District Two's Cassius Rhode's POV:
"Step to it trainees" yells the commanding voice of Boaz as we march in circles around the main hall of the training centre. There are ten of us in total, the finest of this year's graduating class. Eight of us will be fast tracked to command posts in the peacekeeping forces, but the others? The other two will enter the games and be given the chance to come home victorious as Amethyst did and today's the day we find out who that will be.
We are ordered by Boaz to "Line up" and we do so in a quick and smart fashion, standing at attention we await for the next instruction.
"At ease" Boaz calls and we relax "Now today trainees as you know is a big day for two of you, Amethyst, Nero and Blaze have made their decision and chosen who will enter the games this year." He pauses and I feel myself holding my breath, this is it.
"Cassius Rhodes"
"Yes sir" I salute and step forward, forcing a grin not to spread onto my face.
"Olivia Visious"
"Yes sir" Olivia also steps forward with a salute and I glance over to her quickly, really her? I think there are much better options surely like Tita Peters or even Mad Magaline.
"The two of you are to report to Blaze's office immediately" Boaz says with a sly little smile, I guess he's not allowed to give us the good news himself. Olivia and I scarper out of the room and begin to jog along the corridor leading to Blaze's office.
"I can't believe this is actually happening" Olivia gasps "Lana told me I'd never make tribute only the other week"
"Was that when you and Sadie set up that paint trap in the agility room?" I ask remembering about the disrespectful act the two girls had pulled two weeks ago.
Olivia chuckles "yh that's the one" she say "Panem I was lucky it splattered those ten year olds not Lana herself or I'd have had worse than cleaning duty to pay for it.
"I think it was a very disrespectful act" I reply "A trainee should uphold themselves maturely at all times" I quote our honour code at her.
She laughs again "You are far too serious Cassius" she tells me "Please tell me you'll be more fun in the arena?"
"Maybe you're not going to the arena Visious" I reply, referring to her in the proper manner "Maybe you're just here for another beating for one of your disrespectful pranks"
She laughs again as we reach Blaze's door "I seriously doubt it Rhodes" she says as she knocks sharply on the door, before throwing herself to attention like a good little trainee.
The door swings open before I get a chance to straighten myself up and Blaze stands there looking down on the two of us "In" he orders.
We step carefully into the room and salute our head trainer in the proper manner; he returns the gesture and points towards two seats set up opposite his desk. "Be seated" he orders and we both sit down opposite the great Blaze Layland, I've met him with groups of people before but never in his office and never so close.
"The two of you have been chosen to be our tributes for this year's games" Blaze states, getting straight to the point "We have not come to this decision lightly and expect that the two of you will not disappoint your district."
"We won't disappoint you sir" I respond "It'll be an honour to follow Amethyst out of the arena."
"Of course" blaze responds "now we've had a couple of bad years with our tributes not co-operating fully, so I want you two to be perfect comrades by the time of the games."
"But sir..." Olivia protests.
"No buts" Blaze barks back "I want a united front this year and a strong well organised career pack. I hear District Four have a couple of volunteers too this year so I want you to invite them."
"District Four haven't had a decent volunteer in years" I say "disregarding the quell of course"
"Neither the less, I want the two of you to train together until the games, I want synchronised fighting, I want you to be able to read each other's thoughts in there. Am I clear?"
"Yes Sir." We both respond simultaneously
"Excellent, now return to your training"
Olivia and I stand up and salute before leaving the office, out in the corridor I allow a grin to spread over my face "Mother and Father will be so proud" I tell Olivia "and Victoria will be so happy for me"
"That's the girl who dropped out isn't it" Olivia asks a sly little smile on her face "I heard she got pregnant, is it yours?" she chuckles as we begin to jog towards the training room again.
"That's a horrible lie" I say defending my girlfriend "She just decided to focus on more tactical pursuits."
"Tactical?"
"It's top secret" I respond proudly, even I didn't fully know what she did, only that she worked somewhere dark and deep underground in an abandoned mineshaft. Of course once I brought home a victory from the games we'd both be free to retire and live out our days in the Village.
District Two's Olivia Visious' POV:
Cassius smiles, obviously lost in fantasies about his girlfriend, I remembered her a little from our younger days training. A slim, petite blonde girl who was quick to learn in the theory lessons but a little slow on the uptake during physical sessions, I remembered knocking her off the agility course plenty of times, once she even cried.
Cassius and I reach the training hall quickly but our lesson is already over and I peek though the door to watch as Amethyst Swift demonstrates the correct way of holding a rapier sword to an entranced group of younger trainees. I watch her for a moment as Cassius continues down towards the changing room, Amethyst moves gracefully and seems to so sure of every movement she makes, I hope she's as good as a mentor as she seems to be as a trainer.
"Let's go in together" Cassius shouts from a few doors down "Blaze said we should be a team right"
"Lets do this partner" I say with a grin as I run to join him and we burst through into the small common area that separates the male and female changing rooms. The room is filled to the brim with our friends and other training teams who all cheer for us.
I begin to giggle as Sadie rushes from behind a taller boy to grab my shoulders "I can't bloody believe they picked you you utter nutcase" she laughs "Didn't Lana say only the other day?"
"That I would never be chosen, yeah she did" I laugh as we're joined by other trainee's Tita shakes my hand and congratulates me, while others repeat her sentiments I look over to where Cassius maturely shakes hands with Vespasian, Ryder and Nolan his apparent friends. Though by the glare Vespasian is giving him I'd say he really wanted that place in the arena.
