Marked for Death: Reaping Playbacks
Fear doesn't shut you down;
It wakes you up.
~ Veronica Roth, Divergent
- Amelie Rivers, District Four Female -
- July 12, 21 ADD -
"And this year's young lady who shall represent District Four shall be Alessandra Noir!"
Around me, the girls of District Four were silent as the crowd parted to let a seventeen-year-old brunette through. I knew Alessandra. The brunette was a fierce fighter in District Four's Training Center. Of course, Alessandra wasn't nearly as fierce as I was. Perhaps after I came home as a victor, she'd be chosen to volunteer next year.
The crowd remained parted as I walked through. The girls all knew that I was the chosen volunteer this year and none of them would be trying to volunteer.
"I volunteer as tribute!"
"Alright. Yorick, Amelie, it won't be much longer before we reach the Capitol, but the Reaping Playbacks are on right now. As you most likely know, you two are required to watch them." our escort, Ovid Dunbryll, announced, giving my District partner, Yorick, our mentors, Mags and Coral, and myself a stern look. Yorick and our mentors scrambled over to the sofa in front of the television and I quickly followed suit.
So far, from what I had seen of him, I already knew that Yorick could be a potential threat to my victory in the Games. He had trained in the Training Center and, after all, he had been chosen as the male volunteer. I was eager to find out who the other tributes were, though, and how many of them could also threaten me.
As the television flickered to life, it was clear that the cameras were currently showing District One. As I stared at the television screen, the escort thrust her arm into the girls' reaping bowl. A moment later, she pulled out a slip, bringing it up to her face to inspect. "Jacqueline Haynes!" the escort called out.
The camera zoomed onto the face of a brunette. She was a Career, clearly. The girl's expression seemed to freeze, but when I narrowed my eyes, her mouth had already curved into a smirk. The cameras followed her as she walked confidently up to the stage.
"Are there any volunteers?" the escort called. I braced myself, waiting to see girls racing for the spot. Shockingly enough, no one wanted to volunteer. The escort must have been surprised as well, because she shrugged and headed over to the boys' reaping bowl.
The reaped boy seemed fairly boring; he must have been at most thirteen or fourteen years old. Immediately, an older boy volunteered, introducing himself as Adonis Vermilion. He looked to be pretty tough, but the pair from District One most likely wouldn't end up being too much of a threat, with the girl not even being a volunteer and the boy looking a bit too laid-back.
As District One's sparkling buildings faded into darkness on the screen, the gray structures of District Two rose to meet them. I took this short break between the reapings to look over at Yorick, wondering what he thought of the District One tributes. I found him staring at the television screen, but he seemed to feel my eyes on him and he quickly turned, fixing my questioning gaze with a cold, hard glare. I gulped. It seemed like I had already made an enemy.
District Two's female tribute, Victoria Peirce, was a volunteer and just as boring as District One's tributes, but the boy seemed more interesting. He volunteered, giving his name as Austin Reverand, but he said that he was starting a new chapter in his story and that from now on, he wished to be known as Astin Revelation. I couldn't help but wonder if he was related to the Victor of the Eighteenth Games, Roxie Reverand. The last names were the same and Roxie had had the same confidence when she had volunteered for her Games.
The cameras continued on towards District Three. The female tribute, Lily Bryant, seemed rather nervous when her name was called, but she was able to keep herself from bursting into tears, which was pretty admirable. A boy in the crowd who seemed a little bit too old to be the girl's boyfriend, but a bit too young to be her father, seemed very upset when her name was called. Perhaps a brother? As for the male tribute, a twelve-year-old was originally reaped, but immediately, an older boy, Thomas Aubert, volunteered for the spot. That was pretty strange, since District Three was no Career District and it rarely produced any volunteers. This Thomas couldn't possibly be too much of a threat, though.
District Four's reapings followed District Three's. I volunteered for Alessandra, of course, but disappointingly enough, I didn't seem to be any different from the other volunteers in Career Districts. No matter. I knew I would be able to find a way and shine in the chariot rides and interviews. Yorick seemed rather cold during the reapings, just as he had been ever since, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing; he didn't outshine me in any way.
