Constellations | Cato Hadley

Chapter Three

The day had come.

Reaping day.

Ariana Galde and Oliver Thaden were nervous about what was to come of more innocent children. Word was spreading throughout District Ten that President Snow was to make an announcement before the Reapings. No doubt, it was about the Quarter Quell. The victors of Ten felt sick as they woke up that morning.

The female victor sighed as she stood up. She glanced at a picture on her nightstand. It was her, Serena, Oliver, Evelyn, Edwin, Roman, and Wren on the night of the interviews. The Capital paparazzi snapped dozens of pictures of the tributes that night, but the mentor had only asked for one.

"Ariana! Oliver! Can we get pictures of you guys?" A man with a large camera asked as he snapped pictures. "Can your tributes get in too?"

Wren, Serena, Evelyn, and Edwin were all pushed in the direction of the older victors. The small crowd complained silently but smiled and posed as more men surrounded them with cameras. Wren shuffled her feet as Roman stood beside her. Ariana noticed the tension and moved her body in between the two tributes.

The lineup went: Oliver, Wren, herself, Roman, and Serena. In the front, below the five, stood Edwin and Evelyn. Ariana looked around at the children and smiled.

She would miss Evelyn's innocence. She would miss Edwin's giggle. The victor would miss Roman's determination to win the heart of her other tribute. Her brown eyes shifted to Wren. The girl wearing the stars smiled as the camera flashed. Ariana would miss Wren most of all. The girl was like a daughter to her.

"Ms. Galde!" a photographer snapped.

"Hmm?" Ariana asked.

"Just one last picture please."

The victor smiled as the camera flashed.

Ariana Galde set the picture back down as a tear rolled down her cheek. All of her tributes were dead. The woman shook her head.

"Stop it, Ari. Get over yourself it's not the first time you've lost tributes," she snapped at herself. She wiped her eyes and dressed.

The victor had to meet Oliver before the Reaping and make sure he hadn't been drinking himself to death. That was one thing he and Haymitch Abernathy had in common besides winning the Hunger Games. She stepped out of her house in the victor village and walked twenty-five feet to her fellow victor's place. District Ten only had two victors.

Oliver's house was small like her own and a tan color with ugly shutters. Ariana knocked twice on the door and waited a few moments. When Oliver hadn't arrived to greet her she shoved her way through the threshold.

"Oliver!" she called. No response.

"Oliver Thaden!" she snapped followed by a sigh.

Her legs carried her through the kitchen and to the living room. Oliver Thaden's grey hair was seen peeking above the couch. Ariana walked around the furniture and saw that he was asleep. Drool escaped his lips as he snored peacefully. Well, it wasn't long until he was on the ground and moaning in pain.

"What the fuck?" he mumbled against the floor.

"Ari?" he questioned. His blue eyes met her brown ones.

"Get up," she commanded. Oliver sat up and stretched.

"What's going on?"

"The Reaping is today, but word has it that Snow has an announcement to make," she said flipping her black hair over her shoulder. Her slender fingers grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. Channel C, the only channel on, showed Caesar Flickerman in a deep purple suit. His hair was lilac. Looks like his theme was in fact purple that year.