Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Charlie breathes in deeply for two steps, then releases it with another two. His pace is steady and he feels comfortable as he runs through the withering forest and fields of District 12. As he reaches the barbed wire fence, he slows down to a walk and heads back home. After squeezing through a hole in the fence, he turns to face the early morning summer sun. It’s perfectly warm, accompanied by a gentle breeze that ruffles his hair. It’s moments like these that Charlie loves the most. He’s able to disappear from reality, feel somewhat at peace and breathe properly. Running helps him relax, especially when he’s more anxious than usual. 

He doesn’t want to move. He doesn’t want to go back to the centre. It’s rough out there. Everyone looks miserable, like they’re on autopilot as they go about their day. The men of the district are constantly covered in soot and residue thanks to the mines. The women look after their children as best as they can, trying to keep them happy while they learn pointless skills at school. They try to keep their husbands happy with the minimal supplies from the Capitol that get distributed to everyone. Charlie has seen a change in everyone in recent years. He has wondered if people are growing tired of how the Capitol controls Panem, but nobody has ever had the courage to do anything about it. 

So yeah, it’s not hard to figure out why Charlie isn’t too enthusiastic to rush back to the main part of the district. 

But today is the day of the reaping. He must go no matter what. And this year, he has to be there for Olly, as it's Olly's first time entering the reaping lottery.

Charlie is scared shitless. Mainly for Olly but also for himself and for Tori. Their parents passed away a few years ago. Their dad died first in a mining accident, which was becoming more and more regular in the district. Then, two years later, their mum got sick, and they couldn’t figure out how to help her. The three siblings have only had each other since then. They promised their parents, especially their mother on her deathbed, to look after each other, and Tori and Charlie promised each other to look after Olly. 

Luckily, a few of the district elders and other families helped them get sorted when they were adjusting to their new lives as orphans. They took the siblings under their wings, teaching Tori how to cook, how to do household chores, and how to survive. It was hard. Charlie was barely ten at the time – Tori was twelve – so he did have some idea as to what was going on, but Olly…

Olly was only eight. 

He was confused, asking where their mum was nearly every night. It broke Charlie and Tori’s hearts. Charlie often ended up holding onto Tori at night as she sobbed into his arms, asking no one in particular why everything had happened to them. 

That’s when Tori realised that she had to ask to submit more entries for the Games in exchange for grain and oil. As soon as Charlie turned twelve, he did the same. They agreed to keep this information from Olly – they would not let him do the same. Olly deserves to live, so the less chance he has at being chosen for the Games, the better. 

When Charlie reaches their house, he sees Tori through the window in her reaping outfit with her black hair tied into neat plaits on both sides of her head. She’s helping Olly into his shirt, and Charlie can see her holding back her emotions with a tight expression on her face.

He pushes through the door and heads straight to the living room. 

“I managed to save enough water for you,” Tori says to him as she finishes tucking Olly’s shirt into his beige trousers. “It’s in the back room.” 

“Thanks,” Charlie replies quietly. 

He makes quick work of washing his face and neck, as well as all the sweaty parts of his body thanks to his run. As he dries himself, he notices his folded clothes on the bed – the same clothes he has worn since he was twelve. He smiles at the thought of Tori setting them out for him, just as she’s done every year, despite him now being seventeen. 

A few minutes later, he emerges fully dressed and sees Olly sitting on the steps outside the door. The little boy is hunched over, hugging his knees, staring at two dogs playfully fighting over a bone in the distance. 

“Hey, little mouse,” Charlie says and comes to sit next to Olly. 

The nickname causes Olly to smile, and his shoulders relax slightly. 

“You okay?” Charlie continues. 

“Nervous,” Olly replies in a small voice.

“That’s okay. I’m nervous too,” Charlie says comfortingly, gently nudging his shoulder into Olly’s. “But, just keep in mind, your name is only going in once. The likelihood of your name being picked is very slim.” 

