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SHALL WE RISE?

act one.

(chapter two, billie solace, my love, let go)

victor's village / town square, 2304.

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VALENCIA PEELED HER EYES open, squinting when the beams of daylight entered her vision. She groaned as she rubbed her eyes, noticing that someone had opened her curtains and the sun was pouring in. Its rays bounced upon everything it could in her room, making Valencia wince as she sat up.

Usually when Valencia woke up, she would be greeted by the sounds of birds chirping happily, but today no birds chirped. No birds flew across the skies outside of her window, it was silent. Valencia sighed as she looked around her room, freezing when her eyes landed on something hanging from the knob of her wardrobe door.

Her Reaping dress was hanging on the knob, ever so still. Its ribbon at the back was untied, the buttons undone as if it was yearning for Valencia to go over there and slip it on. It wouldn't fit as well as it would have three years ago when she first wore it, but nevertheless, it would still work. Valencia did not want to look at the faded green dress anymore and so she got up from her bed, wandering over to her curtains, and snapping them shut before opening her bedroom door, and walking out.

It was silent as she walked down the hallway, the only sound heard being the creaking of the floorboards under her bare feet with every step she took. When Valencia reached the stairs, she noticed that her mother's door was shut closed like it was every year when the Reaping came by, but Antares door was wide open. He was true to his word with that he would not be here when Valencia woke up. 

She sighed as she walked down the stairs, noticing that Antares's outerwear was not hanging on the rack by the door. Valencia walked into the kitchen and rubbed her hands together when a sudden gust of freezing, cold wind entered the room.

Chills went up her spine as she realised that the window was still open from yesterday night, the cold air entering the kitchen causing her to shiver and blow into her hands. She went to move to close it when two figures caused her to stop.

Standing out in the middle of Victor's Village was Antares and Flint Commie. She could tell it was them since she could recognise her brother anywhere and Commie's grey beard stood out in the snow as did his hunched back that was covered in a deep blue sweater with a black scarf wrapped around his neck. 

Valencia couldn't hear what they were talking about, but she noticed Commie place a hand on Antares's shoulder, whispering something into his ear. She watched as Antares shook his head and sighed, before patting Commie on the back and stalking away from him. The old man threw his hands up in the air before limping after him. 

She swallowed a lump that was stuck in her throat before quickly shutting the window close, stalking away from it as she turned on her heel. Valencia did not want to think about what the two men were saying. It was probably about the Reaping and she did not want to know anything about that.

Valencia felt lightheaded. Her head was spinning as she got out a plate from the cupboard and scooped herself some of the leftovers from her mother's dinner that she didn't eat, but it didn't matter how hard she tried to pick her fork up, she could not stop the nauseating feeling. She wouldn't be able to stomach the food in-front of her, for it would just came back up again. 

She pushed the plate aside and looked up at the clock that hung on the wall. Half-past twelve. She had slept in. It was already the afternoon and she had slept it. She had an hour and a half to get ready for the event. An hour and a half before the tributes were chosen. Valencia's eyes were wide open as she saw the time, mentally slapping herself for sleeping in. 

She debated eating the food in-front of her, but decided against it as she rushed out of the kitchen, up the stairs, bolting down the hallway, and opening her bedroom door. She stood in-front of her Reaping dress as she took deep breaths. 

The once forest green dress had become fainted over time. It was once elegant and beautiful to wear, Antares buying it for her first Reaping, but now it looked like all the other dresses that the girls wore: fainted, light, and dull. There was supposed to be a bow tied at the back of the dress, two long strings of fabric hanging loose for it to be tied, but when Valencia was first made fun of for it by the other girls, she had used it for a belt ever since. It looked better that way. 

Valencia sighed as she realised that she didn't have time to bathe and so she took off the clothes she wore yesterday, slipping into the small, linen dress. It enhanced her curves, making it seem like she had the heavenly body of a Capitol woman (with the exception of the plastic surgery part). It fit snug on her, tight around the waist however, but Valencia could survive. She held the two parts of fabric and wrapped it around her waist three times, stretching it tight as she made a little knot, tucking it behind so it was unnoticeable. 

Valencia looked back into the reflection of the mirror, picking up the hairbrush that was on the dresser as she began to run it through her hair. Her locks were nothing special, it wasn't a shimmery gold like Billie's hair, it wasn't a vibrant colour like a redhead. It was a dull brown that caused her to look like a kid from District Twelve: sad and full of despair. 

