Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed :) Again, I apologize for this chapter being so incredibly short; I just can't wait to start writing the Training Center and the arena!
In a week, 23 of us will be dead. –Alder Zane
Chapter 4
"Wake up!" says Vega, pounding on my door, "Time to watch the reapings!"
After spending one more moment in my comfortable bed, I throw off the covers and walk over to the closet. I take out some clothes and put them on, surprised that they fit me perfectly. When I arrive in the dining room, no one is there. Did I miss breakfast? Oh, well. I grab a muffin from the table and walk to the next car.
"Morning, Alder," says Violet. Vega turns around.
"There you are," she says, "Now, we'll arrive in the Capitol soon. Let's check out your competition while we still have time." I sit down on the couch as the recording of the reapings begins to play on the large television screen.
As always, there are volunteers from 1, 2, and 4. The tributes from 2 have dark hair, while the tributes from 1 are blond. The boys are both tall and powerfully built, but other than that, they look nothing alike. There's also a major difference in their expressions. The boy from 1 smiles as if he's pleased with all the attention he's getting, while the boy from 2 sulks. My best guess is that he wants to finish with the reaping so he can get to the real action. The girl from 1, much like her district partner, grins and waves to the crowd. The girl from 2 is quite small, barely clearing five feet, but she has a look of undisguised determination on her face.
"Is it my imagination or do they look scarier this year?" asks Violet with a nervous laugh. I nod, unable to tear my eyes away from the screen as I watch the male tribute from District 4 knock another boy unconscious as he rushes to get to the stage.
There are a couple other noteworthy reapings. The girl from district 8 doesn't look very surprised when she's chosen. She just walks up to the stage calmly and shakes hands with her district partner, a twelve-year-old who's shaking like a leaf. The boy from District 10 tries to comfort the girl from his district when she bursts into tears. Another twelve-year-old. That's strange. The younger ones aren't normally picked. Two eighteen-year-olds are chosen from District 11. Neither one of them seems very nervous. And then Violet and I are chosen from District 12. Violet scowls when she sees the terrified look on her face. I am relieved to find that I controlled my emotions rather well, though I probably still look like an easy target to the Careers.
Violet is completely silent. I tap her on the shoulder.
"What? Oh, I'm okay," she says. There's a long pause.
"I just hope we can avoid the Careers," she continues. Something tells me staying away from the Careers isn't all that's on her mind. I nod. The other reapings have made everything seem so much more real. Only now do I fully realize the truth. In a week, 23 of us will be dead. No, we're not in District 12 anymore.
Please tell me what you think! :D