Bloody Rose

Chapter One

He looked at the shirt as if surprised by its existence and gave the shrug of a young man of limitless options.

"Are they? Well, that explains why they remind me of the maid's bathroom," Coriolanus responded, drawing a chuckle from her friends.

"Have you tried this lamb? It's scandalous." Felix spoke, eating it with his fingers.

"Did daddy not teach you table manners, Felix." Festus sneered, leaning in.

"Maybe he would have if he wasn't so busy running the country." He glared at Festus before looking at Coriolanus and Arachne. "They called us here for the Plinth prize, right?" He sighs, looking over to where the family stands. "Plinth... and look at his spawn. Who would have thought that you could buy your way into the capital."

Coriolanus turned to see Darcienna laughing at something Sejanus's mother had said, her arm looped through his. The way she turned to smile at Sejanus made him clench his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white.

"Mm, you can't buy class. If I have to hear one more time how immoral these hunger games are I'll put him in the arena myself." Festus' words make Coriolanus turn, meeting Arachne stare. "Oh Darcienna..." Festus says, nodding his head as the two approach the group. "Sejanus, you made it to the reaping for once."

"And you made it to graduation Festus we're both shocked." Sejanus says a mocking smile on his face.

Darcienna laughs, making Coriolanus look down at her. Her hair is still tied up with that ribbon however now he notices that her dress indeed wasn't black but a deep crimson color.

"Spill it who won the prize?" Arachne snapped, earning a glare from her half-sister.

"Oh no, I'm not going to ruin my father's big day. No one here actually likes him, but they do love his money." Sejanus turned his head and met her gaze. "You know what that's like don't you, Arachne?"

She scoffed, "Funny." She turned to go take her seat, the rest of them following her leaving just Coriolanus, Sejanus, and Darcienna.

Coriolanus nodded towards their retreating forms. "Getting in all your jabs this morning?"

Sejanus gave a wry smile. "Everything I said was true, wasn't it?"

Darcienna sighed from between the two of them. "Yes, but now she's going to be in a sour mood for the rest of the day." She elbowed Sejanus, drawing a laugh out of him. "And I'll have to pay the price for it."

Before he could reply a bell rang and their fellow classmates converged at the front of the dais.

"I guess it's time to assign us tributes," Sejanus said glumly.

Coriolanus and Darcienna followed him to where a special section of chairs, six rows by four, had been set up for the mentors.

"Hey, listen..." Sejanus whispered to Coriolanus as they took their seats. "Um, I know you have high hopes for this... but there is no prize today, not anymore."

Darcienna saw as Coriolanus went pale at Sejanus's words. "What?"

A woman broke their conversation with her laughter that echoed around the room. "How lovely it is to see all your shining young faces on this auspicious day. I am Dr. Volumnia Gaul, your humble head gamemaker in charge of the war department and all its affiliated concerns. I am honored to introduce to you the creator of the Hunger Games themselves, Dean Casca Highbottom."

"Select students, faculty, and of course Dr. Gaul." Everyone turned to watch as the Dean made his way to the front of the hall. "I have summoned you all here today for the tenth annual reaping ceremony. In which we choose two children from each district to throw into the capital arena to fight to the death in the Hunger Games." Finally making it to the front of the room all the students could tell he had taken a dose of Morphling. "However, I am here to tell you that there has been a change this year, one final assignment to prove your worth because the esteemed citizens of the capital have grown bored of the games and simply aren't watching anymore. The Plinth prize will no longer be determined by who has the best grades."

"Excuse me?" Arachne snapped, but Dean Highbottom continued.

"But by who is the best mentor in the Hunger Games. Your role is to turn these children into spectacles, not survivors. Oh, and anyone caught cheating to give their tributes an unfair advantage will be severely punished." He states, waving a crumpled piece of paper over his head. "Reading the things off now." The students hushed, trying hard to hear him above the din of the hall. "Read you a name, then you who gets that one. Right? So, fine. District One, boy, goes to..." Dean Highbottom squinted at the paper, trying hard to focus. "Glasses," he mumbled. "Forgot them." Everyone stared at his glasses, already perched on his nose, and waited while his fingers found them. "Ah, here we go. Livia Cardew."

Livia's pointed little face broke into a grin and she punched the air in victory, shouting "Yes!" in her shrill voice.

"District two boy... goes to Sejanus Plinth."

Darcienna gasps as Sejanus flinches, both of them recognizing the boy they used to go to school with.

"Four, girl... Festus Creed."

"District Eleven... boy, Clemensia Dovecote."

Coriolanus and Darcienna both looked at each other as the reaping progressed to the last district.

"And last but least, District Twelve boy belongs to Darcienna Crane, and girl goes to Coriolanus Snow."

A/N: I can't believe I finally posted this! I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and as always comments and votes are always greatly appreciated <3