Reapings Part One
A Cannon in the Wind;
The 5th Hunger Games
Aeliana Devrine, Hunger Games Interviewer / Announcer
"You're on in..." The cameraman puts up three fingers, then two...and then...
Hot, blinding light hits me square in the face—but I'm more than use to it by now. I smile my cheery smile and wave at the crowd, just as the Capitol Anthem blares behind me. When it finishes, I open my mouth to finally talk.
"Good morning, you beautiful people!"
The crowd goes nuts, as they do every year. Sometimes, I feel really, really proud of myself. Never did those other girls in school think that I'd get chosen for such a wonderful career. Never did they think smelly Aeliana, pimple-faced Aeliana, crooked-teeth Aeliana would ever be Panem's most famous star!
All it took was hard work—and a bit of sleeping around, but you know, everyone does that to get up top.
Nobody calls me those humiliating names anymore. I don't smell bad; I have my own perfume brand! I don't have pimples; my beautifully crystal clear face is the envy of Capitolites everywhere!
I grin at everyone, showing off my sparkling white teeth. With a bit of surgery, my teeth literally sparkles. Never will I be said to have crooked teeth again; I made sure to have my personal dentist take care of that problem.
All in all, I'm beautiful, amazing, a star. I'm perfect. And everyone knows it.
They all know it.
"Does everyone know what today is?" I ask, and they howl in reply. Of course they know. Anyone who gets up at eight o'clock in the morning to come to my private studio knows exactly what today's occasion is. "You all guessed it. It's Reaping Day! The most anticipated day ever!"
They all scream and hoot and jump—and I laugh. I laugh at their enthusiasm to finally see what kids will die this year. It takes a special kind of person to enjoy something like this.
And the Capitol is filled with special people.
"Before we do that, though..." I swipe some of my yellow hair of my eyes. They catch the hint, oohing and awwing at this year's newest design. This year, my hair is done up like a sparkling star, with ornaments adorning the interior to have it shine. "Aww, don't make me blush, everyone!"
I hide my face, pretending to be embarrassed—but I'm actually smirking behind my hands. Of course they love my hair. That's the best thing about me. Without my hair, I'd be hideous.
Worthless.
"Oh yeah." I look back up at the crowd, my apparent embarrassment completely gone. "We have a special guest watching the reapings with us today. Give a round of applause for Jewell Galamory, Victor of the 1st annual Hunger Games!"
The spotlight momentarily leaves me, and I use that time to massage my face muscles. Having to smile and act giddy for so long is more tiring than you could ever imagine. When the light comes back on, however, I'm joined by the beauty from District 1.
Jewell has on a light blue dress that sparkles in the spotlight, crystal clear heels made from real glass, and her hair is styled up in a nice ponytail. Not better than my hair—I made sure to let her stylists understand how annoyed I'd be if that were to happen—but still, it's pretty enough. The young Victor smiles at the crowd and even blows a few kisses, before looking at me and giving me a small smirk.
"Good morning, Aeliana," she says, her voice light. "I love the new hair. It must've taken a long time for that idea to pop into your head, huh?"
I chuckle, swallowing the urge to tell this skank off. But if I did that, it'd ruin my image. And that's exactly what she wants. A little bit of rebellion that'll, just like always, fail.
"Yep." I agree with her, nodding like the sluts from her district. "I would've gone for the basic ponytail look—oh, but I wouldn't want to steal your thunder."
The crowd laughs at that—and she goes quiet, a bright red blush on her face.
The District 1 reapings are about to begin, the man from the control center says in my ear. I nod, discreetly turning off my miniature headset.
Once again, I give the crowd a grin. "Anyway, I have a hunch that the reapings are beginning! Let's watch, shall we?"
They cheer in response—and in the corner of my eye, I see Jewell clench her fists. I laugh. Even though she won, I bet she still can't shake away the fear of her Games. They didn't know what to expect at all. Even when she got reaped, the tears in her eyes were as clear as day.
The lights dim, and the giant screen behind me turns on. I roll around in my seat and prepare myself for the no-doubt attractive tributes from District 1—home of the official dim-witted sluts.
