District 1 Reaping
The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, but the majority of the districts were already awake. After all, it was reaping day, and nightmares plagued most children who were old enough to understand the dangers of the Hunger Games. District 1 was one of the few exceptions – a district where most of the children looked forward to the Hunger Games with excitement and longing instead of a crippling fear or panic.
Chime Prewett, while not afraid of the games, had no real interest in them. She was up long before necessary to make it to the reaping in order to prepare herself. Her morning regimen started with a long bath, at least as long of one as her mother and sister would allow, before carefully brushing out her full golden hair. It was her favorite attribute, and she loved to wear it loose and allow it to flow over her shoulders like strands of gold. Next came the outfit, which was usually selected to both show off her assets (and the fact that most people, even in District 1, were too poor for her to waste a moment of time on), and finally, a delicate coating of makeup that she had received for her birthday. It was luxurious stuff, from the Capitol, and she was carefully rationing it for special occasions.
Today counted as one of those. While Chime had no intention of going to the Capitol as a tribute, there was always a chance that one of those camera men might show her on the screen, and she would be whisked away to become an actress in a far off land. It was a silly fantasy, but a girl could dream.
After finally selecting the perfect outfit, a pale pink dress with real strands of silver and gold interwoven with the fibers to make the whole thing shimmer and sparkle, before heading to the breakfast room. She loved her house – her father had spent extravagantly on the two story mini mansion, then had most of the interior decorated with the finest things in the District. Rumor was that it was even nicer than the houses in Victor's Village, but she had never been to one of those. Chime paused on the landing to check her hair in a mirror attached to the wall when she heard her parents arguing in soft tones below her. Never one to miss out on some good gossip, she leaned closer.
"You mean unless we come up with some money very soon, our whole family will be homeless? What about your investments? Onyx, you told me nothing was wrong!" Her mother sounded agitated, and Chime froze. Her family? Penniless? Unless they came up with a large sum of money very quickly.
The only thing preventing her from sinking to the ground was the worry that it would wrinkle her dress. Chime was barely 16, and her sister was too young to volunteer. After the required training sessions, Chime knew that she could hold her own in the arena – especially with her good looks, she knew she would never be hurting for sponsors. She gripped the stairway banister nervously, knowing that she was contemplating doing something now that she never would have before today. One last look in the mirror, and she lifted her head and set her mouth in a stubborn expression. Her family would not be penniless, and live as beggars on the street. She was going to volunteer for the Hunger Games.
Across town, in Victor's Village, Chase Stone had just awoken. He yawned leisurely, stretching his arms above his head and enjoying the general comfort of his bed for a few remaining minutes. There was no fear in the events of today for him, after all he had already decided he was going to be the next victor of the Hunger Games.
It could be torture, living with a previous victor. Obviously, Chase was incredibly proud of his father – after all, the man outlasted 23 competitors and killed a fair number of them himself to be crowned a victor, but Chase knew that he could not stand one more private training session with someone who spoke to him like he was little more than a maggot. Running his hands through his short, sandy blonde hair, he was just contemplating getting up when he head a slight creak from the door, and felt a large weight collapse on top of him.
"Get up, sleepy head! It's your big day, or did you forget that you're going to the Capitol today?" His younger sister chirped at him as she poked him in the stomach a couple of times, just to make sure he was awake. "Come on Chase! You're so slow!" She flopped down on the pillow next to him before he was tempted to tickle her back.
Chase couldn't help but smile when he saw Cassie. She was one of the few people on earth that could make him really, genuinely smile, instead of just putting on his usual charming façade. "Good morning to you too, Cassie! You know, in a couple of weeks when I make the final eight, you're gonna be on television. We should probably start preparing you now, so you have plenty of time to look beautiful…" Chase waited until she made a horrified face at him before launching his attack. He had her pinned, tickled, and begging for mercy within thirty seconds.
Propping herself up against the headboard, Cassie pulled her knees in tight and gave Chase a slightly worried look. "Are… are you scared?" She asked in a hushed tone, barely willing to admit to herself that today might be the last day that she saw her older brother alive.
Chase was already out of bed and rummaging through his closet for an acceptably camera ready outfit when he heard his sister's comment. Though she was fifteen, and probably perfectly capable of taking care of herself, she was the light of his life. He cared more about protecting her than anyone on the planet, and the idea that leaving for the Games might hurt her was devastating. Immediately he was back by her side, wrapping his arms around her for a hug. "Don't you worry about a thing, Cass, okay? I'm not scared at all, and you definitely shouldn't be. I have the best trainer in the district, remember?" he joked lightly. "Besides, when I come back, we'll have our own house in Victor's Village! All to ourselves. Wouldn't that be fun?"
