Chapter Text
Dean
Not for the first time, Dean Winchester wished he didn't have to wake up. He wished the responsibilities of running a family didn't rest on his shoulders, he wished he could wake up to a happy family, with his mother alive and breathing, his father giving her a kiss on the cheek before he left for work, and Sam sitting at the table, smiling. He wished he could be a normal seventeen year old boy, he wished he didn't have to provide for Sam, he wished he could wake up to his mother smiling at him with her warm blue eyes. He wished he had never had to learn how to hunt, he wished his parents were still alive, he wished his name wasn't entered in the reaping ball forty two times. he wished that Sam was happy.
But wishing didn't work.
Everyday, Dean got dressed into his hunting gear and took Sam into the forest that surrounded District 12. It was his escape. He'd never intended for Sam to become a hunter too, and if John knew he was doing it, he would have been beaten into next week, but desperate times called for desperate measures. If Dean were to get chosen for the games, Sam would be all on his own, and would die within the first week from starvation. Luckily for them, Dean had a back up plan. A back up plan that came in the form of a 16 year old girl named Katniss Everdeen.
Katniss and Dean were similar in many ways. They both had a younger sibling they were desperate to care for, they both lost their fathers to the same explosion, they both were the sole providers for their families and they both learnt everything they knew about hunting from their fathers. It was those similarities that brought them together, that built the mutual trust in each other. They'd made a pact about three years earlier that if either of them were to die in the games, they would look after each other's families.
Dean sighed at he pulled on his boots. He was considering letting Sam sleep in, and letting him off the hook with hunting; but if he was chosen in the Reaping today, he wanted Sam to know as much as possible about hunting. The reaping day was always the worst to go hunting on, because every time, Dean thought he would be leaving Sam. Today was no different.
"Hey Sammy, rise and shine." Dean walked into Sam's room and opened the curtains, light shining on Sam's face.
Whenever Dean looked at Sam's innocent face, he felt a surge of anger pass through him. He hated what this world had done to Sam. It had forced him to grow up far to quickly and had marred his face with a kind of weariness that should not be seen on a thirteen year old. Dean could barely remember the last time Sam smiled. Dean had always been the one to hide everything behind a thin veil of humor. That was the was Dean dealt with things, he joked about them. It irritated Katniss, but Sam didn't seem to care. Sam was always just comfortably numb. No emotion, no feelings, no nothing.
"Do I have to?" Sam asked, rising his head to look up at Dean. His longish brown hair was mused from sleeping, and his brown eyes were squinting against the light.
Dean smiled a little too brightly. "Yup, up and at 'em Sammy."
Sam scowled. "I wish you'd stop calling me that."
Dean grinned and ruffled Sam's hair. "I'll stop calling you that when you give me a smile." He teased lightly.
Sam's scowl deepened and Dean laughed. "C'mon, you've got ten minutes to get ready." He walked out of the room and shut the door, allowing Sam to wake up properly.
Dean made his way into the kitchen. Their house was one of the nicer ones in the Seam, but that was mostly due to their mother, Mary. Like Katniss' mother, Mary had been born in the merchant area of District 12, which was apparent in her soft blonde hair and blue eyes. John, however, had come from a family in the Seam, and his whole family had been miners. Dean had been lucky enough to inherit Mary's light eyes, even if they were more green than hers, and lighter hair than both John and Sam. John and Sam could have almost passed for typical Seam residents, if it weren't for their brown eyes. Katniss, on the other hand, completely fit the Seam stereotype with her dark hair, grey eyes and tanned skin.
Sam emerged from his room five minutes later, dressed entirely in Dean's hand-me-down hunting gear. Sam was already starting to grow out of clothes that fitted Dean when he was only fifteen. Dean knew just by looking at him that Sam was going to be tall. "Right, you ready to go?" He asked, clapping his hands once.
Sam nodded solemnly and followed Dean out the front door.
