[ Unreliable narrator. Sudden changes between 3rd and 1st person. | I tried something different with my writing this time, enjoy <3 ] The streets, normally bustling with activity, felt dull and lifeless. Tense, with the familiar energy associated with one thing in particular. The reaping. Civilians murmured to themselves, a low drone, as if worried they would be overheard. Faces. Young ones, anxious and hurried, dreading the day they inevitably had to go up on that podium. Faces. Young ones, eager and ready-- waiting impatiently for the moment their names would be called out. Waiting for the moment they could step onto that awful train. She would never understand those types of people. Today was the day, the day representing the start of yet another of the Games. April had defied the odds, for ages. If she managed to escape today, she only had to worry about this for one year longer. Just one more. April eyed the adults with envy, the ones that didn't have to fear the danger. They had managed to beat the odds, managed to slip away long enough to escape the grasp of the games. Ah, but then again-- it was those same adults that had made this generation. Mothers would lose their children today. Siblings separated. Friendships broken. On second thought, she decided nobody was better off than the rest. With a flick of the ear, she turned right, trying to make it to the city's plaza. Where the officials were. Where the train was waiting, waiting to capture the unlucky souls unfortuate enough to have been chosen. April felt slightly nauseous. Deep breaths.. ⠀⠀In. ⠀⠀Out. ⠀⠀In.. ⠀⠀Out... One paw in front of the other. Just make it to the plaza. She shouldn't worry. She wouldn't get chosen. She simply wouldn't. She wouldn't LET herself get chosen. After today, she would go back to their quiet life, with their quiet job, spending their days at the harbor with their sister. Yes, it would be just fine. This year's tributes, on the other hand... ... What if one of April's friends got reaped? .. No. Don't think about that. No. You won't have to say goodbye. Not yet. Breathe. ⠀⠀In. Out. In. Out... ... .. That's it. Just keep doing that. You'll be fine. The crowd was already there. The podium was already there. April sighed, trying their best to make it somewhere near the front. If only to avoid getting trampled by everyone else. ... She didn't really pay attention to the speech the officials gave. It was the same every year. It was all a bunch of lies, anyway. Meant to calm down the fodder before they were shipped off to the Capitol. ... Oh. Were they starting already? Yes, it seemed that way. The bowl had been set on the platform. Papers, hundreds of them, inside. April couldn't stop the shiver that ran through their body, dreading the sound of their name. One tribute. Two tributes. Three tributes. On and on. Four tributes. Five tributes. The reactions from the reaped changed with every one. Some were terrified, or shocked, or sad. Some strode up to the train, the ghost of a smile reflected in their eyes. ... Hm.. Almost there. Just three more slips of paper, and then she would be safely back home. Please... Let this end soon. I don't want to worry about this much longer. Ah, but life heard their wish. Because in an almost cruel stroke of luck-- "April Nomura!" Oh. All heads turned towards them. Watching. Waiting. For any sign of a reaction. Some were blank-faced, some were shocked. Some were sad, some appeared to be as surprised as she felt. It was a storm of emotions. ⠀⠀Shock... Fear... April's time had finally run out. She was out of luck. ⠀⠀Acceptance... You can't run this time, April. Not this time. You never could. You should've known this. ... It was finally them that had to walk up to the podium, wasn't it? She couldn't escape this time. ⠀⠀Despair... But oh, she just had to make it one year longer! She was just at the end! Fate was cruel, wasn't it? To knock them over just as she was at the finish line? +
+ ⠀⠀Denial... No. This couldn't be happening. Please. No. No. No no no. No no no no no no... This can't be happening! NO. THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING. Yet this, indeed, was happening. And she had been chosen to be a tribute. Nobody is going to volunteer for you. You are all alone. With a dull ringing in their ears, April made their way to the train. Shaky, slow. She was leaving behind their home forever, wasn't she? Among the dozens of tributes collected.. She would not survive. It was an unfathomably low chance that she would see the streets of District Four again. Ah... Farewell, mom. Farewell, dad. Farewell, home. And goodbye... She sighed. It came out shaky, trembling. When had she started crying? She didn't know. It was cold inside the train. It was cramped. There were other tributes inside this train car. Voices were overlapping. ...And goodbye, my darling sister. In the train car, April Nomura, sixth tribute of District Four, sank to the floor. ... The doors slid shut, and off they went.
