District One's Cliona Irvette's POV:
"So we have therefore decided that the two of you would be perfect as our Volunteers this year" Iunia Blanc smiles as she completes her little speech.
"Both of us?" asks Hellios as I simultaneously ask who are mentors will be.
"You are our best" Ionia repeats from earlier in her speech "and I have asked Victoria and Mace to mentor"
Two young victors I think, they will be popular with the capitol but neither of them have brought someone home before. Iunia dismisses us and we march out into the corridor, it isn't till we are almost back at the dorms before either of us talk again.
"I can't lose you" Hellios says "We promised we'd stick together through thick and thin right and only one of us can come home" he speaks quietly as to not disturb anyone inside the dorm who may be waiting for us.
"You think too much" I respond "this is a great honour and anyway we both knew what we had would never last. This will just be a more permanent end for one of us." He grits his teeth in the way that he often does when he's holding in his anger. It's a skill I haven't figured yet how to hold in the rage that sometimes consumes me.
"But Clio I..." he begins but never finishes as the dorm room door swings open and we're greeted by a familiar high pitched scream.
"Congratulations you guys" Ceraine screams as she grips me in a hug and pulls me through the door of our small dorm. Not many kids choose to live at the centre instead choosing to commute in every day but for the few of us who were either born too far out or had the choice between here or the community home then it's certainly the best option. I met Ceraine the day me, my siblings and my cousin Hellios arrived at the centre, ten years ago, newly abandoned by our family. It's a day I think about often and the cries of abandonment from my little baby siblings fuel me as I learned to fight.
"Tell me everything Iunia said" she asks, she grips onto my hand and pulls me into our small two bed dorm.
"Just that we are going into the games" I say with a chuckle "are you terribly jealous?"
"Ha you know me" she laughs "Green with envy" she jerks her head backwards and I follow her gesture to the far side of the room where I see two sets of young eyes staring at me.
"Are you really doing this?" asks my young brother Clinch he stands hand in hand with his twin sister Fabia as the two of them stare at us intently.
"I'm doing this" I say nodding my head as Hellios steps into the room grabs my hand.
"We're doing this" he says.
"But one of you will die" Clinch says as if he's only just figuring this out.
"But the other one" I say "the other one will win the games and get both of you out of here and into victors village" I smile at the thought, the prospect of getting my siblings out of this drab centre and into a real house. The feeling I'd have showering them with riches and love and how I could slam my large front door in my parent's faces when they inevitably come to beg my forgiveness.
"Shouldn't you two be at training anyway" Ceraine says "go on shoo away from here or I'll tell Bastion you were in the wrong dorm room."
"You wouldn't" Fabia says "we're here like every day and you've never said a word"
"Shoo!" she barks again and reluctantly my siblings disappear out of the door as they round the corner her smile fades and she looks at us intently "You two better figure this out" she says "Only one of you can come home and you need to be aware of that in there"
District One's Hellios Baucch's POV:
Cliona's eyes seem to light on fire as Ceraine reminds her yet again that only one of us can win and by both going in we we're ruining a good thing.
"What are you trying to say" she snaps eventually "Do you want my place Ceraine because you can't have it"
"Feck no" Ceraine sighs "I just want to be able to move out of this dorm room and get a decent job training like Tacon. I just want you two to understand how big this choice will be"
"What choice?" asks Cliona as I slowly come to understand.
"We'll have to choose which of us lives won't we?" I say
"Bingo" cries Ceraine "You two will be the best in there no doubt and once the others are disposed of then you'll be the final two. You both want to win but only one of you will, how will you choose?"
Cliona storms to the other side of the room and slumps down on her bed arms crossed "why do you have to ruin such a good thing" she snaps.
"I'm just being a realist" Ceraine snaps back "I'm sorry if I ruined your good mood."
I watch as Cliona's face scrunches up and begins to turn a deep shade of red, I turn to Ceraine "Go" I hiss.
"Fuck off it's my room" she replies, I finally snap and reach out griping hold of her shirt and shoving her towards the door in a brisk manner.
"Go" I shout "leave us alone"
"Fuck both of you" she hisses as she storms off. I don't watch her leave only slam the door shut behind her and look over to Cliona.
