District 4
Max Odair
Day of the Reaping
Max Odair
Day of the Reaping
His mother gave him a nearly perky looking smile, though because of how well he knew her, he could recognize just how sad it was. Though the outsides of his lips did curve up, her tips curved down, the chapped lips seeming nearly white with the pigment tinted by the dry skin. The blue sparkle that was native to her eyes wasn't there, and that was more than enough to tell Max she was worrying. He gave her a quick kiss on her forehead, accompanied by a reassuring grin meant to ease her nerves, though it only made her yearn for his presence to be a forever.
They left the house together, keeping their feet on the stone path instead of the sand, the sound and smell of the ocean over bearing, yet nice. As they walked in silence, voices of their nearby neighbors carried through the air, calls of joy and excitement. Having an uncle who had been in the games, Max had grown up thinking it was horrible, and he still thought that, no matter the norm for his district. He picked up his pace slightly, wanting to be on the earlier side to see people filing into the rows separated by age and gender. A row of tables in front seated multiple peacekeepers, a finger pricking device in one of each's gloved hand. Max nodded to his mom, smiling reassuringly again, before getting in line. He hardly noticed the finger prick, or his finger being pressed and smeared against the paper. He made his way towards his group, looking only for his cousin, Finnick's son, and after finding him, he stood close enough that he could see him, about 10 feet away.
It would have been an understatement to say the boy was nervous. He kept wiping his palms on his pants, and taking deep breathes, but all max could do was watch, and mouth encouraging words to him. The possibility of him being chosen like both his father and mother was so unlikely, so inconsiderable, that when it happened, he was shocked.
The ceremony began as usual. After all of district four's children had filed in, the districts escort, Greyson Aldler, made his way to the middle of the stage. For the past few years, Greyson had been wearing outfits that he tried to reflect upon the primary theme of district four, the ocean. And in past years, he had succeded this by wearing all types of blue shades, normally tuxes, or suits. This year wasn't much different, the man wearing a royal blue tux, but what caught the attention of Max, and probably many others, was his bow tie. If you asked him to describe it, he would probably be at a loss for words. It was some how a mix of nearly all shades of blue, changing in waves like that of the ocean. It was beautiful.
Probably what they will make the chariot costumes out of, he thought, pulling himself back into the present, as Greyson finished giving his routine speech about how they were all friends, and should therefore call him grey. It was then that he perked up, looking expectantly next to him as a peace keeper brought over a large bucket. This style of choosing names had been newly adopted by the district, though the capitol seemed to love it now. Greyson gave the crowd a wide grin, spinning his hand above the bucket in the air, pausing for effect, before someone in the crowd was able to yell out ' just go already,' then plunging in his hand, pulling it back out quickly, dripping. The girl was one he wasn't accustomed to, though as she amde her way up to the stage, it was certain she was more of a career, a smirk on her face. Max wasn't interested. These were going the way they usually did, and he found himself growing bored, beginning to space out. But it hadn't been meer seconds until the name of a boy like a brother to him was announced, the matching last name drawing him back into focus.
Max didn't know how he did it, but it hadn't been seconds after Greyson had announced the male tribute that he had pushed through the sea of boys, finding himself in the ile before his cousin had even had the guts to move. He made his way quickly to the stage, trying to keep his head up, and eyes away from his mother, knowing the pain that would be evident in them, not only because it was sad, but because everyone, including him, had heard her pained gasp, accompanied by a muffled sob echo in the silent town.
He found himself on stage, Greyson going on about something again, and Max discovered the only thing that seemed to be keeping him saine, was the comforting smell of the ocean.