Yo! Real quick guys- at the start of each chapter I have a song that I think portrays the mood, setting etc. I suggest pulling up youtube and listening to the song while you read or before/after, but it's your choice! The song for this chapter is called "Missing" by Evanescence (this song isn't the usual 'type' I listen to, but whatever). Most chapters of mine, almost all, are in first person, but I like to do the reaping in third person just so you can get the feel of the character a little better. THIS IS WAY LONGER THAN USUAL! To be honest, the reaping is really difficult for me! AND I USUALLY UPDATE SO MUCH QUICKER! I'M SO SORRY!
~ The Reaping ~
Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.
I know what you do to yourself,
I breathe deep and cry out,
"Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?"
…
District One The Lithe and The Judged
Platinum blond hair whips through the crisp air of District One. A small twelve-year old lands her backflip perfectly- like always. She smiles as her friend cheers. Sprite Winters bows graciously and giggles, pulling out a cherry red lollipop from her back pocket.
"Thanks Azura," she smiles to her friend, who grins in response.
"Want to hang out before the reaping?" The raven-haired girl asks.
Sprite shakes her head, "I can't, I have to go home. You know how my mother gets," Azura nods, understanding. Mrs. Winters is extra protective over her daughter. Her husband was killed in the Dark Days shortly after Sprite was born mid-rebellion. Mrs. Winters likes Sprite to be home with her often. But Sprite is lying this time. The truth is that she feels like spending the moments prior to the reaping alone and in her own house.
Sprite skips off to her house in the Victor's Village. The cold concrete smacks against her pink shoes while the breeze ruffles her straightened hair. A cloud blocks out the sun for a moment while a shadow falls over Sprite. Dad? She wonders and looks up to the sky. It seems like her father's presence has been keeping watch over her. Sprite feels like he's with her at important milestones of her life- like her first reaping.
When Sprite makes it home she quickly unlocks the front door and bolts up to her room- she's already late and choosing an outfit takes time. Sprite picks a lacey white dress and pulls it over her head. Afterwards she runs a brush through her hair and heads out the door, ready for her first reaping.
Across the town in a place completely unlike the Victor's Village a gang of five wanders the empty streets. Today of all days is perfect for a break-in. In the poorest part of District One the everything looks grey, from the streets to the houses and even the sky above. Jules Gilded follows the gang's leader, Awe Glenn down a side street and in front of a small brick house with dirt instead of grass in the yard. Awe takes to the side of the house with no windows.
"Oval, Tyger, go knock on the door to see if anyone's home. You know what to do," Awe whispers. He turns to Jules next. "Jules- look for a backdoor or an open window. Anything to get in. Kitty," Awe plants a kiss on his girlfriend, "watch for any movement inside. I'll be ready to defend." The gang nods, then breaks. Before Jules leaves, Oval flashes him a look. She's never liked Jules. And Jules knows why.
Jules walks around the house, carefully ducking under any windows after making sure they weren't open. He steps into the narrow backyard carefully. Last month Tyger was mauled by a dog. After double-checking, Jules walks to the wooden backdoor. Just then he barely hears Tyger and Oval's voices, traveling from the front yard. A different voice is talking back to them. Meaning, no one is inside the house right now. With that Jules kicks the door, a trick he's mastered, and it swings open. Luckily he was quiet enough not to draw the attention of the homeowner. Jules makes his way through the house until he finds a bedroom. The bed is unmade and the floor covered with clothes, trash and more.
"Yuck," he mutters before rifling through the homeowner's items and pilfering the valuable ones. Jules stuffs everything into his pocket and runs back out the door. He slams the backdoor loud enough for the gang to know that it's time to run away. Jules catches up to them three blocks later.
"Oh baby my hearts beating like a samba band!" Jules pants. Oval glares at him. This is why she doesn't like Jules- he's feminine; gay.
"What do you have Jules?" Tyger asks, ignoring Oval.
Jules spills out his pockets, showing his stolen items.