Once they were in the forest, Dean picked up their weapons from a hollowed out tree corpse. Katniss' bow and arrows were already gone, so Dean assumed she'd be hanging around the forest somewhere already. He passed Sam his miniature bow that Katniss' father had made for him while he was still alive. Dean's one had been made by Mr. Everdeen too. They were the best weapons he'd ever laid his hands on, Katniss' father had a real talent. Slinging a quiver over his shoulder and adding a knife or two to his belt, Dean set off, Sam close on his heels. The first stop was the river to check for any fish stuck in their traps. The net was empty and reset. Dean smiled, they could basically follow Katniss' footsteps to catch up with her.
He turned to Sam. "C'mon, she's turned this into a race." He took off into a run, following their usual schedule. He passed the strawberry patch, the few plants they'd planted, and found himself deeper in the forest. "Shit how early did she get here." He muttered to himself. He stopped, scanning the surroundings. Sam caught up behind him, and helped him look. A rustle in the leaves ahead drew Dean's attention, and he whipped out his bow and knocked an arrow in less than a second. He pulled the bowstring tight, and moved slowly towards the movement.
"Watch where you point that thing Winchester." Dean heard a familiar voice, and saw Katniss emerge from the bushes carrying a full burlap sack. She was a welcome sight. Her dark hair was plaited in it's usual braid, and slung over one of her shoulders. She was wearing a dark green shirt with one of Dean's older jackets pulled over her shoulders. By the way of height, Katniss wasn't much shorter than Dean, but she was small. Due to years of having barely enough to eat, Katniss' face was sharp and gaunt, and she was a lot smaller than both of the Winchester boys.
Dean lowered his bow and grinned. "Hey Everdeen, nice haul you've got there."
Katniss nodded, not offering much in the way of a greeting. In that way, she was very similar to Sam. They both prefered silence. Dean had no doubt that if Katniss had been Sam's older sister, their house would have been a lot more quiet. "Hey smaller Winchester." She called, addressing Sam.
Sam nodded back to her, his unspoken greetings still a bit of a mystery to Dean.
"So what have you gotten so far?" Dean asked, peering curiously at the sack.
Katniss dropped it to the ground. "Well Sam's idea for the fishing net was actually really good. We got ten decent sized fish."
Dean's mouth dropped open. "You're kidding, right?"
Katniss shook her head. "Sam's actually is the main reason we're eating tonight. His snares and traps are pretty incredible. We got three rabbits from the ground snares and a wild dog from the lynching trap."
Dean looked back at Sam, who was kicking at the ground with the toe of his boot, a bit of a blush creeping up his cheeks. "Well done Sammy." The blush disappeared and was replaced with another scowl.
Dean looked back at Katniss. "Well let's see if our good luck continues." He said sarcastically.
Katniss frowned. "It's got nothing to do with luck Dean, and you know it." She turned away, and Dean knew any chance at conversation was over.
"Well how about you take Sammy and show him some good spots to make some more snares and I'll see if i can get anymore game. We'll meet back at the river in an hour or two." He offered.
Katniss just nodded, and Sam moved towards her as she took him back towards the other snares she hadn't reset. Dean sighed and moved off into the trees, his bow still loaded with an arrow. He loved Sammy, and Katniss was like a sister to him, but the two sometimes drove him crazy. They were both just so solemn and cold. The worst part was that it wasn't their fault. The world they all lived in had drowned every ounce of happiness from their hearts and left them bitter. Dean considered himself lucky that he had his twisted sense of humor to save him from falling into depression.
As he walked through the forest, he could feel his mind starting to clear, and his breathing slowing down. He could be at peace here. Here, he, Sammy and Katniss were safe.
