I never thought I'd be able to do a reaping in a day but turns out I can. 5,000 words in one day is a record for me actually, school wasn't so hard today though so I managed to get about half done there. Anyway two things I should mention, one is that I still need some male tributes so if you are interested then please PM me for further details and second is to those that have a tribute in this, I would love for those who don't to review, of course it would be amazing to hear from you, but to those that do have a tribute it will help your tributes survival chance if you leave reviews because I cannot be sure if you are reading it if you don't leave your thoughts on the writing. Not a threat, more of a warning ;) I will probably tally up how many chapters you have reviewed, just to make sure ;D
Anyway these tributes were submitted by Anla'shok and SafeEyesOpen, enjoy! :D
Tyrian Aquila, 18 years old
A servant scurried out from the kitchen carrying a loaf of warm bread just out the oven. The man had no gloves on at all to protect his skin from the heat; the pain was evident on his face as he hurried across the main hall and through the door on the other end to the man who had called for the food.
Tyrian watched the servant from his place at the top of the stairs as he groaned and stared at his red raw hands as he returned to the kitchen to prepare more food.
The boy at the top of the stairs grinned and walked down, running his hand gently down the banister and taking in the beauty of the mansion he had lived in since birth. The servants lived primarily in the kitchen and their own quarters behind a door leading off from the room, Tyrian, his mother and father lived in the rest of the house. Occupying each and every room with material objects of high value, they were content with their rich and wealthy lives yet unlike most they didn't brag about it.
Tyrian's father felt no need to boast about the wealth he and his family had because it was obvious to everyone of the Aquila fortune, Tyrian's father didn't work and only invested in the businesses that caught his eye and appealed to him. The money came into his hands after his parents died and he inherited their fortune, some blamed him for the deaths but Tyrian regarded them as imbeciles. The man and woman were in their nineties, they were sure to die any day from the illness that ravaged their bodies.
His mother was a woman of high intellect and superior strength, Tyrian admired her profession. The District although ran by the mayor had a council behind it, working in the shadows to uphold the District and keep it running. No one really knew of this council, their meetings were either held in this very mansion or in the Justice Building out of sight. Tyrian liked the secrecy; it made him feel important, even more important than he already felt being an Aquila.
He reached the bottom of the steps; he could smell the whiskey from the room to the left. His dad sat proudly in his leather armchair, looking into the blazing fire and enjoying slices of the warm bread that smelt delicious. Tyrian felt saliva fall from his mouth despite the fact he had only eaten half an hour ago, the servants might be servants, lowest of the low but they were great at what they did and Tyrian held respect for them. At least they knew their place.
"Sir, I'm guessing mother is away?" Tyrian's voice was full of intelligence and sheer power, being born into one of the wealthiest families in the whole of the District he'd acquired these certain personality traits. Everyone wanted to be his friend simply because they wanted to be with someone popular yet the way he conversed with them, something in their eyes told them they didn't like him too much.
"Yes Tyrian, off with Sir Dartwire. The two have some business to attend to since today is the reaping. Something to do with organizing everything." His eyes didn't rise from the fire; he carried on eating and didn't pay any attention to Tyrian as he took a seat to the left of him.
The boy looked forward to the reaping, his father's opinion mattered to him yet he always had a desire to prove himself higher than his expectations. Volunteering and winning would surely prove his worth; he wasn't planning on discussing it with him. Tyrian smiled at the secrecy behind this desire to volunteer. His father didn't notice, his bread seemed to be slightly more important.
Jasper Apatite, 17 years old
'Give it all to Jasper, and leave her with Jemminite.'
She gazed down at the fading text and the creased paper, tracing her fingers along the words before slipping the note back into her pocket.
She had it all, yet felt so empty. The money meant a lot to Jasper since it helped her to survive, without it she'd probably be dead. She never found it something to be immensely proud of, she had money but so did many people in the District so it wasn't like she was the only one.