The first thing I see from District 1 is the decorations placed around the district square. The higher officials are up on-stage—the mayor reading the boring drawl of a treaty—while the children are all herded below into sections. Arrogant boys on one side, loose girls on the other. In contrast to the ribbons and "Happy Hunger Games" signs, they don't look too happy. But why would they? Odds are, these two tributes are going to die. They can try to appear pro-Capitol, but in the end, we all know their true feelings.
"...This is how we remember our past," the mayor reads, finally looking up from the white sheet of paper in front of him. "This is how we safeguard our future." A few children clap for him, and he goes to sit back down. And almost instantly, District 1's Capitol escort—I can't remember her name for the life of me—bounces up to the microphone.
"Good morning, District 1!" She greets. Her eyes are like a cat's, flicking back and forth way too fast. "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"
A few more kids clap for her, but it's noticeably less than what the mayor had going on. She doesn't even seem to notice as her smile gets bigger.
"Well, now is the time for one attractive young man and one special young lady to be chosen for the honor of representing District 1 in this year's Hunger Games." She closes her eyes and takes in a breath of air, as dramatic as ever. When she opens them once more, she grins. "Males first?"
I swear this lady is a real pervert, but that's beside the point. Before I can even think of blinking, she's over at the male's bowl, digging her entire arm in. When she finally feels satisfied, she takes out a crisp slip of paper, laughing.
"And District 1's male tribute for the 5th annual Hunger Games is..." She opens the slip, extremely fast. I can just feel the tension in the district right now. Nobody wants to be reaped; nobody wants to die.
But two young children will. It's what they get for rebelling.
That's all there is to it. And I'll just be here smiling and flipping my wig—I mean...hair.
"Vesper Quinn!" The Capitol escort looks up from the slip of paper and smiles, her eyes moving fast again. "Vesper Quinn, are you here? Come on up...please?"
There's complete silence down in the boy's section. The camera focuses on the crowd, trying to pick out this year's tribute. The boys' expressions range from sad to relieved to even smug. Stupid District 1 pricks.
But suddenly, there's movement. Roughly pushing past the other boys is a tall, attractive one. His eyes are light blue and practically dares anyone to get in his way. Certainly not happy, that's for sure. His dirty blond hair is styled up in the annoying District 1 way—and when he gets into the aisle, we get a full view of his body. Strong-looking, but not too strong.
Vesper calmly walks onstage and stands beside the escort—not smiling, not crying, not anything. He just looks off into the distance, his face passive but his eyes angry.
The Capitolites behind me all ooh when the camera closes in on his face. I roll my eyes at that. He's a real looker, sure, but I don't like my men coming from District 1. Thanks, but no thanks.
The escort looks completely taken over with him. "Y-You're Vesper?" She asks, and he nods, still not giving her any attention. "W-Well, that's fantastic! I smell the sponsors already!"
Half of them are going to be from her, but that's apparently beside the point.
Realizing that Vesper's not going to respond, she turns back to the crowd. "Time for the females," she says, a significant amount of enthusiasm gone. The escort quickly walks over to the girl's bowl and sticks her hand in, taking a slip out not even a second later.
...Is this lady bias or what?
"Adeline Callard!" The escort calls out, yawning a bit. "Please come up. Or don't. Your choice."
Immediately, there's chatter amongst the females. This one must be a popular girl, huh? Perfect, I love dealing with those type of girls. After a few more seconds, the girls all seem to back away, leaving a tall blonde female separated from the rest. Adeline is skinny and well-dressed—actually, she's well-everything. I can tell just by the way her hair is combed and how her clothes are ironed that her appearance must be very important to her. Not the most attractive District 1 girl, though. We'll see how many sponsors she can pull off.
Adeline doesn't move immediately. She looks extremely surprised; mouth wide open, eyes wide open, completely frozen in place. After a few seconds, I guess she realizes that she's supposed to go to the stage, and she does so in a very controlled manner. Standing beside Vesper and her escort, she tries to pull off an emotionless look—but her eyes tell us just how much fear she's in.
The escort smiles at the crowd of children below her. "District 1, I present to you your tributes!"