Castiel
Castiel Novak lay in bed, unwilling to get up. He could already hear the rest of his family in the living room, preparing for the day, all speaking quietly about the past and the future, trying to convince themselves that they would be ok. They would probably start praying at some point. Castiel groaned and rolled his eyes. Light broke through the curtains as Castiel glaced around his large room. He had once shared it with his brother, Lucifer, but he had moved out to instead share with Gabriel, who was hardly ever home anyway. Now, the room seemed all too bare with Castiel's few possessions taking up less than a quarter of the room. All that decorated the empty room was a double bed, a simple wooden desk and bedside table, a full bookshelf, a chest of drawers and an alarm clock. Castiel missed sharing with Lucifer. The two were very similar in the way they kept to themselves and made sure everything was orderly and tidy. It also made the room seem less empty and cold. Throwing off the blankets, Castiel got up and walked into the kitchen, where his family were sitting around the table.
His father, Michael, sat at the head of the table, like usual. A crucifix hung on the wall behind him, carved by Micheal himself. Castiel had a feeling his family were the only ones in all of Panem who still hung on to an old religion, most had been abandoned after the Dark Days when the Capitol began to truly oppress the people. It made sense to Castiel too; what God would allow this world to exist? However, his family had strong held on to their Christianity roots, and they had been passed down through the family. They even had a tattered copy of the Bible that had somehow survived from the Old World. Michael read from it every Sunday. That was why Castiel and his siblings had such odd names. Raphael, Gabriel, Lucifer and Castiel. Four angels from the Bible. Gabriel always used to joke with Castiel, mocking him because Raphael, Gabriel and Lucifer were supposedly archangels, while Castiel was just a regular angel. They hadn't even spelt his name right either. In the Bible, the angel was called Cassiel. Naomi had wanted a girl so badly after three boys that she had kept the name, but Michael had wanted the name to be more masculine. Castiel had become used to Gabriel's jokes by now, and let his older brother tease him as much as he liked. Now, Raphael, Gabriel and Lucifer were all passed the age where they were at risk for the reaping. They could live in peace. However, Castiel couldn't. At seventeen, his name was entered in six times.
Naomi, Castiel's mother, approached him and pulled him into an embrace. She smelt like fresh coffee and cinnamon. Her brown hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and like usual, not a hair was out of place. She wore a grey pantsuit, with a freshly ironed white blouse underneath. The Novak's were all about appearances. "We've been blessed so far. Let us hope that God spares you too Castiel."
Castiel resisted the urge to roll his eyes. In the eyes of his parents, Castiel was always falling. Always falling from their expectations, always falling from their idea of the perfect Christian son, always falling. He wasn't exactly sure what his parents wanted from him, but he knew he wasn't living up to it. He was too quiet, too reserved, too content with his situation. Unmotivated.
Naomi released him and gestured to the empty seat left for him at the table. Even though it was still early in the morning, everyone was dressed in their best reaping clothes, clothes that they only ever wore on a Sunday, when Michael read out their weekly lesson from the Bible. An uneasy silence fell over everyone at the table as Castiel sat. Gabriel, of course, was the first to break it. "Well Cas, how does it feel to be the last Novak represented in the reaping?"
Michael and Raphael both shot Gabriel disapproving looks, while Lucifer and Castiel tried to hide their smiles. That was usually how the family was split. Michael, Naomi and Raphael always as dark and serious as ever, while Gabriel, Lucifer and Castiel decided to face their fate with a small smile. Castiel risked a glance at Lucifer, who was smiling back at him, his eyes crinkling a little in the corners.
Michael spoke, deciding to ignore Gabriel's comment. "Castiel. Today must be a very difficult day for you. We would like you to know that we are all praying for you."
Castiel nodded. He could barely sit at the table anymore. Usually most of the attention was drawn to either Raphael, Michael or Gabriel. Castiel never had all of the attention focused on him. It was unnerving and he didn't like it. He and Lucifer were the most similar of the four siblings. They were both quiet, respectful, but had a lack of faith. Of course, their parents didn't know about the last part. Sometimes Castiel wondered if they had grown to be like their names, or if their names were given to them because of who they were. It never failed to amuse him that his brother had literally been named after the devil. Naomi had pointed out several times that Lucifer was God's favorite before he fell, whenever Gabriel brought up Lucifer's namesake.
