Recap of the Reapings:
Diamond Lupis (D1 F 17)
Twilight and I sit down on the velvet train cushions. Twilight's mentor turns on the television, and we start to watch the recap of the reapings. First, we see our home, District One. We watch as I volunteer, and step confidently up to the stage. We also see Twilight step up to the stage, before our escort has even finished saying the name she reaped.
Next, we see District Two. We see an older girl with an elegant pink dress volunteer. Next, a boy about my age volunteers as well. Both of these tributes look very strong, and they will benefit the career alliance that will soon be formed.
The next district that pops up on the screen is District Three. Both the girl and the boy are reaped, with no one volunteering for them. The girl looks absolutely shocked when she steps up on stage, but the boy hides all of his emotion with a scowl.
In District Four, two sixteen-year-olds volunteer. The girl doesn't look as strong as most careers, but she still looks like she could benefit our alliance. The boy has the normal career look about him; tall, older, and muscular. He'll definitely help out our alliance.
Next, we see the District Five tributes. Both of these tributes are very young. The girl, although she's young, looks confident as she steps up to the stage. The boy looks devastated, and I can hear a woman, who must be his mother, call out his name.
Next, we see District Six. The girl looks very scared when she gets reaped. When the boy's name is called, someone volunteers for him. Volunteers aren't very common in District Six, so I wonder why he volunteered. Sometimes, people volunteer for their siblings, but the boy he volunteered for doesn't seem to be his brother. Maybe he thinks he has a shot at winning. He does seem very strong. He might be a prospect for the career alliance.
The next district to show up on the screen is District Seven. Nothing special happens here. Both the boy and the girl are reaped, they look shocked, they walk up to the stage and shake hands, blah blah blah. They look like they're both about fifteen.
The next district we see is District Eight. In this District, a tiny girl is reaped. She can't be taller than four and a half feet. She buries her face in her hands when she is reaped. She's going to be a bloodbath tribute for sure. The boy who's reaped looks about my age. He walks up, devastated, to the stage.
In District Nine, a twelve-year-old girl is reaped. An older girl immediately takes her place. I think they're sisters. The other tribute is a strong, older boy. He also looks like one who could become a career.
District 10 brings something uncommon, but not unheard of. A brother and sister are reaped. What are the odds of that? That must be sad for their family. They're losing two children in one year. The girl is young and looks pretty helpless. The boy is older than the girl, but he still only looks about fifteen or sixteen.
In District 11, two sort of young tributes are reaped. The girl looks about like she's about fourteen years old, and she seems to come from a big family, because she has about five young kids holding on to her, begging her not to leave. The boy is nothing special, he just walks up to the stage with no expression on his face.
District 12 brings two tributes who look like they're both about sixteen years old. The girl looks like she comes from a rich family, something uncommon in District 12. She's wearing a beautiful floor-length blue dress, and she has a necklace of pears draped around her neck. The boy, on the other hand, looks very poor.
The program ends by flashing the Panem Seal onto the screen as the Panem Anthem plays. Twilight 's mentor turns off the T.V., and both him and my mentor face Twilight and I. "So," Twilight 's mentor says, "What do you think? Who do you want in your alliance?"
Twilight answers, "Both from Two, the boy from Four, and possibly the boys from Six and Nine."
"Okay," Twilight 's mentor says. He turns to me. "What about you?"
"Same as him," I say. "Though I think the girl from Four could benefit our alliance too."
"Really?" says Twilight as he glares at me. "How so?"
"Well, I don't know," I say. "She could be good at survival skills or something. And, she's still probably stronger than most tributes."
"I agree with Diamomd," my mentor, Lexyana, says. "I think you should see if she's worth keeping in your alliance before you make any hasty decisions."
"Fine," Twilight says with a scowl.
Ok, there's the reapings, and a little characterization of Diamond and Twilight. The chariot rides will be next, and then we'll move on to training. :-)