Cleon walks over to me "Congratulations" he says offering his hand for me to shake. I refuse it, "Oh come on you can't still be mad at me for telling on you" he sighs "It was one time"
"Be gone with you" Sadie says "the designated volunteer of District Two wants nothing to do with you snitch"
Cleon sinks of dejected and after a polite nod to Cassius is the first to leave the party.
"It should have been me" a voice says from the far side of the room, I know who that is Magaline Amnion aka 'Mad' Magaline or Magma. She glares at me with her half concealed face; she would scare me if I hadn't known her since childhood. Before the accident she was almost normal, a little intense perhaps but we all were when we were younger, trying to outdo each other. But one day it went too far, Magaline had set up a large fire below a rope swing in the large outdoor training area we use and intended to show us all how she could jump over it with ease. We hadn't begged her to stop of course we'd egged her on and when she'd slipped from the rope and landed in the fire no-one had rushed to help. Of course now she hated us all, and the nicknames didn't help, maybe it would be good if she were to enter the games, I think. Then at least she could die and get out of our hair, I decide to put her forward next year when I'll be mentoring.
The small party doesn't last too long, we're all tired and hungry from training and I know Cassius and I will be up early for our intense training sessions. No more school for us, just as much training as our bodies can take for a few weeks. Most people just grab their training kits and leave but I decide to stay for a shower, have a moment to myself.
When I exit the changing room I expect to be alone but a familiar figure waits for me "Vicious" he grins as he wraps me in a hug. Noah has been my best friend since we were babies; we've been causing mischief in our neighbourhood even longer than I've known Sadie, who I met three years into my training.
"I can't believe my little Vicious Liv heading into the games" he says with a grin as we link arms and head out of the centre. He's always called me Vicious since we were toddlers when I once accidently whacked him on the head with a stick trying to re-create a move I'd seen in the games.
"I'm still struggling to come to terms with it myself" I reply "You think my Mom will be proud?"
"I'm sure she will" he gasps "she was the one that put you into training wasn't she"
"Yeah three years early, despite Blaze's protests" I say "ugh how the older kids picked on me"
"Yeah but you showed them" Noah replies with a smile
"I did didn't I?" I say with a smile "That was the first time I think I'd ever drawn blood"
Noah laughs; he always understood my more violent side more so than Sadie despite the fact he never wanted to train. Sadie also trained because he parents forced her too but she never really wanted to enter the games and trainers can tell that sort of thing, no point sending in someone who doesn't want to be there, that's why volunteers are much more likely to win than reaped tributes.
We reach Noah's house first and pause for a moment, "I have something for you" he says, reaching into his pocket he pulls out a small metal band.
"Don't you fucking dare" I shout jumping back from him.
"What oh no.." he laughs "No Vicious I'm not proposing to you."
"Oh" I breathe a breath of relief "then what's the ring for?"
"I had it made for you, I want it to be your token in the games" he says "so you'll remember me as you become rich and famous and then when you come home maybe we can talk about other things." He smiles hopefully.
I laugh and pull him into a hug before taking the simple ring from him looking at it closely I notice the phrase 'invicti animi' was engraved around the edge.
"What does it say?" I ask
"It's Latin" he replies "they love to use it on official documents and pretty things in the capitol. It says 'victorious at heart'"
"I love it" I cry as I wrap my arms around Noah and as we hug and say farewell I can't help but feel a pit of dread deep down that this may all go wrong for me and I'll never see him again.
Nina Ricci's POV:
I sigh and throw my head into my hands as Marc tells us that the two strong tributes for District One are cousins, how I'd have loved to interview them. Ask them about their relationship, how they'd work being related in the arena as it was a rare occurrence, bar the quell of course. I'd also love to comment on their reactions to the crowd and share my feelings to the capitol. Marc doesn't have the flair for announcing the tributes as I did I think, he's too robotic, too dull.
"Now to District Two" I mouth as the screen changes to the stoic and serious District Two on the stage stands Tertia next to Nero and Amethyst. I smile as I see Amethyst wave happily to the crowd, I must admit I never saw her as a victor, she was too nervous of herself on stage, I could never see the cameras loving her. The crowd love her now though even as Tertia moves towards the male bowl they are still screaming her name.
"Locke Fairway" Tertia announces and we watch as a tall boy strides from the middle of the crowd. He looks smiles confidently as he asks to be replaced.
"I volunteer as tribute" the call comes from the rabble of older boys jostling for space near the bottom of the stairs and a muscular blonde boy strides confidently onto the stage "Cassius Rhodes" he announces as he shakes Locke's hand.
I like the look of Cassius, confident but not too cocky, strong and handsome, like a good District Two tribute should be how I'd have loved to feel his strong arms as he'd tell me of his ambition to win the games.
Tertia moves to the female bowl "Servilla Mason" she calls and a skinny and dusty little thing steps out of the back of the crowd where the younger children wait. She glances nervously over at the crowd of ready volunteers and they reassure her enough to get her up the stairs.
"I'd like to be replaced please" the girl says before Tertia even has chance to ask.
"I volunteer at tribute" comes the call and a blonde girl steps up beside Servilla on stage and introduces herself as "Olivia Visious"
Olivia kneels down and wraps the little girl in a hug before standing up as Servilla runs back down the stairs.
Tertia orders of the new tributes to "shake hands" and they do so without complaint and a little polite nod. I like both of them I decide as the camera cuts back to Marc in the studio, a little predictable perhaps after two years of exciting tributes from Two but two good stable tributes none the less.
A/N: Thanks to Flintlightning and Epicness by Liv for Cassius and Olivia. I hope you're enjoying the introductions to these tributes and their reapings. I am making a blog for this story as well and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you once all the reapings are over.