Gabriel must have noticed Castiel's discomfort, because he quickly changed the subject. That was something Castiel could always count on when it came to Gabriel. He could sense when people were uncomfortable, and did his best to ease that discomfort. "I'm thinking of moving out." He said casually, like he was commenting on the weather.
Castiel widened his eyes, and a quick glance at Lucifer confirmed that his brother didn't know anything about this confession either. Apparently, neither did the rest of the family. Raphael and Naomi's jaw dropped in shock, but Michael just observed Gabriel carefully, like he was eyeing up a rabid dog, trying to decide whether to approach it or not.. "Why?" He asked cautiously.
Gabriel shrugged indifferently. "Well I figured that I'm already working down at the power plants, and they offer accommodation in the residential area down there, so I thought, why not?" He glanced over at his twin, Raphael, who just stared straight ahead.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Michael nodded. "Well, if that's what you want Gabriel, then I can't see a problem. You're growing up." His voice was cold and even, not giving away any emotion.
Gabriel gave a small smile, which was a nice change from his sarcastic grins that usually played upon his face. "That's probably one of the biggest compliments you've given me." Before Michael could answer, Gabriel stood and stretched. "Well I promised Cas and Luci that I'd take them down to see the Milton's before the Reaping. Anna's been dying to catch up with Cas." He said, with a small wink at Castiel, who was returned it with a glare.
Michael sighed and opened his arms, deciding it was easier to just agree to Gabriel's terms rather than fight them. "Be my guest, be back here two hours before the Reaping." He warned.
"Of course." Gabriel smiled and grabbed Castiel and Lucifer by their shoulders. "Let's go kids."
It was no secret that the Novak family were rich. They were all merchants, living in the nicer part of the village. Micheal Novak worked with the mayor in the administration of District 5, and Naomi came from the family who owned an elite clothing store in the village. What was a secret though, was the fact that one of their eldest sons had decided to work for the power stations, the lowest of all the jobs in District 5. Gabriel could have been working in administration with his father and Raphael if he'd wanted to, but he didn't. He never talked about his decision, or explained it to anyone, he just did it. They tried to keep the secret the best that they could, but, of course, word got around. Five was a small district, and people loved to gossip. And now, Gabriel he was moving out. Castiel suspected that Raphael would move out soon too and start a family identical to his own, follow exactly in Michael's footsteps and be 'the good son'. Lucifer would probably meet a nice girl and settle down in the village and live a quiet peaceful life away from his family. Everyone of his siblings seemed to have a plan, but Castiel didn't.
He had no idea what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He was pretty sure everyone he knew expected him to marry Anna Milton (Anna included), simply because her father was the mayor, and Michael was his right hand man. Castiel didn't mind Anna, she was kind and smart and very pretty, he just didn't love her. But Castiel knew that he would probably go along with whatever his parents planned because that was what Castiel did. He obeyed. He was the perfect little solider. Yet he was somehow still always falling from the expectations his parents set for him. Micheal wanted him to be forward thinking and filled with brilliant ideas, and Naomi wanted him to be happy and meet a nice girl, but Castiel wasn't either of these things. He felt guilty, because he should have been happy with his life, but he just wasn't.
Gabriel chatted casually the whole walk to Anna's house, about his job, about the people at work, about anything but the reaping that was glaring everyone in the face. Lucifer replied occasionally, but Castiel kept silent. One of the good things about Gabriel was that he could basically have a conversation with himself, only needing the occasional nod and agreement from the other person. When they finally arrived on Anna's doorstep, Castiel took a deep breath and faked a smile. He knew Anna would be just as worried about the Reaping as he was.
