Crack in the Vision [Zagreus/Clara JB]

what part

of living

The reaping had been an emotional ride. I recall seeing Clara in the crowd as I walked up to the stage, and the look that was on her face. Seeing Jamie was hard, too. He had broken down in tears, and I could tell that he was wanting to volunteer for me, had I not ordered ahead of time that he don’t. Caitir was clearly trying to remain calm, but it didn’t work very well. She was visibly shaken, and I could tell that she was frightened for me.

My parents never showed any emotion. Even though they were waiting with the other adults, they didn’t seem to care that I’d been picked. They didn’t even look proud, whereas I expected they would have. Perhaps it was because they knew I had no escape, and that it wasn’t a choice I made on my own. Had I volunteered, perhaps they would have been proud of me. Perhaps they would have even said goodbye to me in the Justice Building.

Caitir and Jamie visited before anyone else. They were kind, yet panicked. It was clear that they were scared for me. The fear that I was going to die was more present in them than myself. As two kind-hearted individuals, they tried their best to tell me what I should do. I was informed that I should make an alliance. Although, when I insisted that it was hard for me to make friends, they brushed it off, and said it was the best way for me to survive. We exchanged hugs, until they were ushered out by Peacekeepers, both of them in tears.

I sat alone for a while, not expecting anyone else to come in. For some reason, it just didn’t cross my mind that another person would want to visit me. It was very clear that my parents would not be showing up any time in the near future. The person who visited me next, however, brought a small smile to my face. I felt bad for the young girl, as she was potentially losing a friend, but at least she got to say goodbye should that be the case.

Her bouncy red curls brought my lips up into a soft, kind smile. I looked at her when she entered, and realized something. She really was like a little sister to me. The girl was the only who had ever shown interest in helping me break into one of those abandoned buildings, and she even enjoyed it. I could recall giving her a piggy back ride and how much she enjoyed that, too. Clara was a sweetheart, but I may never be seeing her again.

“Hey, Curls,” I said to her kindly as she entered the room. “You doing alright?” I asked. I was genuinely worried about her. I didn’t know if she were the type to get emotional, but it was certainly possible. That meant that I had to keep as calm as possible, so that I didn’t let my own emotions affect her. I didn’t want the young one to see that I was excited. If she saw that, she may be concerned further, and insist that I should be nervous or scared. That’s what Caitir and Jamie did when they came to visit me for what may have been one last time.

says you

gotta die