Livaria "Liv" Stark, District 2

I stretched out my arms at the new day. The day of the Reaping.

My orphanage-mates were awake, and their little bent beds were already made. They certainly weren't comfortable with their sheets and paper-thin matresses, we were still required by Ms. Otterson to make them every morning.

Arabeske; the most liked girl in the orphanage, walked into my room, her gray uniform dress looking good on her. She smiled, her black hair brushing her shoulders.

"Almost time for the Reaping! Are you coming? Deliliah and Daffy will save you a spot, if you want." she said, her gray eyes glittering. I nodded, and went to get on my most prized possesion, a light pink dress with matching shoes. It may not seem like much, but it's all that my family left me. I was found holding in it a bundle close to my chubby three-year-old arms, wandering around the fields of our District. I finished dressing, then headed outside to walk to the Reaping centre. Secretly, I've been training for years with the bully of the orphanage, Phenilia, in trade for some of my wild blackberries. We don't get much food, either, so Phenilia welcomed the trad. I rubbed my face, hoping that somehow my freckles will disappear. Phenelia's heavy steps echoed behind me.

"So, girl, you gonna volunteer?" she asked, sneering. I grabbed handfulls of my dress to keep from knocking a tooth of hers out right then and there. Phenilia laughed.

"Okay then, don't tell me. But for my secrecy I ask a price..." she gestured with a beefy hand to her mouth. I nodded faintly, thinking that once I volunteered, I wouldn't have to pay anyone for their silence. I walked over to the 16-year-old section and wedged myself between two boys. They both looked over at me with annoyance as Wesseline, our escort, took the stage.

"Well, hello District 2!" she shouted, streching her pale lips into a smile.

"Our tributes, due to complications, were picked randomly! And this year's are... for the female tribute, Arabaske DuPointe!" she shouted. I snatched a shred of a look at Arabeske. Pale silver tears were tracing her face, and her pink lips were open.

"I volunteer!" I shouted, a split second before the whole 18-year-old section. Arabeske ran over and hugged me tightly before anything else happened.

"Oh, no! Liv, you don't have to..." she trailed off, her bottom lip trembling.

"No, no, Arabeske, it's okay. I'll be back soon." I said reassuringly. Wesseline coughed into the microphone.

"Now, if Livaria will please join me onstage..." she said. I pulled myself from Arabeske and headed onto the creaky wooden stage.

"And now for our male tribute, Celsus Pheonix!" Wesseline practically screamed into the microphone. A tall boy with swoopy blonde hair walked up onstage from the 13-year-old section, waving at all the girls. I may have been seeing things, but I thought I saw a few faint.

"As everyone knows, only one volunteer from our District can be allowed, so let's get our winners on the road!" she said cheerily. We were ushered (AKA manhandled) to the train cart with 'Disctrict 2' written on it. The boy was a large bit taller than me, but he held out his hand. I shook it.

"So..." he said awkwardly. So indeed.

"Look," I said bluntly, "Let's just get these Games over with. No attachments, no problems. Got it?" I asked. He nodded, looking stung.

The thing is, I wasn't sorry. I meant what I said.

Did anyone catch the ballet reference? No? Leave it in a review for 2 extra points for the tribute of your choice! If you're first at the RIGHT answer, you get the points! Leave your review in the following format:

My Answer: XX

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