|| Delta Redfern ||
Delta sat curled up on the heavenly bed in the train. The moment she had found herself secluded from the outside world, on this vehicle that made her head spin and her stomach lurch, she had craved privacy. Her escort—a silly woman who almost seemed like a bird in her head, with odd, feathery black hair and extremely dark eyes (it didn’t help that she wore a peacock-inspired dress made entirely—from what Delta could see—of feathers)—had tried to get her to sit down with her mentor and District partner for a meal. She declined, perhaps not in the most polite way possible. She told the escort to go do something with herself that made the woman look on the verge of passing out—apparently she was quite sensitive. In retrospect, Delta figures maybe she should attempt to apologize and try to seem a bit more likeable. Profanity isn’t quite like her, but she wasn’t in the mood for socializing. She wasn’t really in the mood for anything, other than laying in this bed and crying. It was the most comfortable thing she’d ever felt, she had to admit. That really didn’t change much.
The young woman laid on her side, her knees brought up to her chest and her arms wrapped like a vice around them. She stared at the wall opposite, her mind whirling. Despite the fact that, at this point, she felt cried-out, she knew tear tracks would be staining her cheeks. Her mother had insisted she put on mascara, which had annoyed her to no end. With a pause, she thought back to her meeting with her mother. For some reason they sent in her family separately. Apparently none of her friends felt they could manage a good-bye…which Delta actually appreciated. She felt she had to say goodbye to her family. Her friends would have wrecked her, though. It wasn’t that she’d miss them more than her family; it was just…they’d be emotional, and that would break Delta’s reserve. She didn’t want to appear weak until she was sure she was alone. Anyway, the meeting with her mother had been predictably disastrous.
”So, you’re leaving,” the woman’s words were quiet. The moment she’d stepped into the tiny room where they were meant to say their good-byes, both of them had fallen silent. Delta knew that they only had a short period of time, but she felt incredibly wary about this encounter. She had no idea what to expect. Would her mother be calm? Would she finally show some form of emotion towards her daughter? The seconds of silence must have been short—after all, the clock was ticking—but to Delta, it felt like they lasted hours. Eventually, it was her mother who broke it with whispered words. ”Yeah, not much I can do about it, is there?” There was another moment of quiet after that. It was almost as if the pair of them were like strangers, trying to fish out some small-talk before a mutual friend arrived and broke the tension. If someone who didn’t know them walked in just then, she was sure they would have no idea that the pair were mother and daughter. Delta’s eyes shot up when her mother made a little sound at the back of her throat. For just a moment, it seemed like she was trying to compose herself. It looked, just for that one short second, like she might be on the verge of tears. Whatever emotion she felt, though, was gone like a flash. ”Well, we can’t have you going to the Capitol looking like that!” Her mother’s words sent a jolt of pure rage through Delta. She opened her mouth—to do what, she wasn’t entirely sure. To argue, to shout, perhaps even to just scream. She didn’t, though. She closed her mouth, looking down at the floor, feeling resigned. She was angry, yes, but had she expected anything more? For once, the girl didn’t argue, she didn’t fight. ”I guess,” she said tightly, staring at the floor. It was agreement enough for her mother, who quickly went to work. She pulled makeup out, seemingly from nowhere. Delta had never known where she got it from—almost none of the women in the District wore it—but her mother was never without. A minute later, the peacekeepers walked in. If they were startled to see a makeover in progress, they didn’t let anything on. They politely informed her mother it was time to leave, and the woman did—without another word.
Just thinking about it made Delta angry all over again. The anger quickly retreated, though, going to hide in some portion of her that wasn’t filled with utter despair. She felt breakable, like a fragile piece of glass that was teetering on the edge of some table, about to fall and shatter into a million pieces. God, she just wanted to sleep for years. She wanted to sleep until she was somewhere else, somewhere entirely separate from this nightmare she was living. She knew she couldn’t do that, though. In a few minutes, she was going to drag herself out of bed and get herself looking presentable again, and then she was going to go track down her escort and apologize. After she was going to find her mentor and start strategizing, if the woman would agree to it. She knew she had to be strong if she was planning on surviving this thing. Thinking about her dad and her brothers helped quite a bit.