When she opened the door, Castiel was taken aback. Sure, he knew that everyone dressed up for the Reaping, but Anna looked stunning. Her usually straight red hair had been curled, and cascaded in ringlets down her back. She was wearing a white dress which was embellished with lace sleeves. Her lips were bright red and her hazel eyes shone brightly. Castiel gave her a genuine smile. "Hey Anna."
Anna grinned back, a little bit of red lipstick stuck on her teeth which Castiel ignored. "Hello Castiel." She glanced over at his brothers. "Hello Lucifer, hello Gabriel."
Gabriel grinned, mockingly giving her a short bow. "Oh, don't mind us Anna, we're only here to make sure things don't get too inappropriate." Lucifer held back a laugh behind his hand as Castiel glared at both of them.
Anna dropped her head, and her cheeks matched the color of her hair. "Oh." She smiled shyly, risking a look up at Castiel. "Well, come on inside, we're all . . ." She paused, reality crashing back down on her shoulders. "Well, we're all getting ready for this afternoon."
Anna invited them inside, closing the door behind them. She lead the three brothers into the kitchen. While the Novak's had a nice house, the Milton's house was a whole new level of luxury. Castiel had never fully explored the whole house, but the kitchen itself could have fitted an entire house down in the power plant area. Gabriel and Lucifer both took the seats at the counter while Anna poured them each a drink. Castiel allowed himself to forget about the Reaping for a few minutes and let himself be happy.
Dean
Dean helped Katniss carry the sack through the Seam, going behind all houses and ending up at The Hob. Dean let Sam go home to get ready so he and Katniss could do some trading. Of course, Sam hadn't said anything, he'd just replied with a serious nod. Dean sighed and walked in through the back of the old warehouse.
They were immediately assaulted by the different smells of wild game and whatever else the people of the Seam could pull together. Katniss' first stop was Greasy Sae , which didn't surprise Dean, there wasn't much else they could do with the wild dog caught in Sam's snare, and Sae could always be counted on to buy wild dog. Dean turned over the dog as discreetly as possible. Even though it was no secret that the meat in her soups was never actually beef, but people didn't exactly like to see the wild dog being transferred.
Greasy Sae handed Katniss a few coins and gave her and Dean a bowl of soup each. "And it's not for you two either, give it to those two little ones. They're skin and bone."
Dean gave her a small smile. "Right." Her kindness wasn't something Dean would ever get used to, it just wasn't something that was common around here. Everyone was in it to survive. It was almost like they were in the games every day of the year.
After they finished with their trades around the Hob, Katniss turned to Dean."The butcher takes squirrel, the baker takes rabbit." Katniss reminded Dean, as if he'd forgotten, and handed him the remaining game. "I'll go and get Sam, and bring him back to our house. Meet you there after you drop these off." She took the other bowl of soup from Dean and walked away, her dark braid nearly whipping Dean as she spun around.
Dean sighed and walked towards the village. If he'd had it his way, he wouldn't be doing this on Reaping day, he would have left it up to Katniss to deal with the customers in the village, but the look in her eyes had made Dean think better than to argue with her. He delivered the meat and collected the coins. The baker gave him a bag of cookies, which surprised Dean, but the baker claimed that they were for 'the two little ones'. Sam and Prim were a package deal, just like Dean and Katniss.
He arrived back at Katniss' house with an empty bag and stomach. He opened the front door and wiped his feet, as comfortable as if he was in his own home. Katniss' house was a bit smaller than their own, but it was cozier, more lived in. It had the influence of two parents, not only one absent parent. He dropped the bag on the kitchen bench and made his way into the living room. "Hello Mrs. Everdeen." He said quietly to Katniss' mother. He'd always been wary of her ever since she fell into depression and abandoned her children after the same explosion that killed John, killed her husband. Katniss claimed that she was 'better' now, but Dean was still cautious.
"Hello Dean." She replied calmly, giving him a small smile. Dean had no doubt that she knew exactly what he thought of her, but she was always kind and polite to him, so he tried his best to return it.
