A Girl Worth Fighting For {Ping/Belle JB Blitz}

My footsteps thudded lightly on the ground as the Peacekeepers escorted my District Partner and I to the Justice Building. It wasn’t a long walk, but it felt as if it were taking forever and as if the slap of my shoes on the concrete was the only sound I’d ever hear again for the rest of my life. That didn’t seem to be the case, however, as I did eventually reach my destination. This, however, was only the first destination of many. Next would be the train, bringing me to the Capitol. I’d be at the training center for a couple of weeks, and then shipped off to the arena to fight to the death. After that, I’d be going home. Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing quite yet whether that return trip home would be made by me while I’m dead or alive. For all I know, it could just be my corpse returning to my family and friends, lifeless and unmoving.

I just had to hope and pray that that wouldn’t be the case.

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My parents were the first to visit me. They told me that they loved me, and that I was strong. What else would one expect parents to say to their child when they’re most likely going to their death, though? I received hugs from both of them, but that wasn’t the last of it all. My mother gave me my hair comb that I’d left at home. It was an accessory of mine that I’d worn to the reaping every year for good luck, but this time, I’d left it at home. Surely, that had to be the reason I was chosen. It had protected me for so long, but not anymore. Now, I’d be bringing it with me as a token and I just had to hope that it still had its old good luck charm to it.

The last thing I was told before my parents left was the name I’d be bringing honor to. It was my family name, Lanhua. I was proud to know it, now, and I’d defend it.

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I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised when my friends came to visit me. Cinder was first, and the young girl cried most of the time that she spent saying goodbye to me. Then, not too long after, the door opened once more, and Belle stepped in. I stood up immediately and embraced her in a hug.

”Thank you for being here,” I told her.