Author's Note
I do not own the Hunger Games.
We're at the reaping recaps and our first glimpse at all the tributes. Not everyone gets a focus, but they will feature later on. If you're impatient, the full tribute list is at the end of the chapter.
They spoke for a long while, discussing arena plans and overall strategies. All three of them seemed very fixed on the fact they were siblings, which was a little irritating. At last two men in suits began to bring platters of food through.
"Oh, thank you," said Meadow.
St Clarance waved his hand. "How many times do I need to tell you not to thank the avoxes? They're literally doing their purpose!"
Holden scowled, stood, and strode out of the carriage, returning a few minutes later with two platters of food. "You might as well eat. You'll need your strength for the arena."
Hyperion helped himself to large portions of meat and vegetables, many foods he hadn't had in years – or, some of it, ever. Luciente took a little less, dainty little portions which she picked at as she watched the green land rolling by outside the window.
There was still food on the tables even when they decided they were finished, and the two men returned to clear it away. Holden produced a triangular piece of metal with a button on it from a pocket on the wall and clicked the button.
"Reaping recaps should be starting soon. Let's see what you're up against."
Two people appeared on screen, a woman with puffy pink hair and a man with narrow green eyes and pale skin, both seated behind a large desk.
"Good evening Panem! This afternoon the live reapings kept us all on the edge of our seat seeing who our tributes will be for the Ninety Fourth Hunger Games, but for those who missed it, we're here to give you all the lowdown and current opinions on our tributes!"
District One's seal appeared on screen as a transition to their reapings. Hyperion took a long sip of water as their escort plucked a name from the reaping ball, a small, delicate looking fourteen year old, before calling for volunteers. Six of them put their names forwards, though there seemed to be some argument over one of them. The reaped girl selected a name from the ball, the girl that had been argued over, who was called Nike Arellano. She smiled out at the crowd and waved for the cameras, twirling a neat circle on the spot.
"Showy," muttered Holden.
One of the other girls on stage scowled and rammed into the chosen one as she left.
The same procedure was repeated for the boys. They produced a blonde boy called Damon Newbury, who seemed to dwarf his District partner, with broad shoulders and a wicked smile that he flashed at the camera.
"Typical Careers," was Meadow's comment.
District Two was next, a large square carved from rock. They seemed to be having some trouble with their escort, who was dressed in a peacekeeper's outfit, as some of the teenagers at the front were shouting something that had been muted in favour of the Capitolites' commentary. The District produced two large, muscular eighteen year olds, a dark haired boy and a blonde girl with her honey brown eyes sharply highlighted by black makeup. The girl, much like many of the others, seemed to have taken some issue with the escort and was jabbing a hand at him while the boy stood ominously and silently behind her.
"Death machines," muttered Holden.
Luciente hummed softly. "No one's born as a death machine."
The feed was cut off abruptly and District Three's seal appeared as the feed transitioned. They sent a small, wiry dark haired girl and a little pale boy in a too big shirt.
"More duds for Three," murmured Meadow.
Next up was District Four. Decades ago they had been a solid Career District like One and Two, but now they seemed to be fifty-fifty on what they produced.
This year, an eighteen year old was reaped for the girls and she made it up to the stage, waving.
"Do we have any volunteers for Irma's place?" asked the escort.
They did, almost immediately, an athletic looking dark skinned girl with dark, curly hair who stormed up to the stage like it had wronged her and snatched the microphone before the escort could approach her.
"I want you to know you rebels and the Capitol are just as bad as each other! Fuckers, all of you!"
The escort made a grab for the microphone but she threw it to the ground and slammed one black boot down on it until it cracked.
"Well," said Meadow.
"She's pretty," said Luciente.
Holden frowned at her. "That's what you've got to say? She's pretty?"
The escort was forced to reap the boy without the microphone, calling the name out as loudly as she could. "Aros Curran!"
He came from the sixteens, though he looked small and petite compared to the boys of that age they knew, with cropped black hair and sharp green eyes. He made his way up to the stage slowly and stood by the girl looking shocked and fearful and keeping his gaze fixed on the ground.
