Mmmkay, so we're finally starting this fic! I've decided that I'll be doing some parts in the POV of a Capitol audience, and others will be from the POV of the tributes. Generally, it'll mostly be the reapings, chariot rides and interviews from the Capitol's POV, while the Games itself will be from the tribute's POV, because there's really too much scheming and hidden motives in the Games to do it from any other POV.
Okay, I know I haven't updated in really long, so I'd just do Districts 1-6 so I can get this up faster. I promise to get the rest of the Reapings up by the end of the week, and then we can finally get down to the good stuff!
I know I told you guys no Reapings, but I feel bad, cause its really an important part of the Games. So I'll try to go by really fast. In like, 2 chapters.
Disclaimer: The idea of the Hunger Games is entirely property of Suzanne Collins. The characters though, are a different matter.
(Unknown Capitol Viewer's POV)
It's the Reaping Day! The Reaping Day! In my opinion, it's the best day of the year! Why? Well, because it's the first day of the annual Hunger Games of course! I live for the Hunger Games. I think if they ever cancelled it, I would just die. After all, what else would I be able to look forward to and eagerly await for every year? Nothing can beat watching 24 kids fight to their death on public television.
I giggle to myself the whole morning, while I take a shower and eat my breakfast. Its quite funny actually… If you'd woken me up at this God-forsaken hour on any other day, I'd probably have screamed at you, kicked you out of my room, and sued the pants off you. But then, here I am now, actually eating breakfast at 7am in the morning, perched in front of the television waiting for the programme to begin.
My television flickers in front of me. It's currently screening of the past Hunger Games, but I barely pay any attention to it. I'm too excited to take a look at this year's tributes, and besides, I've already memorized all the tributes, their names, ages and personal particulars, their alliances, how they died, and their individual rankings. Everything that matters, basically.
It's a tradition of sorts, for me, see? I remember when it all started, back when I was still a wee little child, five years old and sporting bubblegum pink hair – What was Mummy thinking? Anyway, my dad was watching the Hunger Games as well, and I wobbled unsteadily to his side, and asked him what was showing. He explained it to me, and proceeded to list all the tributes in District order for me, daring me to do better. I just couldn't resist! And that's how I got hooked…
Now, twenty years later, and my hair is no longer that hideous shade of bubblegum pink anymore, thank God. Its currently electric blue, a bright color that I just got when I went over to Junniper's hair salon the other day. Her salon's just the most darling thing! And her hands, my God, they're the most talented hairstylist hands I've ever seen! Only the best for moi, of course.
In any case, my point is that I've still got that habit of memorizing everything there is to memorize about the Hunger Games. I could just rattle off a whole series of facts about the last 10 Hunger Games, including who won, who died first, who was my favorite, and who just acted like a total loser. Because that's what's most important, right?
I'm shocked out of my ramblings, when the image on my television screen flickers, before going black for a second. Before I could even react, it comes back on, with the booming anthem of the Capitol. The Reapings are beginning!
I sit myself in a comfortable position on the goosling-feathered couch, as on the screen, the camera refocuses on the grinning image of Caesar Flickerman himself. A celebrity in his own right, I can't remember a time when good ol' Ceaser and his cold jokes haven't been around. He's probably older than Father Time himself! Not that you could tell, of course. Showing your age on your face is very unbecoming of a famous celebrity.
Its bright orange this year. His color I mean. From the tips of his hair, to the pupils of his eyes; from his three-piece suit, to his expensive shoes; all a bright garish orange. Perfectly in trend of course – Orange is the color of the year. I can't say I particularly like this shade, I prefer more of a bouncy, bright color, rather than this disgusting, dirty orange that he's sporting. But then, who am I to comment on Caeser's color sense?
Before I know it, the blood red words on the screen announce the beginning of District 1's reapings, before the text is replaced by a vivid depiction of District 1 itself. I love District 1. It's the nicest district there is, aside from the Capitol, which really isn't a district at all. But you get the point! District 1's always so clean, so sparkling, it looks like such a nice place to live. Maybe I'd go there for a vacation some day…
I fidget uncomfortably as the Mayor of District 1 rattled on with his little speech. It was so boring! He was a stout old man, white long beard and all, and I absent-mindedly begin imagining how he would look like if he dyed it coral pink. It would improve his look, for sure!
Oh! Its finally over! Here comes the District 1 escort now! Now, her I like. She wore a funky lavender dress, that sparkled with sequins, and six-inch heels. I would kill for those heels. Maybe she could send those heels in as a gift to her tributes in the Arena! Then they could stab everyone else to death with the pointy ends!
