Who would be the next tribute? Apparently, it was Feral.
Everything seemed to happen in low motion. Sash raised her hands to her mouth to hide her gasp as tears began to well in her eyes. Feral's father let out a screech of anger and had to be held back by the other parents. Willow fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands. Pinn closed his eyes and began to mouth words Feral couldn't make out.
She made her way up to the stage. Everything felt like it was underwater. All the sounds were quieted and sounded fuzzy, and everything moved slower then it should have. But when she reached Kiena, everything returned to normal and the effects of the mortified looks on her family's faces finally kicked in. She had to hold back tears.
"Are there any volunteers?" Kiena asked. The entire crowd fell silent as they waited for someone to speak out. Sash looked like she was about to volunteer when her fourteen year old sister ran to her side and covered her mouth. Willow stood up and opened her mouth but no words came out.
Feral was going to the Hunger Games.
"Alright, time for the gentlemen, then," Kiena said, still smiling as if Feral's entire world hadn't just shattered before everyone's eyes. She dug elbow-deep into the slips of paper and shuffled around for a few seconds before pulling out the slip of paper. "Merchan Diar!"
Feral held back a gasp. She knew the eighteen year old from the few times she had gone with Tier to the field to watch him chop down trees. He was huge and tan, with black hair and harsh green eyes that reminded her of those of a snake. She had seen him swing an axe before. She didn't stand a chance.
She could tell by the expressions on her family's faces that they agreed with her thoughts. She glanced up at the big screens mounted on nearby building and couldn't help but scream in her mind about how incredibly small she looked standing next to him.
"Ladies and gentleman," Kiena continued. "Our tributes… Merchan Diar and Feral Tarani!"