His attempts to cheer his sister up were working, and she gave him a half-hearted grin. "It would be nice to get away from the drill sergeant downstairs," she covered her smile with her hand, as if her father might have heard the comment and already be preparing a new, horrible training exercise as revenge. Confident that his sister was feeling better, Chase was about to turn and begin searching for the perfect set of clothes when Cassie grabbed his arm. "One more thing. I want you to have this."
Chase looked down at his hand and saw his sister's lucky coin. "But Cassie, this is yours… I can't take this from you."
She set her mouth in a mulish line, and Chase couldn't help but think of how stubborn she could be when she wanted to. "It's just for a couple of weeks remember? You can bring it back to me when you're a victor. Besides, you'll need it more than I do. You'll need all the luck you can get with our stylists." Chase rolled his eyes. She was completely right – the District 1 stylists had gone out of style many years previously, but no one had bothered to tell them. Last year, they sent the tributes out dressed as giant diamonds. Not only did it mask their physiques, and render them completely unattractive, but the lights shining off the surface made them about as easy to look at as staring into the sun.
Closing his fingers around his token, he shooed his sister out of his bedroom. Suddenly, he was faced with the idea that if he didn't come back, she would have lost both her lucky coin and her older brother. He shook off the idea and reminded himself of the fame, the glory, and the respect waiting for him on the other side. Choosing a gray suit with a light blue shirt to set off his eyes, Chase took a deep breath. Arranging his face into his most confident, most charming expression, he sauntered downstairs and towards the town center. Let the games begin…
Carraway Shell surveyed the gathering children with no small amount of glee. She'd been begging for months, and she was finally bumped up to a good district, one with a reasonably amount of victors and a decent chance of winning in any given year. For years, she'd been stuck in District 8 – let's be honest, it's not like they were the real contenders in the games. Every so often they had one or two worthwhile tributes, but most of them were bloodbaths. Year after year of being peppy to bloodbath tributes was really taxing to a person! When the District 1 escort finally retired, Carraway jumped at the opportunity.
She'd even lucked out with the two mentors this year. The man, Stark, was in his mid thirties. He had won using a combination of manipulation and brute strength. Those tributes he couldn't best physically, he goaded into fighting each other. When they were weak enough, he struck. No one saw him as a true threat compared with some of the other Careers until the very end, but by then it was too late. The woman, Melody, was slightly older but still bore the classic good looks of District 1. She fooled the audience, and the other tributes, into thinking she was nothing but a spoiled rich girl. The careers protected her, until suddenly she no longer needed their protection, and they ended up dead. Both mentors were huge favorites with the Capitol, and would draw in numerous sponsors.
Practically dancing with anticipation, she fidgeted nervously while the children were corralled into the pens in front of her. By the time Chase arrived, standing at the back with the eighteen year olds, the escort was practically hopping up and down with excitement. Noting the two mentors with interest, Chase couldn't help but grin when he realized Stark would be teaching him. This could not be set up more perfectly if he'd planned it. Chase caught Cassie's eyes across the open space between the men and women, and rolled his eyes dramatically at the new woman. His younger sister gave a small smile, before dropping her gaze quickly to the ground. Only a few rows behind Cassie, Chime was taking her position, her eyes round and her step bouncing.
Finally, all the children were present and accounted for, and Carraway leapt towards the microphone, nearly knocking the entire stand over in her eagerness to begin. "Welcome, welcome! The time has come to select the lucky individuals to compete in the 67th annual Hunger Games! As you know, it is a great honor to be selected to represent your district…"
The speech droned on. Chime, unused to dealing with such boring proceedings, had to stifle a yawn with her hand on more than one occasion. Usually she could get out of this kind of stuff by being pretty. Chase made no effort to pay attention and whispered back and forth to his friends about what he would buy with the victor's money.
"Ladies first!" At some point, Carraway had finished the required speech, and was ready to choose her first tribute. The ball was filled with slips, and she took a moment digging around until she found the one she wanted. "Velour Windsor!" Polite applause was heard as the thirteen year old stepped forward and began to head for the stand.