Olly looks up at Charlie with watery eyes and nods. “Can you help me tie my shoelaces?”

Charlie huffs out a gentle laugh. “Sure.” 

Charlie shuffles onto a lower step and twists his legs so that he can prop Olly’s feet up to tie the laces. 

Just as he finishes the last knot, Tori comes out looking a little bit paler than normal. “Come on, we need to go,” she says with a wobble in her voice. 

“Tori!” 

The three turn their heads to see a very dirty-looking man running over to them. 

Charlie looks at Tori just in time to see her eyes grow wide and a slight blush appear on her cheeks. 

“Michael,” she replies once the man reaches their house. “What are you doing here?” 

“I just wanted to say good luck to you,” Michael pants. “I ran from the mines because I thought I was going to miss you.” 

“Oh, right,” she simply says. 

Charlie clears his throat and looks at his sister quizzically. 

She rolls her eyes with a sigh. “Michael, these are my brothers, Charlie and Olly.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Charlie says with a smile and a wave. Olly just stands closer to Charlie, gripping onto his hand tightly. “We’ve heard nothing about you.” 

Surprisingly, Michael laughs. “Sounds like Tori.” 

“Well… um, we need to go soon so…” Tori trails off. 

Michael’s eyebrows shoot up. “Right, yes! Um, good luck, to all three of you. I’ll be there, watching. Maybe we could hang out after?” He directs the question to Tori but then looks at Charlie and Olly. “Maybe we could get to know each other too?” 

“Sounds good.” Charlie smiles. Then, he looks down at Olly and squeezes his hand. “Come on, let’s go. Tori can catch up.” 

They begin walking in silence with Olly’s grip getting even tighter by the second. So, Charlie looks over his shoulder to see if Tori had started walking yet, but instead is met with a surprising sight. 

Tori and Michael. Kissing.

That is unexpected.

Charlie whips his head back around, feeling weird about accidentally witnessing a private moment.

Not that private if it’s in public though, is it?

Finally, Tori catches up with them, breathing heavily as she has to jog her way over. 

“So, is Michael a friend?” Charlie teases.

“He’s… someone,” Tori replies vaguely. 

Charlie glances over at his sister and then snorts when he sees a black mark on her cheek, presumably where Michael’s hand was a few seconds earlier. 

“Right.” Charlie nods. “You’ve got something on your cheek, by the way.” 

Tori’s eyes widen again, and she stops to wipe at her face. 

Charlie laughs and also stops, pulling Olly along with him as he goes to help. 

“Let me,” he says softly. 

Tori groans but acquiesces, keeping her gaze locked onto something in the distance. Charlie licks his thumb and gets most of the soot off her face. Tori sends him a look of disgust.

“Sorry, but there aren't many other options,” Charlie says. 

“If I don’t get reaped, I might actually kill Michael myself,” Tori mumbles. 

“No, you won’t,” Charlie argues. 

Tori’s hard exterior falters and she shakes her head. “No, I won’t.” 

Once Charlie deems Tori’s face clean again, Olly starts walking first. Charlie goes to reach for his hand, but then, Tori pulls him back by his wrist.

Charlie turns to look at her. “What?”

“Promise me you’ll look after him,” she says sternly, glancing at their little brother for a second. 

“Of course I will, Tori. You know I will,” Charlie replies, feeling a bit confused as to why she would think any different. 

She pulls her lips into a tight line and raises an eyebrow. “Whatever it takes to keep him safe, right?” The knowing look she gives Charlie sends a shiver down his spine. 

Oh. 

“Whatever it takes,” Charlie replies with a nod. 

They squeeze each other’s hands once before turning to catch up with Olly. The walk to the town square feels longer than normal. When they start to merge with other children from the district, Olly is quick to slip his hand into Charlie’s. Charlie glances down and sees the anxiety and worry written all over his little face. Charlie says nothing, only rubbing his thumb back and forth across the back of Olly’s hand. 

