President Talen Pov-

I gently shake my glass of wine, watching the brilliant red liquid slosh against the glass sides. The ice cubes glitter in the plethora of lights overhead, slowly melting and watering down the beverage. I take a sip and allow the flavor of the wine to spread over my tongue.

I set down the glass and pick up my remote. At the press of a button, the shimmering holographic screen is summoned into existence. I make out the elegant columns of District 1's Justice Building. Tall snowy mountains loom in the distance, their tops lost in mist. I notice how finely dressed the citizens are. It's true that District 1 is the richest area of Panem with the exception of the Capitol itself.

Sangria Ashworth is certainly a looker more than anything. She winks at the cameras and the boys in the audience and makes flirty poses on the stage. I have to admit that she is rather beautiful, with her dark-blonde hair and brilliant green eyes. But she does seem like an airhead.

Declan Benitoit looks like a healthy and strong career. He runs confidently and quickly up the stage and doesn't fool around once he's there. I can't help but notice a small scar on his wrist. But that's nothing out of the ordinary. Loads of career tributes have scars.

District 2 comes into view. Ranges of tall, dangerous-looking mountains loom on the horizon. In the other direction, flat and rocky hills roll away into oblivion.

Jaehaera Blackfyre leaves me with my mouth gaping. In her journey to the stage, she does a marshal arts move to break the leg of another volunteer girl. The girl spirals backward, hissing with pain, and it's hard not to notice the odd shape of her leg. Jaehaera herself certainly has some kind of hidden motivation, as she seems to place great purpose into every step.

Nero Ryker is evidently one to get a job done as soon as possible. He darts to the stage the instant the name is called and doesn't dilly-dally when the escort asks him for his name. The boy doesn't show much emotion on the steps. He must be a boy great at hiding his feelings. That could prove valuable in the games.

The land of District 3 is mostly flat, with small houses, buildings, and hills punctuating the plain. A heavy row of factories lies nearby, all lying still and silent.

Pixel Watt is a puny twelve-year old. She is so small it's not a stretch to compare her to a single pixel itself. Most twelve-year-olds break down and cry when they're reaped, but this girl is an exception. She doesn't seem that shocked when her name is picked and walks to the stage calmly. She might look a little amused.

Joule Merchiers takes a few steps toward the escort. Then a young boy bursts out of the crowd and wraps his arms around him, begging him not to go. But Joule says that he has to go, and two peacekeepers have to pry the young boy off of him before he can finish his journey to the stage. He's another youngster, looking to be thirteen or fourteen.

I can practically smell the salty sea air as District 4 comes into view. Seagulls fly overhead, and the dirt underfoot is swirled with sand to create visually appealing patterns and designs.

Dory Krillgood has no reaction at all when her name is first picked. Neither do I. I allow myself a sip of wine as I wait for the female volunteer to step up. But the volunteer is nowhere to be seen, and Dory takes her spot as a tribute whether she likes it or not. She seems to be another very young tribute. Hopefully her district partner is a strong boy to counteract her meager form.

Cyan Costas goes through the exact same process as his district partner, step for step. His name is reaped, and he just stands unaffected, waiting for the male volunteer to step forward. As the silence wears on, Cyan is forced to walk to the stage. Whispers break out from the crowd. Where are the chosen volunteers? I barely have time to ponder an answer before the screen switches to the next district.

My first impression of District 5 is: hot! The boiling sun overhead beats down on the earth. Many District 5 citizens sweat and wipe the liquid from their foreheads. A massive dam towers over the rest of the district, powered by a wide and rushing river.

Adelaide Hampton looks steely as she walks to the stage. She looks so focused on the tasks at hand that she can't spare any room for thoughts about death or all of the things she may never see again. The girl takes deep breaths, shoves her hands in her pocket—she's evidently one who knows how to control her emotions.

Arthur Wattson is a boy who thinks he can outsmart the Capitol. The cameras zoom in on his face. Once his name is reaped, the boy stays still. He must be hoping nobody will know it's him. But another boy taps him on the shoulder and rats him out to the escort, and the boy has no choice but to thunder to the stage furiously. There's no denying that Arthur is a grump. That could easily spell his doom in the games.

District 6 is one of the more beautiful districts thus far. Shining silver trains are parked in stations along train tracks. I spot a flash of silver lake in the distance. Boats are docked at the edges of the lake, bobbing gently over the waves.

Lexus Beltran is the most terrified tribute yet, and understandably so. She collapses to the ground when she is reaped, gasping and shaking as her dirty-blonde hair fans out behind her. I notice a young girl sobbing several rows back. By how similar in appearance she is to Lexus, she must be her sister.

One look at Lincoln Blitz tells me that he's an orphan. His clothes are dirty and tattered. When Lincoln is reaped, a nearby boy grabs his wrist and mutters that he can volunteer for him. But the boy wiggles out of his friend's grasp and walks briskly to the stage. He doesn't cry, but he certainly does shake. There's no doubt that he's terrified.