"Do we have any volunteers for Aros's place?" called the escort.
None came.
"Probably both Career allies," Meadow said.
District Four faded into District Five, who gave up a slender, brown haired girl in a cream blouse called Shelley Fisher and a tiny, copper haired twelve year old. Holden winced. The girl gave a stiff looking smile, gazing out over the gathered crowd, while the boy stood wide eyed and pale.
"Ten's allied with Five a lot in the last decade. The girl looks promising," Meadow said.
Luciente tipped her head. "I want the boy."
Hyperion gave her a sharp look. "Him?"
"I'll take the girl, but I want the boy."
Hyperion nodded, and Luciente gazed at the boy's image on screen until the District Six seal faded up. From one crowded square a small, skinny boy with black hair was dragged out and up to the stage by Peacekeepers, where he stood, sobbing, while from another, smaller square came a confused looking girl with curly chestnut hair. Luciente beat her fingers against the table. "I'd put my money on her."
"We're putting our money on you two," Holden pointed out.
Luciente shrugged. "I'd still put my money on her."
From a small square enclosed by trees in Seven came a muscular, dark haired eighteen year old boy, and from another, larger, dustier square came a sobbing, shaking girl.
"Promising," said Holden.
"Better than Seven's produced in a while," agreed Meadow.
Luciente frowned at the screen. "No."
Holden frowned at her. "No? The girl's crying, but they look strong."
Luciente shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. "No."
"Very well."
The feed cut to the seal for District Eight. From one dirty, dusty square came a small blonde girl, pale and freckled, in a patchwork dress. The feed cut to another square, where a thin, stooped boy was reaped.
"Let me guess, you want her too?" asked Holden dryly. Luciente studied the picture of the girl on screen.
"Maybe."
Eight faded into Nine, which the two presenters were babbling excitedly about.
"-looking strong this year!"
"Oh, definitely. It's a good year for District Nine, but we have yet to see their performance at, well, anything."
The two laughed as though it was a great joke.
"Abundance Harper!" called Nine's escort. The screen transitioned to a girl in some outlying square, tall and athletic looking with deeply tanned skin in brown dungarees. She looked frozen for a moment, the girls around her parting as two Peacekeepers began to move towards her. Finally she made a move, her eyes darting here and there as she made her way up to the stage.
"Looks skittish," grunted Holden.
"Looks strong enough," countered Meadow.
"Can you see that muscle on her?" dithered one of the presenters on screen.
The camera zoomed in, scanning the girl over, lingering on her bosom for longer than seemed necessary. Capitol pervs.
The feed cut back to their escort, who called out the male. "Ezekiel Blaze!"
He came from the thirteens section of the main square, a scrawny, brown haired boy in a green shirt that stepped shakily up onto the stage.
"Ah, there you are. Any volunteers?"
There was a moment of pause.
"Very well."
"Wait! I- I volunteer!"
The boy came from the sixteens, tall and tan, with deep brown hair. He hurried up to the stage, clasping Ezekiel's arm before pushing him hurriedly down off the stage.
"Oh, very good! What would your name be young man?"
"Azrayk Blaze."
"Ah, and I assume that was your brother?"
"Yes. Fuck, I just volunteered."
The two presenters tittered with laughter at that.
"Ah. Another promising one if you want to make the usual alliance," said Holden.
Meadow nodded her approval.
"You could do worse than those two."
Soon enough it was their own seal, transitioning into a shot of what appeared to be the main square. Hyperion tuned into the wittering from the two Capitolites.
"Now, unfortunately ladies and gentlemen, we appear to have had some technical difficulties from Ten this year."
On screen, St Clarance read out Hyperion's name, but the image of their own square was grainy and dangerously blurry, his figure barely more than a looming shadow.
"From what I'm being told, these are the best close up images. Fortunately, we do have some better long distance shots."
The image cut to a feed showing the square from way back by what had to be the clock tower as Luciente launched herself into Hyperion's arms.
"But of course, we can still all see that uniform that Hyperion's wearing, and I have received confirmation that Luciente is his younger sister."
"Yes, yes! We're expecting very exciting things from District Ten this year, aren't we Ardole?"