She ran the brush through her hair a few more times before getting one of the hair ties and a handful of pins, pulling her hair into a tight knot at the nape of her neck. She let two strands of hair out of the bun and let them fall beside her face at the front, curling them with her finger.

Quarter to one.

Valencia gripped her dresser as she took several deep breaths before looking up at the mirror and sauntering out of her bedroom. She closed the door behind her and walked down the hallway, taking a left as she walked to her mother's room. She knocked on the door and opened it, hand grasping the knob as she entered the dark room. 

In the corner, her mother sat in-front of her vanity table, hairbrush in hand as she slowly ran it through her short hair. She was already dressed, surprisingly, but her eyes were dead and dull as she turned her head to look at her daughter.

"You look beautiful," she said softly as she stood up and slowly walked over to Valencia, cradling her face with her freezing cold hands. 

"Thank you, Ma."

"Are you going to see your friend this morning?"

Valencia opened her mouth slightly and sighed. She was supposed to meet Billie before the Reaping. She and Antares had spoken about it briefly yesterday, but it had slipped her mind. 

Billie Solace was perhaps one of Valencia's closest friends that wasn't her brother. They had been friends since their school days, best friends since they could remember. And she was perhaps the most beautiful girl that Valencia could ever meet.

She had shimmery gold hair that shone during the day, a face so petite and elegant that she had all the boys at her grasp. Her lips were plump and cheeks full despite living in poverty and she had the body of a goddess. But it wasn't just her looks that made her beautiful; it was her kind, made of gold heart. 

She didn't hint at one speck of jealousy when it was announced that the Barlowes' would move into Victors' Village nor at the fact that they didn't have to work anymore since they got money from the Capitol. The Solaces' did not have that luxury. They were one of the poorest family's in District Nine. Billie's parents had died a long time ago from malnutrition and so her oldest sister was the head of the house, looking after her and bringing food to the table. How she got the money, Billie and Valencia had their theories.

"I'm leaving now to see her," she said to her mother, rubbing her forehead. "Is that okay?"

"Yes," her mother said distantly as she turned around and slowly sat down on the chair in-front of the vanity. "Go."

Valencia took one more look at her mother before quietly shutting the door and walking down the hallway, practically running down the stairs as she quickly put on some slide-on shoes and thrusted open the front door.

It was chilly as she stepped outside and shut the door behind her. The Village was silent like it always was. Valencia kept an eye out as she walked down the path and down the road. To her left and right, there were houses with their curtains shut and doors locked. They were unoccupied, no-one lived in them. District Nine barely had any Victors', the latest one being Antares and that was six years ago. The other's had lost their minds so long ago to addictions like alcohol and morphling that Valencia wouldn't even call them human anymore. 

She passed the houses and the large sign that read 'Victors' Village', walking into the town that was occupied with large towering, grey buildings that had lifeless vines attached to them. She wandered through the market, silence filling the air as she was the only one in the area. The reminiscence of yesterday's market was still there as the stalls remained standing. The products, however, were all gone. 

Valencia took a right and made sure to not look at the square where the Reaping was being set up as she walked past. She quickened her pace as she passed a cohort of Peacekeepers, holding her breath until she took a left and walked along one of the alleyways. 

Leaning against a wall in a deep crimson, linen dress was Billie Solace. Valencia stopped as she examined her: the dress was a near replica of her own, but it was a deep crimson red and it suited her far better. It hugged her curves and sat comfortably on her body, the top button undone so it showed a bit of collarbone. Her blonde hair was braided back neatly, no flyaway strands in sight.

"Lennie, where have you been?" Billie questioned as she pushed herself off of the wall and hurried forward, pulling her friend into a tight embrace. "The Reaping starts in an hour."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," Valencia repeated as she wrapped her arms around the blonde-girl, inhaling her vanilla scent. "I slept in."

"That's all right," said Billie as she let go of Valencia. "Jessica did too, she was worrying the entire morning before she had to leave for 'work'."

"Is it that type of 'work' or the one where she goes to the Justice Building?"

"The kind of work where she signed up for tesserae again," said Billie as she moved her hand and entwined it with Valencia's. 

"Did you—?"

