Snippet #1951182

"Hurry up Veronica!"

Jenny was tugging Veronica over to her house to watch the announcement of who was going to be in the next "Fate Games". She should have been rushing over there, hell, she should have sprinted to the house to meet with Zachary and her older brother Johnson, but instead she felt like her arm was about to be ripped off. "Oww...Jenny will you cut me some slack? It's 3:58 and your house is right over there!" She said pointing down the street. "Not to mention that Texas is first." It was around this year that she had decided that it was way too unlikey that she would be picked. She didn't show off that she had friends, her boyfriend knew that they couldn't go too public, and her dog had never even stepped foot out of their yard. She felt pretty safe at the moment, but apparently Jenny did not feel the same.

"I don't care if the program begins an hour from now! We might as well run if it's right over there!" And with that Jenny took off, letting go of Veronica's arm and yelling behind her, "Last one there has to babysit my little brother tomorrow!" When Jenny said that Veronica's eyes got wide and she sprinted to the door of Jenny's house, just barely making it in before her.

Panting, Veronica said to her, "There's...no way...in hell....I'm....babysitting that devil." She slumped onto the couch nearby and was greeted by an embrace from the person next to her. She smiled and kissed Zachary. He was about to say something when the television came on. When Lacela appeared on the screen the vibe in the room changed. Everyone grew silent and it seemed that any sound that was once being made had been sucked away by her icy glare. Even though she was only in the television, she gave off an effect that no other living or non-living thing could recreate.

As they started the naming, Veronica picked up the remote that was sitting beside her and turned up the volume, just to make sure they heard it right. Her brother sat down on the other side of her with a bowl of cheesy puffs. But even he, as obnoxious as her was, didn't move a muscle after that, dreading the next few seconds.

Once all the Texas names and pictures were said and done, Veronica stopped breathing. She hadn't even cared a moment before but even if she wasn't picked if anybody in this room was she wouldn't know what to do. The first name was called and a boy was called out. She heard Zachary exhale and was relieved that he wasn't picked too. Most the time there ended up being only one boy per state. The second name was called out, a girl she didn't know appeared on the screen and Jenny exhaled. She always was relieved too soon. There was still one more.

The next picture that appeared Veronica squinted at. She was exhaled to see a blonde in the picture instead of a redhead like Jenny, but her breathe was caught in her throat when the picture became clearer.

A headshot of a girl with blonde hair appeared on the screen. She was very slightly smiling and was wearing her lipgloss she always wore. Her skin was pale and her eyes were shining.

"Veronica Storm" Said the voice that would have normally made her cringe. Suddenly the world got very out of focus. She could feel eyes on her but all she could see was the screen, as it moved to the next state. "Veronica Storm..." The remote fell from her hand and a face blocked her vision. Zachary. He put his hands on her shoulders and was yelling something to her, but she couldn't hear him. All she heard was Lacela's clear voice saying her name.

The door burst open as a group of people came in the room. She could vaguely hear shots and bodies slumping but she was still staring at the tv, thinkng at any moment that her picture was going to come up and they would say it was a mistake, but it never happened. She felt a pair of arms grab her and begin dragging her away, but she didn't resist. The picture on the screen faded away as she exited the room. She saw three bodies on the floor, but nothing registered to her until she was thrown into the truck. Once she heard it lock from the outside, she took it all in and did something she had never let herself do before. She cried.