Here we go, the last reaping! I've adapted Lilac's form slightly, just giving her a younger brother, because it fit well with what I was trying to achieve, osrry about that. She's a sweet and sarcastic and nervous girl, that I think is going to make a big difference in the games. We are also introduced to one on my personal favourite tributes, Jordan, who is an over confident asshole, with a hidden depth. He kind of gives me Negan (from the Walking Dead) vibes, who is perhaps my favourite fictional character ever, so that's kind of where I've gone with writing him and I literally can not wait to explore his character more! Also I'm aware that Lilac's bit is short... mainly because the bulk of her character is explored in the games.


Lilac

She was cold. Really cold. And she loved it. It was rare to feel that harsh breeze in District Twelve, but she welcomed every second of it, breathing in the fresh air. Smoke often filled the sky, but for once, Lilac could look up and see the pure blue. The clouds, this time white instead of the usual grey, it was a sight to behold and one she wished she could hold on to forever. The circumstances that provided it however, were not ones Lilac ever wanted to replicate, the whole district forced to shut down for the reaping. The girl was only fifteen, yet she had had enough of the Capitol to last her a lifetime.

She lay backwards across the grass, welcoming the coldness against her skin and let out a long sigh, a moaning escaping from her stomach. For the first time, the girl realised how hungry she was. Her family wasn't as poor as some of those in the district by any stretch, she had heard horror stories of children that went days without a scrap of food. Most nights, however, Lilac sacrificed her full meal, to ensure her younger brother had enough to eat. He was only seven, it was important he could continue to grow, and get the chance Lilac had already received. The lack of food made Lilac even more nervous than she should have been about today's reaping. Of course there were more names than ever in the reaping bowl, but her name was there a lot, having applied for tessera every year. What hurt Lilac even more, was that her parents didn't know. Every month, when Lilac arrived home with five packages of grain and oil, she claimed that she had received them from school, and whilst she knew her parents would object and made her stop if they found out the real way she acquired them, she also knew that without it, they would barely survive. Her family shared a tight bond, the hardships they faced pulling them closed together, to lie to them every month, pained her in more ways than she could describe.

"Lili, Lili!" A small boy came bounding towards Lilac, a bag swinging at his side. "Look what I got!" Her brother flopped down on the floor next to her, pulling out food and handing it to Lilac. She couldn't quite believe her eyes, this was more than their family saw in a month, and here it was, in front of her.

She raised a loaf of bread to her nose, inhaling it's scent, the goodness taking her breath away completely. She was in love, in love with fresh bread.

"Rowan?" The novelty was wearing off. Things like this didn't happen to their family, they didn't get things like this without a cost. "Where did you get these?" Lilac continued, fully expecting the worst.

"I met a nice man on the way back, he gave them to me. He said I shouldn't tell anyone but I have to tell you, you're my family." Lilac couldn't help the humourless laugh that escaped her, at the irony of the situation. Here she had been, thinking over all the lies she had told her family to hide the tessera that she had been accepting all these years. And then her brother appeared so desperate to tell the truth. He was young but still, she could see the clear difference between them, the sense of duty he had to his family, to provide for them whilst also being true to himself. Lilac was the opposite, she wanted to protect her family at any cost whatever lies she had to tell, and at whatever effect that had to herself.

She looked back down at her brother, standing up and pulling in to his feet after. "Come on, Row, let's get this stuff home."

Jordan

He owned the streets. Not literally of course, Jordan was poor as shit. But it was a metaphor, a beautiful metaphor, okay? He walked with confidence that no one could deny, a determination and passion and power. He loved every inch of it, the thrill and the excitement, of living everyday like it was the last. Of course, a house would have been nice, and perhaps a family, a steady income, some food that he didn't have to steal. But hey, you can't have everything in life.

And Jordan knew he should be thankful, today had been a successful day, the full bag that hung over his shoulder was a tribute to that. It was only 12pm as well, he still had two more hours to spare before the reaping, almost perfect timing. He pulled the black hood up over his head, as if it sheltered his identity in any way. People knew Jordan, who he was and what he did, they knew there was no way to stop him, all they could do was pray that they didn't get caught in the crossfire of his 'occupation'.

He paused briefly, Jordan didn't like standing still, just to get a look inside the bakery. It was busy, filled with those lucky members of District Twelve who could afford the luxuries of cakes and posh bread. So about five people. He slung the bag off his shoulder, stashing it behind a bush, darting into the store.

Over the years on the streets, Jordan had perfected his posh person impression, walk with good posture, scowl like the world was out to get you, and pretend like everyone owed you something. Instead of buying and taking his time however, Jordan moved quickly, grabbing all the bread and cake he could, stuffing it in the inside of his coat. Within minutes he was out, grabbing his bag and walking hastily along the road, smiling to himself.

Once he was clear of the shop, he could finally relax and slow down, checking behind briefly to make sure he hadn't been followed. Most of the time, he was successful and on the few times he had been spotted, he could usually charm himself out of trouble.

Today, however, was different. What faced Jordan wasn't an angry shop owner or a confused customer. But a child. He hated the way his heart softened at the sight, his tough exterior faltering. Slowly he walked over, kneeling down beside the boy.

"Hello, sweetie, where are you parents? What's your name?"

"Rowan." He answered, swinging his hands at his side. "My mummy sent me to go find some food, but I haven't got any. I don't want her to shout at me." His bottom lip began to tremble and Jordan sprung into action, grabbing the food he had just… acquired and stuffing it into a smaller bag.