When they see the first row of Peacekeepers, Charlie feels a tug on his hand. Olly has stopped and is looking more terrified than ever. 

“Hey, it’s okay. They won’t hurt you,” Charlie says soothingly, crouching to Olly’s height. “They just tell us where to go.”

“They just stand and point,” Tori adds.

After a few moments, Olly’s breathing calms down and he wipes the stray tears off of his face. 

“I need to go over there,” Tori says, motioning towards the forming crowd of girls. “I’ll see you both soon, okay?” 

Olly throws himself into Tori’s arms and she squeezes his body against her own as she whispers a few words into his ear. Then, she straightens up and turns to Charlie. Charlie steps forward and wraps his arms around her shoulders. 

“Remember what I said,” Tori says quietly. “I love you, Charlie.” 

“I love you, too,” Charlie replies. 

He takes Olly’s hand again as they watch their big sister fall into step with the other older girls from the district. 

Charlie leads Olly over to a registration station closer to his age group, so that he’s alone for a smaller amount of time. They part with a painful last hug, with Charlie whispering comforting words of “you can do it” and “I love you” into Olly’s ear. 

Charlie tries to keep an eye on his little brother for as long as he can, to make sure that he gets in without any problems. However, he loses sight of him after he registers, so all he can do is pray that nothing bad happens as he is called up to get his finger pricked and blood scanned. He is cleared to go through and barely acknowledges the Peacekeeper as he swiftly makes his way forward, continuously looking for his brother. Once in line in the square, he turns his head and spots Olly near the front, pulling at a loose thread of his sleeve. 

He’ll be okay, Charlie tells himself, and turns back to face the stage.

As more children arrive, he begins to look around his section for a familiar flop of black hair belonging to his best friend Tao. He strains his neck left, right and in any direction possible, but doesn’t see him at all. Charlie concludes that Tao must be further back or is running late – it wouldn’t be the first time. 

The whole square is quiet, with only the sound of feet walking on the gravel and stones as the possible tributes of District 12 get into place. All Charlie can do is look at the stage and wait. 

Soon enough, government officials and previous victors – or rather, victor, in this case – walk out on stage with a few Peacekeepers. 

Then finally, out walks the district escort, Rebecca Allen. Her outfit is outrageous – bright colours that clash, decorated with random flowers and other nature-related objects. Her purple hair is tied up in an elaborate bun, with the same flowers braided throughout. Seeing her on stage is enough to make Charlie’s head hurt, so when she takes over the entire screen, well… he has to look away for a moment. 

“Welcome, welcome!” Rebecca says loudly into the microphone, causing Charlie to flinch slightly. 

Rebecca looks around the square with a wide grin and addresses everyone again. “Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour!” Her giggle is high pitched and sharp.

It gets worse every year. 

“Now, before we begin, we have something special to show you. All the way from the Capitol!” she says in a singsong voice. She moves to the side and gestures at the big screen as loud ceremonial music begins to play.

They show this film every single year. Charlie practically knows it off the top of his head, thanks to watching previous reapings on district TVs when he was younger, as well as the ones he’s attended. It shows a dramatic story of Panem’s history, how previous tributes have fought for their districts, how the rebellion happened and caused Panem to create the Hunger Games, how tributes fight and sacrifice themselves for honour and to ensure the peace of the future. 

It’s a load of shit. It makes Charlie feel sick.

With the final chord, Charlie dares to look up at the stage again and sees Rebecca dabbing away supposed tears with a handkerchief, making sure she hasn’t ruined her ostentatious makeup.

“Isn’t that so inspiring?” she sighs into the microphone. She puts the handkerchief away in her little bag, and when she faces the square again, her face has reset into her over-exaggerated happy grin.

“Now, the time has come to select our two brave tributes who will compete in the 74th Annual Hunger Games!”

She’s met with silence, but her smile never falters.

“As always, ladies first!” 

Her hand hovers over the glass bowl filled with small slips of paper, her fingers dancing elegantly as she lowers them into the bowl. 