”You know how to survive, Delta, I have faith in you,” her father had started, his voice warm but his eyes panicked. She knew how afraid he was for her, and she was certain he was on the verge of tears. After the nightmare with her mother, she felt drained of all emotion. It helped her just a little bit to be with her dad—he always helped. The first thing he did was wrap her in a tight hug that seemed to last quite some time. Then he’d separated from her and got down to business. ”Pay attention to the plants in training, because they usually give a hint to what the arena’s going to be like. Learn how to hunt something—you know animals well, so that should help. Learning to defend yourself is good, but don’t forget how important basic survival is. Knowing how to kill someone isn’t going to be nearly as important as knowing how to start a fire if they dump you in some kind of arctic arena.” She looked at him, a steely resolve settling over her quickly. She could do this. She would do this. And once she’d won, she would come back home to her dad and her brothers. She would tell her mother off—not just in an angry outburst, like usual, but she would point out exactly the things the woman had done wrong. She would welcome her father and brothers to live with her in Victor’s Village. She’d still work at the lab, even though she wouldn’t have to. She’d live. Her father gave her more words of advice, but eventually they just faded into a comfortable silence. When the end of their meeting drew near, he pulled her into another bear hug. He kissed the top of her head and, just as the peacekeepers entered, he whispered words into her ear. ”I believe in you, Delta,”
Her brothers’ meeting with her hadn’t been as emotionally wrecking as her mother’s or as strategically helpful as her father’s. Instead, they mostly joked around with her. She knew her brothers well, and they were all terribly upset. Reed even had a few moments where he teared and Griffin pulled him aside and whispered that they were there to make Delta feel better. And it had. They’d talked all about how she’d crush the other tributes, and how they’d be disappointed if she didn’t take down the entire career pack single-handedly, in the first night. Tad and Griffin did a good job of masking their fear with jokes and smiles, and Reed was the sweetest. They’d left with a flurry of hugs and kisses and, ‘we’d better see you soon, kid!’s, and thinking about it gave her strength. The thought of them inspired her to get up and get going. She got to her feet and quietly went into the bathroom, washing off her tear-stained face. Soon enough it was clean and clear of makeup, just how she liked it. She changed into some clothes she found in the dresser, unbelievably soft jeans and a warm, oversized black sweater. Feeling determined, Delta stepped out to go get to know the people she was going to be spending quite some time with for the next few days.
Delta sat curled up on the heavenly bed in the train. The moment she had found herself secluded from the outside world, on this vehicle that made her head spin and her stomach lurch, she had craved privacy. Her escort—a silly woman who almost seemed like a bird in her head, with odd, feathery black hair and extremely dark eyes (it didn’t help that she wore a peacock-inspired dress made entirely—from what Delta could see—of feathers)—had tried to get her to sit down with her mentor and District partner for a meal. She declined, perhaps not in the most polite way possible. She told the escort to go do something with herself that made the woman look on the verge of passing out—apparently she was quite sensitive. In retrospect, Delta figures maybe she should attempt to apologize and try to seem a bit more likeable. Profanity isn’t quite like her, but she wasn’t in the mood for socializing. She wasn’t really in the mood for anything, other than laying in this bed and crying. It was the most comfortable thing she’d ever felt, she had to admit. That really didn’t change much.
The young woman laid on her side, her knees brought up to her chest and her arms wrapped like a vice around them. She stared at the wall opposite, her mind whirling. Despite the fact that, at this point, she felt cried-out, she knew tear tracks would be staining her cheeks. Her mother had insisted she put on mascara, which had annoyed her to no end. With a pause, she thought back to her meeting with her mother. For some reason they sent in her family separately. Apparently none of her friends felt they could manage a good-bye…which Delta actually appreciated. She felt she had to say goodbye to her family. Her friends would have wrecked her, though. It wasn’t that she’d miss them more than her family; it was just…they’d be emotional, and that would break Delta’s reserve. She didn’t want to appear weak until she was sure she was alone. Anyway, the meeting with her mother had been predictably disastrous.
