The Reapings of other Districts

Jayjay brought me and Lexi to the Justice Building and since we were related, put us in the same room. "You have an hour," she said and she was gone.

Just then Grandma came running in. She grabbed us and started sobbing. "Y-you two b-b-better be care-ful i-in the a-a-arena!" she sobbed.

"We will, Grandma," I said trying to sound brave but I was about to sob too. I turned to see Lexi sitting there blankly, obviously still in shock. "Lexi, you okay?" I asked.

"Yea, I'm f-fine," she said trying not to sob.

"Don't worry, I will do everything I possibly can to protect you, you're going to win," I said.

"No, because then you will die," she sobbed.

I had no response, I felt so bad for her. The hour seemed to trudge on for more than a year. About halfway through, Rachel came. Rachel is my best friend and has been since the first grade.

"Are you okay?" she asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I knew the day would come eventually," I said.

"Try to win," she said and turned around and left.

Nobody else came. "Let's go you two! The train is here!" and she led us to the train. I went straight back to my room. I didn't want to talk to anybody. But before I could get comfortable, Jayjay was yelling at me to get out there.

"What?" I asked angrily.

"It's time to watch the other Reapings," and she put in a tape marked District 1-99. It took us to the square in District 1 with tons of people in it. The District 1 escort walked over to the girls' reaping ball. She called out the name Hope Byhalia Leveret. A female from the seventeen year old section walked up to the stage. She was tall and skinny with dark brown hair and eyes. A lot of people in the crowds were crying and trying to run to her but they were being held back by, I'm guessing, her parents. She was wearing a somewhat flowing yellow dress, with straps around the neck that tied in the back instead of over the shoulders.

Then the escort walked over to the boys' reaping ball and said into the microphone, "Jamal Savis!" A boy stepped out of the roped-in area for fifteen year olds and walked up to the stage. He was normal height, and had ashy blond hair. It was shaggy and looked like it had been tried to be styled, but didn't work. He had blue eyes that were wide open and his whole body was very stiff. He was wearing a blinding white tux over a black t-shirt. He was wearing a gold tie with small chunks of diamond on it. She congratulates them and that's the end of it. Maybe I should ally with one of them? I thought.

Jayjay ejected the tape and inserted a new one with the words District 2-99. Their brilliantly blond escort announced the beginning of the Reaping and went over to the girls' reaping ball. She pulled out a white slip and read out Nicky Uley. Before she could even react, a sixteen-year-old with light brown, wavy hair volunteered. The escort called her up to the stage and asked for her name. "Rayne Landcaster. You can call me Rae," the girl had said. The woman then walked over to the boys' reaping ball and drew out a name. The boy she called was a scrawny little twelve-year-old who would've passed out if a young man named Zane Burwell hadn't volunteered. He was fifteen, about five foot five, had very tan skin which looked like he was from District 11, and short wavy red hair. Their escort congratulated them in an irritating Capitol accent, and they were off for the Justice Building.

"This stinks!" I yelled as Jayjay ejected the tape. "Our competition is way too hard!"

"You just need to find the right people to ally with. Definitely not District Two, too Career, maybe the girl from District One but try and decide as we get to the later Districts," Jayjay replied.

Then she slipped District Three's Reapings into the VCR. Their escort was tall and had an obviously fake green wig. She went to the girls' reaping ball first, obviously, and drew out the name Santana Sanchez. She was a short little twelve-year-old who looked like she needed some food. She didn't seem very nervous, but I bet she was. Maybe she could be our alliance?

Next, the escort went over to the boys' reaping ball and pulled out a name. "Noeh Jameson," was the name she read and a big, muscular sixteen-year-old boy walked up to the stage, looking very proud of himself. She congratulated them, these escorts were getting annoying, and it ended.

Again, Jayjay ejected the tape and put in District Four's Reapings. "The people from District Four are always stuck up and snobby," Lexi said out loud.

