If your Tribute from a previous story didn't get in, I am really sorry. There are still more characters to come in the next chapter from my old stories. I wanted to include about twenty originally but I whittled it down to a smaller number. If you really want you past Tribute in, feel free to submit them again.
Atlas Geo, District Two Male
Aged 18
The clang of glass bottles startled me from my sleep in the small, double bed. My eyes gently opened and found the house still dark beyond my door and my thick curtains block out most of the sun. However, a small sliver peeked through the gap and shon on my cold, numb face. Although the sun shone brightly, outside was quiet as it always was on Reaping day. Afterall, what was more important than spending time with loved ones when so many people would die in the coming weeks.
The sound of the bottle being knocked over came once again and this time was enough to wake me up completely. With a groan, I flung my feet off the bed and onto the rough, wooden floors. The cold bit at the underside and the hairs on my bear arms and legs stood on end at the damp air. Almost silently, I crept out of my doorless room and into a small, thin hallway that was painted a dark yellow colour that looked almost black within the low light. Before me were two doors, the one to my right being open and the empty bed displayed within view. That left the second.
Catching my breath, I slowly pushed against the old, thin door and stepped into the rest of the apartment. It was an open plan room with the kitchen to the right and a small fire with a seating area to the left. It could have been a nice home if the person who owned it cared for it. And if displaying his own absence of person respect, my father stood before me, dressed in unwashed, vomit covered clothes surrounded by bottles.
"Boy, I told you to clean the empty ones up!" he growled, gesturing to the empty glass holders that leaked the liquor onto the floorboards. I felt my stomach twist in anger as I watched, the hours I had spent scrubbing the floorboards to be rid of the rancid smell of old alcohol flashing within my mind.
"I did, yesterday's lot," I sighed, walking over to a large bay window in the centre of the far wall.
"Do you think I was born yesterday, kid?" my father grumbled. I didn't answer, grabbing the curtain and flooding the room with light instead. I could see the quarries from outside, the machinery just visible over the two story apartments across the road. Below the streets were still empty aside from a small group of Peacekeepers. "Shut the fucking curtains!" my father screamed, as if the light was truly harming him.
"It's 10am, dad-"
"I don't give a damn what time it is, the curtains stay shut until I say so." My face morphing into a scowl, I took one more look outside before dragging the curtains shut with all of my might. The rings shook against the pole and for a moment, I was worried the whole thing would fall down. Instead, they calmed down into a small sway, saving me from another beating. My father gave a pained nod of satisfaction as he sat back down in the small wooden chair. "You know, your brother was never that bad." something hurt within me that I could not explain when my father brought up the memory of my brother Zeus, a pain I had been fighting hard to forget for the past two years.
"Yeah?" I said with a bit more venom than I had intended. "Well he isn't here anymore." I wanted to hurt my father but the man only scoffed.
"Don't you think I know that?" he snarled. "Stupid kid went searching for glory, and I thought I raised him well." He said his voice was misleading within it's sympathetic tone. The truth was, that only I was able to see was that if our father had raised us better, Zeus would have not seen the need to volunteer in the first place. If his money did not go straight on liquor, we wouldn't have been living within the confines of a two bedroom apartment for the best part of our lives. There were a thousand things I wanted to say but despite my years of training, the beatings never got better, so I left the room, slamming the door behind me. A knock at the door sounding as I entered the bedroom and threw open the curtains. Let the old bastard deal with it himself. I thought as I gazed out of the window and at the streets below.
Lining the streets was now a sea of brightly coloured people, their hair to their clothing like that of a painting. Within their hands they held cameras, recorders and some items I didn't even know the name of. Everyone of them with their attention turned to the stairs of my apartment building. Across the street, people of all ages crowded at the windows, craning their neck to see what all of the fuss was about. In the pit of my stomach, I knew what it was and I found myself lost as to smile or cry at the prospect. When the visitor at the door spoke, I only wished I was with my father to watch his expression. To see if the man truly cared about me.
"By order of the Capitol, it is our honour to announce that your child, Atlas Geo, aged eighteen has been chosen to be a Tribute in this year's Annual Hunger Games, representing District Two."