Thirty minutes later, Jules and Sprite are at the reaping. Sprite stands tall in the twelve year-old section, smiling next to Azura. Jules ignores his father's glances of disgust. He's been like this since Jules 'came out of the closet.' Mr. Gilded wants nothing to do with his son. He's mad now, but if he found out his rich son was running around with the District's poorest gang there'd be hell. There's only one reason the gang hasn't been ratted out to Mr. Gilded- Jules has 'done things' with the peacekeepers to keep them from talking.
"Hello District One!" Alpha Quanta, the District One escort smiles into the crowd of perfect hair, gleaming white teeth, and bright blue eyes. "As you know, today is the reaping," he continues. "And one lucky boy and girl will be picked for the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games takes place as the punishment for the Districts for the rebellion, I remind you. So we have a special video for you all to watch!" Alpha grins happily as reenactment scenes from the Dark Days flash across the giant screen behind him.
"And now I skip to the fun part- the reaping! Who will be picked? Will anyone volunteer? Will District One have a winner this year? OH THE TENSION!" Alpha cackles like a mad-man. He looks at the two clear glass bowls in front of him and sticks his gloved hand into the one on the left. The strip of paper unfolds, revealing a name.
"SPRITE WINTERS!" Alpha calls.
A small twelve-year old flips her golden hair over her shoulder and walks up the stairs to the stage. She knew this was going to happen sometime, too bad it's so soon. The crowd gives a few looks of sympathy to Sprite, but many know that she isn't as harmless as she looks.
"Hello there ma'am! May the odds be ever in your favor. Now for the boys," Alpha twirls his hand around once inside the bowl before he grasps a piece of paper.
"WREATH MOERCOLI!"
"I VOLUNTEER!" A burly boy shouts. He smiles at the crowd venomously and waltzes up to the stage.
"What's your name son?" Alpha has a light smile on his lips. Volunteers are always fun.
"Jules Gilded, sir. And oh my lord it feels like I just ran a marathon! My heart is a-thumpin' like there's no tomorrow!"
"Good to hear Jules. Shake hands!" Alpha commands the tributes.
Sprite, the small girl who fits in, and Jules, the tall boy who's judged for being different, shake hands; blue eyes locked onto each other.
District Two The Kind and The Underestimated
"Dessie! Are you ready for your big day!?" Mrs. Martin shouts from downstairs.
Dessiah Martin groans from her room. She forgot it was today. How could she forget?! Dessiah rolls her eyes at her own self and climbs out of her bed. Luckily her mother already picked out her outfit- a light blue shirt with a tiny white skirt. Typical.
If only her mother wasn't so blind! Couldn't she see that her daughter wanted nothing to do with 'glory' or 'honor?' After all, what's honorable about murdering twelve-year olds like herself?
And you'd have thought that after Mr. and Mrs. Martin's eldest child Daltin was killed in the seventh Hunger Games they'd realize how precious their last child was. But no, now they were going to force her to her death just like poor Daltin!
Dessiah sighs when she looks in the mirror and runs a brush through her wavy orange hair.
"Get it all out now," she whispers to her reflection. "Don't let the anger change you in the arena. Nothing will change you, not even your parents." She's already vowed not to become a coldblooded killer.
A sliver of hope still rings in Dessiah's heart. Maybe, just maybe, someone will be quicker to volunteer. Or possibly she could be reaped and then someone could volunteer for her. But the odds are slim. Dessiah isn't stupid. She knows how today is going to end- on a train.
Dessiah wanders downstairs to the kitchen. Her mother's made her favorite meal- eggs with a side of fruit. Dessiah smiles for a second, but then remembers what comes after this.
Across the street from Dessiah's home is a smaller stone house.
"Scott, are you getting ready?" Maude asks her younger brother from down the hall.
"Yes!" Scott Jameson replies. He brushes his teeth vigorously. It isn't supposed to be like this. Maude isn't supposed to ask so sweetly if he'll be ready for the reaping. She's supposed to storm upstairs and make a big deal of what a burden he is. Until recently that's how Maude acted- like he was a pest. But now he's a king. Not that Scott likes it. He'd rather be shooed away.