"Well, maybe they will have some generous tributes this year that will help you," Jayjay said hopefully as the tape started. In the square, two people in there were going to be picked, and they didn't even know it. Their escort, who by the way looked the most normal so far, did the usual announcements and read the girl tribute. It was a girl that was in the twelve section, she had long black hair with silver streaks here and there. Her bangs covered her left eye. Her skin was pale and her eyes were different colors. One was a silverish blue while the other one was a deep crimson red. Her name was Luna Sohma. The boy tribute was named Zove Zibron and he was seventeen years old. He had tan-ish skin and hair black as midnight. His eyes were a beautiful glowing blue and he had a muscular build.

Next, Jayjay slipped District Five's Reapings into the VCR and pushed play. In the square, the escort was walking over to the girls' reaping ball. She read out the name Angie. Just plain Angie. As the girl walked up to the stage, leaving the fifteen-year-olds, she had an ice blue dress, matching her eyes and hair. The boy tribute she called, Nathon, again no last name, was wearing old shorts and a faded yellow t-shirt. She did the regular escort endings and that was it. Next was District Six's Reapings. This was taking forever!

District Six's tributes were a seventeen-year-old girl, Latviana Meyen, who had bright red hair and bright green eyes. She was wearing a dress that was about knee-length and somewhat faded. It had pink flowers all over it. The boy tribute was another seventeen-year-old named Eric Glasse. He had ruffled brown hair and light brown eyes. He wore a plain white t-shirt over black tie pants. District Seven's girl tribute was a sixteen-year-old girl named Kalm Pines. Her hair was cherry red and wavy, and it reached her shoulders. It had several black streaks through it. Her eyes were a sky blue with a hint of green, maybe? She had black tights under a blood red dress and tall, black boots. Their boy, Jason Matthews, was twelve and scrawny. He had wavy blond hair that almost reached his eyes. His brown eyes complimented his outfit: a tan sleeveless shirt and brown plaid shorts. He was wearing brown laced shoes that were also brown.

District Eight's first tribute was a girl from the fifteen-year-old section. Her name was Delia Marques and she had brown hair that seemed red whenever the sun was direct on her. Her eyes were a minty green. Her outfit was a pinkish-whitish dress with flowers on the shoulders and chest area. The boy was Dareon Davis, a sixteen-year-old boy with curly light brown hair and midnight blue eyes. He was wearing a silver flannel with black pants. As we moved on to District Nine, I was getting tired and I could tell Lexi was too. The girl from District Nine was named Zendaya Alweather. She had straight, shoulder-length, jet black hair being held back by a thick white headband. She had stormy gray eyes. Her dress was strapless, black, and knee-length with white ballet flats and a white shrug. She volunteered for, I'm guessing, her sister Zoey, who was twelve. The boy who was a fourteen-year-old named Hark Lutz, also volunteered. It was for a sixteen-year-old named June. I didn't know why such a young boy would volunteer for a sixteen year old. He was wearing plain brown pants and a green long sleeve shirt.

Next was District Ten. Good, we were almost done. First was a sixteen-year-old, Aileen Vaan. Her hair was curly and reddish brown. She had black eyes, and I think she mentioned she was partially blind. She was wearing tattered clothes, and she was very quiet as she walked up to the stage. Then a twelve-year-old (why so many young people?) boy, Garrett Aeilts, was drawn. He was wearing blue and white plaid shorts with a light blue button up.

After that, we skipped Eleven, obviously, and went to Twelve. The girl was a thirteen year old, Rosalina Catagorski. Her hair was long, auburn, and curly. Her eyes were bright green and she had freckles all over. She had on a plain white dress that reached mid-calf. It looked like it was made of wool, and looked itchy. The sleeves reached just past the elbows. Over that was an apron that was a little shorter than the dress. It had a brown zigzag pattern across the neckline. The boy tribute was an eighteen year old named Jim Stewart who had dark brown hair and eyes. He was wearing black dress pants and a plain black polo shirt.

"Now that all of that is over," Jayjay started, "We can rest until we get to the Capitol."

"Good, but I think I might have nightmares," I whispered quietly. I probably would, though. I would dream about the horrifying arena, the tributes, the deaths… And I went into my room and cried myself to sleep.