Consus Zephyrus, District One Male:
Aged 15
"Why both of us?" Lavina asked, her body shaking as she heard the protests of our mother down stairs. "Do you think the academy told them of the plan?" I thought about the plan myself. A glorious plan in which two siblings would enter the Arena and bring in a wealth of sponsors. Yet, the idea that the Capitol would listen to our academy on what they wanted seemed unlikely. Then again, maybe it was because I didn't like the idea of them having that much control over us.
Our mother's cries continued but the Peacekeepers had either pushed their way in or our father had pulled her aside as now their heavy boots shook the wooden house with each step. I looked over to Lavina and gestured for her to come over to me, which she quickly did, narrowly missing the door as it swung open. A shudder went up my spine as the door cracked as it came into contact with the wall Lavina had been sat against.
"Lavina and Consus Zephyrus?" the Peacekeeper called, his voice ringing with a thick District Two accent. We both nodded silently, Lavina standing slightly ahead of me in a protective stance. "If you will come with us-"
"Can we say goodbye?" Lavina asked, her blonde hair still tightly within her night braids. The Peacekeeper shook his head.
"Well surely we can get dressed?" I asked. Tugging at the sweat stained vest top I wore.
"There is no time. The citizens were informed of the time of the Reapings, it is down to the individual to be dressed in what they wish. Now please." he gestured towards the stairs where the Peacekeepers parted. I felt my body tense up at the thought of moving, the reality of being a Tribute truly setting in. By the time I had come to my senses, Lavina was already at the door looking back at me, her eyes begging me to move before the Peacekeepers forced me to. In the end, I found the strength to move but my legs felt stiff.
The moments after that were a blur. We made our way down the stairs where our mother wept. Lavina managed to squeeze through the wall of Peacekeepers to hug our mother but they had become wise to it by the time I tried. Our father managed to shove two coats into Lavina's hands before she was tugged back to my side and pushed towards the door. I should have said more to my family but in the moment I found myself lost, not enough time to process anything. Lavina gave me my coat but as I placed it over my cold body, I found my gaze stuck on the crowd of reporters that circled the front of our house. As we came closer, they shouted questions at us, begging for answers as to who we were, how we felt about being chosen and if we were siblings. Neither of us smiled, waved or took the time to reply, our minds elsewhere as we looked back at our broken parents. Even if that was short lived as wasting no time, they forced us into the back of a black car where a colourful woman sat at the far end. She smiled at us, her pink, diamond teeth catching the sunlight in a way that made me wish diamonds never existed.
"So do we have Consus and Lavina Zephyrus?" she asked. Lavina confirmed for the both of us. "Brilliant. And you are eighteen year old, is that correct?" she asked my sister who gave a small murmur in reply. "That must make you the fifteen year old one?" she asked, looking past my sister at me. I hesitated for a moment before giving a nod. The woman clapped her hands in an annoying, gleeful way. "Then that just leaves your fingerprints and we can get going!" I looked back at my house as she got the needle ready to prick our fingers. The door was now closed and reporters trampled the flowers my mother had spent hours planting in order to get photos of the inside. "Little boy?" the woman called and with a sharp intake of breath, I found myself wanting to ignore her. When she replied again, I felt my fist clench.
"Please Consus," Lavina pleaded, her voice pained enough that I pricked my finger and gave my fingerprint to appease her rather than the woman. For the rest of the journey, the woman talked gleefully to the Peacekeepers who seemed as happy about her presence as we did. As we pulled up and she stepped out of the car, Lavina quickly pulled me close to whisper in my ear.
"What is up with you?" She hissed, clearly trying not to tear up. I pulled away, looking back out of the window.
"How can you not see why they have chosen us?" I snapped. I looked over to my sister and took her silence as a reason to continue. "There are two victors but the pairs must be romantic. What is more tragic than siblings who still can't go home but they can go home with someone they are only attracted to?" Lavina sighed, leaning back in the seat.
"We trained for this, Con," she said, holding back a whimper. "We never expect to come home with the other."