"Okay, Rowan. You go have this, but you must promise me, you can't tell anyone where it came from, okay?" Jordan thrust the bag at the child, ruffling his hair, before smiling and walking off.

The happiness he felt helping children was beyond explainable. Jordan wasn't passionate about much, but ensuring that the youngest in society were looked after was something he cared about greatly. The means by which he achieved this may not have been the most ethical, but it was a hell of a lot more than the precious Capitol was willing to do.

"Shit!" He cried, catching a glimpse of his watch, the reaping had totally slipped his mind. Jordan had five minutes to stash his supply, change and make it to the Justice Building.

Jordan barely let himself breathe as he ran through the Capitol, reaching the square just in time to see Katniss take to the stage. Yup, Katniss. The Capitol had decided on the District Twelve escort purely because of her name. It was sick, a sick reminder of what they had all fought for and lost, the chance his ancestors had for freedom that had been cruelly snatched away. Jordan's life would have been so different if the Capitol didn't exist, but in a twisted way, he was glad it did. This was his life, the life he had been given and what the world had entrusted him to do. Everything happens for a reason, or so Jordan liked to believe.

"Lovely people of District Twelve." Katniss sang out, swinging her hands at her sides in anticipation. She was dressed exactly the same as the original had been during the chariot rides, with less fire of course, shit like that didn't get through health and safety anymore. The tougher regulations hurt Jordan, he had often imagined how cool it would have been to walk out onto the stage in a costume of glass, that shattered into a thousand pieces the minute it was touched. He dreamt big. Real big. But no, just like that perfect glass costume, his dreams had been shattered too.

"There is no denying how exciting these reapings have been so far, and I hope today only adds to it!" She continued, to a district full of people that wanted nothing more than to rip her apart limb by limb. "So, I won't leave you waiting any longer, your male tribute is… Jordan Oynx?"

Well that ruined the moment.

"Onyx. Jordan Onyx." He shouted back, stepping forward. Not exactly the moment of glory he had envisioned should his name have ever been called. The bitch had one job: read the name of the stupid piece of paper, and she'd messed that up. Jordan sighed as he walked towards the stage, if you could call it that. District Twelve had all expenses spared when it came to the reaping, it was more a block of wood that they pulled out every year and stuck a couple of fairy lights on. Happy Hunger Games.

He rubbed his hands together, as he walked closer and closer to the platform, pausing every few seconds to wave at people, bending down to shake the hands of younger audience members. It was them he felt for, exposed to the Games and the fear at such a young age, it broke his stony heart, imagining their childhoods taken away already.

All too soon, it was over, he was on the 'stage' shaking hands with the escort, resisting the urge to pull off her so obviously fake wig.

"Come on then." A smile spread across Jordan's face, his heart facing, in excitement not fear. It was repetitive, his life, this was different and new and fresh, something he thought he would never get to experience. He was thankful to the Capitol, in a way, thankful for the Quell for giving him the chance to truly live. "Show me who I get to kill?"

Without hesitation Jordan lunged forward, pulling a name from the female reaping bowl, much to the surprise of the escort and audience. "Lilac Russi!" He cried, searching the audience, praying it was someone over the age of 14. He was in luck, as a teenage girl stepped forward. She didn't have the same flare as him, that was apparent almost instantly, but he supposed he could work with it.

"Let the Goddamn games begin." He hummed, tipping back on his heels, shooting the escort a smile that would haunt the whole of Panem for days.


And just like that it's over! Two months, nineteen chapters and twenty four tributes later, the reapings are over. I hope you enjoyed the introduction to the characters, and are ready to get a deeper look at District Seven-Twelve as we explore their first night in the Capitol. I know reading twelve reapings must have been quite tedious, and I thank you all for sticking with me. I know I probably shouldn't have written all twenty four but I could see the clear time and effort that was put in to most of the tribute forms, and I felt it was only right that I said thank you by writing a proper introduction, because this story would be truly nothing without you guys. Like literally. There would be two tributes.

Anyway, before we sign off on the reaping section, I am just going to recap some of the key character that were introduced (not the tributes) that are going to be crucial to the story as a whole:

1. Clem- The Head Gamemaker, with a guilty conscience...

2. Mox- Assistant Gamemaker, desperate to make her way to the top, and is also Clem's best friend, with benefits

3. Mr Lyric Chamberlain- Minister for the Hunger Games, who knows that Clem is feeling a little weird about his job, a powerful man, who is basically the President

4. Troi- A six year old boy from District One, excited to watch the games for the first time

5. Maximus- A Peacekeeper, journeying to the Capitol for the first time in years, with the District Eight Tributes

6. Todd Miller- The Uncle of Doug (D9 Male), working in the Capitol and currently travelling with Clem to see his nephew for the last time

7. Coral Wade- The District Four Escort who feels sadness and pity for her tributes, and secretly hates the games

8. Leto- The District Five escort, one of the only males games escorts in history (his boyfriend Oregon is less relevant but you know, love)

9. Katniss- The District Twelve escort, named after the rebel.

So as if remembering the tributes wasn't hard enough, there is these guys as well...

As always thank you for reading and reviewing and being awesome, and I hope you have enjoyed this first introductory part of the SYOT (ahh yes, a famous introduction with over 40,000 words...) and I can not wait to get started with the next part.

Please stay safe and smiling and as happy as you can given the current... world.

Until next time,

Alice xxx