"Good luck today! I hope we both come out of the reaping together!" Scott's stomach turns into water. Guilt tugs at him because he knows that he won't be coming back home.
"You too," he mumbles back, but his voice is lost in the long hallway.
Scott looks his reflection in the eyes, power surging through him. After today he won't be pathetic. No, after today he'll be honorable and proud.
After getting ready Scott walks to his sister's room. Maude's the only family left. Scott's parents died in the rebellion while his two year-old siblings were adopted by Capitol citizens.
"You look handsome," Maude grins while poking an earring through her ear.
Scott shrugs, "Thanks, you look nice too,"
Later that morning District Two gathers at the town center, where a large television screen is set up on a metallic stage.
"Hello District Two! What a mighty fine day it is… perfect for the reaping!" Table Goutyu grins. Her autumn red hair flies backwards in the strong wind. Thankfully for District two, Table is thought of as the "normal one" among the other escorts. The only Capitol-like physical quality about her are her dandelion-yellow eyebrows.
Table continues with the reaping and turns on the clip from the Dark Days. Scott's face falls when he watches the bombs rain down on his District. Even though the clip is a reenactment, it seems all too real.
"Brilliant," Table comments afterwards. "Now, the reaping…" she mumbles and walks behind the girl's reaping bowl. Her fingers delicately pick out a sheet of paper. She unfolds it carefully and reads,
"SABRINA GREYSABR!" Dessiah's heart thumps. Please. Someone volunteer! She shouts in her mind. After another moment's hesitation, Dessiah's hand shoots up.
"I volunteer," the red-haired girl's voice come out as a whimper. Her pale skin looks delicate in the daylight while her brown eyes grow twice in size.
Table nods at the girl so she continues walking to the stage.
"What's your name?" Table asks and hands the girl the microphone.
"Dessiah Martin," The girl looks frozen stiff.
"Now to the boys!" Table ignores Dessiah and grabs another slip of paper.
"RABIO CURBER!" She shouts.
"I VOLUNTEER!" A voice braver than the last calls back. The crowd separates, revealing a small fourteen year-old boy. A cry is heard over the rustle. An eighteen year-old resembling the volunteer screams.
"SCOTT! NO! PLEASE!" She shouts as peacekeepers rush to silence her.
The boy looks unfazed as he walks to the stage. Before Table can speak he takes the microphone, "Scott Jameson," He smiles when he sees the shock faces of his District.
Table shrugs. The two volunteers stand side by side, never looking the other in the eye.
District Three The Solitary and The Liar
Black is everywhere. It hangs down around Valentina Bolt, engulfs her. The color is like dark ink. Valentina touches it carefully and realizes it's hair. Valentina recognizes the face connected to it, sweet and understanding with wide brown eyes and a button nose. Valentina feels herself go boneless. She hasn't seen that face for three terrible years.
"Marika!" Valentina hears the rush in her voice.
The black-haired girl smiles, but something isn't right. Her brown eyes are glassy.
"I want you to have this," Marika says, holding something out towards Valentina, enclosed in her palms.
"What?" Valentina asks, sounding nervous. There's a tickle at the back of her brain, something still isn't right.
"I found it by the factory a year ago. I've worn it ever since, but I want you to have it," Marika grins and opens her hand. Inside is a shiny green gem.
"No. You already gave that to me. I keep it with me wherever I go. It's mine already!" That's what isn't right. This has already happened. It's a dream of a memory.
"No, I want you to have it," Marika says. Valentina pauses for a minute. "You're welcome," Marika continues. "Yeah, definitely,"
"What's going on!?" Valentina cries, feeling like ripping her hair out. It's a dream, it must be. Valentina tries to pinch herself awake. She screams, not wanting to see this nightmare anymore.
Marika keeps conversing in a one-way conversation. Valentina jolts for a second, feeling herself falling… falling…
THUMP!
