The TV screen flickered on.
The grainy picture displayed a square packed with hundred upon hundreds of people. Their clothes were not casual, but they weren't exceptionally formal, either. Ill-fitting dresses and tight button-down shirts were the norm. Some people were clothed in silky, tailored clothes. They were the rich. The lucky.
A woman in a fitted, shimmering silver dress appeared on the screen. Her pale green hair fell in bouncy curls to her shoulders. The flickering picture made it difficult to tell, but her eyes appeared to be a rich dark brown color. She took her place in front of the crowd. Beside her stood two orbs full of hundreds of slips of paper. The woman patiently waited for the crowd to fall still.
"Good morning, District 5," the woman greeted, her voice like honey. "As I am sure you are all aware, my name is Peridot Enestem, your District's escort." She sounded like a first grade teacher during nap time. Her voice oozed out of her mouth, calming the crowd into a false sense of security.
"Without further ado," she continued, "It is time to select your female tribute!" Peridot reached for the names closest to her. She stuck her arm in and fished around, smiling at the crowd. Finally, she closed her fingers around one slip. The crowd seemed to have stopped breathing.
"Your female tribute will be Natalia Domani," Peridot announced. The way she said it, it didn't sound bad. It sounded like she was picking which child got to come up and play charades before the rest of the crowd. The girl got to play the teacher's game while the crowd kept on guessing.
Perhaps it was very much the same, after all.
The TV screen switched cameras, focusing in on a tall girl who was approaching Peridot. Her hair was long and rather wavy. She had it pulled back into a high, elegant ponytail. It swooshed back and forth as she approached the front of the crowd. Her face displayed no emotion, her bright green eyes cloudy with unknown thoughts. When she was standing beside Peridot, the soothing escort smiled before reaching for the next name. She selected one slip and pulled it towards her. She read the name quickly before looking back at the crowd, smiling. Why was she smiling? It was sick. She was selecting a boy to die.
"Your male tribute will be Darryl Duboise," Peridot said, still wearing her serene smile.
The picture on the TV screen switched away from Peridot. A boy was now the center of attention. He was very tall and muscular, but his face looked young. As the camera zoomed out slightly it became apparent that he was merely fourteen years old. He seemed older, with tanned skin and dirty blonde hair that hid much of his face. He flipped his head to one side to clear his face, revealing dark brown eyes.
He stood on the other side of Peridot. The woman with the green hair looked remarkably short between Natalia and Darryl, two tall individuals. Peridot didn't seem to notice how vertically challenged she appeared. She smiled gently at the crowd once more.
"Be sure to watch the Games, darlings, and may the odds be ever in your favor."
The screen went black.
It stayed that way for a few moments before it sputtered back to life. The screen now displayed a square very similar to the previous one. It was packed with people, and some spilled out into the side streets. The people of the District, however, appeared more gaunt. Sedate. There was no need for the woman in the tight silver dress to wait for silence. She flipped her purple hair once, causing the yellow bands on it to shiver.
"Hello, District 6," she greeted, throwing one arm in the air and circling it back to her side. "I am Ametrine Enestem, the escort for your District." She batted her brown eyes delicately, waiting for a reaction to her performance. When none came, she pouted her lips and reached for the names without further banter.
"Your female tribute for the 238th Hunger Games will be Constance Wyman," Ametrine told them, abandoning her sulking to flash a smile at the crowd.
The screen moved away from Ametrine to reveal a teenager who truly appeared to be wider than she was tall. She stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the generally skinny people around her. Her face was red with embarrassment as she attempted to maneuver her weight though the tight crowd. Her hair was very long, kept in a careworn ponytail that was sliding down her head. Her hair was the brown color of almonds. It appeared to be silky and soft.
Constance blinked her soft brown eyes at Ametrine in apology, smoothing her brown lacy top in an act of self consciousness. Ametrine raised her eyebrows at the girl and snorted rudely before turning to the names of the boys. She bent carefully, clearly showing off her streamlined physique to Constance. She straightened up daintily and looked at the slip of paper.
"Your male tribute will be Craig West," Ametrine purred. She batted her eyes again, showing off her perfect cat eye makeup.
Craig appeared on the screen. He was tall. It seemed that if you cut Constance in half and glued the two on top of each other, you created Craig. His eyes were a dark, mysterious blue color. His arms were skinny, lacking muscle. He approached Constance and Ametrine in complete silence, his face clear of emotion and thought.
Ametrine grinned at him, shifting her weight and putting a hand on her hip suggestively. Craig stared straight ahead. Finally, Ametrine gave up and sighed.
"Make sure you watch the Games, or whatever," she mumbled. "Odds in your favor, you know the drill. Au revior," she finished.
The screen faded to black again.
It came back slowly, revealing yet a third square similar to the first two. The people here looked more or less normal, neither strikingly skinny nor overweight. Their clothes seemed to fit a little awkwardly, but for the most part they looked average. Simple.
This made the woman in the striking silver dress appear oddly out of place. Her hair was a jet black color, swinging just above her shoulders in gentle motions as she walked. Her eyes were peculiarly dark, making her all the more mysterious. She faced the crowd.
"District 7," she greeted coolly. "The 238th Hunger Games are beginning to take shape, with half the reapings completed. My name is Melanite Enestem, and I am the escort for your District."
Melanite clearly saw no point in beating around the bush. She dutifully searched for a name in the pile of female slips and selected one, holding it up to her face and deciphering the words.
"Your female tribute will be Wren Thomas," she said calmly, her voice drifting over the crowd.
A young girl appeared on the screen. She wasn't particularly tall, but she wouldn't have been called short, either. Her skin was clear and rather pale, and appeared more so by her dark brown hair that fell a few inches past her shoulders. Her eyes were a serious gray color, and her face was completely guarded from the outside world. If her eyes were closed she would have looked unfeeling enough to be sleeping.
When she had reached the front of the crowd, Melanite nodded once before turning to the names of the boys. She reached in and selected the one, the doomed. She quickly read the name on the piece of paper and then lowered the paper from her mouth so they crowd could see her form the words.
"Your male tribute will be Apollo Rennie."
The camera swung to spot the boy. He was definitely young, his slight chubbiness making him appear even younger. His hair was short and bright blonde. He blinked his vivid green eyes a couple of times before shaking his head quickly and approaching Wren and Melanite. He was not as guarded as Wren; the mix of fear and excitement was very clear on the boy's face. Once he was facing the crowd with Wren, Melanite gave the smallest of smiles.
"Make sure to watch the mandatory screening of the Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor," she said, her voice veering towards a singing or a mocking tone.
The screen flickered once and went black.
AN: This chapter was a little tricky, as none of the main characters were in the next couple of Districts. Hopefully you, my darling readers, don't seriously hate what I did with it. XD