”So, you’re leaving,” the woman’s words were quiet. The moment she’d stepped into the tiny room where they were meant to say their good-byes, both of them had fallen silent. Delta knew that they only had a short period of time, but she felt incredibly wary about this encounter. She had no idea what to expect. Would her mother be calm? Would she finally show some form of emotion towards her daughter? The seconds of silence must have been short—after all, the clock was ticking—but to Delta, it felt like they lasted hours. Eventually, it was her mother who broke it with whispered words. ”Yeah, not much I can do about it, is there?” There was another moment of quiet after that. It was almost as if the pair of them were like strangers, trying to fish out some small-talk before a mutual friend arrived and broke the tension. If someone who didn’t know them walked in just then, she was sure they would have no idea that the pair were mother and daughter. Delta’s eyes shot up when her mother made a little sound at the back of her throat. For just a moment, it seemed like she was trying to compose herself. It looked, just for that one short second, like she might be on the verge of tears. Whatever emotion she felt, though, was gone like a flash. ”Well, we can’t have you going to the Capitol looking like that!” Her mother’s words sent a jolt of pure rage through Delta. She opened her mouth—to do what, she wasn’t entirely sure. To argue, to shout, perhaps even to just scream. She didn’t, though. She closed her mouth, looking down at the floor, feeling resigned. She was angry, yes, but had she expected anything more? For once, the girl didn’t argue, she didn’t fight. ”I guess,” she said tightly, staring at the floor. It was agreement enough for her mother, who quickly went to work. She pulled makeup out, seemingly from nowhere. Delta had never known where she got it from—almost none of the women in the District wore it—but her mother was never without. A minute later, the peacekeepers walked in. If they were startled to see a makeover in progress, they didn’t let anything on. They politely informed her mother it was time to leave, and the woman did—without another word.
Just thinking about it made Delta angry all over again. The anger quickly retreated, though, going to hide in some portion of her that wasn’t filled with utter despair. She felt breakable, like a fragile piece of glass that was teetering on the edge of some table, about to fall and shatter into a million pieces. God, she just wanted to sleep for years. She wanted to sleep until she was somewhere else, somewhere entirely separate from this nightmare she was living. She knew she couldn’t do that, though. In a few minutes, she was going to drag herself out of bed and get herself looking presentable again, and then she was going to go track down her escort and apologize. After she was going to find her mentor and start strategizing, if the woman would agree to it. She knew she had to be strong if she was planning on surviving this thing. Thinking about her dad and her brothers helped quite a bit.
”You know how to survive, Delta, I have faith in you,” her father had started, his voice warm but his eyes panicked. She knew how afraid he was for her, and she was certain he was on the verge of tears. After the nightmare with her mother, she felt drained of all emotion. It helped her just a little bit to be with her dad—he always helped. The first thing he did was wrap her in a tight hug that seemed to last quite some time. Then he’d separated from her and got down to business. ”Pay attention to the plants in training, because they usually give a hint to what the arena’s going to be like. Learn how to hunt something—you know animals well, so that should help. Learning to defend yourself is good, but don’t forget how important basic survival is. Knowing how to kill someone isn’t going to be nearly as important as knowing how to start a fire if they dump you in some kind of arctic arena.” She looked at him, a steely resolve settling over her quickly. She could do this. She would do this. And once she’d won, she would come back home to her dad and her brothers. She would tell her mother off—not just in an angry outburst, like usual, but she would point out exactly the things the woman had done wrong. She would welcome her father and brothers to live with her in Victor’s Village. She’d still work at the lab, even though she wouldn’t have to. She’d live. Her father gave her more words of advice, but eventually they just faded into a comfortable silence. When the end of their meeting drew near, he pulled her into another bear hug. He kissed the top of her head and, just as the peacekeepers entered, he whispered words into her ear. ”I believe in you, Delta,”
Her brothers’ meeting with her hadn’t been as emotionally wrecking as her mother’s or as strategically helpful as her father’s. Instead, they mostly joked around with her. She knew her brothers well, and they were all terribly upset. Reed even had a few moments where he teared and Griffin pulled him aside and whispered that they were there to make Delta feel better. And it had. They’d talked all about how she’d crush the other tributes, and how they’d be disappointed if she didn’t take down the entire career pack single-handedly, in the first night. Tad and Griffin did a good job of masking their fear with jokes and smiles, and Reed was the sweetest. They’d left with a flurry of hugs and kisses and, ‘we’d better see you soon, kid!’s, and thinking about it gave her strength. The thought of them inspired her to get up and get going. She got to her feet and quietly went into the bathroom, washing off her tear-stained face. Soon enough it was clean and clear of makeup, just how she liked it. She changed into some clothes she found in the dresser, unbelievably soft jeans and a warm, oversized black sweater. Feeling determined, Delta stepped out to go get to know the people she was going to be spending quite some time with for the next few days.