Finally, her fingers disappear for a second, then reappear with a piece of paper in her hand. She turns back to the microphone, excitement glimmering in her eyes. She takes her time to open the paper slip and clears her throat once finished. 

“Juniper Cannon!” 

Nobody moves. Nobody makes a sound. It’s completely silent. 

Charlie swallows as he sees Juniper appear on the screen with her mousy brown hair tied back in a neat low bun, brown eyes wide and scared, her shoulders tense. Freckles decorate her nose which flares slightly as she breathes. The camera follows her as she takes tentative steps towards the stage. Charlie can see her whole body visibly shaking in her faded yellow, almost beige, dress as she reaches the stairs that lead to the stage. His heart aches for her. She looks similar to Olly’s age and yet, nobody cries for her.

Charlie flicks his gaze back to Rebecca, who is holding an arm out towards Juniper, as if inviting her into a home for afternoon tea with that same sinister smile. 

Rebecca guides her by the shoulders to stand next to the microphone. “Wonderful. Let’s have a round of applause for your first tribute!” 

Only Rebecca and the few government officials bring their hands together for a very, very short clap. 

Charlie has to hold back a scoff. 

“And now, for the boys!” Rebecca continues. 

Her hands do the same dance over the other bowl before plunging into the papers. She walks back over to the microphone, paper in hand, ready to be opened. 

Charlie feels his heart rate speed up and thump harder against his ribcage. 

Deep breaths. It’ll be fine. Deep-

“Oliver Spring!” 

Charlie stops breathing. His eyes snap to the screen to see the face of his little brother looking petrified. 

No, no, no, no. Not Olly. Out of all of the entries, Olly only has one. How did he get chosen? 

Time slows down. All Charlie does is stare at the screen as the town waits for Olly to move. 

Then, he looks to his left and he sees the Peacekeepers walk towards Olly, grabbing him roughly by his arm and practically dragging him forward, forcing him to walk towards the stage. As they reach the makeshift aisle in between the hundreds of children and teenagers, Charlie finds himself pushing his way through his line. 

“Olly!” Charlie cries out. 

Olly turns his head to look at Charlie, tears already streaming down his face. 

Charlie suddenly feels his body being pulled back as one of the Peacekeepers grabs him. “No!” he shouts. “Olly!”

Then, he hears Tori’s voice echo in his mind. 

Look after him. 

The reminder of his promise to Tori kicks Charlie’s body into gear, and he’s moving before he can process what’s happening. “I volunteer!” Charlie shouts. His voice cracks at the end with the pain and fear coursing through his body. 

The whole square seems to come to a standstill as people turn to look at Charlie with surprise, sadness and nervousness obvious on their faces.

“I volunteer as tribute,” Charlie projects, his voice more steady than before. 

The Peacekeepers let go of him immediately. The others holding Olly pause as well. 

“Oh!” Rebecca exclaims, seemingly excited by the whole ordeal. “This is… quite the development! District Twelve’s first ever volunteer!” She pauses, as if expecting another round of applause. “Well then, up you come!”

Charlie takes a deep breath before taking his first steps closer towards the stage. Behind him, he hears footsteps approaching him, so he turns to see Olly running towards him. He falls to his knees and lets Olly crash into him. He feels Olly’s tears seep through his shirt and all the way into his skin.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Charlie whispers into his ear, carding a gentle hand through Olly’s hair. “You’re safe now, okay?” He takes a deep breath and tries to memorise everything about this hug, knowing it will probably be one of the last that they share.

“But you’re not,” Olly sobs, pulling Charlie’s shirt tighter in his hands. 

“I know. I’m sorry, but I have to protect you,” Charlie explains. “I love you so much.” Charlie reluctantly pulls back and holds Olly’s face in his hands, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Go and find Tori, okay?” 

Olly starts to cry harder, but nods anyway. A Peacekeeper guides Olly by the shoulder, much gentler than before. Charlie stands up and fixes his shirt as best as he can before being guided to the stage by three Peacekeepers.

