Here is the Chariot Rides chapter. It's from the POV of the presenter, just so you know what the tributes look like. I still need many more votes for the poll so keep voting if you want your favourite tribute to live. Keep voting, reviewing and PM-ing! Thank you for the reviews guys! :) The rest of the chapters will be in the POV of the tributes from now on.
Sagittaria Duncain, Games presenter
I'm sitting in a little box room, along with my co-worker, Minas Murdock, while the tributes are getting ready for the Chariot Ride. While I'm enjoying a nice cup of coffee, Minas is chatting with one of the employees, trying to get gossip on the tributes. I'm not really into gossip and all that stuff. If I find out some information, I just deal with it. I don't go to the ends of the Earth to find out things that are blatantly obvious, anyway. I've been waiting here for about an hour, waiting for the tributes to spend 20 minutes riding a horse drawn chariot down the road, straight into the city centre, ready for the President to give his speech.
I've just been given my script and a five minute notice before the celebration begins. This is so exciting! Minas has given up on obtaining gossip from the tributes so he sent the employee. The microphones have just been set up in front of us and Minas and I give a quick sound test. Perfect. The countdown from thirty begins and the Capitol anthem begins. Show time!
First to come through the doors are the tributes from District One.
"Give a warm welcome to the tributes representing District One, this year. Hadley Rymerse and Grayson Aspen are representing their District's main industry of making luxury items for the Capitol. Thank you to them. Grayson and Hadley are both 16 and both of them volunteered, too. They have been best friends since as long as they can remember and planned to volunteer together. How are you liking their outfits, Minas?"
"Beautiful," he replies, "just beautiful. The gorgeous Hadley is wearing a shimmering silver robe going down to her feet and wrists. Her long, black hair is covering her whole upper body, sparkling with gems of all colours. Dazzling. The dress really brings out her bright green eyes. I can feel her aura of fierceness and nobility. I'm her hand is a short sword, shining in the sun."
"Let's not forget about the handsome Grayson," I counter, "just look at him in his silver armour and his cloak of white mink, tied to his shoulders. His crown of sapphire, resting on his head, gives him a look of a monarch of old. He is holding a gleaming, long sword with a very elaborate handle. Amazing! He is bound to get sponsors, along with Hadley. Good luck to them!" The two from District One are both waving and roses are getting thrown right into their chariots. The doors open to reveal the pair from District Two.
"Hello to the duo from District Two, whose main industry is masonry and mining. Also, thanks to them, that is where we also get the peacekeepers. Without them, who knows what would happen? Let's welcome Ratchet Binch and Cardamon Mason to the Capitol. Ratchet is 18 but Cardamon is only 15, yet she volunteered." With that, the crowd was in uproar. District Two is popular this year. "Ratchet's story is very interesting. He was chosen to compete in this year's Games however, another boy volunteered to take his place. Ratchet didn't like this one bit so he asked to volunteer, too. His escort changed things around and made them fight to the death. That was the perfect practise for when Ratchet is in the real Games."
Minas interrupts me just to talk about Cardamon. He obviously has a crush on her. I don't need gossip to know that. "Look at the beautiful Cardamon. Her dark brown, curly hair, put into a nice ponytail. Her bright blue eyes."
If he says anything else, I'm scared he would jump out and run to her, so I cut him off. "The outfits are very simple but very effective. They are both wearing a suit with, what looks like rock with glowing ores in it as if it were like gold. I must give credit to their stylists."
Again, the crowd throws roses at them and calls out their name. The tributes for District Three suddenly shoot out of the doors and roll down the street.
"Here are the tributes from District Three, Jiffit Skeeter and Wren Vinness. They are both on,y 14 years old and neither of them volunteered. District Three has rarely been known to be a favourite in the Games and the Chariot Ride outfits are more-often-than-not boring. And it's true. This year, the tributes are wearing a green-ish... thing that kinda looks like a circuit board, with wires and lights. Not very interesting, to say the least but who knows? Maybe they could surprise us in the Games." I have no hope for District Three. They rarely have a victor and are usually bloodbath victims in the Quarter Quells. The tributes from Three got a handful of roses chucked at them but nothing else, as the District Four tributes came through rolling out.
"Would you look at that?" Minas started, "the stylists for District Four really went all out on the costumes, this year. Reggie Elliam and Veronika Slaton are representing their District, whose industry revolves around fishing. Their costumes really show what District Four is about. Reggie has become a favourite for the District citizens for standing up against the Capitol. Let's see where that takes him in the Games, where the Capitol is in charge. He seems to have already stolen the hearts of many men and women, right here. Reggie is wearing a blue/green suit, with scales all over it. Veronika is wearing a similar version of Reggie's suit but as a dress, with flippers at her feet, as if she were a beautiful mermaid."
Reggie and Veronika are receiving a lot of roses and some women are even swooning at the sight of Reggie. I think he's wrapped in some sponsors.