"Yeah?" I gave a small scoff. "It's different now that they are playing us at our own Game." Our advantage had just made us weak. No one would buy that either of us would pick a lover over our own sibling. However, it made one thing painfully obvious, this year, the Tributes had been handpicked to cause drama and heartache and they were not even hiding it.
Crown Leroy, District Ten Male
Aged 17
I stood in front of the mirror brushing my dark blonde fringe over so it seemed to have some volume. It was the fifth time I had fixed my hair in the past hour and my aunt was starting to catch on to my nerves.
"Will you sit down, Crown!" she shouted. "You're making me all nervous." I lowered the comb and looked at my face, a small pout upon my lips.
"I need to look my best, what if I am Reaped?" I called back, leaning forward to straighten my right eyebrow out.
"You won't get-"
"You don't know that!" I shouted back, disgusted at the tears that brimmed within my eyes.
"Then come spend some time with me, you'll have a whole train ride to mess about with that mop upon your head, you'll regret not speaking with me more."
It was dabetable but when I looked at the photograph of my mother on the wall by the mirror, I couldn't find it within myself to answer back. Not today. I walked into the room, taking the velvet armchair in front of my aunt and craning my neck to see the clock on the fireplace. Still three minutes. If I was still sitting here staring at my aunt in five minutes, I was safe for another year. How it should be.
You would have thought with my mother being a Capitolite, I would have been exempt from such activities such as the Games or Reapings. I understood it was most likely a smoke screen so as not to make everyone else feel bad. Afterall, if they ever Reaped me, they would be killing one of their own. Someone with blue blood.
"So," I sighed. "What is for dinner?"
"Crown!" my aunt screamed, her yellow wig shifting slightly. "You were raised with better conversation skills-"
"I'm nervous, okay?" I snapped in return. "You never went through this." she pierced her thin lips in return and crossed her legs.
"I go through it every year. You think I want my dear nephew chosen?"
"I won't get chosen, I am a Capitolite-"
"Then why are you worried?" I didn't answer, looking away from the woman and back to the clock. Two minutes. She spoke a truth I never wanted to face, a truth I would rather believe to be lies or just overblown worries than something that could happen. The Reapings were real and deep down I had always feared them. However, there was always this sense that it would never happen to me. That I was invincible, untouchable. They would have no use within choosing me. Riots would no doubt break out within the Capitol in retaliation for choosing their own. Or at least, that was what I had been telling myself in order to sleep better at night.
The sound of a car pulling up outside of the house startled us both, the mahogany door suddenly becoming as looming as the Careers that chased me within my dreams as a child. The room seemed to grow colder and it felt like my whole body rattled with each beat of my heart. Not many people partook in work on a Reaping day and if they did, there was no need for them to be down a dirt road by a farm. My aunt must have known about this as faster than I had ever seen the plump woman move before, she raced across the room and pulled the large metal bolt across the door. There were three in total but only the first one was strong enough to deter someone truly intent on getting inside. Breathless, she then placed her head against the door and mumbled something to herself. Outside was the distant chatter of a crowd and the sound of a dozen heavy boots pounding against the sandy earth beneath them.
"Crown," my aunt said, tears brimming within her eyes. "If you leave now, you can hide within the barn...just until I have spoken to them." I slowly rose from my seat and glanced over to the back door by the mirror I steered in earlier. The barn was a short sprint away, a distance I could cover in a few seconds. However, one thing stopped me from running for it straight away.
"They told us not to resist," I whimpered. "They will hurt you and dad if I resist-"
"We are not resisting. If they come for you, you were feeding the animals within the barn." There was a knock at the door that caused my aunt to flinch, her body shaking as she leaned her weight against the door. I looked back at my escape route, shuffling slowly towards it.
"By demand of the President of Panem, you will be required to hand over Crown Leroy, aged seventeen to our custody as he has been chosen as a Tribute in this year's Hunger Games." Hearing the words made me sick and I sped up my pace, turning the metal handle and thrusting the door open. However, instead of the clear path to the barn as I expected, the back porch of the house was swarmed with press and Peacekeepers.
