ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ Yarna ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

  Yarna was shaking so bad that she couldn't feel her feet. This happened every year on Reaping Day; she got so scared of being picked that slowly the feeling of her too-tight shoes ebbed away, leaving numbness in its place.

The doctors said it was due to excessive anxiety, and that the body's stress response and the impact of stress hormones on nerve sensitivity and blood flow can lead to numbness in certain cases. They told her that they couldn't do anything, and that she should just suck it up. Well, maybe not exactly that, but it had certainly felt like it.

She stared down at her feet, partially to reassure herself that they were there, and partially so she didn't have to watch the boring video they played every year. She knew the damn history, now let her get home!

She tried to remember what Mom said; just breathe, and think about what she'd be doing tomorrow. Imagining her doing her mundane, everyday tasks had an oddly calming effect on her, and she always tried to do so when she had panic attacks.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

She wouldn't get picked; no no. She'd simply go home after all of this, and curl up in her mom's arms, while she stroked her head soothingly. She'd sing Yarna to sleep, as this was the one time a year that she, Mom, and Dad all slept together, cuddling close. They were an unusually close family, but she relished it.

The video ended, and the woman up on stage began to talk, but Yarna just tuned her out.

Tomorrow, after waking up, she'd make herself some breakfast — probably just an egg, maybe two, to treat herself. Her mouth watered at the thought of the extra treat. She hadn't eaten breakfast this morning, on account of nerves.

  Tomorrow she would be back at work, sewing buttons in an assembly line. It was one of the safer jobs in the district, with significantly less injuries than any job with a sewing machine, and she wouldn't inhale toxins like she would if she were a dyer. If her family were any better off Yarna was sure her parents wouldn't allow her to have a job at all, even if it meant skipping a few meals. They were terrified for their baby girl.

  Yarna realized that everything had suddenly gone quiet. She peaked her head up, and noticed that everyone was looking right at her. There was whispering all around her, though she was only able to catch a couple 'weird's. She looked uo further, making eye contact with the woman on the stage.

  "Yarna Small?" She said, agitated, as if she'd said it a million times already.

Yarna let out a small "What...?", dazed for a moment. What did they want with her? Then someone pushed her, and the next thing she knew, she was in the asile, girls on her right and boys on her left, and she'd never felt more exposed. Peacekeepers were on her instantly, and they marched her to the front, up the stairs, until she was side-by-side with the Capitol woman.

"A bit scatter-brained, aren't we?" She joked, and there was an awkward pause, as if she expected the other kids below her to laugh. Maybe she thought she was still in the Capitol. How sad. Yarna wondered if she missed home.

She went on to call the male tribute, but it wasn't anyone she knew — some older boy with a smirk that screamed danger, so Yarna decided to shift her attention onto anywhere but him. She decided on herself; namely, the big screen that displayed her image. She was much smaller than him, and upon seeing her posture she stiffened immediately, though left the hair in her eyes. She liked it that way — it made her feel safe.

  She glanced around until she finally found the camera that was filming her at the moment. She didn't break eye contact with it until they dragged her into the Justice Building, where she would say goodbye to all of her tomorrows.

･ﾟﾟ･｡               .·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.               ｡･ﾟﾟ･

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷  Ajax  ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

  In the end, it didn't matter who was reaped. Being top of their class, both Ajax and Selena were going into the games, no matter what. Selena had already volunteered, and now stood on the stage, eye gleaming, searching for him in the crowd. He tried to make himself taller.

Every year, the top boy and girl at the academy's graduating class were unofficially the only two that were permitted to volunteer, at least socially. While there were jo rules against anyone else doing so, or the two simply not volunteering, it was deeply frowned upon. Ajax could recall a couple years ago when a boy named Cirro was cheated out of his games, and he beat the boy's family who had volunteered in his place half to death. He was detained, of course, but still.

And now, it was finally his turn. Ajax could still remember the day he and Selena had made that promise together all those years ago, as if it were yesterday. Their pact to go into the Hunger Games together, sealed with a pinky promise. Look at them now.

After what felt like forever, the District Two escort — Gala, maybe? — finally called the boy's name. Ajax wasted no time, not even letting her finish saying his last name, before bursting out from the crowd.

"I volunteer as tribute!" How many times had he practiced that exact phrase in the mirror? He cringed now, as he sounded almost too eager, like a child asking for candy.

He jutted out his chin, glancing around before what he strode up to the stage, with what he hoped was an air of confidence around him. No peacekeepers needed to escort him, as he was a willing, and frankly he knew most of them from his years at the academy. If he had been ranked just slightly lower, he'd be in their shoes this time next year, if not deployed somewhere else. There weren't many peacekeepers in Two, but those that were were the most lethal of them all.

"What's your name, young man?" Gala asked, feigning surprise over his volunteering. The only reason he knew her name was because she'd been doing the Reaping for Two every year sinc ehw was, well, two. What had to be dozens of cosmetic surgeries made it impossible to be able to tell her age, but it had to be older than his own mother.

"Ajax Ring." He said into the mic, and cast a sidelong glance over at Selena. She's worn her best dress, and had her hair braided down her back, with what had to be extensions added in. She always did want her hair to be as long as a princess's, he recalled.

  Gala shooed him away and took the microphone back, smiling at the audience. "Here we have your District Two tributes; Selena Charge, and Ajax Ring!"

  Ajax and Selena clasped hands, as a show of unity between the two. He could just imagine himself in front of a crowd of Capitolites, drinking in their applause.

  No matter what happened, he and Selena were to make sure that the victor was from District Two. At least one of them would win riches and glory, after all, what did it matter which one of them won, as long as one of them did. They'd bring honor to District Two no matter what. It was a foolproof plan.

That was all that mattered now; making sure both he and Selena lasted until the end.

･ﾟﾟ･｡               .·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.               ｡･ﾟﾟ･

A/N

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and trying my best to show the stark parallels between reaping in the career districts versus the others

I also enjoyed Ajax's naïvety, brought on by both a lack of critical thinking, and Capitol propaganda about honor and glory & all that

I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have for Yarna & Ajax in their interviews!

Tbh I'm so excited to write the next chapter. See y'all then!! <3