"Now, I don't know about you, but I'm not sure if District Five's stylists understood what their main industry is - power." I give a confused look to Minas and he replies with the exact same face. "The tributes are Killian Edwards and Bianca Calder, who are both 18 years old."
"Interesting story about Bianca," Minas started. He must have gotten this information from his gossiper. "Bianca volunteered this year because her grandfather was the victor of the 82nd Hunger Games. He had been privately training her from a very young age and told her that whatever year she decided to volunteer, or get Reaped, she would be ready to compete and would surely win. What better year to volunteer than a Quarter Quell?"
"Thank you for that... interesting story, Minas. Let's talk about what the tributes are wearing, this year. Killian is wearing a long, black, leather jacket with a red shirt underneath, exposing a bit of his naked chest. I can't argue with his stylists for that as it shows off his pecs. He is also wearing leather jeans and leather boots. His black hair matches the colour of his suit and is gelled back to make him look very slick. His sea blue eyes look like they reflect from the guyliner above his eyes. He is also wearing a necklace with a skull and a little sword. Bianca is wearing something very different with small similarities. She is wearing a beautiful, sea-blue dress, that shows her bare arms. Her long, brown hair has been braided and decorated with little swords and sea shells. She is also wearing eyeliner but it's blue, and is also wearing a necklace with a sword as the charm. If this is what the stylists define as "power," then so be it. District Five."
District Six come through the gates and I can't say I'm impressed, although, District Six is never one to impress the audience.
"Please welcome District Six. The stylists for them have also gone very simple this evening. They are representing their main industry, transportation. District Six are extra special, this year, because Dan and Kim Zadell are twins, and are both 17 years old. It's an honour to see one of your children fight to the death, but two? Anyway, they are both wearing a gold tight-suit, with lights all around it. It seems like they have wires going down their arms and to complete the circuit, they must hold hands. You can see them trying to hold back the tears but they just can't. Kim is crying and lets go of Dan's hand to wipe her eyes. Little did she know that that little movement turned off the lights. She now knows about it as she's just received an electric shock. Ha! The look on her face was hilarious. Good luck to those two!"
I'm not sure if I'm going to be overly impressed with the next outfits, personally. The District Seven outfits seem to have improved since last year. They were stark naked and painted brown with leaves stuck to their private areas. Not the best way to represent their main industry of lumber.
I'm back against the microphone. "District Seven's tributes, this year, are Zahir Ashford and Velora Demont. Zahir is 18 years old, and he volunteered, whereas Velora is only 13 and was Reaped. Zahir actually admitted he only volunteered because his father said he had never brought pride to his family. Well, isn't winning the Hunger Games the best way to bring pride to the family? They are both wearing a suit that looks like the trunk of a tree and, probably their best feature, their headpiece is made out of leaves, making them look like royalty. Good luck to the tributes of District Seven."
We have five Districts left, then we have the President's speech. That's all I have to put up with, then I can go home and enjoy the next few days until the Games begin. Thankfully, I don't have to do the interviews. That's some other sucker's job. District Eight is next. This should be fun. The tributes are usually dressed in carpet-like outfits which just make them look stupid, to be honest.
District Eight come through and, to say the least, I'm not overly impressed, as usual. After District Four, I often get depressed due to the lack of originality in the costumes. My mood will go up if something catches my eye. Before I can even reach the microphone, Minas has already taken the limelight and introduced the District. He must have gotten bored.
"Welcome District Eight, whose main industry is textiles. The tributes from District Eight, this year, are Aden Hanran and Adia Reckless. Aden is 18 and Adia is 14. Gossip tells me that Aden has something to hide. I wonder what it is. From what I remember, Aden had very bright, red hair. Now, it's a very dark colour. I guess bright, red hair isn't the best thing if you want to hide in the Games. He is wearing a very long, blue cloak, adorned with buttons that are a burning gold. He is also wearing a very strange cap on his head, covering a small portion of his hair. I don't even know how to describe it. Adia, however, is wearing a very long, very slim, silver dress. She has a golden tiara on the top of her head, which look like leaves, and she is wearing bright, gold heels with straps at the top. She looks much taller, thanks to those heels. Her hair is tied up to show off her beautiful face and her gorgeous outfit. Give it up for District Eight!"
I must admit, Adia does look good, considering her District rarely has good outfits for the Chariot Rides. Out comes District Nine and it's just getting worse.
"Please welcome District Nine, which is being represented by Jasper Morgenstern, who is 12, and Leanna Gibbs, who is 15. Their District specialises in grain production. Interesting story about Leanna. She is one of many volunteers but she had the same reason for volunteering as did Reggie. To save the place of a 12 year old. She said that it's not fair that 12 year old girls have to fight 18 year old men. Well, honey, who do you think had to fight in the Dark Days? Everyone, no matter how old they were. If anybody hasn't told you yet, life's not fair. They are both wearing orange-brown, toga-like cloths and have wheat wreaths around their bodies, along with wheat strands and grain seeds. Only three Districts left."
