Lavender Jones' POV
I walk, well, trip, to the square in the heels my mother forced me to wear. They don't go with the faded navy blue V-neck and red shorts I've thrown on for the reaping, but she doesn't care.
Ariel, my 11 year old sister, is also in heels, but hers are a good inch shorter than mine. My mother attempted to get Ethan into a suit, but he screamed until she gave up. Ethan has a mental illness. If things aren't how he likes it, he'll scream until they are. I stand quietly among the other 17 year-olds. I wonder who the very unlucky six tributes will be this year.
Amelia Star's POV
The first name is drawn. I hold my breath. My family isn't all that wealthy, and I don't have very good chances of surviving in any arena the Capitol devises. It's not me, but two more names are still to be drawn. Lavender Jones, the girl who was reaped, walks clumsily onto the stage. Then the second name is drawn.
Genevive Hawkins' POV
I walk up to the stage and shake hands with Lavender. She's older than me; in fact, nearly everyone who will be reaped is bigger than me. I can guarantee it. The third girl is called up. Her name is Amelia Star. Her breath is rapid and her eyes are on the verge of tears as she shakes Lavender's hand, and then mine. Now it's time for the boys.
Renal Bane's POV
I believe my heart actually stopped when my name was called. All I know is that one of the girls is 13 like me. So maybe not all hope is lost. I don't remember anything after that.
Beau Atkinson's POV
The boy on the stage is an ashen color. I wonder, just for a moment, if that's what I will look like when I get reaped. I brush the thought away. My evil step-mother, Jezebel, made me sign up for tesserae six times, even though I'm only thirteen. She lied to the Peacekeepers and told them there were two more of us than there really is. She hates me. She really wants to get rid of me.
We don't need the tesserae; my father's pretty rich, but she just wants me dead. So, at 13, I have my name entered in the bowl 14 times. I know some other boys who really do need the tesserae and have more names than me, but I have a feeling they won't be reaped. I am going to the Capitol today.
Sure enough, my name is pulled first. My father, who loves me, is on the brink of tears. Jezebel, on the other hand, has a cruel smile smeared across her face.
Shral Nenal's POV
I feel bad for the 13 year old. He doesn't stand much of a chance. There are three 13 year olds now from our district. I remember hearing about a Quell when all the tributes were 12 years old. I shudder at the thought of all those helpless young ones, dying for a mistake made a century before their births.
While I'm lost in thought, our escort calls my name. I clear my head on the way to the stage.
Lavender Jones' POV
Goodbyes fly by. I don't remember any of them. I'm too engaged in the future. What horrors will it bring? Why me? Do I even have a future?
Amelia Star's POV
"I love you, Amelia. Don't give up. Get into the Career pack, if you can. Promise me you'll try to come home. Promise me!" I promise, although it's empty. There is a 0% chance I'll get into the Career pack, and about a 10% chance I'll win.
Genevive Hawkins' POV
My goodbyes are a blur of tears, shaking, hugging, kissing, and holding each other in silence. I don't try to cover up the redness of my eyes when we go to the train.
Renal Bane's POV
When I come to my senses, I find that I'm already in the train. A spoonful of venison stew is half-way to my mouth. I shake my head, confused.
"What? How'd I get here?"
"What are you talking about?" One of the girls replies.
"The last thing I remember is getting reaped."
"Oh, well, that explains why you've been so quiet," another girl says.
Beau Atkinson's POV
Renal had blanked out. It was pretty funny, but I managed to stifle my laugh. Who knows what I would have felt if my reaping had been unexpected?
The stew is delectable. I also indulge in the hot chocolate and fudge that bursts with a vanilla/orange sauce, marinating my taste buds. I zone out of the conversation as I stuff every piece of that stuff I can hold into my mouth. I finally can't hold another bite, and that's when I'm afraid my dinner may make reappearance.
Shral Nenal's POV
Beau looks like he's gonna throw up, and that's how I feel as soon as I stop stuffing my face. The girls look the same, but Renal stopped eating after the stew, not even trying the fudge.
I know I didn't go much into Renal, but he's a bloodbath. Also, if you specifically asked for your tribute not to be a bloodbath, you may not get your wish. I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be. There are just so many tributes. And, I got a lot of complaints about how I didn't go into the backgrounds much, so I wanted to clear that up. Once I have all of the tributes, I'll randomly choose the bloodbaths, and then during the interviews, I'll go into the backgrounds of the characters that are not bloodbath.