The Reaping started at noon. Because there were always to many eager volunteers from District 2, the volunteers were always chosen first and brought up to the stage.
Clove watched from her spot, in the middle of a crowd of girls her age, as Ellie Manor, the perky District 2 escort tottered up the steps to the stage in a pair of ridiculously high pink heels decorated with gaudy jewels and feathers. The Capitol fashions were just ridiculous. Ellie laughed cheerfully and brushed her turquoise curls out of her hair. To top off the crazy shoes and the hair, Ellie also had shiny green flower and vine tattoo's down the right side of her face, and was wearing a short, plastic pink dress. The effect was overwhelming, but at least would ensure that Ellie would never get lost in a crowd.
Ellie finally made it to the top of the steps without falling in her heels. The Mayor followed, and welcomed District 2's past winners, some of whom would travel to the Capitol this year to mentor the tributes (It usually rotated, since District 2 had had so many victors). Because there wasn't enough room on the stage, the Mayor read off the list of names of the past victors, who each stood up and waved to the crowd from their spots, then invited that years mentors, Brutus and Enobaria to the stage.
Brutus was a bulky man who had won his Games mainly due to physical strength. Though he'd put on some weight from all his years in the Victors Village, he still made for an imposing figure, and the muscles that had won him the Games were clearly still there. He waved to the crowd, greeted Ellie and the Mayor, and sat down at the end of the stage.
Following him was Enobaria, a skilled fighter, who had become a legend of sorts after she'd ripped out the throat of an opponent with her teeth. Reruns of that still played frequently on the TV's. After the Games, she'd had her teeth filed into sharp points. Since Enobaria was a pretty woman, with long, white-blond hair, it was rather unnerving and surprising whenever she opened her mouth-the teeth were a huge contrast to her rather un-menacing looks. She smiled to the crowd, the teeth making her look more evil than she probably intended, then sat at the end of the stage next to Brutus.
"Happy Hunger Games!", Ellie said cheerily, speaking into a microphone that had been brought onstage. "May the odds be EVER in your favor!". The crowd cheered, and Clove rolled her eyes. Ellie used that line every year, and judging from the Reapings in the other Districts that she'd seen on TV, half the other escorts used it too.
"Now, before I draw the names of the lucky boy and girl who will be representing this noble District in this years Hunger Games, I would like to ask if any of you young gentlemen out there wish to volunteer this year?", Ellie continued, running a hand over one of the big glass Reaping balls.
The words had barely escaped Ellie's lips when Cato lunged forward enthusiastically.
"I VOLUNTEER!", he called, grinning evilly to the camera crews that were gathered around the square to televise the Reaping.
Once the other boys had seen that it was Cato volunteering, they all fell silent. No one dared volunteer against him.
"My my, aren't we excited!", Ellie trilled, gesturing Cato up onstage. "It's so nice to see children so excited to represent their District! Your name, young man?"
Clove hardly heard a word of the exchange between Ellie and Cato. She was cheering, smiling broadly. She hoped with all her heart that Cato would come back alive. Generally, District 2 children were trained the best. Or so she'd heard, and they tended to win most years, and she hoped that this wouldn't be one of those years where a tribute from some other District got lucky. She knew she shouldn't worry, since Cato was definitely well trained, and a very skilled fighter, but Clove had this feeling that she just couldn't shake. A feeling that something was going to happen. Something big. And not necessarily good. And that it would happen soon.
More out of tradition than necessity, Ellie drew a name from the glass ball holding the names of the boys. Some boy Clove had seen occasionally around school was taken to the stage, and he agreed to let Cato volunteer for him.
Ellie had just gone back to the microphone to ask for female volunteers when there was a disturbance at the far side of the crowd. There were cries of shock, and then a man stumbled into the square from a side street.
It was Harold McDaniel, one of the other past District 2 victors. He was known throughout the District as a drunk and a gambler who'd won the Games about twenty years ago. Clove had seen another drunken mentor a few times on TV before-Haymitch Abernathy from District 12, the poorest District in Panem. Haymitch was their only living victor. Clove wondered why they had turned to drink after their Games. Shouldn't they be enjoying their winnings and taking advantage of their victories? Instead, Haymitch seemed like a washed up drunk who never bothered to do much for the District 12 tributes, and Harold was constantly stumbling around the District drunk, babbling nonsense, and being taken home by the Peacekeepers once he got too intoxicated. When he wasn't drunk, he was gambling, playing cards and dice in the pubs and betting on just about everything.
Clove made a face. Yes, Harold was usually late to the Reapings, but generally not this late. Seeing the bottle clutched in his fist, it was apparent that he was drunk, possibly even drunker than usual. The crowd parted to let him through, and Clove smelled the sour stench of alcohol emanating from his as he passed her.
"Well, isn't this exciting!", Ellie trilled with faux enthusiasm, as Harold tripped over a cluster of wires. There was a screech of feedback from one of the microphones, and the images on one of the many TV screens set up flickered.
"Sup?", Harold slurred loudly, now attempting to climb the steps to the platform. Ellie gestured for some nearby Peacekeepers to stop him, but they were too late.
Harold reached the stage and grabbed Ellie Manor in a huge bear hug. Clove almost felt sorry for the woman. Surprisingly though, Ellie kept her composure. When Harold let go, she forced a bright smile, grabbed the microphone and took several large steps away from him, and straightened her outfit. Harold sized up Cato.
"You might stand a chance", he said, swaying across the stage. "Looks like a fighter if I ever saw one. But remember.…."
That was when Harold dropped his still half-full bottle of alcohol. It smashed all over the stage, and splattered onto Ellie Manors shiny plastic dress. Clove slapped a hand over her mouth to try and hide a smile, and she could see a hint of a smile on Cato's face as he tried not to crack up either.
Ellie just stood frozen, a shocked and horrified look on her face as she stared at her dress, and then glared at Harold.
"Let's move on, shall we?", Enobaria rolled her eyes and produced a handkerchief, which she handed to Ellie and sat down again.
Ellie wiped herself off, then smoothed back her hair. "At least it wasn't the shoes", she muttered to herself.
She quickly hurried over to the ball with girls names in it, forgetting to ask for Volunteers.
That was when it happened. Ellie smoothed the paper and read the name.
"Clove Evans"
With a jolt, Clove stared up at the stage. That was her!