I watched her fish around that giant fishing bowl thing that was propped up on stage. Pulling them out with a flourish, she smirked and read out the name of our very first female tribute of the 96th Games. However, before she could even have finished pronouncing the lucky girl's name, a slender arm shot up in the air.
"I, Victory Evans, volunteer!"
I watch intensely as Victory strides up towards the stage. It isn't uncommon for Careers to volunteer, especially in District 1, but I feel curious about whether Victory could really live up to her name. The crowd packs together, unintentionally hiding Victory from the camera's view. In fact, I can only see a blond head bobbing down the center aisle, as Victory moves forward. As she clears the crowd, I finally get a better view of her. Her aforementioned blond hair is streaked with cameral, and her muscled frame stands tall and confident. When I see her face, its not her high cheekbones, light freckles, perfect teeth (God, I want those teeth!), nor her warm, chocolaty brown eyes that captured my attention. No, my eyes are instead, immediately drawn to her full, pouty lips. Perfect, in their own right, but just a tad too big for her face. Who knows though, if she wins, maybe it'll become a fad! I can just see it. The too-big-lips look. Extraordinary!
As I muse about this new possible trend, and how exquisite it would look on me, I almost miss the Male Reapings. The escort calls out a name, Stroll Mirival, and although he has been chosen, I can just tell that no one would volunteer for him. Not because of a lack of enthusiasm, oh no, District 1 has always been consistently performing with a higher than normal level of eagerness to participate. But one look at Stroll's build, and you can just tell that he doesn't need any volunteering. He isn't the tallest of guys, but man are his muscles big! I was almost drooling, just looking at the size of them. Not too big, not too small, just nice! His face fits the role of a ruthless killing machine too, a strong square jaw faintly covered by a five o'clock shadow, dark brown hair that frames his face, average eyes, and a forehead that is further emphasized by his dark and heavy eyebrows.
In fact, I would think that the only thing that doesn't fit in would be his mouth. It was currently lifted in an easy smile, and looked far too friendly for any Career. Considering my experience at watching the Games for God knows how many years, I can assure you, one hundred percent, that Stroll really isn't as brutal and cold-hearted as he tries to be. He looks like the kind that would stab someone, break their neck, and basically kill them, before dropping to his knees beside their corpse, crying and begging for their apologies.
Trust me. Those kind of people? Even when they survive, its not going to be all happy-ever-after for them anymore. It never will be.
As he strides on stage, I scan his outfit. Blue sweater… Dark trousers… Ho-hum. I'm about to look away and do something else when I reach the end of his outfit. There, sitting just on his feet, his boots. Black, chunky, with what looks like thousands of buckles, they all read kick-ass. I want those boots! I made a mental note to hit the megamall tomorrow morning, when I'm sure the kick-ass boots would have been released into stores. Got to keep up with trends, you know?
The video feed of District 1 is cut off abruptly, and Caeser's face once again occupies the screen. He's made a few comments about the tributes, before we are whisked away to District 2, where their Reapings are just about to begin.
I hurry to the fridge for a can of Diet Cola, before plopping myself back on my sofa. Dread creeps into my mind as I realize that I missed the District 2 Male Reapings, which I hate to do. I don't really mind missing the Reapings of those lesser districts, but to miss a Career Reaping? It's a cardinal sin! Its not even that I want to know their names, as their personal particulars would surely be leaked onto the Internet, and in the Evening Papers. No, its just that I prefer to judge them based on their reactions, especially if I think they would be a main character in the story.
Well, at least I didn't miss District 2's female Reapings, I think to myself, as their fuchsia-skinned escort digs in the glass bowl for a slip. She triumphantly plucks one out, waving it around a bit before reading it aloud. Just as the name slips from her mouth, a whole stampede of girls rush forwards towards the stage, all battling it out to be the female tribute. Isn't it ironic, that these girls are all so eager to volunteer to die? I laugh at their idiocy, and enjoy this mini-show. Its such a pity that I missed the Male Reapings…
Ah, at last, a pale blonde lady emerges from the horde of screaming girls, her sparkling blue eyes panning the view of the audience from onstage. Her lips part slightly, and she enunciates her name, Mimi Zaria, with some sort of a foreign accent. I'm not very sure what it is, but I'd find out soon enough, when the advertisements come out, featuring special courses on how to speak like Mimi Zaria anyway.
Too soon, the program cuts away from District 2, right in the middle of a round of smattering applause, before showing what looks like District 3. Looks like we're a bit off-schedule, as the escort already has one hand deep inside the Reaping bowl. I notice that its considerably less full than the bowls of District 1 and 2… I wonder why?
She extracts a slip, and reads out it out.