"Are you okay?" I ask her. She's breathing heavily controlling her anger the only way she knows and the way I taught her to by counting silently to twenty. I walk around to face her a kneel in front of her watching her move her lips as she scrunches her eyes closed and mouths 'twenty'
She opens her eyes slowly and looks at me "the counting works" she says "thank you for getting rid of Raine I would have hurt her otherwise. Why did she have to ruin our moment like that, do you think she really is jealous?"
"Probably" I reply "We've both heard her talking of the glory the games would bring her backwoods family"
Cliona smiles as she grips onto my hands and looks into my eyes "It's always been you and me hasn't it?" she says "All these years you're the only one I've been able to trust, I'm glad you're going into the arena with me I'll need your help in there" I look into her eyes and it hits me, she thinks she's going to win this. She thinks I'll lie down and give my life so she can return home to her siblings and show her parents how wrong they were to dispose of her those ten years ago. As much as I want that for her my need for self preservation will be to strong in there I know, I just hope I don't have to kill her myself.
The Day of the Reaping – Head Gamemaker Otho White's POV:
I open up my tablet and set up my desk just right as I switch the large screen that overlooks my office to the reapings, from here I can watch what the Capitol and Districts can see. Beside me three more displays show other information; detailed stats on the tributes imported moments after their reaping from the census data, a feed showing the reaping stage of the relevant district so I can see things that we may have to edit out of the live broadcast. The final screen is a personal favourite of mine, Gamemakers have had it at their disposal for a while now but I know Syrio never utilised it like he should, he always told me he didn't see the point. I on the other hand intended to fully enjoy watching the tributes say farewell to their family and friends, those precious last minutes will show me who the tributes truly are before the mask come on as they speed towards the capitol on the train.
District One springs onto screen as I settle down into my desk chair, I enjoy watching Livilla Mount work the receptive crowd as the treaty of treason has finished being read. As usual they are in a party spirit and as usual I spot two young volunteers stood waiting at the base of the stairs, but as usual a child has to be reaped and Livilla is more than happy to do that for us.
"Ruby Marsden" she calls and a tall sixteen year old steps out of the crowd and calmly walks up to the stage.
"Would you like to be replaced?" asks Livilla
"Yes please" replies Ruby "I'm not worthy of this honour" she looks at the floor all bashful and I chuckle, she sure knows her protocol this one.
"I volunteer as tribute" The call comes loud and clear from the bottom of the stairs and the crowd cheer wildly as a tall young woman steps up and replaces Ruby with a shake of the hand.
"You're name my dear?" asks Livilla
"Cliona Irvette" responds the girl and moments later one of my smaller screen updates to tell me that she was raised in the boarding house of the training centre with two younger siblings and a cousin.
"Boys then" smiles Livilla as she draws another name "Trenton Keynes"
A small younger boy walks to the stage, he keeps a steady pace but appears to be shaking a little as he walks, Livilla welcomes him to the stage and again asks him if he would like to be replaced. The boy doesn't speak only nods and Livilla chuckles "I'm going to need something more audible from you young man"
"yes please!" the boy cries suddenly barely containing his fear.
"I volunteer as tribute" cries a male voice, a strong young man with similar colouring and looks to the girl steps on stage steps up and replaces Trenton who runs back into the crowd.
"Your name?" asks Livilla
"Hellios Baucch" responds the boy as my screen informs me that he is Cliona's cousin and grew up alongside her.
The two tributes wave to the crowd and as the main feed cuts to the presenters in the studio I flick my eyes to my other screen to watch the two of them enter separate rooms to say their farewells. I watch as two young children first quickly visit Hellios and then Cliona for a little longer, these must be the siblings I decide. An older couple of teens enter next and both spend the same amount of time with the two tributes, my eyes are just turning back to the main feed where the mayor of District Two was stepping onto stage when I spot an older man entering the room of the female tribute.
This doesn't seem to go down well at all and moments later there is a broken chair and Cliona is yelling for someone to take the man away.
Peacekeepers come and drag the man away despite his protests and I send Livilla a quick text asking who he was.
'Her father ;)' comes the almost instant response.
AN: and we're off, thanks for everyone for sending me tributes I hope you enjoy the reapings and I'll try to keep to a schedule of posting one chapter a week from now on.
Thanks to LokiThisIsMadness for both the D1 tributes I loved the relationship you gave them and I'm looking forward to exploring it further in the Capitol and arena.
