𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐒 ❦ The Hunger Games

three

It seemed like my wish had come true.

The doors to the justice building opened to reveal Zena, our escort, as well as multiple Peacekeeper's armed with batons and tasers. She wore a bright orange dress with white hair that was long enough to get caught beneath her heels, but her face was the opposite of her clothes, dull and as saddened as the rest of Panem's Victors as she gently waddled towards the stage.

"Welcome everyone to the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games, and to the third Quarter Quell."

Zena's voice wobbled greatly as she talked out to the District. She may have be from the Capitol, but she still watched first hand as the games ruined lives up until the point when she stopped caring anymore- she stopped trying so hard once she saw the way we snapped when we returned. It was a gift of District 5's Victors, they always ended up going insane. She was more than aware of it, that might have been why she didn't show the same patronizing video they did every year. Her obnoxious heels went straight towards the bowl for girls after a short moment of silence filled with unspoken words.

I don't want to choose these people. The Games have gone too far.

"As usual, we will start with the women."

Two slips of paper sat in the bowl, one of which mine. The paper was neatly creased and uniformed so that there was no way to guess which was which; nobody was supposed to know who was picked until it feel from the girl's overly large lips. As Zena's painted fingers curled around one of the slips my eyes found Lillian's in the crowd in a desperate attempt for comfort, where I finally, wholeheartedly let myself smile at her.

I wanted it to be ok when my name was drawn, even if she saw me leave straight after.

"Lorna Titan."

I breathed in the smile.

Everything had happened all too quickly this year. There wasn't a speech or some soppy video that gave me time to fester in my own anxiety, or a long pause before the name was announced when I could prepare myself for the feeling of my name being called so loudly in front of everyone I could of ever known. Instead, I had to process it while the event was happening. Instead, I had to watched as the crowd erupted into hushed whispers about who was going to go, and who was going to die as soon as she got into the Captiol.

They assumed I would off myself before the doors even opened, that was my ultimate legacy. The sorrow was what I was remembered for.

I turned to Evelyn when she took a small step forward, gripping her wrist to stop it from rising as her eyes burned with determination. I was desperate to save at least one family member from the games, blood related or not, so that there would be someone left for Lillian to have. My eyes pleaded with her to stop but as she just struggled more to volunteer my voice was forced to stop her.

"Please. She needs you." I whispered so quietly that she barely even heard me. "You're so much better at this than me; you know I wouldn't be able to raise her on my own.

Evelyn stopped her attempt to raise her hand and instead just stared at me- she allowed me the dignity of going to the arena to die even if she resented it- ultimately because she knew that I was right. I loved Lillian with everything left within me, but I wasn't her sister anymore, and I couldn't ever protect her like Eve could.

Everybody knew who would be chosen from the men, so I made sure that I was standing perfectly in the centre so that there was enough room to fit his broad shoulders behind the stage's pedestal.