THE REAPING
The town square was crowded with the citizens of District Two. Children between ages 12-18 were rounded up, separated by gender, and lined up in order of seniority. Clove stood near the middle, with being 16 years of age. As she was pricked in the finger by Peacekeeper to confirm her identity, she observed the crowds. A small girl was crying as she tried to keep hold of her father's pant leg before the Peacekeeper tore her away. The look on the man's face was cold and hard as he watched his screaming daughter be dragged away from his touch to the female line.
Clove turned away, because although she was trained to be lethal, venomous, and a killer, she still couldn't stand the look of fresh young screaming for their loved ones. Not teenagers. Not children. But the small, helpless, and clueless ones. Those were the ones that she felt for. But no one else.
Soon, a Capitol citizen was standing upon the stage that the Peacekeepers had made in less than an hour, and he was announcing "Happy Hunger Games", and "Why don't we do the boys first". He was tall and thin, with periwinkle lipstick and a bald head tattooed with shining, silver swirls. His carnation pink suit had many overlapping layers that made him look like he was in the exoskeleton of a cockroach. Eyebrows were missing from his face. Heavily applied metallic white eye shadow made him look like a ghost. Clove couldn't bear to look at him anymore and see all the other details that made him so freakish. So instead, she stared at his hand as it rustled through the paper entries in the round, glass case.
He drew a slip of paper.
And it wasn't Cato.
Octavian moved to walk up to the stage to stand alongside the whimsical Capitol man. He was smirking triumphantly, and as Clove spotted the Mayor among the crowd, she saw that he was red with fury. And before she could think anything else-
Clove's name was called.
And suddenly the floor was swirling beneath her and everyone's faces were distorted and blurry and she wanted to fall and sink into the floor. And Clove wanted to remember how to breath but her lungs didn't agree and nor did her mind as it went blank until she saw her mother's face.
Glaring at Clove. Her eyes were scathing as she seemed to try and will Clove to walk up to that stage with her stare. And that was what woke Clove.
Briskly, she walked up to the stage, and stood beside Octavian. Her eyes scanned the audience that was her District. Not one of them, not even the ones she didn't know, would look her in the face. They all stared at the Capitol man.
"Would anyone like to volunteer, then?" piped up the man, raising his nonexistent eyebrows.
"I volunteer!" shouted a rough, harsh voice, sounding like grating metal. And suddenly Cato was lunging forward towards the stage and the Capitol man was saying, "Well! Look how enthusiastic he is! What a good example for all of yo—." Cato shoved Octavian out of the way and Peacekeepers took him off stage. And then it was announced,
"And it is my pleasure to introduce to all of you Clove and Cato, the Tributes of District Two!"
end THE REAPING