The schedule hadn’t changed in the last 6 years that they’d been married, first she would make a breakfast for her husband and his parents who now lived with them - a burden that Ceres had to grin through on a daily basis as they chastised her for not giving everything that they could to their darling boy. It was a marriage of convenience after all, not love, she’d never felt that from James.
When she was younger, Ceres had been considered one of the most beautiful girls in District 9 while James had been gangly and sickly, they’d grown up together through school and then when Ceres had gone off to work the fields he’d continued his studies.
“He’s educated.” She would always be reminded by her own parents. “You could do worse.” The worse thing about that was they were right, she could do worse than James Brewer.
By the time 7am rolled around Ceres had cooked the meal and served it to the family, never receiving thanks for her work, and then it was off to work for James running one of the biggest processing factories for crops in District 9. Her thanks would come in not having to work the fields or the factories where the pay was small and the chance of a good life was even smaller.
“He’s educated and wealthy.” Ceres would remind herself, remembering how her family lived before they married. District 9 was one of the larger Districts of Panem and more people meant more mouths to feed but even surrounded by food there wasn’t anyone in District 9 that would dare take food from the mouths of The Capitol, that meant death and public shame on your family, and if there was one thing that District 9 cherished, it was family.
James would leave Ceres in the capable hands of his parents Frederica and Claus Brewer who would see to it that she followed through with the rest of her “chores” for the day. Her morning would be spent cleaning up the dishes for breakfast, running errands in town and starting to cook the meal for the evening. She would then be expected to follow the fitness regime that was set out for her, keeping her strength and fitness up. Then came beauty, skincare, haircare, nails & makeup. All ready for the evening, when they would sit around the table and eat the meal that Ceres had prepared, again with little thanks. Occasionally her parents would join them but they only spent their time fawning and doting on Frederica and Claus, agreeing when they chimed in with a dig at their daughter.
Life was repetitive and Ceres hated it, she hated that she was a doll under the control of a family of snobs that expected her to be obsequious. She would fall into bed at night and despise the world for a while, occasionally considering what would happen if she took the nail scissors from the bedside cabinet and plunged them into the neck of her sleeping husband and then took to his parents room with a cleaver from the kitchen, hacking them to pieces before fleeing. Those were the thoughts that sent her to sleep at night.
There was only one day of the year where everything changed and that was Reaping day, every year she’d hoped and prayed that James’ names would come out of the Reaping bowl and he’d be sent to The Capitol and just die. She even fantasised about her own name being pulled, about flipping him off from the stage and letting the trio know how much she hated them but this was the final time that this could happen, James was in the Reaping bowl just as many times as Ceres and this was it, if she didn’t leave through the games she would need to find another way out.
Ceres was expected to present herself as the doll that The Brewer family wanted her to be, all done up in makeup and finery and she arrivedin the town square that way, her hair all pinned up in curls while the young women around her looked worn from their work.
Coin’s voice trilled over them as she explained the twist for this years quell and an excitement ran through Ceres when she learned that 10 people were going to be picked. Even a week away from the family would be better than going back there tonight, she couldn’t think of anything worse than James being picked too though.
“Ladies First.” Called the host on stage, his deep red suit looking classy and gaudy at the same time, the first two names that came out of the bowl weren’t her, then the third name swapped excitement for numbness as her feet carried her and her face beamed with delight. She was leaving the family for at least a week, no cooking or dishes or makeup. In an act of defiance Ceres lifted her hands to her head and pulled at the pins that kept it up off her face, letting the blonde locks fall and throwing the pins to the floor.
If she was going to go out to The Capitol and die in The Arena, She was going to do it on her own terms.
