Chapter Four: Seeing Rainbow

District Four

Kayman Demont, 18

My fingers shove the keys back into my pocket as soon as I hear the door lock. I always am the one to lock up the store before the Reaping, it's a pointless little tradition. The sun seems extra bright today, and I can already feel a drop of sweat falling down my cheek. I love this weather, just not when I'm in my fancy dress clothes.

"Are you ready dear?" My mother asks me. I nod and turn around to join my family. Next year things will be different. It unsettles me a little thinking about it but it quickly disappears as I replace the slight anxiety with a smile. Today shouldn't be any more different than any other day.

We always walk to the Town Center on reaping days. The bait shop is pretty close so it makes sense. I walk between my mother and brother, my grandfather trails behind us. His face in a permanent scowl, every since that letter came he hasn't been in a pleasant mood. He hates the Games, he hates that I train, and now he hates that I'm going to volunteer. But they sent the letter, and now nothing can stop it.

I should've expected it. I'm eighteen and have been training since I was nine. Not that I even love the Games, it just has been apart of my life.

When I was nine I trained because I disliked that my family was always lower middle class when everyone else seemed filthy rich.

My grandfather is a kind man; he just hates the Hunger Games and my training. My father hated my training too, but he is gone now. I don't like to think about it, with how it happened I definitely don't want to think about it today. I just need to keep positive like always.

My brother, Kent, seems just the tad bit nervous. He knows what I plan on doing and I think it makes the sweet boy nervous. His freckled face is crinkled in thought. But he knows that I am capable of winning, I've helped him train.

"Don't be nervous," I tell the thirteen year-old.

Kent looks up at me wiping the look from his face upon realization I noticed it. "I'm just worried."

"Why? Even if you get reaped I'm volunteering. Everything is going to be fine." I tell him.

He nods, "just be careful okay?"

"I will. I wouldn't be doing this if I thought it was hopeless." I say to him.

"You could still change your mind." My grandfather says from behind us. I stop walking to look back at him. He has stopped walking and his face looks desperate. The Town Center is so close now we can see it, of course now he needs to bring this up.

My mother is quick to the rescue. "Dad not now." She says before pushing her brown hair behind her ear. It is the same shade as my own.

"If not now then when?" My grandfather asks.

"They sent the letter, I was chosen. If I don't volunteer who will? What if the person that is reaped is young? Or not trained, they will die. I could win Grandpa." I say. I tower over him by so much; after all I'm pretty much the tallest in the District. But my grayed grandfather stands up so tall to me.

"What if you die? Then what? Your mother doesn't need to lose another man in her life because of this nonsense." He says.

I bite my lips, and my mother interferes.

"That is enough, the Games had nothing to do with it; and this is no place to be talking about this." She says and the conversation is over.

We don't talk for the rest of the trip. When we arrive, Kent and I say goodbye to Mom and Grandpa before getting checked in. I look one last time at my grandpa and make a mental note to make up during Goodbyes. I refuse to leave on a bad note.

In line I look around for Stryder, and find him waiting with the other seventeen year-olds. When he notices me looking, he walks over. His black hair glistens in the bright morning sun.

"And how is our fine volunteer doing today?" He says smirking. He has another year to go. He is thinking about volunteering.

"Ready for my Capitol makeover," I joke back. With both share a smile. Somehow cracking jokes today doesn't seem as bad when I know that no boy from the District unwillingly will have to be reaped today. It isn't like this is my dream come true, but I'm choosing this fate. It makes the day less depressing.

We kid with each other in the line before Kent and I get checked in. Stryder and I walk Kent over to where he is supposed to be before we separate ourselves into our own age groups.

The reaping begins quickly and our escort takes the stage. He is one of the few male escorts; he is fashioned this year with dark eyeliner and a giant rainbow Mohawk. Compensating for anything? I chuckle at my own joke and for it get looks from a few around me because of the random outburst.

The reaping video is played, the mayor announced. Mayor talks and escort kisses the Capitol's butts. Nothing unusual, nothing ever changes at these things. Sometimes the amount of Victors on the stage or maybe the escort, that is about it.