She had the house which was big enough to fit all she could ever want into any room she could pick from. She had her aunt, Jemminite was a loving woman in her forties but still bitter with everything. Her lips were always tugged into a smile when with Jasper but the pain was still present in her eyes. Seeing her aunt like that hurt Jasper, even with her uncle gone she couldn't do anything to help heal her from what he did.
Jasper's eyes were fixed on a tree off into the distance, yet without really realizing what she was doing her finger brushed over her top, following the scar that corrupted her beautiful skin. It was bright pink, and noticeable no matter what the level of light. She was rich yet never went to get rid of the scar through doctors that specialized in fixing messed up bodies. Maybe it was because she was scared they couldn't do anything, Jasper didn't know why she never found herself outside their doors but since she received the scar four years ago she had decided to live with it despite its ugliness.
She could hear behind her Jemminite whistling to herself, she loved her aunt so much. Ever since Jasper's mother had died from childbirth and her father had committed the act of suicide – her thoughts flashed to the note in her pocket – she had lived with her aunt.
There used to be another man in the house, her uncle but he was gone. Dead in the ground from a knife wound inflicted by Jemminite. The vile man had tried to force Jasper to strip for him, at that age she was finally developing curves and the man craved his niece. She shuddered at the memory as he snarled and drew the knife down her chest. The man was murdered a few days later, everything would have sorted itself out if it hadn't have been for Beryl.
The boy was nearly as bad as her uncle, he abused her through words and violence but never went so far as to sexually abuse her. He had witnessed the murder and in exchange for his silence Jasper allowed him to stay with her and her aunt and he was allowed to dip into her inheritance from time to time.
Right now she was safe from him, he was off with some of his friends training. Jasper longed to walk those halls before the reaping but she wanted to be as far away from him as possible and she didn't have the energy to walk to another training centre, her local one was only a few streets down.
He'd be back soon enough and ready to hurt her more, or maybe he'd be in a good mood and act like a usual boyfriend, she didn't dare dump him because he would end up turning Jemminite in and there were already those who still believed Jasper's aunt had committed the crime.
The girl was forced to stay and live with him, she wasn't weak but he was so much stronger.
Jasper sighed and tore her gaze away from the tree and turned back to her front door. At least she had her aunt, with her there, living with Beryl didn't seem as bad.
Tyrian Aquila, 18 years old
Tyrian was a man of obsessive love. As he left his house and began the walk down the street his eyes flash between every girl he passes. Most since he lived in District One were beautiful and blonde, unblemished skin and curves to make any guy drool. Tyrian felt nothing but desire for these girls but pushed it back and carried on as quickly as he could.
Whenever he met a girl of incredible beauty and she somehow met his high standards she became the object of his desires and he'd stop at nothing to gain her love. He was a handsome man, he was fit from training and most girls would go for him if he paid enough attention. Tyrian grinned as he remembered the time he fell for a married young woman, he always picked the hardest girls yet they always fell for him eventually.
He realized how unworthy she was after sleeping with her, that was usually how it went and out of desperation they were the ones who usually dumped him instead of the other way round. The way he loved was complicated, he hadn't his eyes on anyone at the moment otherwise instead of heading for his friend he'd be after the girl. Obsessive was an understatement when it came down to this.
Sable was sitting on a brick wall, dangling her legs over the edge and smiling at something in the distance. His friend always had a dreamy look in her eyes yet there was nothing dreamy at all about her personality. Tyrian broke out into quiet giggles as his memory flashed back to the boy who tried to bully her one week a few months ago, no one's seen him since. A girl like Sable was never suspected but Tyrian knew her friend to be the culprit. He found himself going over possible scenarios as to what happened in his head, it was obvious she had killed him. How was the question.
"Having fun Sable, what is it you are looking at may I ask?" Tyrian's voice captured the attention of the girl, she twisted her head to look at Tyrian slowly, almost like something from a horror story and smiled at him as he walked up to her.