Dean smiled back and lent against the door frame. Sam sat on the couch, going through the various plants and berries they had collected and sorting them into piles. "Where's Katniss?" He asked casually.
Sam shrugged. "Her and Prim are getting changed."
Sam himself was wearing a button up shirt and a pair of black dress pants which, of course, used to belong to Dean. The pants were a little too short, and rode up around his ankles. Soon Sam would be fitting all of John's old clothes that Dean was wearing now. "You look good Sammy." Dean said, a bit of a lump stuck in his throat. He didn't want to go to the Reaping, he wanted to take Sam back to their house and tuck him back into bed. He wanted to protect Sam for the rest of his life, because that was the only thing Dean knew how to do, and he couldn't even do that right.
Mrs. Everdeen offered Dean a sympathetic smile. "His name's only in there twice Dean, he'll be fine."
It always amazed Dean at her uncanny ability to guess what people were thinking, not that Dean was being very subtle. "I know." He said quietly. "I know."
Katniss and Prim emerged from the small bedroom they shared a few moments later, Prim wearing a ruffled blouse and light blue skirt, and Katniss wearing one of her mother's old dresses. Dean sucked in a sharp breath, Prim was a year younger than Sam, this was her first reaping. He looked over at Katniss, who had the exact same expression that Dean had when he was looking at Sam.
Prim, however, didn't seem as nervous as Katniss or Dean, she just sat next to Sam and helped him sort out the plants they collected. Katniss walked over beside Dean and lent against his chest. Dean didn't feel shocked or surprised, he just responded by wrapping his arms around her without uttering another word. He lent his forehead against the top of her head, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.
They stood like that for a few seconds before Sam coughed loudly and Prim giggled. Katniss let go and walked over to Prim without looking back. That was the way things worked with her. She broke occasionally, but she never turned anything into something it wasn't. And what was between her and him, that was the same thing that was between him and Prim, or Katniss and Sam. They were all family, they all looked out for each other.
"It's time to go." Mrs. Everdeen said, quietly standing.
Katniss nodded and held her hand out for Prim to take it. Dean gave Sam a small smile, and Sam looked close to returning it.
Dean lead Sam to the boys section at the Reaping and helped him enter in his name and get his blood taken. Sam had a constant look of fear on his face as Dean helped him through the lines. Even though Sam had done it once before, he was still terrified. Dean remembered his first Reaping, and how afraid he'd been. Before he let Sam go to the section for thirteen year old boys, he knelt down in front of him.
"Hey, it'll be ok. We'll get home after this, we'll cook some of that fish, and then the Everdeen's will come over for dinner. Everything will be ok." He promised.
Sam nodded vigourously, and gave Dean a quick, impromtu hug.
Dean returned the embrace and took his own spot closer to the back with the seventeen year olds. Once he had finished helping Sam, he looked over, seeing if he could see Katniss or Prim. Neither were visible through the crowd of people.
Dean looked up at the stage. Only two people were seated there when there should have been three. Mayor Undersee and Effie Trinket spoke in hushed and worried voices. The Reaping was due to start, and Haymitch Abernathy still hadn't arrived. Eventually, Effie stood anyway and decided to start the Reaping. Just as she started to speak, Haymitch made a miraculous appearance, which ended with a miraculously drunk head dive off the stage.
Dean felt a small creep up on his lips. At least Haymitch was helping him to take his mind away fro the worry for Sam, Prim, Katniss and himself.
Eventually, Effie regained control of the crowd by making her way over to the girl's reaping ball. Her powder white wig was off center on her head, and she held it with one hand as she stalked over to the balls. She seemed to drag out choosing a slip of paper for as long as possible. When her manicured fingers finally grasped a piece of paper, Dean felt his breath catch in his throat.
"Primrose Everdeen."
Dean felt like someone had punched him in the stomach, he desperately scanned the girl's area for Prim and Katniss. He spotted Prim first, moving nervously towards the stage. She was moving slowly and stilted, glancing around like there had been some kind of mistake.