The camera zooms in on the tributes of District 1. Vesper, his attractive face deadpanned, his gaze on something we can't see. If he were to actually smile, I think he'd get quite a bit of sponsors. And then there's Adeline, who's playing with her hands. Yeah, District 1 isn't looking too appealing...but they never do. To me, at least.
The big screen turns off, and the lights slowly start turning back on. I spin around in my chair and force myself to grin at the crowd of Capitol citizens.
"Wow! That was exciting, right?"
They cheer in response. Beside me, Jewell has on a totally fake smile, playing for the audience. I turn to her, starting the thirty minutes of time waiting for District 2. This is honestly the worst part of Reapings—but it's my job, so I shouldn't complain. Much.
"Well, Jewell, I'm sure the Capitol would love to know your feelings on this year's District 1 tributes." I twirl my hair as I talk, studying her face. I know she hates this part, too, which makes me like it just a bit. "So what do you have to say about Vesper and Adeline?"
Jewell smiles that plastic smile of hers. "Vesper seems like he'll be a really strong competitor, don't you think? Coupled with those looks of his, I'm almost positive he'll be the powerhouse of the Games." She looks over at the crowd. "So make sure you all sponsor him, okay?"
The crowd nods and cheers, and her smile grows. I prevent myself from scowling. Little manipulative whore. Already snagging your tribute some extra points, aren't you? Well, I won't have that.
"You do have two tributes to mentor, remember?" I say. "What about Adeline?"
Her smile doesn't falter, I'll give her that. "I admire her ability to stay strong during the Reapings, because we all know how emotional some tributes get. I think that she'll be a really amazing tribute, probably even the Victor!"
I snort. Of course she's gonna say that. "I guess you're right. We all know how a certain District 1 Victor reacted when she was reaped." The crowd laughs, and for a split second, Jewell narrows her eyes. But showing anger would be bad—extremely bad—so she turns that scowl into a half-assed smile.
"Well, the thought of representing my district made me a bit emotional." Jewell laughs, but every syllable she utters is filled with hate. "Anyway, Vesper and Adeline will both be fun to watch, so I really hope the Capitol treats them well. You too, Aeliana." Her fake smile turns into a very real smirk. "We all know how you like to ramble during the interviews. Try to give the tributes a bit of the spotlight this time, okay?"
The crowd laughs again, and it takes a whole bunch of willpower not to spit at this dress-wearing bitch.
"I'll try," I say, forcing a laugh. "Anyway, back to the tributes..."
We chat for a bit more—throwing shade whenever we can—until I get word that the District 2 Reapings are starting. I quickly inform the audience, they cheer in excitement, the lights dim, and the big screen flashes on.
Just like District 1, the citizens of District 2 have decorations placed around their square, and even some on the Justice Building. Not as extravagant as District 1, but I can actually feel the appreciation towards the Capitol in this district.
They didn't rebel. We gave them a training center. Now, even if a tribute from District 2 is reaped, they'll be prepared. They'll have an upper hand compared to the slobs from District 11 or 12.
And it shows—hence the reason they have two Victors.
"Happy Hunger Games, District 2!" The Capitol escort is as bubbly as the one from before. It's probably in their job description. "I'm here, as you all know, to choose the very best tributes that'll compete this year! Are you guys excited? I'm excited!"
She rattles on a bit more, trying to lighten the mood with jokes. And because nobody in this district is particularly scared, she actually gets a few chuckles. Not much, but it's a lot more than what other escorts get. District 2 is a special case, a case the Capitol appreciates.
"Well, I think it's about time we get started. But don't worry, I'll have even better jokes next year!" The escort walks over to the female bowl, completely pleased with herself. Last year, I explicitly remember that she had a severe cold, and couldn't be as lively as she wanted. She's really making up for it this year.
She grabs a slip from the female bowl and walks back over to the microphone, no rush whatsoever. She also has a way with building up tension, which is also really appreciated here in the Capitol.
"And the female representing District 2 in the 5th annual Hunger Games is..." She opens the slip, tantalizingly slow. "...Echo Woods! Can Ms. Woods please come up?"
I'm expecting someone to volunteer like last year—but none of the girls move, or shout, or even look like they want to volunteer. I guess the female tribute's death last year—being violently hacked down by her own District Partner—unnerved them enough to give up the option of fame and fortune.