"A tail so bushy, the little thing is quite pretty. I wonder what's on the inside." Tyrian shook his head, Sable was always one for talking differently. She was creepy, her fascination for things out of the ordinary, anything considered wrong didn't scare Tyrian to the point of running away. He just became wary of her, the girl seemed to have some power to her no one ever had managed to best.
Tyrian had another friend, a boy who had helped him fake the death of a three year old to get him adopted. He was abused and Cereus found himself drawn to helping him. It was in the man's nature to help, such a kind soul. He never complained, never hurt anyone.
Tyrian never dared to introduce Sable and Cereus to one another, such conflicting personalities would only cause something bad to happen and as much as Tyrian admired and feared Sable's twisted view on everything he liked Cereus and didn't want any harm to fall upon him.
"The reaping is today Sable."
"Yes I know Tyrian, such an interesting event. Watching as those plagued by imbecilic ideals of fame and fortune, it's always fun to see who collapses under the pressure of the District and volunteers for the game of death."
Tyrian knew that despite the fact Sable regarded those who volunteered for the traditional reasons stupid, she would do excellent in the Arena, he was sure she had thought about it. Maybe the two of them would be going into the Games together, much like with his father Tyrian didn't tell her of his goal to volunteer.
He wondered what it was like to kill, Sable must know but he wouldn't ask her. Her words would probably put him off murder and he didn't want to be. Taking life made you powerful did it not?
The reaping was getting closer, Sable's eyes were locked on a small boy walking with her mother, a sadistic grin on her face. She was terrifying.
Jasper Apatite, 17 years old
When Jasper was five they told her she wouldn't make it in the training academy. She was a scrawny girl with a cute innocent face and lacked a certain discipline that a child at that age was supposed to have if they wanted to volunteer. The other girls laughed at her, even the other girls her age were much older than their years. They looked so young but their eyes lacked the happiness a girl of their age should have felt.
Jasper proved them all wrong as she grew up and mastered the ways of fighting. She proved herself to everyone else and they finally accepted her as part of their elite group. The other girls smiled at her as she passed them, Jasper was polite enough to smile back. The girls although they showed a certain degree of respect were jealous, she had beaten them countless times. Not that they hadn't beaten her at times as well, no one was perfect but Jasper had the highest number of wins out of most of the girls and it made them annoyed, but they weren't stupid.
Jasper smiled as she relished in the fact that they may be strong, yet they still feared her. Her aunt had persuaded her to have some fun before the reaping and go to the training academy. Jasper was afraid of meeting Beryl there but luckily she had timed it well and passed him on the way, he was too busy showing off to even notice his girlfriend jog past him.
The boys on the other side of the hall smiled at her, one of them even wolf whistled. Jasper felt her cheeks go bright red out of embarrassment but also anger, she was fed up of people treating her like that even though she was quite beautiful. Guys seemed to be able to find a way to get her to like them, she wasn't easy per se but had made many mistakes. Most girls who had experienced what Jasper had been through with her uncle and Beryl would probably be scared of any contact, but even though Beryl and Jasper were technically dating Jasper felt no love for him and had been with guys behind his back. She hated to think what he would do if her secret was found out.
One of the boys with a very handsome face started to advance towards her, but with a look Jasper was a master at pulling off, his eyes widened in shock and he walked backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet.
Jasper smirked at the boy as he tried to ignore his friend's jeers, she turned away and picked up the bow neatly resting on the rack. She grabbed an arrow and aimed it towards the target at the far end, the clock told her the reaping was starting soon but it didn't stop her from getting some more practice.
Unbeknownst to Jemminite Jasper had been planning to volunteer, partly because she had wanted to experience the Arena like any typical career but also because with her power as Victor, Beryl could do no more harm.
The arrow flew through the air and hit the bull's-eye earning a groan from the girls who she had passed, but Jasper stared at the red ring with the arrowhead piercing through to the back. She really could do it, to be free of Beryl. It was enough to make the idea of killing other kids bearable.