Billie nodded as she looked at a certain spot on the ground, refusing to look at Valencia.

"Billie!" Valencia cried as she took ahold of her friend's chin softly and forced her to look at her. "I've always said if you and Jessica ever need anything, Terry will help you."

"And I've always said that I don't want to take your brother's money."

Valencia sighed as she dropped her hand and instead held Billie's shoulder, stroking the soft fabric with her fingertips as she spoke, "How many times, Bill?"

"Enough that I might get picked," she said. "It's not the first year that we've had to sign up for tesserae."

"You won't get picked," said Valencia. "There's a ton of kids in District Nine, some have more siblings. You know that redhead? She has six siblings and she's eighteen. It's just you and Jessica."

"I know," Billie groaned as she duck her head down and laid it on Valencia's shoulder. 

Valencia sighed as she rubbed her thumb across the back of Billie's neck, careful not to mess up her braid as she said, "It's okay, we've gone through this before and it'll end up the same as always."

"I love you, Lennie." Billie sighed as she wrapped her arms around Valencia's waist, holding her tight.

"I love you too, Bill."

As the two let go, the sound of a whistle rang through the air, causing them to freeze. The sound was demanding, threatening, and everything a child feared. Even after all these years, chills still managed to run up Valencia's spine. The whistle signified that the Reaping was to begin, that everyone was to make their way to the square. 

Valencia and Billie held hands as they walked out of the alleyway and headed for the square, which was just around the corner. The square held a lot of memories for Valencia, not all being about the Reaping. It had been where she first met Billie, where she, Antares, and her father used to go to when he wasn't working. It was a pity that such good memories were tainted with the horror of the Reaping, the horror of the bright banners hanging on the buildings, the camera crews perched on rooftops to add dramatics.

People filed in silently as they waited to be signed in. A prick to the finger with a needle to draw blood, scanning it with a device. It always nearly made Valencia puke, hating the feeling of her finger being pricked. She also hated the sight of blood (Antares would state that something like that was ironic considering the two of them hunted nearly every day. Valencia would argue that if you were as good as a hunter, there should be no blood whatsoever).

She had to let go of Billie's hand once they were in line for the sign-in's. Valencia felt like she was going to throw-up, looking up at the stage which was lined with Peacekeepers. She scanned it and saw a group of empty chairs. Antares would sit in one of those chairs and that thought gave her some comfort as the line moved up as she became second in line.

And Valencia held her breath as she became first and the Peacekeeper grabbed ahold of her hand and pricking it with the needle, placing it down on a piece of paper before scanning it and telling her to move on.

She was pushed through the entrance and herded to the middle of the square, wedging between the now packed area as she moved to the fifteen-year-old section. The oldest ones were at the front, the youngest at the back and so that left the others in the middle of the square.

Family members were gathered around the perimeter, all holding hands in support. Valencia turned her head and scanned the crowd for her mother, finding her huddled together with the woman she regularly talked to. The woman who she said predicted Valencia dying. But she did not care, every year was like this. Every year was full of false predictions.

Girls started filling the roped section, making the space become tighter. Valencia was just about to turn her head to look for Billie when suddenly she popped up beside her, shaking her head as she pushed one of the girls aside. They quickly clutched their hands together, elbows bumping into ribs as they do, but they didn't care.

All the girls around them was the ones that Valencia and Billie were familiar with, their classmates. They all gave each other nods as they averted their attention to the stage before the Justice Building. A podium, a group of chairs, and two large glass balls full of paper slips were all on the stage: one ball for the boys, one ball for the girls. Inside the girl's ball, numerous slips of paper had the name 'Valencia Barlowe' written on them, accompanied by 'Billie Solace'

Two people already filled two chairs in the group of seats on the stage: the mayor and District Nine's escort, Delphine Aileen. The mayor was a tall yet plump man that had an extraordinary beard that went down to his chest and a slicked back ponytail (this was seemed to be rather bold for a district residence), wrinkles covered his entire face as he continuously licked his dry lips. Valencia did not like him and neither did the citizens of District Nine.

