CHAPTER SEVEN .

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   TEN CHARIOTS RODE through the screaming crowds surrounding them, with a lovely capitol orchestra playing unnecessary God-like music as the stallions dragged their carriages through the crowds. aralia and ashton were the very last to leave of course. it went by each district, meaning that district one would leave first, leaving district twelve to be the last.

aralia watched at district eleven's chariot left their place in front of them. she heard the announcers over the loud speakers ooh-ing and ah-ing as each chariot raced up to the capitols balcony. sitting on top, president snow. a feeble old man. he was tall, towering over everyone around him, but slender. it was weird to see a person from the capitol so skinny. they seem to be throwing away food at any given moment, while back in twelve, people were actively starving to death as he stood there.

suddenly, aralia felt herself beginning to struggle to breathe. her chest rose and sank quicker than normal. yes, she's felt this feeling before. there have been plenty of moments where she's found herself running from from coyotes in the woods around district twelve with ashton. running from something that's supposed to normally be faster than you obviously will take a toll on your lungs. but this, this was different. she was always able to catch her breath afterwards. she hadn't even done anything to lose it in the first place here. and now, she couldn't seem to get it back.

aralia glanced over toward silas one last time. he nodded at her giving her the sense of reassurance she desperately needed in the moment. she nodded back. and then suddenly, felt a hand grasp hers. she glanced down at her hand finding ashton's wrapped around hers. she looked up through her eyelashes finding ashton already looking at her.

he shook her hand softly, "you're okay."

aralia nodded. slowly, she began to steady her trembling breathing. slowly, the chariot she and ashton stood on began to move. and slowly, they were entering the capitol's courtyard.

she watched as the crowds continued their shouts, but she was sure that none of them were for her.

ashton looked over toward her, "ready?" he mouthed. aralia gave him a small smile. she placed her thumb on top of the small button in her hand. she took a deep breath in and breathed out through her mouth and mentally forced herself to press the button. somehow, she managed to do it. her thumb pressed the circle hard. and suddenly, flames engulfed the backs of the two of them.

the world felt silent for a moment. aralia felt the heat of the flames against the skin on her back, she was sure that it was burning her up completely. she was also extremely sure that she could feel every single pair of eyes on her as their chariot moved through the courtyard.

it made her skin crawl.

she felt goosebumps beginning to form across her skin, sending an uneasy chill down her spine.

a subtle nudge against her arm pulled her out of her anxious trance. she glanced to her side, seeing ashton looking at her with worry-filled eyes. the sounds of people cheering suddenly flooded the silence she had formed around herself.

her eyes quickly moved from ashton to the crowds surround them. they were cheering.

they were cheering for district 12. hats and roses were thrown from the rows and rows of seats onto the ground beside them. although aralia could feel nothing nerves as everyone eyes followed their chariot, she couldn't help but smile at the reactions both her and were receiving. and with her hand still interlocked with ashton's, he took their arms, and held them up above their heads. in that moment, she felt like she could do anything.

eventually, their chariot began to slow down, ultimately coming to stop, directly in front of the presidential balcony.

directly in front of president snow.

with out warning, the flames disappeared behind the two. they both turn back in confusion, finding the small remains of the flames floating away from them. the orchestra came to a cease, the crowds went completely quiet, and president snow took a step forward toward the chariots spread out below him.

"welcome," the president's voice echoed throughout the now silent area. he pauses for a moment, smiling through his thick white beard, "welcome." he repeats before looking down over the chariots, "tributes, we welcome you."

the large crowd cheers for the pairs from each district before silencing again, allowing the president to speak, "we salute, your courage and your sacrifice."

aralia stared up at the man on the balcony, tuning his every word out completely. the feeling of being able to do anything immediately disappearing, as she began to feel so much smaller than him in this moment. ashton looked over to aralia, immediately noticing the change in her emotion.

she felt his eyes on her, and she turned to acknowledge him. he nodded softly at her, squeezing her hand as an act of reassurance, before finally turning his attention back to the president.

thankfully, for aralia, those kinds of small gestures from ashton were almost always able to help her calm down. so she did the same, turning her attention back to the president as he came to the end of his speech.

"and we wish you, a happy hunger games." the president said, "and my the odds be ever in your favor."

   "YOU TWO WERE PERFECT." silas said as he walked up to the chariot.

"oh! we are all anybody is going to be talking about!" tassel gushed.

ashton stepped off of the chariot first, immediately turning to help aralia down next, "thank you guys." aralia said.

"it was a little showy, but it was nice." haldin added in.

"you really can't give any compliments, can you?" aralia asked.

"that was a compliment sweetheart," haldin said, "you really can't-"

aralia watched as haldin's eyes stopped on something behind her. she turned her head quickly, immediately finding the very thing—the very person—that had distracted him.

calix jennson. the male tribute from district 1, staring directly at aralia. his eyes filled with nothing but bloodlust.

she felt her stomach drop to her feet, turning back around toward haldin, tazzel, and silas.

"let's uh..." haldin mumbled. his eyes moved to another point behind aralia. she watched his eyebrows raise slightly before he continued, "let's go upstairs."

aralia ignored the way his eyes moved to what she assumed to be another career from district one, two, or four. but, if she had turned around again, she would've seen that it wasn't another career.

instead, the male tribute from district 7, matthew hawkwood, glancing from calix, aralia, and then back to calix. his eyes filled with the same bloodlust as he kept his eyes on the district 1 boy.

avas note !

me actually updating one of my books? who the fuck am i😍😍😍
ok bye

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