Tyrian Aquila, 18 years old
Tyrian had introduced Cereus to his parents about a year ago. He was going to be their heir, taking their money, the mansion and gaining control over the servants. Like any good son he followed what his parents did, Tyrian was an intelligent boy and did well in his studies as he grew up, the boy even respected the woman who cared for him when he was young: Coraline, she was a servant yet she had shown such love for the boy and even taught him how to paint, something he found himself quite good at.
He had grown up to be a worthy heir, but he still had to prove to his parents that even though he had mastered fighting with weapons and his fists, had mastered more artistic sides to life and also mastered his studies that he could interact and socialize with people.
Sable was definitely not the right girl to be introduced so it came down to Cereus, the boy was perfect. Tyrian had always admired his loving, caring and helpful personality because it was different to what he was like and what Sable was like. His parents had fallen in love with him five minutes after they first started to speak.
Tyrian had Cereus as a training partner, the boy was not the sort to volunteer and he never would. This year was his last and the boy walked alongside Tyrian to the Square with a smile on his face at the thought he'd soon be past the reapings. He only trained to please his parents, he was an able fighter but no way did he have the right mindset to kill children. Unlike Tyrian he wasn't interested in death and unlike Sable he never had actually killed someone.
"Give me your hand."
Tyrian stood in front of the desk with the Peacekeeper looking up at him, he almost found himself wanting to lash out at her pretty little face but instead politely let her prick his finger. The woman seemed to freeze slightly, Tyrian knew his family name had that sort of effect on people but she quickly overcame this and handed him a bold '4'.
He didn't bother to question what the four was for, it was obvious anyway as he passed into the Square and saw all the signposts. Alongside Cereus he took his place in the section, noticing out of the corner of his eyes a few of the other boys moving slightly to step away.
Just who he was had this effect on everyone, it made him feel powerful.
Much to Tyrian's delight the mayor didn't waste everybody's time by reading the treaty and allowed Renelda to progress with the reaping. Tyrian disliked what the blasted woman wore, but knew that Coraline would adore the clothes. She always had a thing for Capitol outfits, now the woman was nearing fourty and she still hadn't lost her love for the clothes. Tyrian felt himself holding back a laugh as he remembered when she first told him about what the Capitol people wore.
The first section proved to be average, both tributes were volunteers and both able enough. A girl called Ania became the first reaped, it didn't surprise Tyrian that not all the tributes would be volunteers. The boy was boring. Three showed two more volunteers, the boy looking slightly less impressive than the other two, the girl was quite beautiful despite her status being obvious in what she was wearing.
"This is quite tiring." Renelda said, wiping her forehead as if there really was sweat there. She's picking names out a bowl, it's not too difficult. Tyrian rolled his eyes.
"Emily Ranger!"
A few girls tried to volunteer but it was one with beautiful long brown hair that made it to the stage. She gave Renelda a death stare when she tried to come close causing her to run off and pick the boy's name.
Tyrian felt his legs move into a position to run, Cereus was completely oblivious to what his friend was about to do.
"Jace Shore!"
"I volunteer as tribute!" Tyrian squeezed past a horrified Cereus and pushed a guy with shoulder length blonde hair out of the way to make it up to the stage before anyone else.
"And what is your name my dear?"
"Tyrian Aquila, your tribute for this year's Quarter Quell, I am honoured to have this chance." Renelda smiled at the boy's politeness and progressed on with the reaping. The goodbyes would hopefully be quick, he thought. The real fun started at the Capitol, and Tyrian just couldn't wait to get this thing started.
Jasper Apatite, 17 years old
Jasper didn't have many friends, no one exceptionally close to her that she could walk with to the Square. Anyone she had mutual contact with had their own groups and stayed with them most of the day. Her aunt had told her to start walking and that she'd catch up but Jasper could see she was nearing the Square and she had failed to show herself. Beryl had completely ignored her which made the girl smile, he had grunted at Jemminite as some form of goodbye and had disappeared out the door.
