𝙻𝙾𝙽𝙶 𝚂𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚈 𝚂𝙷𝙾𝚁𝚃 || 𝚃𝙱𝙾𝚂𝙰𝚂

𝙾𝙽𝙴

❝I'll be there on their side, i'm losing by their side❝
- I Bet On Losing Dogs (Mitski)

THE 10TH ANNUAL REAPING

A jet black car pulled up outside of the academy as Atlas Carlson stepped out of it. He wore a full black suit with gold designs crawling up from his wrists. He swiftly made his way into the building, anxious about who was going to win this years Plinth Prize.However, he knew the winner; so did everyone else, it would most likely go to his classmate Coriolanus Snow. Atlas tolerated him at most, their mutual friend Sejanus Plinth was the only reason that they talked to each other. He enters the marble infused building, looking for his friend. He manoeuvred his way through the crowds of people as he found Coriolanus with Arachne, Festus & Felix. Atlas made his way up to the group as they quickly changed the topic of their conversation.

"Have you tried this lamb? It's scandalous" Felix commented with his mouth full, his fingers were coated in the sauce that was on the lamb.
"Only the vulgar eat with their fingers, Felix" Festus scoffed, "what, Daddy not teach you table manners?"
"Maybe he would have if he wasn't so busy running the country" Felix remarked as he nodded his head at Atlas, acknowledging his presence,
"Hey, they called us here for the Plinth prize right? Because I heard that Dr. Gaul's in the building." He added.
"Probably some new weird thing she made cooped up in her lab" Atlas chipped in. The others nodded in agreement.
"Plinth, I mean look at his spawn. Who would have thought that you could buy your way into the Capitol?" Felix questioned.
"Well you can't buy class. Did you see his mother's outfit?" Festus smirked, "sorry, his 'ma's'" Felix chuckled.
"Dress a turnip in a ball gown, and it'll still beg to be mashed" Coriolanus taunted as everyone but Atlas laughed.
"Don't do that. We all know you like him." Arachne joked as she smiled into her glass.
"I don't like him, Arachne. I tolerate him, he's district." Coriolanus explained, Atlas hated every second of this conversation but he expected nothing less from his classmates, most of them disliked Sejanus just because he was district.
"Okay, sure" Arachne mouthed back to him as Festus and Felix talked to each other.
"I hear one more time about how immoral these Hunger Games are, i'll put him in there mys-" Festus was cut off as they all noticed Sejanus walking over towards them.

"Sejanus!" Atlas greeted him with a welcoming smile, shrugging off what the others had said about him.
"You made it to the reaping for once" Festus grinned,
"And you made it to graduation, Festus. We're both shocked" Sejanus retaliated as Atlas and Coriolanus tried to hold their laughs back.
"Spill it, who won the prize?" Arachne questioned, desperate to know the winner in advance.
"Oh, no i'm not going to ruin my fathers big day," Sejanus replied, "no one here actually likes him, but they do like his money. You know what that's like, don't you Arachne?" The rest of the group burst out in laughter as she sarcastically responded
"Funny".

Music started playing through the speakers, signalling everyone to sit down and get ready for the announcement of the Plinth Prize. Atlas took a seat between Sejanus and Arachne.
"Hey, listen. I know you have high hopes for this, but there's no prize today. Not anymore, i'm sorry" Sejanus whispered to Atlas and Coriolanus as they stared at him in disbelief.
"What?" Atlas uttered, not believing the words that had come out of his fiend's mouth. His thoughts were soon cut off by Dr. Gaul's cackles,
"How tantalising to see all your shining young faces on this auspicious day," Atlas was already getting bored and it hadn't even been a minute, "I am Dr. Volumnia Gaul, your humble Head Game-maker, in charge of the war department and all its affiliated concerns. I've broken free from my laboratory today to examine you, the next leaders of our generation, I won't be around forever after all." She chuckles as Atlas rolls his eyes, he thought that she was insane, everyone did, "and now to that end. I am honoured to introduce to you, the creator of the Hunger Games themselves, Dean Casca Highbottom."