*Please read description first*
Evelia's POV
"Evelia Gray!" Effie Trinket's voice boomed. Everyone backed away from where I stood. She waited for me to join her on the stage before continuing to the boys.
"Jace Gray!" I found myself unable to move as she called my twin brother's name.
"This is the start of your future!" Effie told the 2 of us.
I sighed and rolled my eyes. I did not want a mate. I wanted my freedom. If I did get a mate I'd automatically reject him. Besides, it was not worth the danger we were put in.
The Mating Games always took place on September 1st, and since my birthday was on September 3rd, I got an extra year of freedom as compared to my friends. This was the year I would finally be forced to go. I was nearly 15, but I still was not ready to have a mate.
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Effie blabbed on as we made our way to the arena. Since we lived in California, we barely had to travel at all. This year, the games were in L.A., while we lived north of L.A.
Minutes dragged on and Jace and I exchanged many looks but never spoke.
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"We're here!" Effie squeaked happily.
Jace and I rolled our eyes and got up.
"Come on you two!" Effie urged us.
We made our way out of the train and walked towards the arena.
"You okay?" Jace asked.
I nodded, and he smiled reassuringly. Effie ran ahead and held the door open. She then moved to stand in the middle. All the other tributes were already there.
"Settle down, settle down everyone." Effie spoke, straining to be heard above the chatter. Jace and I made our way to stand at the edge of the crowd.
"Remember the rules of the annual Mating Games, and you should do fine. Ladies, as always you will have a five minute head start. And you may not attack until I blow the whistle twice. The first time will be when the boys can begin and the second signifies the actual start of the games. Failure to comply with these rules will result in immediate termination, but I'm sure that won't be necessary. And begin." A whistle was blown.
With one look at Jace I began to run through the woods as fast as I could. The only sound audible was my own breathing. Then a whistle. And another.
Silence.
Then, screaming. And a canon. My heart jumped at the horrifying noise.
"Karol West, Massachusetts, 14." A voice announced.
This was terrible news, but I was a little relieved it wasn't my brother.
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Bang. Another cannon. "Julie McCaren, New York, 16."
It was getting darker by the second. The majority of the Mating Games took place at night because werewolves' wolf side was more prevalent during the night which made it more likely for werewolves to find their mates.
Rustle. Rustle. Crunch. Crunch.
I tensed up, wondering if I should shift into wolf form. The only problem with that is then my scent would be stronger so it would be easier for my mate to find me. I decided to only shift if someone attacked me. Slowly getting up from my crouched position and started backing away from where I heard the noise. Whoever/whatever it is was got closer as I backed up.
"Wait, stop!" A boy yelled desperately as he finally revealed himself.
He circled his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. I wanted to move, but at the same time I felt like I couldn't.
"My name's Will. What's yours, mate?"
I looked into his eyes for a second before breaking out of his grasp and starting to run. I could not have a mate. I love my freedom and being able to do whatever I want to when I want to.
"Stop!!" He yelled, chasing after me, "Please stop! At least let us talk about this!"
I kept running, not looking back. Unfortunately I didn't look at the ground either. I tripped and fell down a rather large hill, snapping my ankle in the process. Will ran down the hill after me.
"Mate, are you okay?" He asked as he ran down the remainder of the hill.
I didn't speak as he approached me. Part of the bone was poking out of my ankle, and silent tears streamed down my face.
"Your ankle..." He spoke softly, reaching for me.
I allowed him to pick me up, because it's not like I'd survive on my own in this state. I whimpered in pain as I was moved.
"Shhh...it's okay. I've got you." Will told me reassuringly.
We stumbled upon a cave that he decided would be good for the night.
"I'm gonna put you down now." He pulled out a blanket and laid it down before placing me as gently as he could on part of it. My ankle was beginning to heal, but it still hurt immensely.
"Are you okay? You haven't spoken this entire time."
I nodded, still finding myself unable to speak. He laid on the blanket. It was still nearly 80 degrees Fahrenheit out, so we didn't need a blanket on top of us.
Will put his arms around me so that we were lying chest to chest. I allowed myself to put my arms around him just this once. I was about to fall asleep when I realized that someone could attack us while we're sleeping.
"Sleep", Will whispered in my ear, "I'll watch." He moved his hands through my hair soothingly, and with that, I fell asleep.
QOTC: What's the longest you've gone without sleep?
I once didn't sleep for five days (I hallucinated; would not recommend) because I was binge-watching Inuyasha. It wasn't a great decision, and I slept for probably 12-13 hours when I finally finished the series. Lol don't do this guys...