Aurum Stark, District One Male
Aged 17
I knew the Zephyrus siblings from school, Lavina sat a few rows behind me in most of our classes. I had never spoken to them but I got an odd rush of emotions watching them torn from their family and carted away to the Capitol. It was something we trained for most of our lives, they both trained to go into the Games together. However, to both be chosen seemed abnormal and sad. They said the Reapings even this year were random, a lottery so most people at the academy expected the Tributes to be untrained or young. Contrary to popular belief, Careers were the exception rather than the norm. Only the rich could afford to train but by doing so, they saved the lives of those who couldn't. With this in mind, it seemed slim that at least two of the Tributes from One would be Careers, let alone siblings.
It was a thought that raced through my mind as I sprinted through my neighborhood. Through windows I could see parents holding their children closer, even those who were trained. I guess from a parents point of view, it was hard to see two parents lose all their children in one day with the knowledge only one at the most could come back. Unless siblings were allowed within the romance twist, which I doubted. Still, I pushed on but something was not right.
As I turned the corner, the street once again became full of reporters who whispered within their Capitol accents. I glanced around at the houses but each one showed no signs of the grief you would encounter from having your child torn away. Parents stood within their doorways, holding their inquisitive children tightly but their expression only sunk when they set eyes on me. It was the same for everyone I saw. Soon I stopped looking and picked up the pace. News crews spoke of a boy who avoided his Reaping, of a family who begged they had no involvement. I tried not to listen, to clear my mind of the knowledge that I might have been the boy who snuck out of his window that morning for a run. Because why would someone choose a workout over goodbyes to their family? When the camera turned to me, I pushed my body to it limits speed wise as my house came into view. My childhood home that was now swarming with Peacekeepers and my crying parents in the doorway. I waved but their view was quickly blocked by a camera being shoved in my face. As I stumbled back, something caught me, their hands becoming tight around my shoulders.
"Aurum Stark?" The man said, his mask muffling his words slightly. I nodded. He looked over his shoulder. "It's him...go let the Head know." He then turned me around, looking me up and down. "Congratulations kid, you are a Tribute now." I didn't reply. There were many things I wanted to say, to him, to the camera's that shouted my name or to my parents who screamed their goodbye's to be from my house a few feet away. So I did the only thing I could do. I turned to him, looking him dead in the eye and pointed to my family. He shook his head in confusion so with a bit more sadness, I pointed again.
"Just spit it out kid," an older man growled from inside the small car in front of me. I felt somewhat embarrassed now that dozens of cameras focused on my face and hoped the ordeal would be unaired in favour of a Tribute having a meltdown at being chosen. I looked back at the man and lifted my head, pointing to the large scar that ran across my neck where a dog had once mauled me. "He's a fucking mute!" the old man laughed. A few men laughed with him nervously but the man who grabbed me didn't seem to find it amusing. I couldn't hear him laughing at least.
"No time, Kid," he sighed. "We have to go." He moved to the side and gestured towards the open car door. I nodded and looked back at my parents who waved goodbye to me, trying their utmost to be brave. I look back at them with a smile, using my hands to create a small love heart aimed at them before I was forced into the car. As the Peacekeeper slammed the door shut, my mind wondered back to the Zephyrus siblings and the Reaping in general. I couldn't help but grin at the obvious nature of it all. A single career from One was expected. Two could be placed down to a coincidence but three? By that point, they might as well have paraded the Reapings rigged nature on a parade float.
To be transparent, the first characters I will introduce are either Victors or past Tributes from my stories. Imagine this as a partial all stars Games (but they are all reverted back to their reapings states). Here we only have one victor from this group, Atlas Geo who won my first story. Lavina, Consus and Crown are from the same story. Aurum is from the next story. On my profile you will see the current character list.
The aim of this story is a bit of fun. It is a mixture of all my past SYOT's to an extent. There are twenty-four Tributes chosen at random (there has to be twenty-four Tributes, twelve boys and twelve girls, District doesn't matter. Some Districts might even escape with no Tributes chosen). The Tributes will then have to pick a partner themselves (they have opportunities to change their mind) and they will enter the Arena together. For this reason I will need an even number of girls and boys. At the moment there are more boys than girls. Remember they can be from any District but try. There can be two victors in the end as long as they are from the same couple. More details on my profile along with the form.