"Nightshade Amberly!" the escort's trilling voice echoes in the square, where everyone's holding their breath, looking around and trying to find out who was the unlucky one this time. The silence is soon broken by sighs of relief, as an unhealthily thin girl, with shoulder-length feathery black hair, steps out from her place in the 14-year olds section. Her face is over-shaped and angular, and again, I can just imagine what this trend would look like when translated into the Capitol. Would we have actual sculptors trying to create a fusion of sculpting and face surgeries? Maybe they'd call this trend "face-sculpting"! How fascinating!
Nightshade strolls down the aisle that has magically parted for her, her lips pursed shut, her remarkable light brown eyes glaring at everyone who passed, as if she thought they were secretly plotting against her, or gossiping about her. If she wasn't from such a poor district, I would've thought she was wearing contact lenses. So rarely do you see such pretty, and light eyes! Even in the Capitol, where there's an abundance of colorful contacts, no one has ever thought about using that color, instead opting for more wild and extravagant colors, like purple and hot pink and pitch black. I guess there is merit in the natural look after all…
Glancing back at the screen, I see the District 3 escort digging through the Reaping bowl for a Male tribute, while Nightshade stood silently in the background, perfectly still in her old black cotton dress. That dress really did not flatter her, if she won, she would have to learn how to dress! Shaking my head at her ignorance, I decided to go heat up some lamb stew.
As I prepared the canned stew for warming up, I peeped out of my open kitchen door, and briefly glimpsed another tiny little 12 year old girl stumble up onto the stage. Usually, the 12 year olds are terrified, standing on the stage shaking like there's no tomorrow. But this little pixie, she sure gained my respect. Not only is she the youngest so far, but she's the tiniest in stature as well, and you can definitely tell that she's frightened out of her wits, but you can also see the determination on her face – the determination to win. I like that. Lots of… spunk.
I learn that her name is Vivie Marine, and having committed that to memory, I turn back to my lamb stew.
By the time I get back to the living room, its already the start of District 6's Reapings. I recognize the escort on stage, Suzziete Chaipmun, who was the escort for District 1, once upon a time, but fell out of favour and was demoted to District 6. Poor girl. She was the youngest of them all, just having hit 20, and already she looked more haggard than anyone in the Capitol. I definitely must pester her to go for that Botox treatment the next time I see her!
It's the males first this time, and I watch intensely as Suzziete digs around in the Reaping bowl. "Accose Spidell," she announces, and the crowd parts to reveal a 14 year old with light brown wavy locks, that fall into his crisp, raindrop blue eyes. As he walks, his hair catches the sunlight, and I notice his golden streaks. They're not as perfectly arranged as a Capitol hairdresser would do it, so I assume they are natural. Do they even have hairdressers in the districts? I can tell he's malnutritioned – he's so skinny, you could count his ribs! Yet, he has the brightest smile I've ever seen, and even though he is literally walking to his death, his face still genuinely smiling, it really confuses me so much! As he walks past the girls' section, a swift movement catches my eye. I note he has quickly grasped a girl's hand, squeezing slightly, before letting go again. Despite all this, his neither his gait, nor his smile, falters. An interesting development…
Then, before Acoose can even step on stage properly, Suzziete is already drawing a female tribute. A Monkshood Splice is called… what kind of name is that anyway? It doesn't matter anyway, because a very boring, mundane-looking girl is already shuffling her way to the stage. Her blue eyes are murky, and her short blonde hair is dirty, as if she's too poor to even bath. Especially since her face and hands seem to be covered in some gross-looking, brownish stuff… Is that dirt? But it can't be, I'm pretty sure she isn't that poor – just look at her clothes! They may be old, but they're perfectly clean, and in good condition. No, there must be another reason… Maybe she's just too busy to care? I can't really imagine that, where someone would be so lazy that they would not bother to bath, but hello! This is the districts we're talking about!
With a sigh, I lean back, and continue watching the rest of the Reapings.
So question of the day… I think it was mentioned above. You know how our dear nameless Capitol viewer noticed that District 3 has a not-as-full Reaping bowl as Districts 1 and 2? The question is why? Yeah, so if you can answer that, I'll give you 5 sponser points! Remember, there is no set answer, as long as it makes sense, I'll accept it.
Sponser points as of 27th October, 2010, 9.34pm:
ChrissyGrace – 10
lillyday – 10
spindleberried – 10
BookAddictForLife – 45
booksarecool – 20
Cloudy-TheNightmareQueen – 10
SM1432 – 5
Esse Quam Videri – 10
Marya Badica – 30
harvestmoonrox – 25
pjmoo – 5
Max Alleyne – 5
DegrassiLove14 – 15
Let me know if you disagree with the Sponsor points… I'll review it again if you think I've made a mistake.
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xoxo