He reaches the stairs leading to the stage, keeping his back straight and eyes down as he climbs them. When he reaches the top, he glances up to see Rebecca facing him, her grin almost too wide to fit her face. She reaches a hand out to him, beckoning him closer. 

He slowly approaches her, hands forming closed fists by his side. Rebecca awkwardly wraps her arm around Charlie when he’s near enough, pushing him face first into the big assortment of fake flowers perched on her shoulders. They smell of sweet and sickly perfume. It makes Charlie’s stomach turn.

“And what’s your name?” she asks, microphone right next to her lips. 

“Charlie Spring,” Charlie replies coldly, eyes focused on the unmoving crowd before flicking back to Rebecca.

Rebecca’s eyes grow wide, and for a moment, Charlie sees a bit of sympathy appear on her face, but she covers it up well as she turns to the crowd and the cameras once again.

“How wonderful!” she announces. “Volunteering for his little brother. What a story this will be!”

She is met with silence. Unfazed, she keeps smiling and takes a deep breath. Then slowly, people lift their hands and press their middle three fingers to their lips, before raising the arms above their head.

Charlie tries his best to contain his emotions. The entire district is saying, ‘goodbye, you are brave, we admire you and we will support you until the end’. He has to take a moment to gasp for air as it feels like he has forgotten how to breathe. Just as he inhales, Rebecca begins to speak once more.

“Well, here are your tributes for District Twelve!” 

Charlie glances at the other tribute, her hand is already out, shaking slightly as she tries to calm her breathing. He quickly reaches out to grasp it and feels how clammy her palm is. The handshake doesn't last very long, and they turn back to face the people of District 12. 

“Happy Hunger Games!” Rebecca calls into the microphone. “May the odds be ever in your favour.”

***

Charlie was quickly escorted backstage and now finds himself standing in a cold barren room, left with no instruction. He takes a seat on a rickety looking chair that creaks with his weight as he sits down. He blinks slowly, almost in shock with everything that has happened in the past hour. He forces himself to breathe, in and out, in and out… but then he feels the pressure in his eyes, tears threatening to spill over, so he closes them.

Suddenly, the door bangs open, and Charlie’s head jerks up to see Tori and Olly running towards him. He stands up and meets them halfway, somehow managing to pull them both into a bone crushing hug at the same time. 

All three of them start to cry, with Tori sniffling into Charlie’s neck and Olly pressing his wet face into Charlie’s stomach. 

Eventually, he pulls back to look at his siblings. He locks eyes with Tori. She has tears streaming down her face and her lips form a sad smile. 

“Tori, I-” 

“I know,” she interrupts. “I know.”

She pulls Charlie in for another hug. “Thank you,” she whispers into his ear. 

“I told you I would, didn’t I?” he replies. “I just didn’t expect it to happen.” He tries to joke, but it just comes out with a sob. 

Tori pulls back with a heavy sigh, eyes darting all over Charlie’s face as if she’s trying to commit the sight of him to memory. He hasn’t seen her this emotional since their mother died. She wipes at her face with her palms, her tight smile returning, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

Charlie turns back to Olly again, ending up in the same position they were in at the reaping. 

“Why did you do that?” Olly asks in a small voice. 

“Because it’s my job as your big brother to look after you, to protect you. I love you too much to let you go up there,” Charlie replies, taking Olly’s hands in his. 

“Try and win so you can come back home?” 

Charlie cracks a sad smile. “I’ll try my best. I promise.” 

The three share one last hug, before Tori takes Olly’s hand in hers and looks at Charlie, possibly for the last time, Charlie realises with dread. He watches as they leave, sharing one last tearful look with Tori before she disappears and the door closes. Charlie shuts his eyes and he feels his body lose all strength. He blindly puts his hands out, catching himself on the wall as a sob escapes him.

A few seconds later, he hears the door open again, more gently this time. Charlie opens his eyes and turns his head to see Tao, dishevelled and visibly broken. 