Valentina wakes up sprawled on her wooden floor. She rubs the back of her head and realizes she's drenched in cold sweat. She turns to the clock fastened onto her light blue wall. Better get ready for the reaping… she thinks sadly. A sigh escapes from Valentina. There's no point in this. There's no point in the reaping, the Hunger Games, any of it. It's all useless.
Valentina fingers the emerald gem hanging around her neck. The smoothly cut edges slide against her hand. The emerald's fake. Just like this life.
Nikolai Bendix gets into position. He waits for his opponent to show readiness, after it's only courteous. After both are prepared, Nikolai whistles, signaling the beginning of a match. Nikolai smiles and tackles his foe, sending them both to the ground with an 'oof.' Nikolai has him now! He starts to claw into the other child's back with his fingernails.
"HA!" Nikolai laughs and throws punches into his back.
"OW! NIKOLAI STOP!"
Nikolai ignores him and continues.
"PLEASE! STOP IT!" The boy begs, but Nikolai is in his own world. Eventually a passing stranger prys Nikolai off of the boy.
"What the hell!?" Nikolai's opponent shouts.
"Sorry Ronny," Nikolai stares at the ground. Why does it always end like this? Why can't he just pay attention and stop.
"That's the last time I have a FAKE fight with you. Or did you forget it was fake?" Ronny spits.
"I'm sorry," Nikolai mumbles. "I have to go, my mother's waiting for me at the train," he says before running off.
"WE DON'T HAVE A TRAIN AROUND HERE!" Ronny yells back.
Nikolai doesn't stop running until he reaches his small shack near the end of District Three.
His mother raises an eyebrow when he enters the room, coated in sweat and out of breath. "Seriously Nikolai? Did you get in trouble for lying again?" She shakes her head. Nikolai is a compulsive liar and his mother has a habit of teasing him about it.
"I'm going to get dressed for the reaping," he states and runs upstairs, past his siblings' rooms and his parents' room to the end of the hall.
An hour later, all of District Three is gathered by the stage at the town square. Nikolai Bendix is careful not to stand next to Ronny in the sixteen year-old section. Valentina Bolt is emotionless, this is her last year to get reaped and she's ready to get it over with.
"Hello District Three!" Characillia Wander Van Quisoner Markus smiles at the crowd. No one smiles back.
"Welcome to the reaping, I hope you all are ready!" Mr. Markus looks for a reaction again, but gets nothing. He shows the video of the Dark Days and continues.
"Let's start with the ladies, shall we?" He sticks his hand into the reaping bowl and takes out a sheet of paper.
"VALENTINA BOLT!" He calls. A slim girl in the far back gasps. The realization hits her like a punch in the gut. She should have been afraid to die. She should have seen this coming. She's never safe and never will be now. Valentina walks slowly to the stage, taking her time to take in District Three for the last time.
When she gets upstage, Mr. Markus is already pulling out another name. "NIKOLAI BENDIX!"
The crowd parts for a tall boy with frizzy blond hair. The boy walks up to the stage optimistically, earning several quizzical glances. After he's on the stage he takes the microphone. "I'm actually feeling good about all this, you know? I've trained all of my life for this moment, and I'm ready, " His voice is cheery and Nikolai grins for a moment, before it disappears into something more pathetic, "- oh wait, I'm not a Career. Um... Help?"
District Four The Rejected and The Brave
Sometimes people leave you in life and after a few tears you forget. Sometimes though, it isn't that easy. No matter how much you try not to think about them, you do.
"Katrina, breakfast is ready darling," the soothing voice of Mr. Greene travels to Katrina Greene's room.
Katrina shoots up and throws off her covers and heads to the kitchen. Guilt drenches her heart when she sees her mother lean over to kiss Mr. Greene on the cheek. How could her mother do this to her?! There are so many things wrong with what happened…
Eloisa Greene had an affair years before the rebellion with Voltage Lenit who once lived in District Three. He's dead now, but beforehand Eloisa had a baby girl, Katrina and told the mayor it was his daughter.