"Oh, absolutely! He looks like a genuine criminal, but she's certainly not afraid of him! We'll have to see how they do."
Their images on screen faded into the District Elven seal, which gave way to a large square somewhere in Eleven from which a small, scrawny boy called Noel Garland came. The girl, Heaven Jonas, came from another, much smaller square and looked like she was about to scream, stumbling her way up onto stage.
Finally they reached District Twelve.
"Tamika Tran!" called the escort.
She came from the twelves, clutching her stomach and blubbering ugly tears.
"Another one for our bleeding heart here?" asked Holden dryly.
Luciente flashed him her teeth.
The boy from Twelve, Sedge Hastings, came from the eighteens, a tall, lean olive skinned boy. Luciente tensed her shoulders and snarled, narrowing her eyes at the screen.
Hyperion laid a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"
She hissed through her teeth, scowling at the boy's image until it faded away into a board featuring all twenty four of the tributes.
"And there we have it Vanity! Our tributes for the Ninety Fourth Hunger Games! Isn't this exciting?"
"That's one thing to call it," Hyperion grumbled, gazing at Luciente's image on screen.
"Now, our current odds polls have Livia Dolabella and Cairn Aphelion of District Two beating down the completion, with Nike Arelleno and Damon Newbury of District One close behind and Hyperion and Luciente Ripley pulling in in fifth and sixth places."
The photos began to move, stacking themselves in order as the Capitolites spoke. The pair from Four were beneath them, followed by the pair from Seven, then the pair from Nine and the girl from Five.
"Thoughts?"
"I want the boy from Five," Luciente said. On screen, the little red headed boy hadn't yet been added to the rankings.
"That's your funeral. What else?"
"I think we can go with the usual alliance. Five and Nine," said Hyperion.
"What about Seven?"
"No," Luciente said.
"No," agreed Hyperion.
"Any particular reason why?" asked Meadow.
Hyperion shrugged. "She usually has her reasons."
And, as promised, here is the full tribute list! Thank you to everyone who submitted!
DISTRICT ONE
MALE: Damon Newbury, 18 (TheAmazingJAJ)
FEMALE: Nike Arellano, 16 (SetFiresJust2WatchThemBurn)
DISTRICT TWO
MALE: Cairn Aphelion, 18 (SetFiresJust2WatchThemBurn)
FEMALE: Livia Dolabella (CelticGames4)
DISTRICT THREE
MALE: Bethany Copper, 16 (Golden Moon Huntress)
FEMALE: Zircon Keyes, 14 (Golden Moon Huntress)
DISTRICT FOUR
MALE: Aros Curran, 16 (HogwartsDreamer113)
FEMALE: Ilenia Costello, 16 (TheEngineeringGames)
DISTRICT FIVE
MALE: Nathaniel Volkner, 12 (Golden Moon Huntress)
FEMALE: Shelley Fisher, 17 (MidnightSalsa)
DISTRICT SIX
MALE: Wylie Cooper, 13 (SongofFete)
FEMALE: Arielle Wayne, 15 (Golden Moon Huntress)
DISTRICT SEVEN
MALE: Sylvan Cale, 18 (Golden Moon Huntress)
FEMALE: Wisteria Arbor, 18 (Golden Moon Huntress)
DISTRICT EIGHT
MALE: Rufous Azul, 16 (Golden Moon Huntress)
FEMALE: Chenille Darter, 14 (Golden Moon Huntress)
DISTRICT NINE
MALE: Azrayk Blaze, 16 (Pacecca)
FEMALE: Abundance Harper, 17 (SongofFete)
DISTRICT TEN
MALE: Hyperion Ripley, 18 (Golden Moon Huntress)
FEMALE: Luciente Ripley, 18 (Golden Moon Huntress)
DISTRICT ELEVEN
MALE: Noel Garland, 15 (Golden Moon Huntress)
FEMALE: Heaven Jonas, 17 (A Proud Bibliophile)
DISTRICT TWELVE
MALE: Sedge Hastings, 18 (Golden Moon Huntress)
FEMALE: Tamika Tran, 12 (CelticGames4)