Jasper silently prayed for him to volunteer but she knew better, her boyfriend was too content with his life. He didn't have to work for money and he had a girlfriend that would do anything he asked, his life was perfect.
It would take her running up to the stage and volunteering for anything to change, as long as she stayed living her usual life Beryl would grow out of control and probably surpass her uncle in terms of how evil one could be. She didn't want him around when that day finally arrived, if she became victor she'd shun him from her life, and with power as victor there was nothing he could do, even turning Jemminite in wouldn't do anything.
Although she did know of her chances of dying, but she pushed this to the back of her mind as she joined the queue. The people around her were either smiling since it was reaping day or stood with blank expressions. Some careers showed such joy at the prospect of volunteering whilst others tried to maintain a cool and emotionless façade to intimidate everyone else. Jasper just stood like she usually did and glared at anyone that looked her way, she wasn't in the mood for people staring at her, she could see in their eyes either lust or jealousy and it irritated her.
The needle that took her blood wasn't too painful, it was usually the smallest cuts that hurt the most but she took the sharp, stinging pain well and carried on into the Square, finding the section that matched the number she had been given.
"Do you think it's wise to volunteer since all the tributes will be from One?" A girl behind her said, much too close to Jasper than she cared for.
"Not really, but you only get one chance to volunteer for a Quell, might as well take it." The other girl sounded familiar, someone from the training centre. Jasper knew it probably was stupid to volunteer when the chances were terrible but she couldn't put up with Beryl for another year. It had to be today.
Renelda replaced the mayor, he didn't seem bothered about reading the treaty. The tributes started to be reaped, Jasper thought the red haired girl looked more threatening than the boy, her giggling made her that much more chilling. The reaped girl looked weak, and the boy who volunteered didn't really make Jasper shiver with fright, so far it seemed okay, she smiled at the thought that she might just be able to survive.
The two volunteers for the section before her own were different from one another, the boy lacked the usual muscle but the girl seemed capable despite her dirty exterior.
Now it was her turn. The girl's name that was called didn't ring a bell and she felt a breeze behind her as she realized the girl who had spoken not that long ago hurried out to the stage. Jasper pushed her legs harder and somehow managed to sprint past her, she raced up the steps just as the other girl reached the bottom step. She growled at Jasper but that didn't stop her from taking her rightful position next to the dirty girl.
Renelda started to walk up to her but Jasper wasn't up for talking to a woman like her so she gave her a look that clearly told her to back off and she did just that. The boy that volunteered was well known, Jasper knew just how rich he was and the smug smile on his face proved to her just how arrogant one like him could be. His words were polite though, maybe there was more to him than he showed, maybe there was more to any of the others.
She wasn't sure how well she would do, but one thing was for sure that she was happy she had volunteered. The others made their way to the stage, Beryl wasn't among them.
Tyrian Aquila, 18 years old
He allowed Cereus in before his parents, he could not risk the chance of Sable bumping into him. He knew what dark thoughts filled her mind and it wasn't right for his friend to be subjected to them.
Tyrian was expecting Cereus to either be crying or at least start offering support, but instead when the Peacekeeper allowed him entry Tyrian realized something was wrong but didn't anticipate the hand coming straight for his face before it was too late. Cereus had just slapped him.
"That's a horrible thing to do, a horrible thing to do to a friend. You didn't even let me know what you were planning on doing so we could have done something properly to say goodbye."
"We can do something when I get back to celebrate my victory."
Cereus falters at this, Tyrian didn't know why his friend doubted his abilities but felt close to punching him. A friend shouldn't doubt their friend's capabilities, especially when it came to the hunger games.
"I'll get you sponsors somehow. I don't know whether or not if it's only the Capitol who are allowed but I'm sure your parents being who they are can do something. I'll do what I can." He didn't wait for Tyrian to reply, he pulled him into a hug and departed a few seconds later.