On the side, without Mr. Greene knowing, Katrina and Eloisa tried to contact Voltage, but he harshly made it known that he wanted nothing to do with them. Eloisa tried to comfort Katrina, to tell her that Voltage should be forgotten; but Katrina does what she's told she can't. She spent hours at District Four's Justice Building, sneaking past the peacekeepers with ease. No one wants to arrest the mayor's daughter. Eventually Katrina found that Voltage had two daughters- Frankie and Jamie.
"Good morning!" Eloisa crows. Katrina shoots her a look and Eloisa turns to the ground.
"Are you ready for the reaping?" Mr. Greene asks Katrina.
"Yeah, I think so," Katrina says flatly.
"Why on Earth would she need to be ready for the reaping Lewis? Katri can't volunteer or anything, she isn't trained well enough," Eloisa says quietly. Mr. Greene shrugs, but winks at Katrina.
Caspias Destin plops down at the old kitchen table. The white paint is peeling off, revealing darker wood. Caspias doesn't know why his family keeps it when they can easily afford another. He supposes it's sentimental value is high for his parents.
"Hello Caspias! It's great to see you home early in the morning!" His mother smiles and refers to Caspias leaving for work every day.
"You too, mom," He replies genuinely.
"Caspias!" Mr. Destin enters the room, "My boy, how are you today?"
"I'm fine dad, how are you?" Caspias asks as his mother sits next to him at the old table and hands him a plate of steaming seaweed rolls.
"Could be better," his voice suddenly sounds grim.
"Daniel! Caspias is right and as much as I hate it, I think if he wants to go into the Hunger Games that is his decision," Mrs. Destin turns to Casper, "Not mine, not Daniel's, your choice. Don't let us control your fate."
Caspias looks towards his feet, feeling guilty and stubborn at the same time. Should he make his parents happy and stay safe with them or should he go into the arena this year and sacrifice his life for another? If only the reaping weren't today and he could decide later…
Fortemo Mawer glides onto the stage. Her dark brown hair flows off of her face in the wind. "Are we ready for the reaping?" She grins while the crowd of District Four citizens cheers in merriment. Fortemo continues and shows the clip of the dark days. Afterwards she turns back to the crowd, tears forming in her brown eyes.
"That was just so emotional, I'm sorry," She wipes away her tears. "Now let's get started, shall we?" Fortemo reaches into the reaping bowl on her left. "For the girls…" She picks a slip of paper and reads aloud,
"NIMI DELARO!"
"I VOLUNTEER!" A slim hand shoots up in the mob. The audience parts for girl with her nose up. It's the mayor's daughter! They think.
"Name?" Fortemo hands her volunteer the microphone.
"I'm Katrina Greene- your next victor," Mrs. Greene claps a hand over her mouth.
"Now for the males," Fortemo reaches into the reaping bowl and takes another sheet of paper.
"SAM QUESPER!"
"I VOLUNTEER!" Another voice shouts before anyone else.
"Name?" Fortemo asks again.
"Caspias Destin,"
"Our tributes for District Four!" Fortemo grins and takes her Katrina and Caspias' hands in her own and then lifts them to the sky.
District Five The Spoiled and The Shadow
Shay Cassidy struts down the streets of District Five. Only to her they aren't 'the streets' they're 'her streets.' After all, Shay's father is the mayor. The Cassidy family lives on a marble mansion atop a hill. It's been said to have to best view of the District. Shay thinks it could be a little better.
As Shay walks on the brick streets her black heels clomp. She keeps her tanned nose upwards. Flipping her chocolate hair back, Shay smiles to herself. Her pearly teeth look like tiny perfect daggers.
"Shay! Hey, how are you?" A chirpy voice calls from behind her. Shay twirls around to find Elizabeth Conners with her arms open wide. Shay rushes into them squealing.
