Citrine's POV:
I make it to the Town Square for the reaping, just before the Mayor starts his lame-ass speech. It's a good thing no one expects me to be on time. I sneak in between my friends Lavender and Hope in the 17 year old section as the Mayor starts.
"You know," Lavender starts. "One of these times, being 'fashionably late', is going to get you in trouble." She says with air quotes around 'fashionably late'.
I shake my head. "Maybe, but not after today." I say grinning, which earns me weird looks from both of them.
Maroona, our Districts escort, comes up on stage after the mayor is finished. "Isn't that speech just heartwarming?" She asks earning an eye roll from probably half the audience. "Well, onto the main part of the show! Ladies first!" At that, she pulls a name from the bowl, but before she gets the chance to read it, I, as long as two other girls in the audience all shout, "I volunteer!" Unfortunately, one of them happens to be Hope.
We glare at each other for a moment and out of my peripheral vision, see the other girl who volunteered back away from us.
All of a sudden, Hope lunges at me, her sharp nails extended and aimed at my face and I side step her just in time. She spins around to face me again and I grab her hair pulling it hard and bringing her down to the ground. She grabs my leg out from under me and makes me fall with her, punching and scratching the whole way down. I land on top of her and try to pin her, but she's a lot bigger than me. If I had a damn knife, this'd be so much easier. I finally give up trying to pin her and just aim a couple punches at her face before gives up trying to get me off her. I stop my fist before I hit her again and instead quirk an eyebrow at her.
"Go the hell up and then come back a damn victor." Is what I think she says. It's really hard to understand her since her nose is all congested from the blood. I give her one last look before getting up and walking up the steps to where Maroona stands.
"Ooooh, a volunteer. And what's your name?" She asks me.
"Citrine Rosemary" I say giving the crowd my thousand dollar smile.
"Well, let's hear it for Citrine everybody!" She says and I earn a large amount of applause. I give one bow, as if this were the end of a play, and then stand waiting for the boy tribute to come up.
Some boy makes his way from the crowd as Maroona asks for the male tribute. I find it almost hilarious as he makes his way to the stairs; he looks about my age, but comes no higher than my chest (how tall is Citrine). Just as he reaches the first stair, a tall boy, eighteen-ish looking, sidesteps him, mugging him in the face, forcing him backward. The boy acts as if he'll attack the newcomer, but with one backwards glare from the guy, he stops dead in his tracks.
The boy smirks, walks up the stage, and stands beside Maroona. "Well, yet another volunteer! And what is your name?" She asks.
"Gemson Finchley." He says.
Maroona nods and smiles at the crowd. "Let's hear it for the tributes for the 66th Annual Hunger Games, Citrine Rosemary and Gemson Finchley!"
The crowd erupts in applause as Gemson and I turn to each other to shake hands. The Capitol anthem plays and we're escorted to the Justice Building for our visiting hour.
The first people to come in are my parents. My mother walks in first all high-and-mighty just because she won the 47th Games and then my father comes in smiling at me. "Nice fight sweetie." He says giving me a thumbs up.
"It was not a nice fight." My mother snaps. "You let her go when she stopped trying. When you're in the arena; that will be when they stick a
knife in your chest. You cannot hesitate ever or you will be killed. Even if you go on to fight that Gemson boy."
"Yes mother. But this isn't the arena, and Hope is my friend. I don't even know that Gemson guy, and I don't plan on making any friends." I tell her.
She still looks rather upset over my fight, but my father peaks out from behind her and winks at me mouthing 'Good job'. I smile at him and turn back to mother as she sighs. "I guess you will learn better in training, but until then, this is good-bye until you come back from the games." She says giving me a rather awkward hug.
My mother has always been rather distant to me, and so we've never had much of a relationship. Father tells me that she wasn't always like this, but when she won her games she became this way.
He doesn't say anything when Mother lets me go; he just smiles and embraces me as well. "Good luck." He whispers in my ear before we all settle down on the plush couches to enjoy the last few minutes of each others company.
The rest of the time flies by and soon the three of us are hugging and my parents are being led out by the peacekeepers and Lavender is being brought in.
"So I guess that was what you meant by not getting in trouble for being late anymore." She says walking up and hugging me tightly.
I nod and chuckle. "Now the only time that will happen is if Maroona freaks out at me over it."
"Ha, she freaks about the tiniest things. Remember that one year when a fly landed on the bowl?" She asks rolling her eyes at the memory.
"Yep. That was a sad, sad year for her."
"Alright, so the best I can do is wish you luck in there and hope that Hope doesn't murder you." She says giving me one last hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Ta ta for now!" She says waving as the peacekeepers escort her out.
Finally, Hope walks in, her hair a mess and her makeup ruined. "I'm not staying any longer than I have to, so listen up." She says the
moment she lets me out of her hug. "You are coming back. Because if you don't, I am going to be pissed at you for beating me and taking my spot as tribute."
I laugh and nod. "Don't worry, I'm definitely coming back."
She nods once. "Good." She says before leaving. She is not happy about not being tribute.
I wait a minute before the peacekeepers come and escort me to a car where soon enough Gemson joins us and we're being driven away to the train station. Once there, we're ushered up to the doors of the train, but not allowed in until the camera people get enough pictures of us. When they're finally done, we're lead inside the fancy Capitol train and we're pulling out of the station. I stare out the window thinking about what it's going to be like coming back home a victor.