Delphine Aileen, on the other hand, came straight from the Capitol. Every year, she wore a new outfit. This time, she had a lime green dress on that had spiky shoulder pads that pointed out at an absurd length. She had a matching coloured wig that had little four-leaf clovers stuck in it, their deep green contrasting against the bright, highlighter colour. Her face was caked with makeup: her cheeks were painted with an intense pink, her brows so absurdly high so it could make room for the lime green eyeshadow, and finally, her lips were outlined with a bright peach colour. Valencia could not help but wince every time she looked at the woman. This had to have been her most absurd outfit yet. Even the mayor was wincing as her shoulder pads pointed into him, causing him to move his chair far away from her.

Just as the town clock struck two exactly, the mayor got up from his seat and walked up to the podium. Valencia and Billie shared a bored look as he began to recite the Treaty of Treason and the reason of the creation of the Hunger Games.

He read from a long scroll that described the origin of the Hunger Games, the reason for its existence. He explained how thirteen districts rebelled against the Capitol, how the Capitol managed to regain twelve and completely destroy the thirteenth. As punishment, they created the Hunger Games where one boy and one girl were chosen from the ages of twelve up until eighteen to fight to the death in an arena. A life taken from the districts for a life taken in the Capitol during the Dark Days.

Valencia sighed as he droned on and on before finally finishing up. He then began to read the list of District Nine Victors' that were still alive. Starting from eldest to youngest, they all exited the Justice Building. Flint Commie came on first, coughing into his handkerchief before taking a seat next to Delphine, giving her an odd look as he does. Then came on Anita Greene, who won the Thirty-Seventh Hunger games, followed by Daniel Tukker, who won the Forty-First Hunger Games. Lastly, the mayor called out the last name, Antares Barlowe.

Antares came walking onto the stage, ignoring the crowd below as he took a seat next to Tukker. The other Victors' nodded to him as he finally turned his head and scanned the audience, most specifically, the girl's section. His eyes latched onto Valencia, giving her a tight smile as the mayor continued speaking, introducing Delphine despite everyone knowing who she was.

"Well, it is such an honour to be here with you today, to see all of your cheery faces looking up at me," Delphine squeaked as she awed down at the crowd. No-one was smiling at her. "Now, I'm sure you are all excited to know who the tributes for this year's Hunger Game's are..."

No-one was excited, no-one even looked at Delphine. They all stared at random spots on the ground as they winced at how high-pitched Delphine's voice was. Valencia gripped Billie's hand tighter as she heard the sounds of the escort's heels click across the stage, nearing the girl's bowl of slips.

"Ladies first," she said as she clicked her tongue and dove her hand in the bowl, swishing it around and mixing it up.

Valencia's heart was in her throat as she clutched onto Billie as if she was the only thing in the world that was keeping her sane. Her palms were getting sweaty as it suddenly became hard to breathe. Valencia's name was in there so many times, but she was not concerned about herself. Billie had the greater risk. If Billie's name was called, she had no idea what she would do.

Yes, Billie was a great runner, but she was not a fighter. She was too small to fight someone, someone like the Careers', people from District One and Two. The images of Billie running through the woods, of Billie getting impaled by a sword owned by one of the Careers', of Billie dying from hunger ran through Valencia's head as Delphine finally plucked a paper slip from the glass bowl, trotting over to the microphone.

"The female tribute for District Nine to participate in the Sixty-Sixth Hunger Games is..." Delphine said as she cleared her throat, slowly unfolding the slip of paper with her perfectly manicured nails.

"Valencia Barlowe."

There was a sudden earsplitting scream that came from the boundaries of the perimeter, causing many heads to turn. But Valencia did not notice. She did not notice everyone turning their heads to look at her estranged mother and her. She did not notice how Billie's hand tightened whilst her's became limp. She had frozen. Her name. Her name was called from the bowl. Delphine had called her name. She did not call Billie's like Valencia had previously feared, but instead called her.

The cameras landed on her, zooming in as the other girls slowly backed away from Valencia, but Billie... oh, Billie did not let go of her hand, she did not let Valencia go. Her eyes were pleading as Valencia turned her head to look at her. She was begging her not to go up on the stage.

"Valencia Barlowe? Where are you, sweet pea?" Delphine's squeaky voice caused her to come back to reality. Everyone was looking at Valencia, the sobs of her mother now ringing in her ears as she looked up to Antares.

His eyes were wide, mouth ajar as he stared at his sister, horror all over his face. Flint Commie shook his head with a sigh whilst the two other Victors' did not pay attention to any of it, both of them under the influence.

