pureasthedrivensn0w

[pureasthedrivensn0w]

Forever Is The Sweetest Con // Part 2

okok here we are!!! i got a few people who read my last part so idk if anyone is actually interested in a part two but here it issss. i am literally just having fun writing this and i will 10000% continue it :)) once again any feedback is welcome and appreciated!

Warnings: Sadness lol, slight language

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“Lucy Gray, can you do my hair to look like yours?”, Maude Ivory asked softly, a nervous smile on her face. It was a rare thing for the girl to be quiet, but today was a rare day. It’d been happening every year since they were picked up by those peacekeepers and dragged to district 12. Roslyn Sage had only been eligible for it the last four years, but no matter what it never got less terrifying.

Every year, every single man, woman and child gathered at the Hall of Justice. Children from the ages 12 to 18 would group together, girls on the right and boys on the left. The youngest children would be towards the front, then the oldest in the back. The two glass bowls that held the name of every single child present had been in every single one of their nightmares.

The reaping ceremony had been a topic of great discussion for many years. Roslyn Sage remembered her older sister crying when she heard about it, at nine years old. She was seven at the time, she didn’t understand. But she understood now, as she stared blankly into the dirty mirror.

The dress she wore had been her mothers. It had intricate designs of snakes and flowers in the corset, and a skirt that could only be described as being made of rainbows. At least that’s what Maude Ivory said. It used to be Lucy Gray’s reaping dress, before she outgrew it. And after Roslyn Sage, it would be Maude Ivory’s. If it lasted that long.

“Oh don’t you look as pretty as a peach,” Lucy Gray said, once she finished up tying their younger cousins hair up. She had a smile on her face as she walked behind her younger sister, recognizing the anxiety in her eyes. They all felt that way. Every single one of them. “Just as pretty as I remember mama looking.” She smiled softly, tucking some hair behind her ear. Roslyn Sage gave her a small smile through the mirror, but it didn’t reach her eyes. In just 24 hours, she reminded herself, this would be over. I will be home, with my family, and I won’t have to worry about any of this for another year.

The alarm blared throughout the district, startling the entire group. “We better go.” Roslyn Sage said softly, shaking her head a bit to try and dispel any fears in her mind. There were hundreds of kids in the district, weren’t there? Sure- the covey had its enemies. They weren’t shy about causing trouble. But the reaping came straight from the capitol. Corruption felt out of the equation. Lucy Gray gave her sister a small smile, before reaching for Maude Ivory’s hand. At 14, it was her second reaping. She still looked as scared as she did at her first. The girls made their way outside, smiling up at the boys as they were also on their way out. No smile was genuine, all it did was try to reassure. We’ll be ok, right?

Roslyn Sage cringed every time her heeled boots met the gravel. She hated that sound, it’s why she usually opted for her flat shoes. Not that she didn’t like the boots- they were, without a doubt, one of the prettiest things she owned. But she knew the gravel was damaging them. She had her head low as she walked, quietly humming a song to try and keep calm when she spotted it. She stopped quickly, a smile reaching her face. The first real one.

A snake. She adored snakes. She didn’t understand why people were scared of them. If you knew what to look out for, you could tell which ones were harmless. Not only harmless- but friendly. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching her, before she kneeled down. She held her hand out, watching as the snake slithered into her hand. A good luck charm, she told herself. The creature twisted itself around her arm.

It wasn’t a long walk before they made it to the justice building. It felt like a dream as she was separated from her family, put with the other girls her age and stared ahead. She could see Maude Ivory’s blonde hair from where she stood. She hoped Lucy Gray could see her. She could hear whispers around her, and eyes on her dress. She didn’t care. She could feel the snake making its way up her sleeve, something that was preventing her from falling over in anxiety.

Across the way she could see Billy Taupe. More like she could feel him, with his eyes staring daggers at her. It’d been exactly three weeks since she caught him. She wouldn’t even grant him the gift of eye contact anymore. Finding him with another girl, the mayors daughter no less, he was dead to her. He knew the consequences, and he made his choices. He could beg and plead, and she’d always say no.

The worry she felt was quickly returning as she watched the mayor nod at one of the peacekeepers before walking up to the microphone. He cleared his throat, looking across the audience. There was no way of telling if everyone was here, there were hundreds of people, but he found this acceptable as he began his speech. “Welcome to the tenth annual reaping ceremony.” He spoke, but there wasn’t a hint of joy in his voice. He went on to explain why they had the reaping ceremony- the war, the famine, the unnecessary deaths. If Roslyn Sage wasn’t so nervous, she would have rolled her eyes.

“Now- for the ladies first.” The mayor said, putting the microphone down as he approached the bowl. She couldn’t help but see a hint of a smile on his face. Why? Nothing about this was celebratory, nothing was good. He reached into the bowl, before grabbing a small, folded up piece of paper. He pulled it out, walked back to the microphone, unfolded it, read it to himself, then looked out to the crowd.