Afraid she would miss her chance, or afraid she might lose her nerve, Chime took a step into the aisle and stated loudly and clearly: "I volunteer as tribute!" The silence was abrupt. While volunteers were common in District 1, Chime was an unexpected one. She had shown very little interest in training, and dropped it at the soonest possibility. Chase raised his eyebrows slightly at his new district partner. He was hoping for someone a little more… lethal. Chime looked like even Cassie could beat her in a fight. The petite blonde seemed more interested in her appearance than her ability to kill another human being, but having someone attractive on his side might not be a bad thing. Her face smiled beautifully though as she practically danced towards the stage, politely pushing past the reaped girl. Carraway, for her part, was thrilled: this was her first volunteer at any reaping, ever! She shook Chime's hand with a little too much vigor, then thrust the microphone towards her mouth. "My name is Chime Prewett, and I'm so excited to be a part of this year's Hunger Games," she said with a smile and a bat of her eyelashes. Already, she was playing towards the sponsors as best she could.
"Excellent, excellent! Now, for the boys!" Another moment spent digging in the second ball, then: "Atticus Holrn!"
Before the boy could even step out of line, Chase spoke up. "I volunteer as tribute," he stated, confident and sure that no one would dare take his chance at victory. Everyone at the training center knew that this was his year, and if they had even tried he would have taken drastic measures to ensure that he was the tribute in the games. Striding to the stage, he ran a hand through his short hair and smirked at the audience. Play to the cameras, Chase. These sponsors are yours, no matter what the blonde tries to pull. Before Carraway could offer him the microphone, he swept into a low bow, saying, "It is a pleasure to meet you madam. My name is Chase Stone." Straightening up, he stepped in front of Chime and Carraway, lifted his arms and yelled to the crowd, "This year's Hunger Games victor!" He then turned, and extended his hand to Chime. She stared up at him through her eyelashes, and smiled in an alluring way as they shook hands.
The cheering followed him all the way to the private room, where he was left to say goodbye to his loved ones. His family was first, his mother, father, and Cassie. His mother said barely anything. His father immediately started in on a lecture. Things to remember, his battle stance, his posture when throwing a weapon, hand to hand combat. A few minutes in, when Chase realized that his time was running out, he cut off his father to pull Cassie for a hug, as she looked on the verge of tears. "I'm coming back, remember? I've gotta be there when you get your first boyfriend to try and scare him off. No one in this district is good enough for my little sister."
She gave him a watery smile and said, "I know," before the peacekeepers pulled his family out of the room. Just like that, he was alone. He'd said the rest of his goodbyes earlier, and none of his friends were really close enough to come and say anything. They were great to party with, sure, but it wasn't like they were that close. Chase sat down by the window, and pulled Cassie's coin out of his pocket, twirling it around his fingers as he waited to leave his home for what could be the last time.
Next door, Chime sat with her family. Her mother, father, and sister just stared at her, stunned that their Chime had volunteered for the reaping. "What were you thinking?" her mother whispered, her head in her hands.
Chime sat very straight, refusing to let herself cry. There would be cameras outside, and she would not show up with streaky makeup in front of the entire country. "I refuse to be poor. I won't let us get sent to the community home, or end up on the streets! If father can't take care of us, I will. I want us to be rich, and have nice things," but her sentence was cut off by her mother's sobs.
"All the money in the world won't mean anything if you're dead," Onyx stated dully. Already the light seemed to be leaving his eyes, he had given up hope that his daughter would come back from the arena. She was so small and so fragile. Against the giants like Chase, what chance did she really stand.
Surrounded by her family's hopeless stares, Chime grew fearful. What if I made the wrong decision? What if I never come home? The desperation started to build when her family said their goodbyes and left her alone, seated in a tiny room guarded by a man in uniform. What if this is the last time I see my family?
By the time her hour was up, she was nearly a wreck. Composing herself, she smoothed her dress with shaking hands, and stepped into the hallway where Chase was waiting. He looked at her with pity, seeing the wideness to her eyes that was not innocence, but fear. "So you figured out you're cattle being lead to slaughter, didn't you princess?" He smirked at her. Chime could barely move, but she lifted her chin proudly. If she was just an animal, then she would be the prettiest animal they'd ever seen. They'd be begging her mentor to sponsor her.
"Well, let's get it over with, shall we?" Chase crooked his elbow to her, and after a moment of surprise that he was actually sort of a gentleman, Chime took it with a small smile. "It's not so bad, right? We just have to go get our picture taken a few hundred times," Chase commented with a laugh. When he noticed that Chime ducked her head to hide a grin, he couldn't help but smile himself. She's right where I want her. As long as she thinks I'm not a threat, and that I'm here to protect her, she's easily to ignore, and easy to dispose.
Arm in arm, they walked towards the train, knowing that at least one of them would never make the return journey.