"Now for our female tribute!"

"Clarity Gregory!" I recognize the name. She is a seventeen year-old from school. Never really knew her, just know the name. Will this be my tribute partner?

She emerges from the crowd, but very quickly a hand pops out from the crowd.

"I volunteer!" I expected as much, the training center has expanded greatly recently.

A redheaded girl walks forward from the eighteen year-old section. Her face looks stoic and unchanging. She has sort of a pixie looking face and her hair stands out. My tribute partner. I get small shivers from thinking about it, a bit of anxiety and a bit of anticipation.

She gets onto the stage and introduces herself as Lillibel Clavenzez, eighteen. She scans the male section, she must be wondering who it is going to be. I know I would if I was up there. Hell, I would be placing bets. Strangely I see the girl give a strange look, but I'm unsure why. Was she sleepwalking and all of a sudden realize where she was? No time to worry about it.

Well here it comes.

"Now for our male tribute!" The escort says. I give him the name Mohawk-guy in my head. I can learn his name later. "Celeste Whales." I search for the person, with my height advantage; I'm able to see the thirteen year-old looking for someone to volunteer. Someone almost always does. Time to relax his nerves.

"I volunteer!"

District Four

Lillibel Clavenzez, 18

Keep quiet, focus, focus. I can feel my heart racing as I try to cool myself down. I can't help but be nervous, in a way it helps me control. It helps me focus in on things around me. What people are doing, the twitches in their bodies from nerves, their small talk.

And when I am focusing on others it allows me to take a moment away from thoughts of volunteering. Because worrying about it is pointless. I'm eighteen and trained, this is what is going to happen and it will be a good thing.

I can picture the gold crown that will mean safety. It will mean a life away from worry and struggle. I will never have to work except for mentoring duties and my mother- my mother will be safe. That gives me shivers. No more worrying about her being imprisoned.

That kind of security and protection comes from one thing, money. Lucky enough for me the Games can provide that for the rest of my life.

It took me a while to understand that, but when I did I never looked back from this plan. At first I trained incase I was reaped. Here I am, eighteen and I have yet to been reaped. So now I volunteer. Our escort, Pharaoh, takes the stage with his over-the-top Mohawk. It's rainbow.

Who has time to style that thing constantly? The Capitol I guess.

The reaping begins and I find myself searching the crowd surrounding the area roped off for those able to be reaped. I find my mother quickly. Even in her early forties she manages to have still white blonde hair and a pretty face. I've been told I look much like her. Just with red hair and a bit more blue-grey eyes than her blue eyes.

When I watch her standing with her closest friend and the woman's son, Everest, I'm reminded why I want that money. For her. I see Everest realize my eyes are on the three of them and he gives me a comforting look. He knows. I told him first, he is nineteen and safe from being reaped. We grew up like siblings.

I turn my attention back towards the stage, my anxiety now extinguished; I don't want to miss my chance.

"Now onto our female tribute!" Pharaoh says. I wonder who will be reaped. I take a moment to consider the irony if I were to be reaped. In a way it would be unfortunate, someone else could volunteer. Then I'd be, well, screwed.

"Clarity Gregory." I take a second to consider what to do next. If I did it too quickly will I look anxious?

No I can't loose my chance, now or never.

I see a seventeen year-old walk slowly out. She looks around, obviously hoping for someone to volunteer. I don't recognize her from training. I guess this is her lucky day.

Raising my hand, I walk out from the line of eighteen-year-old girls.

"I volunteer!" I say loudly, not wanting to go unheard. Now the mayor is looking at me and even Pharaoh is looking at me; actually everyone is looking at me. The weight of this split-second action sets in and I know this is what I want to do. Time to show the cameras that. Not too confident, not too passive.

I find my way to the stage. Pharaoh helps me up. His eyeliner is so dark. I wouldn't even wear that much makeup and I'm a girl.

