A/N: Okay! First reaping. I hope I did both your characters justice. Thanks everyone for submitting so many awesome tributes. District 6 is still open if anybody is feeling motivated to submit another tribute, otherwise I'll make them up. Please let me know what you think!

"Shimmer that's enough!"

Shimmer Onyx-Platinum let her axe linger for a little while longer against the other girl's throat. Some of the more sadistic tributes liked to look into the eyes of an opponent they had bested, to bask in the opponent's fear and to enjoy the terror they caused, but not Shimmer. She was only interested in the girl's skin. It was so soft and flawless. Shimmer's skin was nearly immaculate, but was this girl's better?

"I said that's enough!" Yelled the instructor, Lucretia.

Shimmer's gaze broke away from the girl's neck and she looked around the Academy's arena. It was a pit of sand surrounded by an amphitheater. Her classmates filled the rows. All their eyes were on her. Shimmer dropped the axe beside the other girl into the sand. She walked over to Lucretia who grabbed her hand and raised it above their heads.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you District One's female tribute: Shimmer Onyx-Platinum!"

Everyone cheered.

"She has been through the gauntlet and she has come out victorious. It is her right, and her right alone, to volunteer tomorrow. She will bring honor to our district."

Shimmer looked at the girl she had just beaten. The eighteen-year old Domitia Gray was gritting her teeth and practically foaming at the mouth. Even if her skin was better, that face didn't help things. Domitia was two years older than Shimmer and had just lost her chance to ever compete in the games. It was her fault for waiting until eighteen. Shimmer came from a very long line of victors, and everyone knew she was ready to be the female tribute. That's what happens when you face an Onyx-Platinum, Shimmer thought, before facetiously blowing Domitia a kiss.

"Good work, Shimmer." Said Lucretia.

"Thank you, ma'am." Said Shimmer, bowing.

"Shimmer, take a seat behind me. Now we will have the final match for the Academy's male students. Andronicus Lex will be facing Cloud Lopea for the right to volunteer as tribute."

Cloud and Andronicus entered the arena. Cloud was slightly taller than Andronicus. They were both very muscular, but their silver jumpsuits prevented a direct comparison of muscle size. They seemed to be evenly matched; however, Cloud had been training since nine, which is early for even a career.

Cloud didn't have to scan the armaments hanging on the wall; he knew exactly where his weapon of choice was. He walked right up to it and pulled a massive spear off the wall. He spun it around in his hands and smiled.

Andronicus wandered the perimeter for a bit, taking time to carefully choose his weapon. He lifted a mace and moved it from side to side but decided to put it back. He tested out a spear of his own, but decided to put that back as well.

"Stop stalling!" Yelled Cloud.

Andronicus looked at Cloud for a moment, and then resumed searching for a weapon without the slightest bit of urgency.

"What's wrong? Are these weapons all too heavy for your dainty hands?"

Andronicus ignored him.

"By the time he's done I won't even be eligible for the Games anymore! Can't you make him hurry, Lucretia?"

Shimmer, watching next to Lucretia, couldn't help rolling her eyes.

Andronicus finally picked a broad sword off the wall. He turned to Cloud, "I'm going to enjoy killing you, rich boy."

"I hate to blue ball you, Andy, but that's not going to happen. And speaking of blue balls, I think I'll call up that mutt you call a sister when I'm done beating you senseless."

Andronicus let out a vicious yell and lunged at him. With the sword above his head he chopped downward at Cloud. Cloud raised his spear to block but Andronicus' sword cleaved it in half.

"Uh oh" Cloud muttered. He now had a much shorter spear in his right hand, and what amounted to a wooden stick in the other. Cloud dodged Andronicus' oncoming attacks and then tried to club the side of his head with the blunt end of the spear. Andronicus blocked that and sent another chop towards Cloud's head. Cloud made an 'x' with the two halves of the spear and caught Andronicus' sword. Cloud kicked Andronicus in the chest, sending him sprawling backwards.

Cloud threw the short spear at him, but Andronicus quickly rolled, dodging it. Cloud lunged after him, picking up the short spear that stuck out of the ground, while simultaneously smashing his stick towards Andronicus. Andronicus parried with the sharp edge of the sword, causing Cloud's wooden stick to become even smaller.

Andronicus grabbed Cloud's ankle and pulled, tripping Cloud. It was Cloud's turn to roll dodge, as Andronicus threw himself on top of Cloud. Andronicus pushed the flat sword onto Cloud's face, holding him into the sand. Cloud swung hard, punching Andronicus in the face. Andronicus was knocked off of him as Cloud rolled over on top and began repeatedly punching. Andronicus quickly lost consciousness.

Cloud was breathing heavily as he tried to wipe the blood off of his knuckles in the sand. All it did was create a gross, granulated mixture. Cloud felt somebody grab his wrist. He was about to twist the arm, and break it, but he saw that it was Lucretia's. She was holding his wrist above his head. Shimmer was next to her.