"Liz, you wouldn't believe it, but I swear today while I was walking this poor peasant asked me for money!" Elizabeth scoffs in disbelief. "I know! I'm not some charity!"
"Ew! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think I'll be fine," Shay shakes her head.
"Are you sure? You could get some rare poor person disease," Elizabeth looks genuinely concerened, but Shay laughs.
"I'm fine!" She says. Elizabeth starts to giggle too. They both laugh loudly so all the little people stare.
On the outskirts of District Five, so far out that it is beyond the view of the mayor's house, Shawn or rather "Shade" Kelly stands with his nephew. The former has his arm around Nate Fuze as they stare at a once grey wall. Now it's coated with a riot of colors.
"Why do you like this place so much?" Nate asks Shade.
Shade looks down at his nephew who is evaluating each section of the wall at a time.
"I don't know, Nate. Maybe it's because it's expressive. Each piece of artwork tells the artist's story, each is unique," Shade's black bangs fall over one of his eyes and he blows it away.
"I see. What does this mean?" The eight-year old points to a picture of a man's head. Where his hairline should start there are light blue and pink swirls. Shade stops to think.
"That depends on what you think. We all see it differently. To me the swirls symbolize confusion," Shade stops to check the black wristwatch curled around his thin arm. "We should get back to your mom's house. The reaping is in an hour,"
Shade walks Nate to his mother's house, which isn't much. The old wood paneling is rotting and missing in some spots. The concrete floors are cracking. The ceiling leaks. Whenever Shade walks inside it feels like he's been punched in the gut. He works almost all day for this. He took plenty of tesserae and this is all it can do.
Allie, Shade's sister and Nate's mother, walks into the living room where her family sits on a single torn couch. Shade notices Allie rubbing her shoulder gently. Her eyes are bloodshot. Shade stands up abruptly and meets Allie halfway.
In a whisper he says, "He hit you again, didn't he?"
When Allie simply looks down at her feet Shade continues, "Dammit! Where is he anyways? GARY!" Allie puts her hand on Shade's shoulder.
"He's not here. He left last night and said he'd be back later today,"
"Tell me when he's here next time, Allie. I need to talk to him,"
Approximately an hour later both Shade and Shay stand at the reaping with the other sixteen year-olds. District Five escort, Whitherly Johners stands on the stage. Her ridiculously colored cotton candy blue hair is pulled atop her head in a bun. Whitherly's eyebrows match the color along with her eyes and lips. The effect is quite scary and with Whitherly's bigger figure she looks like she could be a glob of melting cotton candy.
"Welcome District Five, to your reaping!" She shouts. A couple people in the back boo. After the Dark Days film Whitherly continues with the reaping, "For the girls we have…"
"SHAY CASSIDY!" A dark haired girl gasps and slowly regains herself. She struts upstage, with her nose still high, thinking, why me?! There are stupid peasants more deserving!
"Hello love," Whitherly says to Shay. "And for the boys…"
"SHAWN KELLY!" A tall and gangly boy with dark circles under his eyes shows no emotion. The people around him part as he makes it onto the stage. Although on the outside Shade is quiet, inside he's starting a fire of fear.
When Shawn makes it to the microphone he says, "Call me Shade," and drops back.
Then the town's shadow is left looking into the eyes of the town's most royal.
District Six The Reckless and The Teased
A small hand grabs a couple of bright red berries. Its freckle-faced owner smiles. She pushes her blond hair out of her face and holds the berries as far from her as she possibly can. The girl walks to a fire. Her face flashes into something sinister. There's coldness behind her eyes that wasn't there before. She holds her hand over a goose leg roasting on the fire and crushes the red fruit. Its juices drip over the leg and fall into the fire with a sizzle.
Slowly the girl hears footsteps headed towards her. She scrambles to wipe her hands off in the grass. Then she hides them behind her back as a boy approaches. He greets his ally with a smile. She returns a grim one, but the boy doesn't catch that his ally has gone frigid. Her eyes are lifeless.
"You can have the whole thing," The girl nods to the boy who thanks her.
