"Anita Winstoll!"
Mallaam Tullpinger leaned forward, resting the red leather elbow-padding of his black suit jacket on the podium and casting his gaze out over the hefty sea of hardened female faces staring up at him from the right side of District 2's central plaza. He brought his hands together, palms spaced apart by several inches as his index fingers tented themselves over his nose, reaching a point between the two red diamonds of make-up painted over his eyes. But he didn't even have the opportunity to get comfortable, as a flash of movement emerged from within the crowd.
Her blonde ponytail bounced up and down as Anita's small frame jostled and elbowed her way through the crowd, moving directly towards the stage, rather than towards the aisle, where Peacekeepers were prepared to escort her along the way. Several sets of eyes narrowed with disdain as Anita pushed her way through body after body, gritting her teeth with a fiery determination and even shooting back a few icy stares of her own in retaliation to the girls who made an effort to block her path.
Standing at the back of the crowd, Sumara Khan pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Anita's wake move through the crowd, occasionally catching a glimpse of blonde hair as another girl edged sideways to allow for passage. The thick sole of her shoe tapped steadily in the dirt, impatiently waiting for the chosen Tribute to reach the stage and move the ceremony along to the part that Sumara, and dozens of other girls throughout the district, eagerly awaited. She hadn't donned an oversized, vomit yellow dress, her only formal attire, just to stand quietly in the crowd while the attention of Panem focused on another.
Anita reached the front of the crowd and was joined briefly by a pair of Peacekeepers, nonchalantly following the young blonde's eager footsteps as she moved to the stage and mounted the steps two at a time. Taking her place at Mallaam's side, she grinned out at the rest of the crowd, winking towards the cameras and pumping her fist triumphantly (a gesture which the entire District seemed to reciprocate in unison). Seated on-stage behind her, the pool of District 2's former victors smirked and nodded in approval, endorsing Anita's zeal, which brought a smile to Mallaam's lips as well before he spoke once more into the microphone.
"Anita Winstoll!" boomed Mallaam, his voice immediately drowned out by the thunderous applause of the District uniting as a singular entity. Eyes rolling, her mouth twisted into a bitter sneer, even Sumara (and the legion of equally jealous young women whose names hadn't emerged from the Reaping) cheered for the District's random pick. The Reaping, after all, brought untold glory to those chosen from District 2, trained from young ages to fight and to win in the Arena, whatever the Gamemakers made of it in any given year. The Hunger Games united the district in a way that nothing short of welcoming a returning Victor could do.
"Now," Mallaam spoke calmly, clearing his throat, "Which of you brave young ladies would like to volunteer for a shot at taking Miss Winstoll's place as District 2's female tribute this year?"
A chorus of voices rose up in response, crying out variations of 'I volunteer!' as hands shot into the air to make their presence known. On-stage, Anita's proud smile sunk as she looked out over the crowd, attempting to count the number of potential threats to her rightfully-earned choice as Tribute. Most of the competition stood towards the back of the fray, in the eldest section of girls, for whom the year would be their last chance to either enter the Arena, or avoid it entirely. Those seeking glory refused to pass up the opportunity, for fear of being viewed as weak or cowardly; volunteering served as a rite of passage for girls and boys alike in District 2, proving their worth to the community as a whole.
Sumara kept her hand raised high overhead as a battalion of Peacekeepers moved through the crowd, ushering volunteers into the open spaces leading towards the stage. Peeking back over her shoulder, she could see about a half-dozen girls moving behind her, several of whom towered over her, but she remained unfazed. They were not her true competition, as the volunteers would be randomly selected as in the initial stages of the Reaping; only the short blonde on-stage stood between her and a chance at immortality.
As the female volunteers found themselves herded together and sizing each other up while Peacekeepers asked for each of their names to be recorded on slips of paper for a secondary Reaping, Mallaam continued the ceremony, unwilling to waste time. He first questioned Anita, speaking into the microphone and allowing her to do the same so all those in attendance could hear her decision. Sumara spat out her name to the Peacekeeper in charge as Anita refused the volunteers' offers, earning scorn from the girls and blatant mock-surprise from Mallaam.
"You heard it, ladies and gentlemen," Mallaam announced, "Miss Winstoll refuses to step down, so whoever is chosen against her will have to EARN their spot as Tribute. While we wait for the names to be tallied, let us move on with the boys."
Sumara craned her neck around, trying to get an accurate count of the volunteers in an effort to judge her odds of being chosen. On-stage, Anita tapped her foot, irritated, as Mallaam crossed to the large bowl filled with light blue slips of paper, and jabbed his hand inside, fishing around for a few moments before removing a single name. He strode back to the podium and cleared his throat once more, noting the Peacekeepers' progress with the girls before unfolding the slip.
