Introduction:
Hello people of the Hunger Games fanfic board! 8D This is just a tiny writing project I'm working on for fun, but thanks for clicking on this story. As you can see, there's no form to fill out. That's because this is not a SYOT, and all of the characters (big or small) have been created by me. But I hope you read and enjoy the fanfic anyway!
Now, on with the fanfic.
Stories from the 2nd Hunger Games
Chapter 1: The Reaping, Part 1
~District 1~
It was that time of year again: Reaping Day. The citizens of District 1, along with the citizens in the other eleven districts gathered in their town square, waiting for their district's mayor and escort to arrive onto the stage to begin the proceedings.
"Like, omigod, would they just hurry up?" a blonde girl with blue eyes whined in a valley girl's accent as she stood around with the other seventeen-year-olds. "Like, this is so dull and boring! I'd rather be shopping or like, getting my nails done!" While the girl continued her mindless ranting, District 1's escort, Whitney Vincent, walked onto the stage and approached the two glass balls, each containing the names of the boys and girls (separate, of course) eligible to compete in the Hunger Games.
"Alright, let the reaping begin!" Whitney announced, to some applause. "Ladies first!" The Capitol woman stuck her perfectly manicured hand into the glass ball on the left and dug around in it for a moment, before extracting a tiny slip of paper. The town square was so silent that the crinkling of the paper unfolding could be picked up by microphone as Whitney called out a name.
"Diamond Tiara!"
"And like, I just want to-whaaat?" the blonde girl finally fell speechless as all eyes fell to her. "Like, what?" Diamond's jaw hung open while Whitney scanned the crowd in search of District 1's new female tribute. Diamond could see her fifteen-year-old brother, Silver, smirking at her from the cluster of kids several yards away from her.
"You've just been reaped," Silver said, rolling his eyes. "Get your ass up there, idiot."
"Screw you, Silver!" Diamond yelled, angrily shaking her fist at him before she started heading for the stage. She passed thousands upon thousands of people before finally ascending to the stage. "Ugh, like, whatever!"
"Well okay then!" Whitney continued, relieved that Diamond finally made it onto the stage. "Now, over to the boys!" With that, Whitney dipped her hand into the second glass ball and pulled out another piece of paper. "Oh…oh my God…" the escort trailed, staring at the paper in shock upon opening it, while the crowd waited in suspense.
"Silver Tiara!"
Now it was Silver's turn to be stared at. He was equally shocked as his sister, and he actually had to be nudged by a boy behind him to prompt him to approach the stage. Diamond smirked and stuck her tongue out at Silver when he did get up onstage.
"Oh my, what do we have here?" Whitney commented, glancing from Diamond to Silver. "A brother and sister going into the Games together! What are the odds?" Silver shrugged while he locked eyes with Diamond, while Whitney added, "Any volunteers?" The town square remained quiet. "Well alright then," Whitney said. "Ladies and gentlemen, there we have it. Our tributes from District 1!" The national anthem signaled the end of the reaping for the district, so Whitney turned and ushered Diamond and Silver into the Justice Building.
~District 2~
Murmurs ran through the crowd in District 2 as the country's national anthem sounded. A short, plump man from the Capitol named Randall Templesmith stepped up to the microphone and glass balls holding the names of potential tributes. District 2's mayor, a tall, slender woman, and District 2's mentor and victor of the first Hunger Games, a short but slightly muscular teenager, stood behind him.
"Hello, District 2!" the escort's voice boomed into the microphone and echoed throughout the town square. "You all know the drill. It's time to pick our tributes!" Most of the chatter in the crowd stopped while a name was drawn from the first glass ball. The Capitol man held the slip of paper in his powdered hands and paused, intentionally giving off a moment of suspense, before announcing the name.
"Regan Speare!"
Everyone turned their heads towards the pack of seventeen-year-olds, fixing their eyes on a petite, brunette girl with green eyes. The girl said nothing, only staring straight ahead as she patted down her forest green sundress as she walked through the crowd to walk onstage. Her new mentor grinned and brought her in for a hug while Randall perused the glass ball filled with the boys' names.
"Regan! Hey girl!" the mentor greeted, beaming with pride. "This is going to be so awesome mentoring you! You're going to win for sure!"
"Hey Viola," Regan responded, returning the smile after being expressionless upon being reaped. "Thanks." The girls stopped and turned to Randall, just in time to hear the name of the male tribute.
"Caius Kent!"
Regan let out a small gasp as she watched the ex-boyfriend that she was still in love with, another seventeen-year-old with light brown hair and blue eyes, as he emerged from the crowd before joining her onstage. Worry flashed across Caius's face, but he kept it together for the sake of looking decent in front of the people of District 2. Regan smiled with admiration at Caius's reaping outfit, a white blouse with light blue corduroy jeans made to look like dress pants, and white dress shoes. Regan's mind was buzzing with thoughts as she exchanged glances with Caius. Awesome! Now I can spend some time with Caius! Oh, we're going to have so much fun before the Games begin! And then maybe we can be allies in the arena! This will be great! Regan's thoughts trailed off as their escort patted both her's and Caius's shoulders.