The boy shakes his brown hair off of his pale skin and takes the leg. He takes a bite of the leg and immediately knows something is wrong. His face puckers from the sour flavor.
"What did you do?" He croaks and falls to his knees.
His ally's face says it all. She remains silent. Heartless.
The boy gags, choking. His eyes roll back in his head and before he leaves this world he whispers, barely audible, "Goodbye Metric, you will always be my sister,"
"NO! NO!" Metric Tenure sits straight up in her bed with tears streaming down her face. She screams. Shivers crawl up her body like claws of a beast. "Ty!" She puts her hands over her eyes. Her brother's dead, but not forgotten. His rebellious attitude rubbed off on Metric, but only after death. Before that Metric was a perfect puppet for her father. She didn't ask questions and followed the rules. She didn't even complain about her mother on morphling who was always acting like a hollow version of herself.
Metric shakes her head. She can't do this anymore.
Across town a boy is already up and ready for the day. He pulls his leg back and stretches with a moan.
"Ready Lero?" His instructor asks. Lero Kiva nods. The instructor puts a disk into his music box and a soft sound comes out slowly. Lero rises from the floor and leaps across the room, twirling his body. He does a pirouette when he lands.
"Faster Lero! Keep up with the music!"
Lero continues to dance until the music stops.
Ten minutes later he's out of practice, but outside of the walls there is no break. Outside a rather stout boy stands waiting for him along with a group of kids his age. When Lero exits the stout boy cries, "LOOK IT'S LADY LERO!"
Lero looks down. His heart feels like it's sinking deep inside him, but Lero doesn't falter. He keeps his head up while he walks down the street. Lero doesn't let anyone get to him because although they might think they do, they don't. The bullies who make fun Lero don't know he dances for his paralyzed sister who loved to dance when she could actually move her legs.
Lero doesn't stop walking until he finds himself at the town square.
"Hello my wonderful District," Wanda Smarts smiles. "It is just so wonderful to see all of your wonderful faces! It's a wonder to be here, it really is!" Without another word, Wanda turns the screen on behind her. Pictures of bombs raining onto helpless Districts already struck with poverty flash across the screen. Metric and Lero look away. "Wonderful! Wasn't it?" Nobody responds to Wanda. "Alright then, let's get this thing started," she sighs, suddenly sounding downhearted. Wanda wraps her bony fingers around a sheet of paper. "Ladies go first!"
"ARIAN RICHMOND!" A young girl gasps. Metric sees it. The moment Ty volunteered flashes before her eyes. A young boy had been reaped. Metric glances towards her father, who give her a stern look. It's confirmed then.
"I VOLUNTEER!" She shouts. Mr. Tenure shakes his head sadly.
"How wonderful!" Wanda says, happy once more. "What's your name my dear?"
"Metric Tenure," her voice is hollow.
"Wondrous! Now for our gentlemen," Wanda fishes for another name.
"LERO KIVA!" A sixteen year-old boy slowly realizes his name has been said.
"Oh my gosh. I should have done something with my life… anything! My ballet recital is tomorrow! Tommorow of all days.." Lero continues to ramble on and on subconsciously.
"OUR TRIBUTES OF DISTRICT SIX!" Wanda smiles, looking like a deranged patient in an mental ward.
…
Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.
I know what you do to yourself,
I breathe deep and cry out,
"Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?"
I know a lot of you probably feel like I left out some things on your tribute. That's on purpose! I want to reveal things later on about your tributes for drama.
SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! I had so much going on- finals, homework, my mom was in the hospital for a few days (she's fine now:D ) and some other things. But here's the good news- SCHOOL'S OUT! HELLO SUMMER! So now I have lots of extra time for this story.
SPONSOR QUESTION for 5 pts- (If ya'll don't have a tribute, tell me who you want me to give it to instead): Who are your top five tributes? Tell me why if you want. Answer in review. Also don't forget about the prompt!
Any tributes that you really like, dislike etc.? Any predictions? Favorite quote?