The scenery of District 6 fades into a very different landscape. I immediately recognize it as District 7. Tall trees, grown perfectly parallel, march across the earth in tight forests surrounding the Justice Building and the square. I can almost smell sawdust and felled trees as the camera pans over the forests and lakes of the district.

Cerise Yew has a friend who doesn't stops talking through the entire reaping. Several girls nearby give her nasty looks, telling her to stop, but the girl takes no hints. It's a few seconds after Cerise is reaped that she realizes the name belongs to her. Her eyes turn red. Smartly, she walks as quickly as she can to the steps before she can cry, appearing lost in thought.

Erik Nordskov raises his hand and alerts everybody to his position as soon as he is reaped. It's only as he melts of the crowd that the situation sinks in. The boy is going into the Hunger Games. Once on the stage, Erik glances toward a rather attractive young lady in the girls' section. I can't help but notice their identical rings. They must be engaged.

It's a smoggy sky and crowd of grey slum buildings that I see when the screen switches to District 8. Almost every building is a factory, but they all are silent. All of the workers are at the reaping.

Twilla Weaver is one pathetic girl. Her bright red hair ripples behind her as she walks to the stage, giving the impression that her head is on fire. She cries into her arm and doesn't stop even when the District 8 escort approaches the boys' reaping ball.

Caden Yarnn looks like he's summoning every ounce of his willpower to keep from crying. He pulls in the inside of his cheek as he starts to the stage. He looks like yet another weakling, and I can't imagine him surviving long.

It's no surprise when a swath of gold covers the holographic screen. The camera pans over neat rows of District 9's golden wheat. The sun is shining and the breezes are rustling the grain. It looks like a wonderful day.

Harper Lamb is yet another terrified little twelve-year-old. She stands rooted to her spot, dead still, looking like someone has punched her in the stomach. I can tell that she's lost in deep thought as she trudges to the stage. That just works to make her all the more intriguing and mysterious.

Luc Everett is undoubtedly one of the more handsome guys so far. His windswept blond hair and bright blue eyes are sure to get him lots of sponsors, and he looks muscular and well-built enough. It's hard not to admire how straight he manages to keep his face as the reaping continues.

District 10's reaping is no less entertaining than the nine districts before it. The square is surrounded by rolling green pastures and bright red barns. Cows and sheep graze the area, and the clucking of hens and roosters can be heard.

Mavvi Levist is a girl with eyes as cold as stone. Her arms hang limply at her sides as she stares at the camera, a hatred so strong in her eyes. I only need one glance to tell me that she will be one of the more rebellious tributes in this games. All the same, her fearlessness is respectable.

Orford Shaw straightens his shirt and smiles when his name is reaped. If he is trying to make a good first impression he has most certainly succeeded. His muscular arms swing at his sides as he walks to the stage, and all the while he fixes his eyes on the Justice Building as if it's the only thing in the world.

District 11 is the largest of Panem's districts in terms of size, so it makes since they would have an enormous population. Rows of citizens are packed into the square, shoulder-to-shoulder, staring at the Justice Building with wide, tired eyes.

Adelia Faye opens her mouth to cry out when her name is picked, but she quickly closes it. Her arms and legs twitch involuntarily. She must be trying to walk to the stage, but her mind is holding her back. Finally, she starts crying, and the girl has no choice but to move.

A male tribute is reaped, and a boy shouts "I volunteer!" My empty wine glass falls out of my grasp and lands with a thud in my lap. District 11 almost never has volunteers. I squint my eyes and peer into the screen, wanting to get a good look at the boy. Once he reaches the escort, I learn that his name is Jaro Veldt. Jaro stands far away from his escort and his district partner, as if he's uncomfortable being close to them. I don't pay this much attention. Claustrophobia isn't uncommon.

Last and most certainly least, District 12 comes into focus. The slum houses are caked with coal dust. The coal has found its way under the citizens' nails, into the folds of their skin, into their hair, and anything else they don't have the money or time to regularly clean.

Remi Gardner is one resilient girl. For the tiniest millisecond, she looks as though she wouldn't move an inch in a million years. But she quickly regains herself, swallowing hard and walking to the stage despite looking like she's about to vomit.

Hopper Vigo leaves me with my mouth hanging open in awe. He shoves his escort out of the way and grabs the microphone, a wild glint in his eyes. The sheer nerve! He begins announcing something, but the screen cuts to black before he can finish. They must have edited that part out. If one thing's for sure, it's that that boy needs to be watched closely. He could make for a lot of trouble if he gets out of hand.

I hope this was good! I'm going to try something unique. Everyone who answers this chapter's question will have their name put into a hat. I will then pick a single name at random, and the lucky winner will be awarded 50 sponsor points. You have 48 hours from the posting of this chapter to leave your answer :D

Question: Who is your favorite tribute?

Edit: The contest is now closed. The winner is TheRTA!