"Yes, I know you two will be in good hands with Miss Duke over here as your mentor," Randall said, giving a friendly gesture to Viola. "May the odds be ever in your favor!" Regan turned to smile at Caius, who gave an awkward but friendly smile back. Their faces were projected on the giant television screens surrounding the stage momentarily, before they turned and headed inside the Justice Building. Their families entered the Justice Building shortly after to say goodbye to their kids, while the rest of the crowd scattered.
~District 3~
The children of District 3 arrived at the town square and filed into clusters of their respective age groups, while the mayor, the escort, and a few other people from the Capitol walked up the tiny steps that led to the stage. The people onstage greeted each other with handshakes and salutations, while those in the crowd glanced at one another with uncertainty. There was a slight tension in District 3, as opposed to the calmer atmosphere in Districts 1 and 2. The anthem played, as it was in every district, drowning out most of the chatter among them. Finally, the anthem slowly died down, as the escort took their spot in front of the two glass balls. Starting with the glass ball containing the girls' names, the escort plunges their hand towards the bottom of the ball, with some of the slips of paper flying around as the escort swiftly pulls their hand back out, holding one paper. They clear their throat while unfolding the paper, and soon the female tribute from District 3 is revealed.
"Aimee Cornwell!"
The crowd remained silent, so silent that crickets could be heard chirping in the background as a tiny, skinny girl stepped out of the fourteen-year-old section and made her way onto the stage. She was so short that almost nobody could see her until she was finally standing next to the escort in front of the microphone. She had a frightened look in her eyes, but she remained calm as she smiled weakly for the crowd. She then turned towards the escort, just in time to hear the name of her district partner, the male tribute.
"Oliver Claude!"
A group of thirteen-year-old boys turned to another boy in their group, who just gulped as his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. He was standing completely still, frozen by shock. He could feel all eyes on him when he finally regained movement in his limbs, allowing him to gently push through the crowd to join Aimee and the others onstage. Oliver was so terrified that he couldn't be bothered to hide it, and the rest of the crowd saw it. They knew he was pretty much a goner.
"Do we have any volunteers?" the escort asks, temporarily breaking the silence. Only that question left more silence. "Well, that answers my question. Ladies and gentlemen, our District 3 tributes!" Minus a few faint claps towards the back of the crowd, anyone could practically hear a pin drop because of the crowd's utter stillness. Slightly embarrassed, the escort sheepishly scratched their head before turning and leading Aimee and Oliver into the Justice Building. The escort went on ahead, but Aimee and Oliver paused to turn and take one last glance at District 3. Aimee gives a small wave to her friends who were lingering in the crowd, before the two disappeared inside the Justice Building. The Panem anthem starts up again, and Peacekeepers are ushering away citizens who are still hanging around the area.
~District 4~
"Hello, District 4!"
The waves of the ocean crashed along the shore behind the Justice Building of District 4 as the sun beat down on the citizens. District 4's escort, a short Capitol woman with blue hair, blue eyes, and skin almost white as snow, stood on the stage before the citizens. She was dressed in a royal blue, frilly, sequined dress that barely grazed her knees, complete with blue six inch heels, silver dangling earrings, and silver bracelets high up her arms. The microphone picked up small clinks as her bracelets clanged against each other while her arm reached into the first glass ball, the girls'. Everyone was leaning forward with anticipation, some excited, and others nervous. Everyone held their breath as the female tribute was announced.
"Emmaline Lyons!"
Everyone turned their heads and watched as a lightly tan fourteen-year-old with brown hair and almond eyes stepped out of the crowd and approached the stage. She was patting down her sky blue blouse, matched with her white skirt and wedge heels, as she took her spot next to the escort, who was already rummaging through the boys' glass ball. Emmaline could see the name on the slip of paper as the escort read it out.
"Cedric Kenner!"
Two clusters of people stepped to the side, clearing a path for a rather nerdy-looking boy who was huddled with the group of thirteen-year-olds. Shaking with nerves, the boy pushes his thick, black, rectangular glasses up as he slowly walks through the crowd. He is about halfway to the stage when another boy, tan and twice the size of the first boy, charges from the pack of eighteen-year-olds and darts through the crowd. This boy shoves the smaller kid out of the way before leaping onto the stage, now standing alongside the escort.
"Why hello there! What's your name?" the escort asked, smiling at the boy.
"Cyrus Slash," the boy answered, returning the grin along with a toss of his dark hair. "By the way, I volunteer." The original chosen tribute sighed with relief and ran back into the crowd.
"Well great! We're always looking to see volunteers for the Games," the escort responded, patting Cyrus on the shoulder, while her other arm rested on Emmaline's shoulder. The escort paused for a moment to see if any girls would volunteer, before continuing, "Ladies and gentlemen, our District 4 tributes!" The escort was met with mostly silence with some applause from the older groups of people. Cyrus smiled at the crowd and gave a small bow, while Emmaline awkwardly waved to a few people in the front of the crowd. The escort was eyeing the tributes, seeming to admire their choice of attire for the reaping. Cyrus's dark hair and skin seemed to clash with his bright orange polo, worn with tan khakis and sandals. Emmaline clearly took a more formal approach to the reaping with her clothes than Cyrus. The anthem soon drowned out the applause as Cyrus and Emmaline turned and followed their escort into the Justice Building.
