"She won the game with 13. Youngest ever. Mary Kenner. Or better known as 'bloody Mary'. She is one of the capital's favorites. They see her as a sweet young woman. She's very kind and helpful, but some people say that she's insane."
"What's so spec...
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The crowd laughed, cried, believed all this bullshit. When a tribute told a heartbreaking story, they cried relentlessly and when the tribute told a joke, they laughed like there was no tomorrow. The children sitting in the audience watched as if it were their favorite show. The older ones made bets and wondered who would be the winner. Who they would like to be the winner. Who they would like to pay for.
Districts 1, 2, and 3 had already had their turn. Mikael had been before her. He had done well. The audience laughed, and many women looked at him rapturously.
"And now a girl who volunteered for her sister. A very, very brave girl, I must say. At only 13 years old, she saved her sister's life. Welcome with me, Mary Kenner from District 4!"
People shouted for her. They cheered for her. A security guard nodded to her, indicating that she could walk onto the stage. As she stepped onto the stage, her breath caught. It was bright, very bright. Nevertheless, she could see the mass of people. She put a smile on her lips and sat down on the chair.
"Hello, Mary. How are you?"
"I'm a bit nervous to be honest." a nervous smile could definitely be seen, especially as the crowd laughed at her answer.
Caesar laughed. "No need to, dear. Tell me, what did you think when they said your sister's name at the reaping?"
She swallowed. "Well, um ... I was scared. I love all my siblings and would never want to lose them. I prayed all day that none of our names would get selected."
The crowd watched the conversation intently. It was customary for Districts 1 and 2 to volunteer. But for the others? Rare. So when a girl from District 4 volunteered this year, and then for her sister? Everyone knew that was going to be the favorite.
"And then you volunteered."
"Yes, I did. I felt the need to protect her." I promised to protect her.
Some women let a few tears fall and wiped them away with a tissue. Nothing was better than sympathy.
"You shocked us all with your amazing performance with the 11 points. Tell me, how did you do that?" Caesar leaned forward and looked at Mary expectantly. Good question, how had she done it exactly?
"I charmed them." Laughter erupted amongst the crowd as Mary watched nervously. Was it that easy? Was it that easy to enchant the crowd?
When the laughter ended, Caesar continued. "Now let's get to the parade. Your dress was beautiful! Absolutely phenomenal. And your outfit today, beautiful." A few whistles came from the audience. Mostly from boys a little older than Mary. They laughed amongst themselves. Mary, meanwhile, shifted nervously in her chair.
Mary smiled slightly. "Thank you very much. Arthur, my designer, is the best." She looked into the crowd and saw Arthur sitting down. He smiled back and brushed away a tear.
"But what's the dress without the right model?" Caesar looked at her expectantly with a smile. Mary's cheeks flushed. She felt uncomfortable. "Do you think he'd make one for me?"
"I'll ask him." The crowd laughed at her answer. They loved her.
Caesar laughed. "It's so lovely to talk to you. Unfortunately, it has to come to an end. Your family is probably watching, aren't they?"
"Yes. They're supporting me." The more Caesar asked, the more uncomfortable she felt. What would come next?
"Say something to them." He pointed to the camera that was filming everything and transmitting it to the television.
Mary just looked at Caesar for a few moments. Then she looked into the audience, where Arthur and Elle were sitting. They both nodded to her encouragingly. She could win even more hearts that way. She paused and then thought before staring into the camera. "I love you all equally with all my heart. I'll come back home. I'm safe, and you don't need to worry about me. Till we see us again."
She's not safe.
She was never safe.
She'll never be safe.
Not after this.
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Author note:
Hi,
thank you so much for 100k Reads! It just feels so unreal. I'm really sorry that I didn't post anything to this story in the last months. And I'm thankful for everyone, who is still reading this story after this long pause. I hope you liked the chapter, and I'll try to update more.