Cereus was not his usual self, Tyrian didn't like the side he'd just seen.
His mother's face showed how proud she was when she hugged him tightly, kissing his cheeks over and over. She was usually not one for these motherly moments but Tyrian found the hug quite comfortable and patted her back.
"Volunteering for the Quell, how brave." She placed a golden ring in his hand and smiled up at him. Tyrian noticed the Aquila crested carved proudly in the metal. He slipped it over his finger and thanked his mother.
"I always thought volunteering was something to be proud of, I knew sometimes I made it clear it would be nice for you to volunteer, I never thought you'd it though son. You better be sure what you're doing is right, you know what losing means."
"I know… sir." His gritted his teeth, as much as his father's doubts angered Tyrian he still allowed him to hug him and even hugged Coraline when she finally stepped forth. His parents must have realized how much the two had grown fond of each other and allowed her to say goodbye, they didn't approve when she started covering his face with kisses and with a farewell they departed.
His final goodbye was Sable, she entered with a slight skip to her step but the grin on her face was gone.
"I should have volunteered."
Tyrian had never dealt with a crying Sable and felt awkward when she exploded into tears, she was an odd girl but didn't squirm when he hugged her. She seemed content with this act of kindness and stopped her tears.
"There's always next year I suppose, enjoy killing." Tyrian almost laughed when she skipped back out with a smile on her face.
He sat down onto the cushioned chair and looked at the door. Soon, very soon he'd be leaving and the next stage would begin. Sometimes he found optimism to be foolish but right now it felt right. He was sure of his victory, no other conclusion felt possible.
Jasper Apatite, 17 years old
The note was still in her pocket and as she sat admiring the furniture of the room she had been allocated, Jasper found herself pulling out the paper and scrunching it into a ball in her hand before unrolling it back to normal.
She'd kept the note since Jemminite had given it to her, it felt right in her pocket, a part of her she never wanted to let go. She'd probably only be allowed to take one thing with her so decided she'd take it as a token.
She wasn't looking forward to saying goodbye to Jemminite, having to explain her reasoning but the thing that she feared the most was if Beryl decided to show his face. He was bound to be angry and Jasper although not a pushover never found herself able to stand up to him. He had a sense of power over her no one else had, it scared her.
"Jasper."
Her attention moved in an instant from the mahogany table to the door, her aunt was standing there wearing her usual dark coloured clothes yet the most surprising thing of all was the smile on her face. Happiness in her eyes she hadn't seen in so long. The woman hurried to Jasper with astonishing speed and threw her arms round her, pulling her as close as she possibly could.
"Thank you, you're going to win there's no doubt about it and we'll be rid of that monster."
She knew why she had done it after all; Jasper felt a weight on her shoulders rise off and she pulled herself even closer into her aunt's warm body.
"I did it for us aunt, he's a monster."
"Who's a monster?!"
Jasper felt her heart leap into her throat, Jemminite removed herself from her niece and stood protectively in front of her, not allowing Beryl to step any closer. Jasper's raging boyfriend was trying to force his way into the room but the Peacekeeper was doing a pretty good job at restraining him. Footsteps coming from down the corridor proved more were on their way, Beryl didn't stand a chance against the ten or so Peacekeepers.
"You'll die in there Jasper! You'll die and I'll tell everyone what happened!" His shouts became silent as a door slammed shut leaving Jemminite and Jasper alone in the room.
"He won't tell, as long as I'm alive he can still take my money. If I win then I can kick him out of our lives."
"There is no if about it Jasper." Her aunt smiled at her and stroked her arm. "You're going to win."
She didn't say anymore, Jasper watched her aunt leave the room with the spark in her eye that she'd longed to see for so long. If her aunt believed in her that much, and if Beryl's absence from her life was the reward for winning then she'd try her damn hardest. She had to win, she had too much at stake.
Yep, so there you have it the fourth reaping. Hope you liked it, leave a review with your thoughts! :D