That last reassuring sentence kept me from falling asleep and let me look forward to the next three Districts, only to be disappointed by District Ten.
"Hypatia Cruslin and Desmond Cordus are this year's tributes from District Ten, whose main industry is livestock. They're the ones that give us our beef for our burgers. Hypatia is 16 and Desmond is 17. Desmond is wearing a completely white suit with black splodges all over it and has a long, white tail coming from his... well... you know. He, along with Hypatia, also has large horns coming from the top of his head. Oh, and would you look at that, they both have hooves, too. Hypatia is wearing a white dress, with white tights, and has black flecks all over the dress. I'm not sure which one looks more like a cow. Either way, that's their outfit and that's all there is to it."
Can this get any worse?
Apparently so, as the next District, District Eleven, rolls into the street. When will this torture end? "Give the thumbs up to our next tributes, Robert Blade and Fallow Coulter. Their ages reach both of the age limits with Robert being 12 and Fallow being 18. District Eleven's main industry is agriculture, as shown by what they're wearing. They are both wearing straw hats with light blue overalls. They are also wearing wreaths of leaves, fruits and flowers. That's it. There is literally nothing left to talk about these tributes."
They both get a few roses thrown their way but nothing special, compared to what the next District brings. Finally, an interesting District. And, it's the final District. There is never any interesting stories from District Twelve and there finally is. I'll have fun telling the viewers about these tributes.
"Ladies and gentleman, please welcome the tributes from District Twelve. This is the first time ever that both tributes have volunteered to take place in the Games from this District. Agnes Burnghese, who is 18, volunteered to take the place of her younger sister. Good plan. You don't want your sister stealing all the limelight from you. Eric Johnson, who is also 18, volunteered because his friend was Reaped. The same thing applies as you don't want your friend hogging the cameras, either, do you? I like their outfits, this year. District Twelve is known for their coal-miner costumes, but this year, their style has changed. For the better. They are both wearing black suits with red streaks over them, to make them look like burning embers. How clever. I'm sure these tributes will get sponsors."
"And that concludes the Chariot Rides for the tributes," Minas butts in, "and guess what? This year, we have 11 volunteers out of the possible 24. That's almost half. Just to recap, the volunteers for this year's Hunger Games, and Fifth Quarter Quell, are: Grayson Aspen and Hadley Rymerse of District One, Ratchet Binch and Cardamon Mason of District Two, Reggie Elliam of District Four, Bianca Calder of District Five, Zahir Ashford of District Seven, Leanna Gibbs of District Nine, Fallow Coulter of District Eleven, and Eric Johnson and Agnes Burnghese of District Twelve."
As the roar from the crowd crescendos after the list of the tributes who volunteered, the President takes to the stage. Immediately, the crowd silences and faces towards the President, who has a gleaming smile on his face. His name is Simon Mannion and has dyed, silver hair, bright blue eyes, absolutely no wrinkles, and his silver hair is pulled back to reveal his fairly large forehead. He's in his early 40's and has no plans to step down as President any time soon.
"Ladies, gentlemen and, more importantly, tributes. Welcome to the 125th annual Hunger Games. This year is a very special year as this year, the tributes will be competing in the fifth Quarter Quell. To remind you of what a Quarter Quell is, it is a special type of Hunger Games which comes along every 25 years. Past Quells have included; the citizens of the Districts voting on who gets to go into the Games, twice as many tributes being eligible to go into the Games, victors from previous Games would be chosen to go back into the Games, and each tribute having a detonator in their arm so one tribute will explode every 12 hours. To remind you of this year's Quell, each District pair will be designated to an island for their District. Only one person may leave the island at any time but they can both stay on it at the same time, if they wish. If one of the pair dies, the island will sink into deadly Quicksand, giving limited time for the other tribute to escape. The island will only sink once the cannon has sounded and the Bloodbath cannons will go off at the end of the day. The tributes must decide who stays on the island at the start because as soon as the Games begin, they will have a ten-minute time limit to get to the island, while the other gets the supplies. Each island will have a narrow path leading up to it, with a large archway with their District number on top of it, at the front. Each tribute will have a detonator in their arm and if neither of the tribute pair reach their island in time, or both leave the island, they will instantaneously explode, similar to the 100th Games. There will be small islands dotted around the arena but will sink at an unknown time. Of course, you will see several types of your favourite muttations and maybe even some new ones. Give one final cheer to the tributes of this year's Hunger Games and Fifth Quarter Quell! Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour."
The sudden burst of roaring from the crowd nearly deafened me. I look up and the President is already gone. That was fast. I must admit, in some ways, I do feel sorry for some tributes as they have no chance in these Games, no matter how many sponsors they'll get. Oh well, just more entertainment for us. As the tributes get taken into the Training Centre by their horses, Minas and I go to the local bar to talk about the tributes. There are many different opinions on who people's favourite tributes are.