"I give you your two tributes from District One!" Lucretia yelled.

"Too easy." Cloud said, out of breath. He turned and spat on Andronicus, before standing up.

Shimmer came up next to him and took his other hand, raising it.

The two of them looked like sculptures crafted by the Ancient Greeks. Cloud's tall, muscular body was slightly tanned. He had blonde hair and brown eyes. Shimmer was also slightly tanned, with silky, raven-dark hair, and brown eyes. Her body found the careful notch between strength and femininity. The two sculptures stood in the center of the arena. All of their peers cheered them on. Well, almost all of their peers.


Later that night, Shimmer's mother, Satine, was running about their house in the Victor's Village preparing for the celebration party. Isn't wasn't a party for Shimmer, per-se; it was more so her mom could get drunk and brag to all of her friends that she had raised such a wonderful daughter. Shimmer had no interest in having her cheeks pinched by all her mother's friends the night before leaving for mortal combat against twenty-three savage children. She discreetly left the house and headed into town.

She was walking along the rose bushes that hedged off the victor's village when she saw somebody waiting. It was dark. She couldn't really see who it was, and was getting nervous. She didn't like being alone. The figure approached her.

"Hey." Said Andronicus.

"Hi." Said Shimmer. "Your face doesn't look so good."

He pulled down the hood of his sweatshirt and Shimmer could see that it was worse than she thought. It would probably be even worse in the light of day.

"It's not as bad as it looks." Andronicus said.

"I doubt it could be." Said Shimmer.

"Look, I couldn't bring myself to win. There is no way I could bring myself to kill you in the Games." He said, while grasping in the dark for her hand. She pulled it away from him.

"You're trying to say you lost on purpose?"

"Babe, I could ne-"

"No, I'm pretty certain that Cloud beat you fairly."

"That seventeen year old whelp couldn't beat anybody." Andronicus hissed. "Look," he began, "the time we've spent together over these last two months. It's been… It's just-"

"The time we've spent over the last two months? We've only been with each other a handful of times. Nobody even knows we're anything more than classmates." She said. "Now you're trying to hide your shame by saying you couldn't bring yourself to kill me in the games? You're a disgrace."

"Fine!" Andronicus yelled. "I'm out of here. Have fun in the arena."

Shimmer continued along the rose bushes until she got into town. Cloud was there too.


Cloud woke up the next morning to a long dark hair irritating his face. When he opened his eyes he remembered Shimmer was in his bed, and the events of the previous night came rushing back to him. Nice, he thought to himself.

"Good morning." She said with a smile.

"Hi" Said Cloud.

The two stared at each other.

"So… the reaping is today." He said.

"No shit?" She asked.

"Well, like, shouldn't you go back to your house? Not that I'm afraid of Mr. Onyx-Platinum coming after me, because I could probably crack his skull in half, but aren't your parents expecting you?"

"There isn't really a Mr. Onyx-Platinum, and as for Mrs. Onyx-Platinum she won't notice that I'm gone."

Shimmer looked around Cloud's room. It didn't compare to the houses in the Victor's Village but his parents must be quite wealthy.

"So, what about the Lopeas?"

"I don't know. They're cool. Look we're both volunteering today so we shouldn't be late to the reaping. And no offense but don't look too far into this, I'm still going to have to kill you in the Arena. But don't worry- I'll kill you last."

"Thanks" Said Shimmer as she slipped out of his bed.


On the stage next to the Mayor there was a stout, fat man with a purple suit that matched his hair. He stuck his hand into the container of names and rotated his wrist around, getting a buttery sludge on every paper that slid through his sausage-y fingers.

"Isabella Amethyll!" He yelled.

"I volunteer!" Screamed Shimmer. She made her way down through the crowd wearing a lovely green dress. It had an open back, but nobody could tell because of her long black hair.

She was repulsed to shake the man's hand.

He stuck his swollen mitt into the container of boy's names and was tickled by the slips of paper that tumbled over his congealed veins.

"Marcus Tin-"

"I volunteer!" Cloud boomed. He made his way down to the stage and was eager to shake everyone's hands.

He took Shimmer's hand and they waved to the crowd.

"Um. Did you shower?" She asked him out of the corner of her mouth.

Cloud just smiled and waved. They were both escorted off to the Hall of Justice, where they were met by some of their classmates and by Lucretia, who wished them well.

Satine was the last to say goodbye to Shimmer. She gave her a stern look, and said, "Remember, you're an Onyx-Platinum. Win like one." She gave Shimmer a hug and a circular platinum pin, as a token. Shimmer didn't cry when her mother walked out. She would either come back deserving of the pin or not at all.

Cloud was embarrassed by his parents' tears. He was glad when he got on the train.