And that means Echo Woods, whoever that turns out to be, will be this year's tribute. How lovely.
I just hope it's not some boring twelve-year-old.
In the female section, there's instantly commotion up front. The girls all back up, letting a fit-looking girl walk to the aisle. Echo has fiery red hair that's curled down to her back, and her piercing brown eyes give me the impression of a really tough girl—even if she was reaped. Her expression is closed off, however, as she walks to the stage. But when she gets onstage, she gives one of the cameras a...surprisingly pretty smile.
"I'm Echo Woods," she says into the microphone, practically shoving the escort out of the way. "Victor of the 5th Hunger Games."
The audience behind me all start whispering to each other, impressed with her confidence. Overall, a beautiful girl coming from District 2 with confidence that's actually convincing? I may be wrong, but she can definitely gain plenty of sponsors if she plays her cards right.
To my right, Jewell looks really unimpressed—but what does she know?
"No! Echo!" The camera dips back down to the female section. Causing quite the commotion is a pretty dark-haired girl, a worried look on her face. "Please, don't do this!" She turns around, towards the other girls. "Someone please volunteer! Please volunteer for Echo—you have to!"
But nobody moves. Actually, most of the girls seem amused at her frenzied behavior. When the camera shoots back up to Echo and the escort, the red-head still looks deadpanned—although she is avoiding the other girl's gaze. What is going on here?
After the dark-haired girl is subdued by Peacekeepers—albeit rather gently—the escort goes over to reap the male tribute. She picks up the slip of paper and opens it, but before she can even read the name, someone interrupts her.
"I volunteer!"
The camera shoots away from the escort and dips into the male section, searching for the volunteer. Behind me, the audience starts to murmur, and even I'm scooting up in curiosity. While I may not like District 1, I do have a thing for District 2.
An older-looking boy with blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin runs into the aisle and then climbs onto the stage. My eyes widen at that. What an entrance! Not even panting, the volunteer turns around and gives the escort a cheeky smile that has the female members of the audience literally falling to the floor. He's pretty tall and slim, and his hair is ruffled in a way that's childishly attractive.
"Hi," he says, gently taking the microphone from the stunned escort. "I'm Kostos Sylett." He glances at Echo and smirks. "Victor of the 5th Hunger Games."
The screen shuts off, and the lights turn back on. Spinning around in my chair, I don't have to force the smile from creeping on my face.
"Wow!" I exclaim. "Now that was something! I think District 2 has really outdone themselves this year, right?" Way better than District 1, I want to say, but as an interviewer, I can't be bias. Well, not much. Spiting Jewell would really make it worthwhile, though.
Speaking of her...
"Yes, I think District 2 has some really strong competitors this year..." Jewell trails off, that fake smile of hers present. But then, for some reason, she starts talking again. "Even though Echo didn't volunteer, it felt as if she was ready to partake in the Games already. And Kostos, volunteering and all, is definitely going to be interesting. I think they have two well-versed tributes."
I nod. For once, she isn't spouting nonsense. "Yeah, and what about the commotion in the female section? Echo looked uninterested, but that black-haired girl had to have been acquainted with our female tribute. Your thoughts, Jewell?"
"Must be best friends—they didn't look similar enough to be sisters." She crosses her arms, smiling at me. "The female section didn't look too happy when Kostos volunteered, though. It was really hard to see, but a lot of them had a really disappointed look on their faces, some even downright astonished!"
"Yeah, I saw," I lie, coughing a little. Honestly, I didn't notice that at all. "Maybe they were expecting someone else to volunteer? I can't imagine Kostos being friends with all of those young ladies." He isn't like you District 1 sluts, I want to say, but I gulp that right back down.
"Maybe he is. Someone attractive like him must be really popular with the ladies." Jewell turns to smile at the crowd. "What do you all think?"
The audience all voice their opinions, and that's when I get word of District 3's reaping. District 2 had a longer reaping than most, so thankfully I didn't have to talk much. I inform the crowd of the next reaping, they cheer, the lights dim, and the screen flashes on once again.
