We boarded the train. Frally was smiling as Larissa and I sat down in the tribute car.
"Okay, guys, we're gonna watch the reapings from the other districts, then we'll eat lunch. Since District 12 hasn't had a victor yet, a weapons and combat expert from the Capitol is going to be your mentor! Won't that be great?"
I mumbled something unintelligible, and Larissa replied with an optimistic, "Yeah. I bet he'll have so much to teach us."
Frally grinned even wider, appreciating the young girl's enthusiasm.
"Let's turn on the TV then."
With a flash, District 1 appeared on the television. Back home, to watch the Hunger Games, my family would have to go to someone else's house, since we didn't have a TV of our own.
The boy tribute from One was named Gerik. He had slicked-back white-blond hair, and hazel eyes with a ring of light green around the pupils. He'd definitely have a lot of female sponsors. His partner, Esmerelda, was elegant and beautiful, with a confidence to her step that made her absolutely stunning. Her green eyes sparkled, and despite her beauty, and the fact that she was from District 1, she looked intelligent.
District Two had a fiercely scowling girl with silky brown hair and a muscular boy with startlingly dark brown eyes. Their names were announced as Luana and Quinlan.
The District 3 boy had a frizzy mane of unkempt hair and horn-rimmed black glasses. His name, Fritz, suited him perfectly. The girl looked just as nerdy, with her short stature and dirty blond hair, but she has a freckled pixie nose under her more stylish glasses that made her almost cute. Lucretia was her name.
The boy and girl from District 4 both had the typical auburn hair and sea-green eyes. The girl, Jeneva, had her shiny hair flowing all the way down her back to her waist, and the boy, Ervin, was muscular- built for fishing.
The District 5 boy had fox-red hair and a freckle-covered face. Aiden was his name. He looked clever. Farren, the girl, appeared very weak, skinny and scraggly-haired. However, her eyes were the prettiest blue I had ever seen. The color of the sky.
The District 6 tributes were another pair of nerds. Thirteen-year-old Seymour, with his pale skin and mousy brown hair, looked like he had never stepped foot outside of his house. He had pale green eyes to go with his skin. Seventeen-year-old Shayne was pale too, and her movements were clumsy and awkward.
Sylvester from Seven was lanky, and he had reddish brown hair and brown eyes. His partner, Oakley, had the same brown eyes, but short black hair instead.
The District 8 tributes were next. In my opinion, Eight always had the saddest tributes, like they had all given up on their lives the moment they turned twelve. The boy followed that theme. Named Webster, in reference to the district's textile production, he had sunken-in hazel eyes, and flat, lifeless brown hair. But his counterpart, Devin, was fiercely defiant. She actually spat on the escort, then jerked her chin up in the air. For some reason, that fighting spirit appealed to me, as well as her calculating jade-green eyes.
The Nine boy, Lester, was sleazy looking, his black hair slicked back with heavy grease. He was eighteen, my age. His face was pock-marked with acne scars. I felt like I needed to take a shower just looking at him. The girl, Diane, looked wild, like the ancient hunting goddess she was named for. She had twigs and leaves in her light blond hair, and her eyes were pale silvery blue, like moonlight.
The boy from Ten was named Yale. He had a deep tan, which looked odd with his sun-bleached blond hair. His partner Ellema was also very tan, but that was set off by her pleasant demeanor, as well as chocolate brown hair and eyes.
The tributes from District 11 were dark-skinned, with dark hair and eyes to match. Their names were Dagan and Rhodes, both referring to agriculture in some way.
The moment I had been dreading came up. Our reaping. As Larissa walked up, I realized that Frally had been right. She really did have gorgeous eyes. They were clear blue, the color of the stained-glass windows I had seen in some pictures of the Capitol. I saw myself stand stiff as Frally called my name. I saw myself walk up the steps, thick black hair being blown by the wind, and gray eyes filled with unbridled fear. Until watching myself on TV, I never realized how undernourished I was. I bet if I took my shirt off, I'd be able to count every rib, and see every vertebra in my spine. It was an unnerving thought.
I cringed again as I watched Frally's eyes scan me so intently on the screen, and felt my own surprise as the Peacekeeper gripped me tightly around the arm and dragged me into the Justice Building. The other tributes probably think I'm a basket case. They're probably right.
"We've got some competition this year! Thank goodness, last year's tributes were so boring. Don't you guys remember?" Frally babbled.
I did. Both of Twelve's tributes had died in the bloodbath, along with both tributes from Eight, the girl from Seven, both from Ten and Eleven, the boy from Five, the girl from Three, and the boy from Six. The winner was typical, a freakishly buff Career boy from Two. For once, I had to agree with Frally. Last year was a boring Game.
"Actually," Larissa said quietly, "Our boy tribute last year was my friend. He was an outcast for the most part. The rest of my friends didn't really like him because he was from the Seam."
She glanced at me, knowing that I was from the Seam, hoping that I wouldn't get offended.
Frally's eyes, to my surprise, softened with sympathy. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Larissa. I really am. What was his name? I forgot."
Larissa gulped, she looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Nash. Nash Frockland. He was a great friend, and really adventurous. He often talked about running away from District 12, exploring the lands beyond Panem. I think a Peacekeeper might have overheard him. I... I think his reaping was fixed."
My heart reached out to the little girl. How hard that must've been, to lose someone who meant so much to you. I wouldn't really know. My mother left before I even got to know her. I've never had a friend.
"Larissa, how old are you?" I asked, hoping that my voice didn't sound as shaky as my heart felt.
She tilted her head to the side, confused by the question. She looked so innocent. So young. So undeserving of death. "Thirteen. Why?"
I felt a lump rise in my throat. "Um, I need a minute alone." I went in the bathroom, closed the door, and puked into the sink.
AN: If you go on one of those baby-name websites, you can actually find what a lot of these names mean. I tried to make a lot of them reference the District they are from, or at least their personality. Even Mayor Colton's name is D12 related!