

Looking around the small shed I realized how dirty it was. They moved me to the smallest one after the reaping last year figuring a 17 year old wouldn't need anything bigger just for themselves.

The rounded table right by the kitchen had a vase in the center that held a singular flower, surrounded by the dry petals of the other ones. The windows were murky, the rays of sunlight barely merging through. My last pair of white socks were already getting darker from the wooden floor I stood on.

I really should clean this place.

But, what was the point anyways? The only person that lived here was me and I didn't have any friends that would come over. Either way, I was leaving. If my plan worked, and fully worked, I would never see this place again. Everything would be different.

I put on my brown, long dress, and slipped into the boots, putting my dark hair into a side braid. As I headed out, I debated if I should bring anything with me. After all, Peter did say not to draw attention to myself.

Peter was the closest person I could call my friend. Maybe an acquaintance was a better word. He was a peacekeeper, but before that he was my classmate in the Capitol. We never talked there, but it was enough for us to remember each other as my family was handed to him and other peacekeepers from the train 4 years ago; the day we became a part of District 11.

He never told me what he did to become a peacekeeper, and I never asked. Neither did he ask me what my family did to be kicked out. At first, part of me wanted to know more about him, part of me wanted to become closer to him because he was the only one that reminded me of my home, but a part of me wanted to move on.

I searched for the ginger in the crowd. With the blue uniforms, it would've been hard to distinguish Peter from other peacekeepers, however not all of them had blazing red hair. When my eyes finally met his green ones, I slowly approached him, careful enough to not become the center of attention. However, the repeaing ceremony was starting; everyone focused on the mayor that was about to begin the opening.

"Two of my friends are assigned to load the tributes in," he spoke quietly and I instinctively moved closer to hear every detail, "They're going to be on duty so another person in the wagon shouldn't cause any problems."

"Shouldn't or you mean it won't?" I wanted to be sure. I didn't want to get caught. That was the last thing I wanted.

"As long as you lay low until you get inside the Capitol, you will be fine," he assured.

After the reaping ended last year, I was in a bad place. I would spend time at the bar at the end of the District, drinking and dancing the night away. One night, Peter was there and one thing led to another and we spend the night at my place.

The next morning when he had to get back we exchanged a couple of words. Most important ones were "that this will never happen between us again and that hr can't tell anyone about the fact that I am from the Capitol." We both agreed. However , the small conversation at the bar before we left was enough for me to know that he wanted to go back home as much as I did. So, we made a deal: he gets me to the Capitol, I get back what's rightfully mine and pay for his exchange back.

"Welcome to the 11th Annual Hunger Games."

As I was about to turn away from him and listen to the chilling voice of the mayor standing next to the district's escort, Peter grabbed my hand. "Don't ruin it Isabel. If this fails, we are both as good as dead."

I created greater distance between us. I wasn't supposed to promise him anything. But, something in me blurted out, "We waited for a year for this, nothing's going to come in the way."

However, at the end of the day, it was risky. It seemed impossible. There was too many guards, too many people that could recognize me, too many people that might be influenced from the rumors and want me hanged. The last of the Raven family standing.

Worst problem was, I didn't care. My mother was dead. My father was dead. My brother was dead.

Looking at it, I really had nothing to lose.

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Short but first chapter is up. This was just an intro but everything will quickly evolve. I hope you like it and consider sticking with it till the end.

What do you think Isobel's plan is?

If you have any ideas, recommendations or thoughts, please let me know. I'll be happy to hear them. Also, don't be a silent reader. Spam with comments; say whatever you want it's always fun reading them.

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