70th Reaping [D6]

abrielle opened her eyes, unable to sleep. The glow in the dark stars which were stuck on her ceiling glowed dimly, but provided no real comfort like they would usually on long nights like this one. Her head was swimming in a singular thought, the thought echoed inside her skull as if it were an empty room; it consumed her. Causing sleep to flee her body, keeping her awake. The thought was like a candle in a dark room, keeping her distracted from the well needed rest she needed so desperately.

Today is the reaping was the thought keeping her awake on this long, and dark night.

The girl’s gaze at the stars on her ceiling flickered to the door when she heard a choked cry from across the hallway. She frowned hard, throwing the covers off her as she jumped out of the bed, worry suddenly flooding her body. The floor was cold against her bare feet and the hair on her arms prickled against the cool air but she took little notice as she scurried out of her bedroom and to her sisters. She knew, before her hand even touched the grainy surface of the door, that Brienne had been dreaming things again. What she had been, the young girl was not sure of, but that did not matter.

Gabrielle pushed the door open, her eyes immedietly finding the darkened shape of her older sister, curled up on the bed; her body heaving with choked and wretched sobs. “Brienne…” the word left her lips softly, like droplets of rain, like the feel of silk, the word slightly tinged with the worry that engulfed her.

The young girl sat on the edge of the bed, her hand gently finding her sisters arched back. She could feel those raised scars beneath the fabric of her sister’s night shirt, and Gabrielle almost flinched her hand away at the thought of them. It was not because they deformed her sisters back, creating mountain ranges on her skin, it was the reasoning they were there in the first place. It had been months since Brienne had returned from that place, years since she had been taken there and everyday Gabrielle never forgave herself. Sometimes when she closed her eyes, she imagined stopping her sister killing her stepdad or running away with Brienne before they could get caught; she had no reason to feel guilty but she did anyway.

“It’ll be okay…” she whispered, her hand gently caressing her sisters back like their mother used to do sometimes. Like her mother also, her words were full of lies.

Gabrielle had been blessed to have not receive the same abuse and struggle that her older sister had so willingly let herself into, all for her. Another reason she felt guilty. She knew her sister had tried to be strong, brave in an attempt to keep Gabrielle out of harm’s way but now that Gabi looked at her sister, whimpering and crying in the darkness of the bedroom, Gabrielle saw it as a waste. Those years in the palm of their stepfather and those years in the Detention centre had broken her sister; she was no longer the smiling timid mouse who enjoyed to read her stories on long nights like this one. She was still her sister, but only a mirror of what she had been one day, long ago.

Gabrielle sat there, soothing her sister out of the grips of the nightmare, until the sun rose. They sat quietly as the room filled with a familiar orange glow and the sound of the birds greeting the morning as if it were no different than any other. Gabrielle smiled slightly, thinking of how the birds were so free to go where they pleased and how they did not have to fear today; how they did not have to fear the reaping. The Reaping… the though surfaced again like a crackle of distant thunder suddenly reaching her ears. Her gut churned and flipped at the thought, a quiet sigh escaping her lips as she turned to check the time.

“The reaping…” her sister spoke, her voice horse and drawn out in a heavy sigh

Gabrielle turned to her, smiling to conceal the fear of what today might bring. She knew that Brienne would see through her mask but it was habit for Gabrielle to smile when things were at their worst, when things were not quite right with the world. She felt as if it made the world brighter, no matter how dark it seemed. “We have time…but let’s go start getting ready”



Gabrielle walked beside her sister in silence, dressed in egg blue dress with white trimmings and collar with her hair neatly formed into a French plait a top her head, towards the college. Gabrielle could barely breath, the atmosphere of today was suffocating. The twist in this years quell was frightening. She doesn’t really remember watching the broadcast when it was announced, all she remembers is white noise after the words “regardless of district” passed through President Snow’s lips. Gabrielle was sure that everyone else felt the same; she just hoped that Brienne would be safe from the clutches of the Capitol.

Gabrielle glanced at Brienne as they reached the college. The stage was still set up, as it was every year, but the reaping pool bowls were notably absent. Instead there was a huge screen, which hung above the stage. The screen was blank, par the Capitol emblem, the sight of which made her feel nervous. The whole of panem would be watching the names being drawn, everyone would know the names before the reaping were at an end. She and her sister found a spot in the holding pens, amongst the other girls their age, as Panem’s national anthem began to blare out of the speakers and over the quietening crowd.

Gabrielle watched as the screen faded to reveal 12 bowls, filled with white paper, on a long table. Her breath caught in her throat at the site. So many names… she thought, her eyes widening at the site of the bowls brimming, almost overflowing, with children’s names. Gabrielle kept her eyes trained on the screen as President Snow walked on, his cold eyes turning to the camera’s once he was centre stage. He rolled out the usual announcement of how the games were a reminder of the rebellion and how Panem almost fell; his lips curling into a cold smile at the mention of the 70th Hunger Games.

His hand reached into the first bowl and Gabrielle froze in fear, her eyes following the movement of President’s snow’s hand as he unrolled the little slip of paper and called out the first name. It was someone from District One. Gabrielle would have let out a sigh of relief but they were not out of danger yet. The whole of six watched as he drew another name from the pool of names, this time it was someone from two. The young girl leaned forward slightly as the President reached into a third owl, his hand digging into the depths of paper briefly before he drew out another name, clearing his throat to read out the name.

“Brienne O’Dale”

Gabrielle gasped, her hands clamping around her mouth to silence a scream that wanted to desperately escape. She felt Brienne choke out a sob beside her. No…no no no…. Gabrielle’s mind went into overdrive as her sisters name echoed over and over again in her head in that cold and thin voice. Gabrielle stood in shocked disbelief as the realisation of what had happened sunk in, the realisation that Brienne was going to go away again, but this time to die and come back in a casket; the thought made Gabrielle sick to the stomach.

The next moment happened so fast that Gabreille wasn’t quite sure where it had come from. Brienne had taken one step forward to leave the crowd of people around them, one step forward closer to her death. Gabrielle’s hand shot out and caught her sisters arm, tightly gripping it and pulling her back as tears filled her eyes. Brienne turned to her sharply, a confused and panciked frown formed on her brow; her sister looked her over, giving her a look that spoke more words that they could ever speak. They locked their gazes for one second as Gabrielle inhaled.

“I Volunteer.” Gabrielle yelled over the silence, trying not to burst into tears as she repeated her statement “I Volunteer”

“Gabi…” Brienne gasped out a whisper “Gabi..no…”

Tears began to run down Gabrielle’s face as she pushed past her sister and made her way to the stage. The whole of District Six had their eyes trained on her, the whole of panem had their eyes trained on her as she climbed the steps to the stage and approached the capitol escort that waited ever so patiently for the first tribute from 6 to join them. Gabrielle stopped, turning to face the crowd. Her eyes darted through them until they found her sisters face.

“My name is Gabrielle O’Dale…and I volunteer.”