The Mortal Games (Currently rewriting)

[Chapter One] •

I helped her wash her red hair. She continued to sob, trying to express her fears for today.

"Clary, what if I'm chosen? I won't make it through the arena! I'll be the first to die, surely-" Valentina tried saying the same thing every year, and it always scared me to hear her talk like this.

"You won't be chosen Valentina. Your name is only in the bowl two times." I told her, scrubbing her dirty hair with the rest of our clear water.

Val sniffles quietly. It took everything in me to not grab and hold her wet body to my clothed one.

Quickly ushering Valentina out of the tub, I got in. The water had turned a murky brown color after my sister had bathed, so I had to wash in dirty water. It wasn't anything new, everyone in the Seam of district 12 had to wash in dirty water.

I washed my hair and body with the last of the honey soap I'd gotten from countless trades at the Hob. I scrambled out of the dirty tub once my fingers began to prune.

Valentina and I had exactly two hours before we had to be in the Town Square for the reaping.

I found Val sitting on her bed, wearing just her undergarments. She held her small head in her artist hands. I sat down beside her, placing my hand at the top of her back, rubbing it soothingly.

It wasn't fair. Valentina deserved to live her life free of the fear the Hunger Games brought. She deserved to finish her education at the public school the District offered. Valentina deserved the world, yet she was placed in one full of fear, full of hunger and full of death.

"I'm just so scared, Clary." Val whispered, looking up at me with puffy eyes. Her blue eyes were open, I could see into her soul like a window. She was terrified at the idea of being reaped.

"I know Val. You won't get reaped. Just breath, I promise to protect you." I told her, wrapping my thin arms around her skinny frame. It was more than apparent that neither of the two of us had much to eat these last two days.

I stood up with Valentina in my arms, forcing her head to look at me. Valentina was shorter than I was, standing at 5'0 to my 5'3.

"Let's get you dressed, you want to look pretty for Pip, don't you?" I glanced at Val's reddening cheeks and smiled. If there was one thing I knew would cheer Val up, it was the mentioning of her best friend.

I released my sister and quickly scanned the small wardrobe we owned. I quickly pulled out a white dress from the back, a gift from my father for my first reaping, only months before he passed away in the mines.

I turned towards Val and saw her eyes light up. I'd known for a while that she loved this dress, and it was finally time to let her wear it. My chest had outgrown it anyway.

"Y-you're letting me wear it?" She said quietly, almost afraid to ask.

A smile smile graced my face.

"I'm letting you have it. It's about time you got something new, even if it's a hand-me-down." I told her, placing the lacy material across her lap.

Valentina looked up at me, Love clearly written across her face.

"I love it, I don't care if it's not new. Thank you Clary, I'll cherish it forever." She said, sniffling again.

I placed a kiss on my sisters forehead and quickly helped her dress.

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I placed the last hair pin in Valentina's fiery hair. The elegant swirl matched her personality, delicate and mature.

Spinning around to the dirty mirror, Val gasped. I knew I'd done well.

"I look like mama..." she whispered. I blinked. We didn't talk about my mother.

When my father -well rather- Stepfather passed away in the mines when I was thirteen, she'd developed a weird sickness. She coughed up blood, her skin turned paler than considered healthy. Jocelyn Garroway-née Fray fell into a coma. She currently resides at the Apothecary shop, where the owner watched her for any signs of coming back. It was much to expensive to put her in the District Hospital, but Johnathon, Valentina and I's older brother, was able to come to an agreement that the Apothecary liked.

"Yes, you look so beautiful, I'm jealous." I told Valentina, making eye contact with her from the mirror. Val breathed in sharply, almost like she wasn't used to compliments. It was hard to believe that no one saw what Johnathon and I saw.

Valentina was a petite girl, with bright fiery red hair, and her father's blue eyes. She was easily going to be the most sought-out girl when she was older.

I placed a kiss to the back of Val's head and made my way back to the wardrobe, in hopes of quickly finding the green dress I struggled to get for this year. My last year for the reaping.

The green fabric was beautiful, easily the most expensive thing I owned. It was tight around the busy and hips, yet flowing gracefully toward the ground.

I quickly and quietly slipped the dress on, sliding my hunting boots on underneath.

"Oh Clary..." Valentina gasped. "You look so beautiful, I'm the one who's jealous."

Val and I look slightly alike, but while she looked like our mother, I had to many of my fathers features. Sharp cheekbones I found to be almost boyish, a small nose. I, thankfully, got my mother's Jade green eyes.

I quickly spun my hair into an elegant knot much like my sisters and ushered her out of our room. We had half an hour until we had to be at the Square, and I wanted her to eat something before we went.

We found Johnathon sitting on our old sofa, staring at the black screen of our old television. He looked deep in thought, and I could only guess what it was.

"Go ahead and get the last apple from the table and come back, you can eat it on the way to the square." I told Valentina, still looking at Johnathon.

I felt Val's quick, worried glance on my face before she headed toward the kitchen.

I sat down next to my older brother.

Johnathon was a handsome guy, with white hair and black eyes, the spitting image of the father we shared that Valentina didn't.

I leaned my head on his shoulder and his arm came around my shoulder automatically.

"I'm just so afraid, I only have to worry about you this one last time, Clarissa. But what about Valentina? She has five more years before she's out." Johnathon whispered to me, his head hung low. My heart clenched for my brother. He cared so much for us.

"I know, she won't get chosen though. We didn't let her sign for tesserae, she has a much lower chance than I do." I told him. I quickly lifted my head, and stood when Val came back into the sitting area. Johnathan stood as well, his face hard. His eyes told a different story.

"Let's head to the square." He said, wrapping an arm around Valentina.

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Hey guys, it's ya girl, Maddy. I've decided to go back and rewrite this whole story. If I don't like the rewrite by a certain chapter, I plan to stop writing it indefinitely. I hope you like this first chapter rewrite, I kind of do.

Alright, enjoy guys.