The tributes have been chosen...those 24 names pulled from thousands...Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Panem.

District 12: Selena "Sel" Yodis

I watched the screen with wide eyes. The Reapings were about to show, and the whole of Panem would be staring in the massive television in the square, as I had done for the past 4 years.

The screen flickered to life, and I took a deep breath as I prepared to meet the people I had to kill in just a few days.

24 names to pick.

The girl from District 1 was spoiled and rich, as she waved her hand to the crowd like a queen. She had her whole life before, and after, the Games all figured out. She was determined to win.

23 names to pluck.

The boy, Parker, had a cocky smile stuck on his freckled face as he cheerfully waved to the rest of his district. For a second though, I thought I saw that smile falter and a look of fear in his yellowish eyes. I blinked, and it was gone.

22 names to choose.

The girl tribute from 2, Cassia Hester, swished her light blonde hair and flung it over her shoulder as she grinned an award winning smile at the crowd and the cameras. There was an eager look in her piercing green eyes, and she bounced up and down on her heels, already raring to go.

21 names to reap.

Beldon Scourn scared me from the off. His strong build promised a typical career, and the way he glared at the audience with narrowed eyes made me sure to never fall closely under that gaze.

20 names to sentence to death.

I felt sorry for the two from D3. Even though the girl was 16, she looked vulnerable and weak, and very young compared with the careers.

19 names to kill or be killed.

The boy was only 12, and I doubted he could even hold a spear, let alone through it anywhere. That was two bodies in the bloodbath before we had even started training.

18 names waiting to fight.

Sophia from 4 had an intelligent look in her large, sea green eyes that danced and glinted in the sunlight. Her dark, straight hair fell to her perfect waist, and her pink lips smiled in anticipation on stage.

17 names on slips of paper.

Despite his size and muscles, Storm Marlinfield did not strike me as a usual career. His deep blue eyes did not show a thirst for killing, and his smile was kind and warm as he showed it to Panem.

16 names left to unfold.

The tributes from 5 held as much hope as those from District 3. Steath was small, and appeared to prefer being locked up in his room with books and homework than training for the Hunger Games.

15 names to be touched by an escort.

Yoko looked fragile, and as if a strong gust of wind would easily blow her small form over.

14 names to enter the Games.

It was obvious how Nicole Angel got her name; her short blonde hair was like a halo around her head, and her blue, grey eyes hid her true emotions well. Her lean, thin body looked as though she did not each much, but it was the same story for most District 6 tributes.

Her smile was sweet and shy, but her delicate hands shook with fear as she faced the cameras, and Panem.

13 names to go to the Capitol.

John Colby was everything Nicole wasn't: sarcastic, loud, and crazy. His parents were too out of it on morphling to recognise that their only son had just received a death sentence.

John's eyes were bloodshot and his limp, dark hair hung over his face. His skin with thin and a sickly colour, showing all the signs of a morphling addict. A tear almost fell from my eye as I watched him shout at his escort angrily, flinging his arms around to show his distress. I figured he had just missed his daily dose of addictive drugs, and was on his way to withdrawal.

12 names to pick.

I decided I liked the girl from 7. Her attitude and sarcasm, yet the way she was still sweet and shy, was very appealing to have in a friend, and an ally. Her bronze hair fell in waves just past her slim shoulders, and her chocolate eyes were warm and full of compassion for her district.

11 names to pluck.

The boy, Klent Carter, had struggled to control his little sister, who was confused and wouldn't let go of her brother. He was only 13, and was kind, but I think he had accepted that he might not ever return to his home.

10 names to choose.

Cetera Jellon from 8 was serious when she approached the stage, and did not smile or laugh to get sponsors. She stood with her arms at her side, staring out at the crowd and her old life.

She looked innocent, with her big doe eyes and small figure, but I knew never to underestimate the enemy.

9 names to reap.

The boy had a carefree attitude, and even seemed enthusiastic as he approached the stage. Elliot Dean had broad shoulders and a perfect smile that showed his glowing white teeth. His curly blonde hair bounced as he walked, and his sea green eyes surveyed everyone in the District 8 square.

8 names to sentence to death.

Beatrix from district 9 looked innocent as well, and she was short compared to the escort. Her frizzy black hair stood up at the ends, pale skin and pale blue eyes that stared with a lost look. She looked like she was raised by a good family, not like some of the past tributes.

She tilted her head to look at people, and she studied them with an in intensity that could not be questioned with.

7 names to kill or be killed.

Finn Lovegood was a quiet person, with mousy brown hair that hung over his light blue eyes like a curtain. He was likeable when he talked to the escort and the crowd, and he had an easy smile.

6 names waiting to fight.

Lyli Hyrman was an average girl: medium height, maybe a bit taller, with wavy blonde brown hair and narrowed hazel eyes. She looked as though she had stood on her own two feet for most of her life, and she scanned the D10 crowd with a look of determination and independence.

She wanted to win.

5 names on slips of paper.

Battler should have scared me, with his strong build and dark, hard eyes, but his smile changed that. The warmth in that smile was genuine when he glanced at people, but I thought the careers would try to ally with him. I knew that he would never accept.

4 names left to unfold.

Sage Amorato was smiling to herself as she volunteered for her elder sister, her blue eye and her grey eye shined gleefully, but I think it was not because of volunteering; she was a naturally cheery person.

3 names to be touched by an escort.

Kyrix was small, and when he looked back at his family they didn't say a word. I doubted that they even went to see him afterwards in the Capitol room. I watched sadly as he approached the stage to stand beside his fellow tribute, with his shy attitude and hidden tears.

They were chalk and cheese: complete opposites.

2 names to enter the Games.

I saw my face appear on the screen. My knee length sky blue dress swayed as I walked up to the stage, my black hair band keeping my dark, reddish hair away from my pale face.

My jokes with the escort lighten up the atmosphere a bit, but it was barely noticeable. I cringed when my cheesy attempt at humour received a cold silence.

1 name left to go to the Capitol.

My fellow district 12 tribute was Eko Raylor, and he had the classic Seam look. Hard, piercing grey eyes, black hair, tanned skin. He was sarcastic, like me, but appeared very closed off, and he had no friends crying for him in the crowd.

His sisters were crying in the audience, and I had seen his mother regularly around the market, and I recognised her standing near the front, her head in her small hands. His father had died 5 years ago, but no one questioned why and how.

People mostly kept themselves to themselves in District 12, and the Raylor family were no different.

The tributes had been picked, the names to enter the Hunger Games, to kill, or be killed. I stared at the blank television in front of me, just going over the Reapings in my already messed up head. It would be a long couple of days ahead.

They have been chosen, the paper slips unfolded, and now they face the crowd, the whole of Panem in the Chariot Rides. Will all go as planned? Find out soon!

*~Joy~*