I would just have to stand out in the chariot rides and interviews if I wanted sponsors...
- Sable Tuwyla, District Eight Female -
- July 12, 21 ADD -
"And the young lady who will be representing the glorious District Five in the Hunger Games this year will be Angelina Northington! Let's give her a round of applause!" the bubbly Escort of District Five announced as the cameras zoomed in on a young girl who seemed to be struggling not to cry. I sighed. She wouldn't get far in the Games if she didn't tough up soon. Persei, our Escort, rolled his eyes at the television screen from where he sat. He seemed to have a pretty bad opinion of poor Angelina as well.
"And the young man representing District Five this year will be Kyle Denyick!" the Escort continued. Unlike the hushed silence that had followed Angelina's name, a high-pitched scream, followed this announcement. The cameras focused in on the girl who had screamed, a beautiful blonde whose hand was currently pressed to her mouth in shock. Quickly, the cameras moved away again as something of more interest arose.
"No, not Kyle! I volunteer as tribute!"
The cameras focused in on a boy with dirty-blond hair who was running out of the sixteen-year-old section. "I volunteer as tribute!" he called again, his voice growing more desperate.
"He must know that Kyle rather well to volunteer and risk everything..." Paisley, my District partner, mumbled as the boy onscreen introduced himself as Luther Martinos. As we continued watching, the images onscreen split into three sections, showing what was being recorded from three different cameras. One camera showed Kyle, the boy who had been reaped, his body shaking as he stared in shock at Luther. Another showed the girl who had screamed, her hand still pressed to her mouth, a steady stream of tears flowing down her cheeks. The last showed Luther and Angelina onstage. Both tributes looked unfazed by all of the drama, particularly Luther, who kept a cold, blunt expression on his face. The screen faded into darkness as the two tributes shook hands. I knew what had just unfolded would probably gain Luther a few sponsors.
Next came District Six. Compared to District Five, this was much more uneventful. The female tribute was a blonde twelve-year-old named Camille-Cosette Englishrose. She looked shy and timid, though there was a peculiar dangerous gleam of intelligence in her eyes. The male tribute was a boy named Holden Norden. He walked up to the stage, hands shoved in his pockets and staring at the ground.
District Seven was slightly less normal. The female tribute, Aveline Foxfire, was another volunteer, much like Luther Martinos of District Five, but she didn't volunteer for a loved one, or so it seemed. It looked as if she had volunteered just for the sake of volunteering, almost like the Careers. She reminded me of the victor from two years ago, Daniel Foxfire. They even seemed to be related. I disliked her immediately. Compared to Aveline, the male tribute, Arsten Flenitch, was just another reaped boy, though he didn't seem too scared. Perhaps he could make a good ally?
Then came us. I was proud to see that, when my name was called, I didn't look nearly as fearful of the Games as I had felt. Paisley looked much more nervous when his name was called, turning pale and shaking slightly, though he seemed alright too. "Hey, we look pretty tough..." Paisley muttered with a nervous laugh as he stared at the screen. I gave him a smile and was about to reply with a comment of my own, but the voice of Woof, our mentor who had been silent until now, began to speak first.
"That's right. You two just might stand a chance in this year's Games. Perhaps District Eight will be having a Victor this year..." he murmured. Paisley and I exchanged glances before he shrugged and looked away.
- Ash Dunland, District Eleven Male -
- July 12, 21 ADD -
District Nine's reapings were stranger than usual. "Our female tribute shall be Jasmine Everhart!" the Escort called.
The girl screamed when her name was called, refusing to go onto the stage and claiming that her name being called was a mistake. Where did she get that from? Of course it wasn't a mistake. The Capitol never made mistakes. I faintly remembered another Everhart being reaped a while ago, so perhaps that was what she was referencing. Nevertheless, Peacekeepers quickly dragged her up onto the stage and the District Nine Escort, Magnus Yule, continued with the reaping as if the whole fiasco with Jasmine had never happened.
