Screaming. That's all that could be heard for miles. But not the blood curdling screaming that one would expect. Instead it was more like cheering. Joyful yells that only boosted the district one tribute's egos more than they already were. And for good reason too, they've been training their whole lives for this moment. While the lesser districts worked their whole lives away in critical conditions, Francis Bonnefoy and Feliks Łukasiewiez had worked with weapons that could end people's lives as quickly as a loose rock in a coal mine or a crazed bull. So it was with great honor that the young adults got their names drawn from the clear glass bowl. Ranging at seventeen and eighteen, Francis almost missed his chance while Feliks got lucky with a year to go if he wouldn't have been selected this year.
Almost the same events took place in district two and three to Berwald Oxenstierna, Antonio Fernández Cerrido, Alfred Jones, and Kiku Honda. Representing district two was Berwald and Antonio showed exactly what "brute" meant. The intimidating eighteen-year-old were getting were getting bets for the winning as soon as their names were called.
Most people weren't sure how to feel about district three. It was always a hit or miss with the district because they were closer to the capital but focused on technology instead of weapons and strength. It was a mix of both in this case. The first tribute, sixteen-year-old Alfred Jones, was quite the bulk but seemed very absent-minded. His partner, seventeen-year-old Kiku Honda, was the complete opposite. No one would consider him strong like Alfred but he was one of the greatest minds in the district, making him one to watch by sponsors.
District four was the last of the careers and already people wanted to shy away from the tributes. It's not that their size was scary, though that was of the factors for seventeen-year-old Herman Maes, their bored, emotionless stare was much more intimidating. This was especially true for seventeen-year-old Lukas Bondevik whose eyes didn't even shift when his name was called.
The mood shifted dramatically when the reaping got to districts five, six, seven, and eight. These were known as the "forgotten districts" because their flow of winners and losers were fairly even. Some tears were shed in district five by the first female reaped into the games, sixteen-year-old Bella Maes. She wasn't crying because of her name being called but rather because she'd gotten word that her brother had been selected in the district before her and was quick to realize the events that were soon to follow. Trying to support her was kind-hearted Toris Laurinaitis who'd just recently turned seventeen.
There was some family issues in district six when both Emil Steilsson and Tino Väinämöinen were called up. Though they were only cousins, the only one-year gap from fifteen to sixteen made them fairly close.
The same problem occurred when Mathias Køhler was selected in district seven, though the eighteen-year-old had no clue yet of his family's reaping. Mathias's partner, sixteen-year-old Natalia Arlovskaya, seemed much more threatening even for her age and size. And Mathias knew personally how talented she was since he'd watched her throw knives at the lumber they cut down.
District eight was a throw away; the selected males impressed no one. They were both fairly young, only fifteen and sixteen, and working with clothes all day gave them no muscle mass. So Feliciano Vargas and Wang Jia Long were completely skipped over.
Nothing but sadness radiated from districts nine, ten, eleven, and twelve. Basch Zwingli of district nine wasn't extremely muscular but he was agile and determined which went a long way in this scenario. And who could blame a seventeen-year-old for wanting to live to his twenties. He'd even already disregarded his partner, Arthur Kirkland, though the extra years of age could prove beneficial.
Technically there was a boy and girl from district ten but it might as well be two girls. Most of his life, Kaelin Kirkland was often mistaken as a girl for his feminine figure. Even with him going on sixteen that statement still stood strong and only his close friends were there to tell others that this wasn't the first two female tributes. Miss Katyusha Braginskaya caught the eyes of sponsors just because she shared the same last name as her brother Ivan who had won for district two a few years back. Not only did they come from very different districts and Katyusha, having only talked to her brother a couple of times, but also the sixteen-year-old had never grasped a weapon in her life.
