the send off (Jade one-shot)

Eventually, Bette's time was finished and she had left Jade alone again. This time it wouldn't be for long: her family was likely almost there and she would have to face them all before she left. Her heart hammered against her chest and she stared down at the ground. She wasn't looking forward to saying goodbye to Gunner or Dagger. She shifted uncomfortably on the large couch. Whenever she remembered Gunner stopping right outside the house and asking if she had to go, Jade felt a pang of guilt. Most of her family either fought her or barely acknowledged her: Gunner and Dagger were different. They were the closest of all siblings and they were the only members of her family that she truly loved. Now, she was leaving them and if she did die in the arena they would be alone. Onyx would only torment them, and he would take out his loss on them while she was away. She wished she could punch her older brother in the face when she saw him.

She couldn't, though, because then her knuckles would be bloody and she'd restrained from training a good two weeks before the Reaping just so she would look absolutely flawless for the television screens. Jade couldn't do anything to him if she wanted to look pretty, so she'd just have to settle with glaring at him.

The door opened then, and one by one her family streamed in. Her father looked stern as ever. He didn't look like a father grieving for the possible loss of a child, but Jade never expected him to. Rather, he looked a little displeased and she figured that was because it was her sitting on this couch instead of Onyx. It was obvious he would have preferred his son there, but that's not what he got. Jade knew he'd get over it, though. He wanted all of his kids in the Hunger Games, after all. It may not have been his preferred order, but Jade was one of his own and she was going in. She lifted her head up, hoping to look both proud and brave. It was hard to keep her lips from trembling, but she figured she was doing a pretty good job.

Her mother wouldn't even look at her. She was busy fussing over Ruby's hair, and muttering on about how she should have bought her a red ribbon to place in her hair. Ruby looked pleased with the attention and pouted about the lack of a ribbon. Ruby always pouted: their mother would feel guilty when she did and Ruby would always get something to make up for it. Ruby probably cared less about the ribbon, but she knew that Opal cared about it, so she figured it was a good bargaining chip. Knowing her younger sister, she'd probably get a necklace out of it. Jade could barely restrain herself from rolling her eyes.

Onyx was in the back of room, arms crossed and glowering at her. Jade glowered right back at him, wishing once again that she could punch him in the face right now. His nose was already slightly crooked from a punch she'd given him years ago. One of her scars belonged to him. He'd given it to her during a training session. The two siblings were always fighting.

Her focus was interrupted when the two youngest of the Morin family rushed forward. With a real smile, she looked over at them. Dagger looked a little nervous and worried, but otherwise proud. She didn't really think her sister would die in the arena, Jade knew. Gunner looked like he was trying his hardest to be strong. He held something out to her and she took it. She looked at the item, a wooden carving. It was flat and beautiful. It wasn't sharp. It had Dagger and Gunner's initials etched into the wood. It was painted jade green and she thought it was beautiful. Gunner had always loved working with his hands.

"Take it with you into the arena, Jade," Gunner said, his voice cracked at the end and he looked down at the ground.

That's when her father came to the front. He glared at Gunner and shoved him out of the way, then took the carving out of Jade's hands. "Not that," Steel growled, chucking the object. Dagger just barely managed to catch it and glared at her father's back. He took out a metal pin and handed shoved it into Jade's hands. "This is our family crest, you are to wear that and you had better make us proud." He stared into her eyes, and his face was still just as stern as ever. She didn't want it. Jade wanted the carving Gunner and Dagger had given her. She glanced over at Gunner, and frowned but she knew better than to argue. She looked back at her father and managed a small nod, though there was a huge lump in her throat now.

Jade looked down at the crest in her hands. It was a crest with an orange background and a single Chinese character imprinted on it. The asian languages of the past were long lost to the Morin family, but the crest was older than they were. They did not know the meaning any longer, but the crest had still been passed down. Normally, it wasn't in the form of a pin, but her father had several made for when his children would go into the Games. He was determined to have his family known through the Hunger Games and he would have it no other way.

"Let me," Mauve said, stepping up beside her father. The two siblings had never been very close, but they had never been outright enemies before either. Mauve took the pin from Jade's hands and pinned it to her shirt. She gave her sibling a good look over, then grinned. "Make it back home a Victor and bring glory to the Morin family," she said, then stepped back.

It was probably the closest she'd ever felt to Mauve, and she gave her sibling a small smile.

"Time's up," a peacekeeper opened the door and looked at the family sternly. Most of them turned around then, and Jade's heart dropped to her stomach when she realized her mother wasn't even going to look at her before leaving.

"Come back, Jade," Gunner said, his voice faint before turning around to leave, supported by Dagger who glanced back at her older sister with some concern.

Now, it was time to head to the train and really begin her journey.