~District 5~
"Oh, goody! My first reaping in a fancier district!"
A fairly young Capitol woman, tall in her electric blue heels, stands on the stage of District 5's town square dressed in a metallic black dress with her platinum blonde hair neatly pinned back in a bun. Her face was layered with pounds of makeup, complete with fake blue eyelashes and bright blue lipstick. Her name was Sheila Flickerman, and she was back for her second Hunger Games reaping as an escort. She started off small last year as the escort for the tributes from District 11, but after both tributes made it to the final eight, and one even to the final four, Sheila was rewarded for their success by being promoted to District 5, just short of the Career districts. Eager to get things started for the year, she tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the anthem to start. She grinned with anticipation minutes later after the anthem had played and the tape about the Dark Days and the start of the Hunger Games was finished, and she gracefully stepped up in front of the two glass balls.
"Alright, ladies first!" Sheila chimed, flashing another smile at the crowd as her hand, with perfectly painted blue nails, plunged into the first glass ball. The pink tint of the glass glistened in the sunlight as Sheila pulled out a slip of paper from the very top of the pile. The name of the female tribute.
"Kelilyn Light!"
Sheila's eyes followed those of the crowd's as a gap opened in the section of twelve-year-olds. One girl stepped forward, her face completely blank. Not from fear, just out of confusion. The girl casually ran a hand through her strawberry blonde hair as she left her section to make her way onto the stage. She was of average height, but she looked like a midget standing next to Sheila, who was nearing six feet tall in her super high heels.
"Go Kelilyn!" a voice shouted from the crowd. Kelilyn gave an awkward smile and a quick wave in the direction the voice came from. Sheila chuckled before sinking her hand into the glass ball with blue tint.
"Alright, now over to the boys!" Sheila announced while searching through the slips of paper, before extracting one from near the bottom. She paused to brush a loose strand of hair off her face before opening the slip of paper that would determine the fates of the young boys of District 5.
"Ivan Nukes!"
The designated spot for the fifteen-year-olds was towards the front of the crowd, so the crowd only had to wait a few seconds before the chosen tribute walked onto the stage. He was tall for his age, almost as taller than Sheila. He had ginger colored hair, which stood out from his light brown eyes and freckles. Ivan gave a quick nod to Sheila and Kelilyn as he took his place next to them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the tributes of District 5!" Sheila announced, still smiling.
~District 6~
"Hello, everyone! Welcome to the reaping for the 2nd Annual Hunger Games!" the escort, an average sized Capitol man announced. "May the odds be ever in your favor!" The escort watched as the last hundred children signed in and made their way to their respective age groups, with the national anthem booming throughout the town square. "My name is Marco Crane and I will be the escort for District 6 and your master of ceremonies this afternoon!" The escort continued to smile despite being met with silence. "Alright, let's get started!" he continued, starting to rummage through one glass ball. "Starting with the girls!" As he said this, he plucked a piece of paper out of the glass ball and opened it up to read it.
"Lucille Bellevue!"
There was more silent. The crowd didn't even bother to turn around and look for the female tribute. Instead the crowd either glanced up at the sky or stared straight ahead as they waited for the girl to appear onstage. There was some rustling as the girl gently nudged past people or others stepped aside, allowing the girl to get through the crowd until she met the escort onstage. The escort shook hands with Lucille as the crowd scrutinized her in the continuing silence. Lucille looked to be about fourteen judging from her average height. She was slightly pale, with light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and blue-green eyes that complemented her light green blouse, blue pencil skirt, and blue and green sandals.
"So, how do you feel about representing District 6 in the 2nd Hunger Games?" Marco asked, practically shoving the microphone in Lucille's face. Lucille slowly leaned in to speak into the microphone.
"Good," she mumbled.
"That's great, Lucille!" Marco exclaimed, pulling the microphone away and reaching into the second glass ball. "Now for the boys!" Lucille and the rest of the crowd watched as the escort swiftly pulled out another slip of paper. He opened the paper and studied it for a second, before revealing the name written on it.
"James Rhodes!"
The crowd did the same thing, doing nothing until they could see this year's male tribute standing onstage. Some could see him emerging from the pack of sixteen-year-olds and head to the stage from there. He looked like a fighter; he was tall and muscular, with green eyes that were lit up by fire. He ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair as he stood next to Lucille. Lucille glanced over at him for a look at his outfit: a cream colored blouse, blue corduroy jeans, and white dress shoes.
"Now how do you feel about going into the Hunger Games?" the escort asked, turning his attention to James and poking the microphone at him. "Do you feel good?"
"Yeah," James said with a nod. "Pretty good." The escort motioned for Lucille and James to shake hands before turning back towards the crowd.
"Well, there we have it, District 6!" Marco announced. "Our new tributes!"
The next chapter will be the reapings for Districts 7-12, and then on to the Capitol from there. That should be up hopefully by next week.