"Marcus Black!"
A boulder of a boy pushed his way through the sea of male tributes, letting out a loud whoop as he crashed into the aisle and charged towards the stage. In another district, the Peacekeepers would view this as a threatening gesture and would be forced to pacify the chosen Tribute with near-lethal force, but District 2's Tributes always had a flair for the dramatic. Marcus reached the stage and didn't bother with the stairs, instead pressing both palms onto the platform and vaulting his way up. The podium's microphone quivered from the tremors of Marcus' landing, and even Mallaam was caught off-guard and the boy marched up next to him and shook his hand.
"Ah…" Mallaam stammered, momentarily speechless, "Marcus Black, ladies and gentlemen!" The roar of the crowd once again overwhelmed all other sounds, and even the girls waiting for their chance to challenge for tributeship joined the ruckus. Compared to Anita, Marcus' powerful physical and musculature befitted a District 2 Tribute and showed extreme potential for success in the Arena, and his name being drawn boded well for the District's odds of victory.
Mallaam inquired about male volunteers, but only a few hands rose in comparison to the plethora stepping forward for the girls. The brave young men willing to challenge Marcus seemed to be, for the most part, as big as or bigger than he was, drawing gasps from the crowd as Marcus denied the right to step down from his position in order to let one of the Volunteers take his place. As the boys took their turns with the Peacekeepers, Mallaam collected the smaller bowl filled with the names of thirty-nine female volunteers and returned to the podium, setting the glass down and allowing the clink to reverberate through the microphone. He plucked a name and unfolded the slip of paper.
"Challenging Anita Winstoll for female tributeship of District 2," Mallaam called out, "Sumara Khan!"
Several sets of shoulders slumped around Sumara as the thirty-eight failed volunteers marched off, returning to their spots in the crowd and leaving her standing alone at the foot of the stairs leading up onto the stage. Blinking a few times, she took a deep breath and ran both hands through the short spikes of her pixie cut black hair before ascending the steps and striding over to stand beside Anita. Up close, the blonde looked even less intimidating, if such a thing was possible, and Sumara took a moment to crack each knuckle individually as she stared down her opponent.
"As the rules of the Reaping state," Mallaam bellowed, moving away from the microphone and stepping between the two girls, spreading them apart at an arm's length, "In the event of volunteering when no volunteering is wanted by the chosen Tribute, one volunteer will face the chosen Tribute in a contest of strength to determine which candidate is more worthy. In this instance, whichever of Anita or Sumara manages to dislodge the other from this stage will become the official female tribute for District 2."
Mallaam stepped back, holding both hands up as a sign of halting the girls' combined aggression. Anita flexed her fingers, nails sharpened into the claws of a jungle cat, unwilling to sacrifice that which she had rightfully claimed as her own. Sumara retaliated with gnashing of her teeth and the curling of his fingers into two rock-steady fists. Mallaam raised his arms, looked from Anita to Sumara and back again, and called out 'Go!'
Anita lunged first, swiping at her opponent with a distinct lack of grace or follow-through, making Sumara's work easy. The larger girl brought her leg up and smashed it into Anita's stomach, knocking the wind out of her and doubling her over. This allowed for Sumara to lunge and grab the blonde ponytail that hung free as a massive weak point in the battle. With one push, she slammed Anita face-first into the metal floor of the stage, breaking the girl's nose and leaving a blood stain as Sumara rolled her foe to the edge and kicked her off, into a cloud of dust. She raised her arms in triumph and smirked, chuckling a little as Anita groaned on the ground beneath her.
"Ladies and gentlemen! We now have our official female tribute, representing District 2 in the 72nd Annual Hunger Games! Sumara Khan!"
Sumara turned back and smirked at Marcus as the roar of applause washed over her from behind. Taking her spot to Mallaam's right, she watched as a pair of Peacekeepers escorted Anita away, one of them pushing her head up and pinching the brim of her nose to avoid blood staining the white of his uniform. She then stood silent as Mallaam repeated the volunteering ritual with the boys and she cheered with the crowd as Marcus unceremoniously dumped his opponent off the edge of the stage before being announced as the other official tribute for the district.
Marcus returned the earlier smirk as he reclaimed his spot opposite her on the stage, and together they raised their fists overhead triumphantly, earning the loudest swell of cheers yet. Before Mallaam could even continue his speech, both Sumara and Marcus approached one another and shook hands, first their left, then their right, with Marcus applying extra pressure to his grip each time.
"Well," laughed Mallaam, "District 2 never ceases to impress. Sumara Khan and Marcus Black! May the odds be ever in your favor!"
Still laughing, he gestured towards the doors on District 2's town hall, and both tributes moved obediently towards them, entering the building to the cheers of friends, foes, and family alike.