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Cordelia— Cora Chase, aged sixteen, possessed many talents. Among them, she was a swift swimmer, one might say that wasn't as big of an accomplishment seeing as all the children of the water district were rather exceptional in the ocean. Except it was in her case, she was long limbed, whereas the other girls in her grade were not, and that was her advantage. Once, as a young girl, when she was already leaving everyone else behind, one of the teachers had commented as if an afterthought,"You know, giraffes are quite tall, but pretty much useless animals otherwise."

     So was his and everybody else's thinking, useless, that was, nevertheless she was teased long after thanks to his regard of her. But it was untrue, she knew it and it only further pushed as motivation for her to prove them all otherwise, she had many talents.

One: she was the fastest swimmer in District Four (as a result she was also the fastest runner), two: she was an above average fisher, whenever her father took her out with him she always returned with a fish for their family dinner and she always got to keep it because she wasn't a part of the workforce and whatever she caught was her catch, three: she was great with a knife, she could gut a fish quickly and efficiently, to ensure you got the most out of it, four: she could always tell where she was, for the wind told her everything she needed to know, and last, but not least, five: she had this memory, this strange ability to remember everything she'd ever laid her eyes on... one her mother thought akin to a curse (there was a great cheating debacle that came along with it, but that was besides the point), but to her was a trick no one would emulate no matter how hard they tried.

What did all these skills grant her? Nothing special, really, because despite everything there was nothing she could do to prevent the day.

     Reaping day.

     She consoled herself over the thought that today her sister would no longer be in the mix, for today was her birthday and she was now nineteen. She was free.

     Cora knocked on their shared open door, smiling as Lucy looked up from where she was perched upon their bed with her paints,"Happy birthday. You just about ready to come on down? We're having your favorite."

"Just about." Lucy returned the grin, she was beautiful, she'd gotten her looks from their mother. And Cora, well, Cora only wished she could look like them, she was made in her father's image. Lucy patted the space beside her,"Here come sit for a second, I have something to give you."

"It's not my day, shouldn't I be gifting you?" Cora obliged anyway, sitting next to her.

"Well, all I want if for you to accept this." Lucy stood, opened her drawer in their shared dresser, plucking her desired item and laying it down.

Cora couldn't even look at it for more than a second,"Oh, Lucy, I couldn't possibly."

The pink fabric was in stark contrast to the yellowing bedsheets, the dress was Lucy's prized possession and had been worn to as many reaping days as Cora could remember. She'd gotten it for her twelfth birthday, an old dress of their mothers altered and dyed from coral to suit a young girl.

"Please, it would make me happy to see you adorn it." Lucy took it and held it up to her,"I've no use for it now—"

"That you won't be in the reaping?" Cora only meant to tease her, and Lucy knew it, for she rolled her eyes.

"Now that I've outgrown it." She corrected,"I swear I've been squeezing into it since I turned fifteen, but telling Ma would've broken her heart, I've got a new dress now that I'm working and it'd make us both happy, please?"

Cora made as if she was thinking long and hard about it when in reality she'd already made up her mind,"Oh, alright, if you insist."

"I do." Her sister laughed,"And I also demand for you to put it on right now."

"Now that I cannot oblige, you know how dirty I get when we eat, I'll try it on after, now come on, they're waiting on us." Cora took her sister by the hand and dragged her down to the kitchen where they gathered around for their meal.

She and her parents sung her praises and their mother placed seashell crowns on everyone before they sat down to eat, shrimp and potatoes and mussels and a few clams, along with whatever else they could scrounge together, that was Lucy's favorite after all. An abundance of everything. They had no cake, but their hearts didn't long for it anyway.

When the time came for it, Cora changed into her new (old) dress and her mother demanded they keep their birthday crowns on too, it was a special occasion after all.

And when the horn blew, and time came for them to head to the square, Cora wished she had not been so greedy and eaten all she had. It was true, she was happy for her sister, for turning nineteen today of all days and for no longer having to wager death, but she was scared for herself still.

Perhaps her mother was right and her memory was a curse, for every time they walked on down to the Justice Building she couldn't help reminisce every reaping day she witnessed and how no one had ever come back. Not including Finnick Odair, of course, he'd been a rare exception, winning at the age of fourteen. His games were tattooed on her eyes even now, the way he'd made it through. He was the youngest ever, and it was... well it was something.

Lucy roped her arm through Cora's and held her the whole way.

"I'll see you after." Lucy said to her when they had to split up, one to the crowd of sixteens and the other to stand with the adults.

Cora nodded, she walked away from her family as her stomach turned, restless like waves, and headed in direction of the tables. A Peacekeeper pricked her finger and marked her blood for their records and she scanned the crowd, longing to find...

     "Saylor!"

     Her one and only friend looked up, smiling big and running over to embrace her, demanding with a frown,"Hey, where's my crown? And this dress! Cordelia, you sly girl."

     "My latest hand me down," Cora lifted the ends and curtsied,"You like?"

     "Love." Saylor giggled,"I'd know Lucy's dress anywhere, of course she'd be gifting other people on her own birthday."

     "Ugh, I know, she's too nice." Cora agreed. "Sorry I forgot to request a crown for you."

     "It's okay, I've got this braid crown for now." Saylor showed off her mother's braiding.

     "Ah, yes, I give it a twelve." She nodded.

     The girls made fun of the games this way, it was their way, dispel hurt with humor.

     Together they made their way to their section and stood amongst the rest of the girls their age. Cora frowned as she stared down at the rest of her group,"I hope you grow more."

"Me too." Saylor sighed,"Hey, maybe if you lived in the Capitol they'd make you a fashion model, no way they'd turn away those legs."

"Maybe." Cora agreed, but she found no humor in that as the Mayor finished his speech and presented to them Pearl Damion, for the nth time, and she made her way out onto the stage, heels miles high to elongate herself.

Cora thought her ridiculous, pearls weighed down her ears and hair as if she could not be more on the nose, and her gown was woven around her like a net, as if made explicitly for her. It likely was. Meanwhile, Cora stood in her new old dress and her handmade shell crown and thought it to be a luxury just moments ago, all her life everything she owned had once been Lucy's and she'd never seen that an issue. The Capitol was wasteful and vain, and though Saylor joked of the possibility, she would never work so closely for them.

     Eyebrows scrunched as she struggled to see through the sun, she heard the feedback of the microphone first as Pearl tapped it once, twice.

     "What a warm welcome, and let me welcome you all in return to this— the sixty seventh annual Hunger Games, as always, our ladies come first." She wasted no time as she stepped over to big glass ball containing all the names of the girls in Four, some more than once.

     The sun was hot on Cora's head as she held her breath, as she did every single reaping while Pearl took her time sifting through the papers before plucking one unlucky soul to their death. She retook her position at the microphone, unfolding the slip and taking a deep breath for dramatics — Cora had yet to exhale — and then she finally said it.

     "Cordelia Chase!"