"Prim?" Dean heard Katniss before he saw her. Her voice sounded broken and disbelieving. "PRIM!" Her voice turned to a scream as she forced her way through the crowd to reach her sister. "PRIM!"
Dean reacted a few seconds after the Peacekeepers who were moving to contain Katniss, who was running towards Prim.
"I volunteer!" Katniss screamed, her voice lost to the tears that were spilling down her cheeks. "Please, I volunteer as a tribute!" She enclosed a crying Prim in her arms as the Peacekeepers surrounded her.
Effie and Mayor Undersee both seemed thoroughly shaken by Katniss' outburst, and Effie tried to regain control for a second time. "I do believe we have a volunteer!" She announced proudly.
Dean walked towards Prim as she tried to pull Katniss to stop her from moving towards the stage. He picked her up and gave Katniss' hand a quick squeeze as she was escorted up to the stage. The Peacekeepers didn't bat an eyelid and Dean taking Prim away from the chaos.
"Katniss! NO!" Prim screamed, beating Dean's head with her fists, trying to get him to put her down, but he refused, handing her over to Mrs. Everdeen at the back of the crowd while Effie addressed Katniss. He barely made it back to his spot in the boy's section before Effie moved over to read out the next name.
"Dean Winchester."
Castiel
Castiel took his place in the boy's section in the village square, in front of the Justice Building. His palms were sweating, and he was dressed in his best clothes. His breath was caught in his chest, and he could feel one of his signature anxiety attacks coming on. He tried to calm himself by taking deep breaths. 'Your family's standing right behind you. You're name's only in there six times. You'll be fine. Stop being stupid'. The last thought came to him in Raphael's voice, which replaced his fear with anger. "Stop being stupid" He muttered to himself, too low for anyone around him to hear. He clenched and unclenched his fists, almost missing the girl's name being read out.
"Joanna Harvelle."
Castiel glanced up to see a small, but hardy, blonde girl walking up to the stage, her eyes hard and her jaw set. Castiel admired her for that, admired her for that determination not to break down like so many others do, and have done. But she was so young. She couldn't have been older than twelve. This would have been her first Reaping. And she was facing it with such courage and conviction, that Castiel almost wanted to appuad her.
His breif time of feeling admiration for the female tribute ended when the it was the boy's turn.
"Castiel Novak."
Oddly enough, at that moment, Castiel didn't feel anything. He felt numb, completely and utterly numb. There was no lack of breath, no punch to the stomach, just . . . nothing. He felt his legs moving of their own accord, walking towards the stage, his face a mask of no emotion. That was the worst part. He couldn't feel anything. It would have scared him if he'd known how to make himself feel something. But he didn't feel anything. No, this can't be right. Only six times, right? There are people with there name in there twenty times, how are you the one chosen? You're going to die. You know that right? He blinked, and found himself on the stage, standing next to Joanna Harvelle. She tried to offer him a small smile, but Castiel still didn't quite believe his situation.
He could see well from the stage, well enough to see his family standing in a tight group at the end of the gathered crowd. People were staring at them too, because the Novak's were famous enough in District 5 for people to recognise them. It was strange that such an elite family could possibly have a child in the Games, yet there Castiel stood. Michael was holding Naomi as she cried into his chest, and Raphael was rubbing his mother's back sympathetically. None of the three were even looking Castiel's way. Lucifer stood with his arms by his side, his jaw dropped in shock, like he wasn't quite convinced that it was real. Castiel locked eyes with him, wishing he could say something to his brother, offer some words of comfort, or at least dismiss the situation.
But Gabriel stood slightly apart from the rest, his arms folded across his chest. Castiel could see the pride in Gabriel's eyes, the same kind of admiration Castiel had felt for Joanna when she hadn't shown emotion. Gabriel's lips lifted a little when he caught Castiel's gaze; and despite himself, Castiel smiled back.