“Roslyn Sage Baird.” he said, the speakers around them squeaking after he said it. She froze, her eyes still downcast. No- no, absolutely not. She’d had nightmares about this exact scenario before. That was all it was, a dream. In just a few moments, I will wake up. She was convinced of that fact, until she felt the girl beside her nudge her. Real. It was real, oh god it was real. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. That was all she was repeating to herself as she walked to the center isle. Her eyes remained trained forward, just like her papa taught her. The covey doesn’t look back.

“Roslyn Sage, I didn’t know, I swear I didn’t know-“ Billy Taupe said, reaching out to try and grab her hand. She shook him off, continuing her walk forward. Never look back. Never look back. Never look back. Never look- “How’re you going to sing yourself out of this one, songbird?” She heard the mocking voice of Mayfair say. She couldn’t help herself- she shouldn’t of done it.

She grabbed the ginger by the collar of her dress, pulling her back and shoved the snake down her dress. The girl screamed bloody murder, like she was going to die. “Help me!” She shrieked, falling to the ground, “Help me! Help me!” Chaos all around them. The girls around Mayfair fled like mice, peacekeepers ran forward. “My daughter!” The mayor shouted. What an idiot, Roslyn Sage thought, the snake doesn’t have fangs big enough to even penetrate your skin. She couldn’t help the smirk that grew on her face as she continued her walk forward towards the stage. Her boots continued their crunching sound on the gravel until she reached it. But she didn’t get far, because the instant she made it, the mayor slapped her right across the face.

She let out a small cry as she hit the ground. Her hands ached as they caught the brunt of the fall. The square was silent, everyone staring up at the stage at the sixteen year old girl, laying down on the stage, holding back tears. She couldn’t even look forward. All she could think about was her families face. Silence. For a minute straight. Until..

“You can’t take my past,” a voice boomed through the courtyard. She recognized it immediately- Lucy Gray. “You can’t take my history.” Another voice joined the song, this time belonging to Tam Amber, “You can take my pa, but his names a mystery.” The two harmonized together. Silence again, as Roslyn Sage took short, shallow breaths. “Nothing you can take from me..” she continued, softly, “was ever worth keeping.”

She stumbled up to her feet, clenching her fists as she turned to the crowd. “Nothing you can ever take was ever worth keeping.” The crowd was still silent, the cameras aimed at her. She could feel the stare of every single eye of the country. But she didn’t care.

“You can’t take my charm. You can’t take my humor. You can’t take my wealth, cause it’s just a rumor.” She saw a peacekeeper nudge the arm of a cameraman, who shook his head. Keep going, this told her. They were watching. Good. Let them watch. She stumbled her way over to the microphone, grabbing it by the stand.

“Nothing you can take was ever worth keeping,” she sang into the microphone, “You can’t take my sass, you can’t take my talking.” She froze as she stared out at the audience, seeing her older sister towards the back. Tears streaming down her cheeks, but a bitter smile on her face. That was all that mattered. Making them proud. “You can kiss my ass!” She screamed into the microphone.

The commotion this caused made the peacekeepers spring into action. The ones on the courtyard surrounded the crowd, guns at the ready as a warning. A man she recognized as the head peacekeeper grabbed her by the arms, slapping handcuffs on her and dragging her away. She didn’t fight it. She put her chin up as he led her into the building. The last thing she heard before the doors closed was the name of the second tribute. “Jessup Diggs.”

[pureasthedrivensn0w]

Forever is the Sweetest Con // Part 1

omgomgomg this is my first time ever posting to tumblr.com and i am nervoussss. i’ve been a lurker for years (literally like since i was 12) and i’ve always wanted to share my writing but i’ve been too scared!!! but i decided to say fuck it and post some of my stuff. i’m obsessed w the hunger games, so that’s what this first post is based on! it’s totally self indulgent, but it’s probably going to turn into a series, so suggestions and feedback is super welcome and appreciated! i prob wont get any readers but that’s ok i just want to get my work out there and continue this hobby! anyway if you’re reading this i love you!!!

TW: Death, slight descriptions of gore, sadness

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The capitol says the dark days are behind us now. We have entered a new era, an era of peace. Any trace of an uprising was squandered. Any small act of defiance, intentional or not, is met with cruel and unusual punishment. We are lucky the capitol hasn’t done more to punish us, given the harm we did. The world could have ended. We should be grateful.

Anyone who steps foot in any of the districts will see that that is not true. Mention peace to a citizen of district eleven and he will laugh in your face. Talk about gratitude to a district eight worker and she will avoid you at all costs. In the districts, there is no such thing as gratitude, peace, tranquility, happiness. There is only survival.

