Riliani Kramer - District One
"There has been a slight change of rules regarding the drawing of the Hunger Games tributes."
The whole of District One were gathered at the town square, watching the announcer eagerly. Well, most of us were eager anyway. I smoothed down the light lilac dress I was wearing. I'd borrowed it from Cascade - I'm still not quite used to calling her mother yet - specially for the event. I hadn't thought any of my clothes were suitable for the Reaping.
Knitting my brows together, I wonder what the change of rules would be.
"For the first six districts, instead of having the loser be entered into the Games, the winner shall go, as a gift from the Capitol."
I almost curled my lip at that. Almost. A gift? How could they call it a gift, sending children in to battle each other. I remembered the various times when twelve year-olds were sent in. I don't think a twelve year-old has ever won the Games before.
"Of course, as always, the ladies are first," the presenter announced, slicking back his streaked orange and red hair. Whenever I looked at it, it reminded me of flames. Us girls were herded away from the crowd, the floating orbs that I knew to be called cameras zooming around us.
I made my way towards Marzipan, one of my best friends. I flashed a smile at her, but she didn't return it. "I wonder what the challenge will be?" I spoke breezily, my words accompanied by a airy smile. I wondered why I was still keeping up this façade.
Soon we arrived at our destination which was the large gardens that were not to far from my place. A well grown maze was looming inside the gates, and I wondered what we were possibly doing here.
Jophrey, the Capitol citizen who was in charge of District One spoke again, explaining the rules of the challenge to us, and how to play.
It seemed simple enough, I guess. Basically, it was a kind of hunt. Jewels were scattered all over the place, engineered so that each type of crystal could replenish itself once a person picked it up. Of course we had to find jewels of all things. We were the District of them, after all. The hunt was a race, of course. The first to find all the jewels was the winner, and carted off to the Games.
We were lined up at the entrance, all of us, according to age. Being seventeen, I was near the back, but they didn't deter me. We were each handed a wooden basket to stow the gems in. The horn blared and girls rushed away into the maze, me slipping past a couple of fifteen year olds and diving into the first left turn I saw. I weaved through the maze, left, right, straight ahead, backwards. Suddenly as I was haring past a turn, I saw something glint in a small dip in the ground. Glancing left and right to see if anyone was near me - which they weren't - I knelt down and brushed some branches out of the way.
A glinting blue stone was tucked away carefully inside the small crevice. I grinned.
Sapphire.
After that, time whizzed by quickly, with me finding jewels rapidly.
Topaz. Emerald. Diamond. Ruby.
At one point I remember grappling with a sixteen year old for the amber. She was stronger, and got away with it, but the gem replenished quickly, and I was off again.
A while later, I spotted a red stone nestled into the branches. I plucked it off the branch quickly. My basket was now considerably full, and heavy. I had merely placed the jewel into the basket when fireworks burst into the air, and a horn blew. There was a winner. I wondered briefly who it was.
"The female tribute shall be... Riliani Kramer."
My name. That was my name. I... I had won.
I won!