"And our male tribute shall be Armani Miller!"
The boy wasn't much better at hiding his emotions, but at least he didn't scream as well. He was younger than the girl, maybe twelve or thirteen. As soon as the kid's name was called, he burst into tears. Onstage, he quickly managed to calm himself, though, seeming to remember that he needed to do whatever he could to gain sponsors. I pitied both of the kids, though I knew that if I made an alliance with either one, they would most likely just slow me down.
District Nine's amber waves of grain disappeared as the District Ten reapings began on the television. District Ten's girl actually surprised me quite a bit. When the girl from Ten, Adelaide King, was called, the mayor stood, screaming something about how it was a mistake. The crowd immediately erupted into conversation as Adelaide burst into tears and Peacekeepers rushed over to drag her to the stage. Only after Adelaide had made it onstage did everyone calm down and I was able to realize that Adelaide was the daughter of District Ten's Mayor King. Immediately, she became a potential ally. With his reaction to her reaping, he would probably do anything to get her out of the arena. With the money he had, there would be plenty of sponsor gifts... and Adelaide's allies would benefit as well.
After Adelaide, Ten's boy, Hudson Ridgewood didn't seem particularly memorable to me, but he had that aura of sturdy reliability which almost made me want to trust him... but in the Hunger Games, you really could trust no one.
District Eleven, my District, was next. The girl was a thirteen-year-old named Sienna Lauderdale, the girl who was currently sitting beside me. When she was reaped, there had been some sort of commotion in the crowd, but I hadn't quite seen in the actual reaping and now, in the playbacks, the cameras didn't quite focus in. I assumed it was probably just Sienna's family members being upset about her reaping. Beside me, Sienna bit her lip as she watched her reaping. I knew she was thinking about her brother, Ryan Lauderdale, who had been reaped two years ago and had died in the Games... probably thinking she would share the same fate. My heart went out to her and I tried to give her a comforting smile.
I saw James get reaped and the anger and pain rose in my chest again, like it had at the actual reaping. On the television screen, I charged, pushing the other seventeen-year-old boys behind me as I rushed out, screaming, "I volunteer as tribute!" The cameras zoomed in on James's face, showing shock and horror. I hadn't seen that on his face earlier today. I pushed James behind me, back towards the boys' section, and walked up to the stage, declaring my name loudly. I could tell the people of my District had been shocked by my volunteering, since there was nothing but utter silence throughout the District as I stood on the stage.
Last was District Twelve. District Twelve's tributes were both fairly plain, typical Twelve tributes. The girl, Kristen Schneider, had a somewhat faraway expression on her face, even after she had been reaped. She looked timid and small, much like the boy, Hunter Nelson. Unless they could make their interviews, chariot rides, or training scores memorable, they probably wouldn't get too many sponsors or allies. District Twelve never stood out at all.
Well, all I could say was that these Games would be interesting.
A M4D TE4-P4RTY: Ah, thank you for all the encouragement and I'm really glad you're enjoying the story so far! As for shark mutts, alright. I have another idea that I could use, so it's all good.
Blue Eyes Arch Angel: Thank you so much! I'm really glad you're liking the story so far!
DaughterofApollo7: I'm glad you like the blog!
Dead Language: Yes, Daniel and Aveline are related... and I love Wyatt's character as well. Falseness in character personalities has always been one of my personal favorites, though I find that it is somewhat hard to write for characters with those types of personalities sometimes.
Author's Note: So the blog for this is finally up, as some of you may have seen! The link should be on my profile. Also, I'm sorry this chapter took forever and that it's not the best quality. Life got pretty busy, but at least it's up now! Also, sorry if your character didn't seem to shine particularly in this chapter; I tried to make the character's personalities seem as real as possible and I don't think that the characters would really feel that every single tribute stood out to them. I'll try to get my next chapter up within the next week, but no promises!
Questions of the Chapter: Which character's portion from this chapter do you like the best? Which character do you like the best, just from looking at the blog? Let me know in the reviews!