Tao runs to Charlie, who immediately wraps his arms around his best friend. 

“I’m sorry, Tao. I’m so sorry,” Charlie mumbles into his neck. 

“No, you don’t have to be sorry,” Tao replies immediately. “I know why you did it.”

“Please look after them. Please do everything you can to make sure they’re okay. Please love them for me,” Charlie practically begs.

“I will.” Tao nods against Charlie’s neck. “I promise. But, it’s okay because you’ll be able to do that yourself when you win.” 

“Tao.” Charlie rolls his eyes and raises his eyebrows at his best friend. “Come on.” 

“Charlie,” Tao’s voice wobbles and fresh tears appear in his eyes. “I can’t lose you. We can’t lose you.” 

“I know,” Charlie sobs and sniffs. “I know, Tao. It’s so fucked up. But I promise I’ll try my best.” 

“You can win,” Tao encourages. Charlie gives him a look. “Listen, you can run. You’re so fast! You know how to use a bow and arrow, I’ve seen you practise so many times. And then you have the things your dad taught you, too. If you just run and grab a good weapon and hide, you can win!”

“Tao, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Charlie says, squeezing Tao’s shoulder. “It will be a miracle if I can survive the first day. But I will do everything I can to survive, okay?”

“Okay,” Tao concedes and nods solemnly. 

They bring each other into another tight hug and, a few seconds later, they’re interrupted by the door opening. This time, a Peacekeeper stands there, donned with heavy protective armour. 

“Time to go,” he says gruffly. 

Charlie takes a deep breath and smiles at Tao one last time before pulling away fully. The Peacekeeper walks directly behind him, forcing him to walk quickly. Another suddenly steps in front of him, now leading the way.

They step outside and Juniper joins them, causing two more Peacekeepers to surround them. Charlie looks at Juniper, but she keeps her head forward. Charlie turns back to look at where they are heading, quickly realising they are heading to the train station. 

As soon as the Peacekeeper in front opens the station doors, multiple flashes go off, cameras are shoved in their direction and a crowd of people are shouting at them. Charlie can barely understand anything so he keeps close to the Peacekeeper and looks around to make sure Juniper is okay. 

As expected, her strong mask breaks. Charlie can see the tears begin to fall, so he does what anyone in District 12 would do and reaches out to offer a hand. She takes it immediately, and Charlie smiles down at her. She moves closer to him as they walk towards the platform. It’s dirty and old, and Charlie realises that he’s never seen it before. 

The sight doesn’t fill him with much happiness. 

Waiting for them is the train. It’s the biggest and shiniest thing Charlie has ever seen in his life. It has multiple carriages, blinding lights at either end, and massive windows on every single panel. Before he can properly take it in, the Peacekeepers shove him and Juniper through the sleek metal doors of the train, which close behind them with a mechanical woosh. 

“Oh, there you both are!” Rebecca's voice shrills from the other end of the carriage. “Come, come! Let’s sit down and have some tea!” 

Charlie steps forward first and turns to face Juniper. She has settled but still looks like she’s in shock. So, Charlie nods towards where Rebecca is sitting, tugging gently on Juniper’s hand, which brings her out of her trance. They slowly take their seats opposite Rebecca. Charlie feels his entire body sink into the soft plush cushions and for a moment, he forgets the seriousness of the situation. 

Charlie zones out as Rebecca starts to ramble about how fast the train goes and what they can find on each carriage. Charlie doesn’t care. 

“Oh, Rebecca, please shut up,” a new voice sounds from the door behind them. “They’ve got enough on their minds.” 

Rebecca’s face falters slightly as she stops mid-sentence. Instead of continuing, she clears her throat and moves over.

The owner of the new voice walks over them and bounces into the seat next to Rebecca, while she takes a bite of an apple she has in her hand. 

“Hi,” she says as brightly as she can while chewing, which is quickly followed by a swallow. “I’m Darcy, your mentor.”