When you think of survival to it’s core, the barren bones, the tired eyes, the heavy limbs, you are picturing the citizens of district twelve. The twelfth district in Panem specialized in coal mining, which is not only an incredibly dangerous industry, but incredibly taxing as well. The men go to the mines from 6 in the morning to 7 at night. Monday through friday. No breaks, no exceptions, the only time you are excused is if you are actively dying.

Roslyn Sage grew up in this environment. But she also grew up in a different world. The world of the covey. She looks back at her early days with fondness, remembering the times she would hold hands with her older sister and cousin and harmonize to the songs their elders taught them. Or braiding grass baskets with her mother. Or sitting on her fathers shoulders while they traveled from district to district.

“Papa, I’m hungry.” She remembers saying, playing with his long hair as he walked with the rest of the band. They didn’t know where they were going, they never did, and they liked it that way. “I know, sweet thing.” he said softly, keeping his eyes trained on the stretch of land in front of them. The covey never looks back, that’s what her papa said.

They were nearing four days of travel. They had just left district 8, spending two months there. They had a few injured, with the war going on all around them. They needed time to reciprocate, recharge. But they were always safest in the trees. That’s what papa said. So they left. Her uncle still needed a walking stick, and her grandfather couldn’t hear out of his left ear, but they needed to leave.

Roslyn Sage didn’t understand the complete reasoning. Her papa said it wasn’t safe, and that was all. They needed to get somewhere where they could sing. And sing they did. As they walked, she could hear her older sister sing one of the band’s favorite songs to pass the time. “Well there’s a dark and a troubled side of life,” Lucy Gray sang, as she held hands with four year old Maude Ivory, “There’s a bright and a sunny side too.”

Roslyn Sage grinned as her papa started to sing along, and then mama. Her uncle joined, then nana. “Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side. Keep on the sunny side of life! It will help us every day, it will brighten all the way if we keep on the sunny-“

Papa stopped so suddenly that Roslyn Sage swore she could’ve fallen off his shoulders. He reached forward and grabbed Lucy Gray’s arm, a silent way to get her to stop singing. “Papa, why’d we-“ “Quiet.” Papa whispered back harshly, as all the grownups looked ahead. When Roslyn Sage finally looked up to see what they were staring at, she felt her heart sink into her stomach. Even at seven years old, she knew this wasn’t good.

Peacekeepers. Sure- just a group of five, not a whole team, but enough. Big, strong, grown men who could take them easily. Everyone in the group knew this. Papa’s hand tightened around Lucy Gray’s arm and mama quickly scooped up Maude Ivory. “Wasn’t expecting to see anyone out here.” One peacekeeper said, a small frown on his face. He couldn’t have been older than 18. In fact- they all looked that young. One stepped forward, deciding to take the lead in the situation. “You’re past boundaries.” He said, his hand resting on the gun in his holster. “That’s against the law now.”

“We don’t want any trouble.” Papa said, his back straight even though Roslyn Sage could feel his heart pounding from here. “We’re traveling folk- we must’ve been away when that law was passed.” But they weren’t, she knew they weren’t. She had been half-asleep one day, cuddled in between Maude Ivory and Lucy Gray, when she heard the grown ups whispering about it. But she knew better than to say that. “Lead us to the nearest district and then-“

A twig snapped and the entire group looked up to see uncle Sam Flint running as fast as he could. He was only 14, he was foolish. Papa almost ran for it, screaming his youngest brothers name, but it was too late. The youngest peacekeeper had already gotten his gun, aimed, and shot. Sam Flint hit the floor in an instant. Even from here, Roslyn Sage could see the blood pouring out of his head.

“Now don’t take that-“ Papa was right back in defense mode, pulling Lucy Gray behind him. They already lost one, they couldn’t lose another. The peacekeeper who had shot Sam Flint looked shaken up but the tragedy only made the one in charge more upset. He held up his gun, and when he did, so did the rest. All five peacekeepers had their fully loaded rifles aimed at the group. “One step and you’re-“ her aunt let out a broken sob, holding her baby to her chest.

It all happened so fast. If you were to ask the covey children about what really happened that day, you wouldn’t get anywhere near a real answer. All Roslyn Sage could really remember was her aunts face as the bullet hit her chest, how her papa tried to catch the baby, mama’s scream as she reached for Lucy Gray before being dragged away, papa’s eyes as he laid in her lap, holding her hand until his last breath.

Lucy Gray tells her that the peacekeepers weren’t willing to kill the children. In a twisted way, they thought they were victims of the covey and not the captiol. After papa was gone, the one who killed Sam Flint picked her up. She was kicking and screaming, too young to comprehend that her father was gone regardless of if she was next to him or not. The punched his back, kicked his stomach, even tried to bite. The boy carrying her had tears streaming down his cheeks. Roslyn had never had any desire to hurt someone in her life, until now.