"Well, well we have a volunteer!" Pharaoh chimes. As if he is so surprised. Four doesn't always have as many volunteers as District Two, but lately we have always managed two volunteers. "Your name honey?" He asks.

I step towards the microphone, "Lillibel Clavenzez and I'm eighteen." I say.

He giggles and I feel his cold, soft hand pick up a strand of my hair. "Such a beautiful color." He says quietly. I wonder if anyone sees, I think some on the stage saw the peculiar interaction but if anyone in the crowd saw it they didn't seem to care. Is this normal for Capitol people?

I look back to the group of three. Everest doesn't look scared; he prepared himself. My mother looks a little off. She knew on her own. I never had to tell her. She is smart like that. It is how she has survived.

My mother raised me on her own, my father leaving her when discovering her pregnancy. What a loser. It made Mom and I stronger though. Now I am done with my mother's struggle. Her business… it is a difficult subject. It isn't legal, to be blunt. No she isn't some prostitute but she does sell illegal goods. A heavy sort of alcohol not allowed in the Districts. I think the country before Panem had a name for it.

It is why I grew up knowing just Everest, his mother is the same. I had to isolate myself. Safety. It is why I still get nervous each and every time I see a Peacekeeper glance my way. And there is a lot of them looking at me right now.

"Now for our male." Pharaoh says leaving me to remove myself from the center of the stage. As if he has already moved on from me. He picks a slip of paper, but he must know whoever is on that paper won't be standing next to me.

"Celeste Whales." I look for my possible tribute partner, and if so, likely ally. The tributes from Four almost always ally and often with the tributes from One and Two too. The boy picked shocks me, thirteen year-old. Rare but it happens. Someone will definitely volunteer. Sometimes stuff like that encourages people training to volunteer, as if one final thing to make up their minds.

"I volunteer!" A strong voice calls out from the older section of males. I see the voice's owner quickly, very quickly. He stands basically a foot above everyone else. I recognize him from the training center. He is eighteen, and an obvious choice to volunteer. I don't know everyone from the training center but when you get someone so tall like him, it is hard to miss him. His name escapes me.

Maybe part of me should've expected him volunteering, with his obvious height advantage. But he is a bit lanky in figure. It might have thrown me off. I almost insult myself for not knowing more about him. He will be a good ally if he wishes, but when I stand at 5'6… Which isn't short, but he is over a foot taller than me. I'll have to outwit him, if it comes down to the two of us. Which I hope doesn't happen. Never looks good to kill someone from your District. And he doesn't look like too bad of a person.

Why can I not even remember his name? I like knowing all sorts of people, watching from the sidelines is my thing. Not knowing feels like some kind of flaw, a chink in my armor. I'm not perfect but I take pride in the things I can manage decent enough.

Without even knowing it, I'm staring. He catches my stare and looks straight back at me. Not to be intimidating, just as curious as myself. My hands find themselves moving on their own. Playing with my dress, keeping themselves occupied.

I need to focus, not get too out of it. Looking around I see all these familiar faces, who haven't probably even heard of me until today, suddenly all knowing my name. They see me and this will never change. This is my life now. I need to take it on and I need to work with it.

If I ever hope on getting out alive.

District Four! What do you guys think of the tributes? The girl belongs to- walk off the moon and the male belongs to Infamouskal40.

So a little bit more of a delay than wanted but I needed to find a District that had both, because I'm doing this by District and naturally a lot of people submit females. Which is fine, I get it. I do the same XD But yeah so a little tip, if you want to see your character have a chapter sooner than later and want to submit a male I suggest submitting to a District with a female already.

Lately things have been busy but things are really dying down and I just made my own little map of the Arena and got super excited for this story.

No lie, I am really happy with the tributes. So far there are no tributes I dislike. Sometimes in the past (no offense) I have had to made tributes sort of work for me, not because they were bad but because I had trouble with them and writing them. So far no problems :)

Next chapter to be District Ten.

Every chapter I will be doing Arena hints, so this is the first!

ARENA HINT #1: It will have lots of trees