Valencia was still frozen on the spot when suddenly, one of the girls behind her pushed her, causing Valencia to jolt back to life as she regrettably tore herself away from Billie, her legs moving by their own accord as her blonde friend tried to grab her back. She gave her a small smile as she moved through the crowd of girls and out of the roped section, walking down the walkway, and stopping just at the steps of the stairs that led to the stage.

She looked up and saw that Delphine had her hand held out to her, her lime green dress even more painful to look at from a closer proximity. Valencia took some deep breaths before latching onto the railing and forcing herself to walk up the steps. When closer, Delphine grabbed her hand and trotted over to the microphone, pulling Valencia tight towards her. She winced as her spiky shoulder pads pointed into her.

"Well, Valencia," Delphine said excitably as her nails dug into her skin to refrain her from running away. "I think we have all guessed, but are you by any chance related to our very own Antares Barlowe?"

"Yes," Valencia replied softly as she looked over the crowd, the other girls were looking up at her in pity whilst the boys shook their heads. Valencia got a proper view of the boundaries and saw that her mother had collapsed into her friend's arms, laying on the ground with a hand over her mouth as she continued to sob.

"Antares, I never knew you had a sister!" Delphine exclaimed as she gave out a very fake laugh. "And how old are you, dear?"

"Fift-fifteen," Valencia stuttered as she turned her head, looking at her brother who seated just a few steps away from her. Antares did not look her in the eye, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the crowd, stared at their mother who still laid sobbing on the floor. "I'm fifteen."

"Well, this is very exciting isn't it just?" Delphine said with a very large smile.

She said a few more words, but Valencia did not register them. She focused her attention to Billie, who stood out in the crowd in her crimson red dress. Valencia noticed that tears were streaming down her face as she held a hand up to her mouth, mimicking Valencia's mother's moves. Delphine finally removed Valencia from her grasp and trotted away from the microphone, now standing in-front of the other glass bowl. She dug her hand into the ball and swished her hand around the paper slips just like prior, snatching up one unlucky person's name before trotting back to the microphone.

"The male tribute for District Nine is..." Delphine slowly folded open the paper slip, a sense of glee washing over her face as she read the name before batting her eyes to the audience.

"Silas Allard."

The camera panned over the crowd in attempts to find the unlucky boy. It soon landed on a disturbance in the crowd, a mass of boys stepping away from Silas just like the girls did for Valencia.

She sighed as she saw who Silas Allard actually was. A well-built, tall, muscular boy stepped out from the crowd and made his way to the stage. His face was nonchalant as he walked up the stairs. He was at the front of the crowd, the very front. He was one of the elder boys, he must have been eighteen.

Valencia couldn't see his eyes as they were nearly covered by the fringe of his bowl cut that he had, his hair a jet black with his jaw set tight. He had a chance of winning, he was an eighteen-year-old. The older ones always had a higher chance than the others.

"Hello, Silas, dear," cooed Delphine as she grabbed ahold of the boy, Silas going rigid as he was held tight in the escort's arms. "You look very handsome today... how old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"And do you happen to be related to any of our Victors'?" If Valencia wasn't so engrossed in the fact that she was going to die in a matter of a few days, she would have chuckled at the joke that was obviously aimed at her. Even some of the crowd laughed quietly to themselves which was surprising.

"No."

He was a very non-social person Valencia gathered as she turned her head to look at him. She gulped as she realised that he was towering Delphine. And Delphine was much taller than Valencia. Silas was way above her, being taller than her already large wig. He was massive, both in height and muscles. But that wouldn't be an advantage in the Games. The muscles yes, but not the height. That would be an advantage on her behalf.

"Shake hands, you two," Valencia heard Delphine mutter as she pushed Silas towards her, giving them both an ecstatic smile.

Silas growled as he was pushed towards her, but nonetheless, he extended his hand and held it out in-front of him. Valencia swallowed a lump in her throat as she slowly took his hand, her own shaking so visibly that she was sure she looked pathetic. As they shook hands, Valencia looked back to her brother, tears starting to roll down her face as Peacekeepers came onto the stage and shoved them sideways, making them walk into the Justice Building. As they did, Valencia heard Delphine wrap up the ceremony:

"Happy Hunger Games... and may the odds be ever in your favour!"