District 3, unlike the first two districts, don't have any decorations plastered about. It's to be expected, though; they hate the Capitol, just like most other districts. All I see when the camera shows us the children are pale faces and moody expressions. It's sorta sad, really. If only they'd win just one Hunger Games, then maybe they could finally get in the spirit?
Doubtful, but still.
"Salutations, District 3," says the usual Capitol escort. She tries to sound smart for our smartest district, but she usually just ends up making a fool of herself. Still, it gives the Capitol citizens a laugh—and that's the entire point, right? "Just like always, I will be selecting the female tribute first. It is only suitable, correct?"
Nobody responds. They all just stare at up her in hate and depression. Still, she doesn't acknowledge the lack of enthusiasm, and goes over to the female bowl to condemn a young girl to death. She grabs a slip of paper, goes back to the microphone, and...
"Iris Logan!" The escort calls out. "Please allow yourself to—"
"No!" A shriek comes from the female section. All the way in the back. Just great. Instantly, the other twelve-year-olds back away from the reaped girl. Realizing that she was just called up, and that she's going to die...Iris collapses to the ground and sobs. Loudly. "No! No, please, please!"
The Capitol audience behind me stay silent, probably disappointed, while Jewell has a hard look on her face. She catches me staring and narrows her eyes, while I simply smile.
The Peacekeepers are upon the girl in seconds, literally dragging her crying form to the front. They toss her on the stage—pretty roughly—and walk away...and Iris does nothing but stay sprawled on the ground and cry. It's sad, really, but there's nothing to be done. If there's anyone to blame, it's her district for fighting back and causing this strife.
"Well..." The escort looks torn for a moment, but regains her composure pretty quickly. "Next up is the male tribute. Please try and represent your district better than Ms. Logan..."
She goes over to the male bowl, grabs a slip, and walks back over to the microphone. I can just feel the tension in the audience, hoping that the male is some strong, sexy eighteen-year-old. And even in the district, I can feel their fear. They don't want to be reaped; nobody wants to die.
"Tet Kender! Please come up, sir!"
There's a bit of a pause when the escort calls the kid up. The crowd of boys don't even isolate the kid like how the girls did with Iris. For a good moment, it's like there's...no reaction.
And then, I see the littlest bit of moment. That's good; they didn't have to leave him alone for him to walk up. The bad news is that, like his little district partner, he's a small child. Thirteen-years-old at best.
Tet walks down the aisle slowly, a perplexed look on his young face. He's average height for a kid his age—maybe a bit taller—and really thin. His hair is light brown and wavy—and when he makes it to the stage, the camera focuses in on his face, showing us his light green eyes. He still looks really confused, and when the escort asks him how he feels, he acts like she's not even there.
The camera pans in on Iris again. She's a really pretty little girl, with her brown hair and young face...but she almost looks malnourished. She's not sobbing anymore, thankfully, but she's still on the floor, whimpering.
The escort looks at her two tributes and sighs. "Here you go, District 3," she says, dropping the smart voice. "Your representatives."
The screen clicks off, and the lights turn on. Once again, I spin around and force what must be a weak smile.
"Well..." I trail off, trying to find something to say. Unfortunately, I can't think of anything...
So Jewell pipes up. "District 3 always produce intelligent tributes," she says, that fake smile of hers right back on. "It doesn't matter that they're young. I think, if we just gave them a chance, they could turn out to be something we'd never expect."
Doesn't matter what they turn out to be, I think, slightly irked at the fact that she's trying to one-up me. They'll just end up dead, and you know it, Jewell. Why are you giving all of these nice comments to tributes other than yours in the first place?
"It's kind of hard to see one of them actually winning, though," I say. "Nobody younger than fifteen has ever won before, so you can't blame us for being skeptical."
"Be skeptical all you want, Aeliana; I'm not telling you to bet on them or anything." Jewell's retort gets a small laugh out of the audience. God, I can't wait until she leaves. "I'm just saying, it's harsh to view tributes on their appearances rather than what's on the inside. For example, if I were to randomly see you on the street, I'd think you were some sort of clown!"
A clown?! I feel my face burning hot while the Capitol audience gets a real hoot out of her stale joke. This… This tramp… She did not just call me a clown!
"See? Doesn't feel too good when it happens to you, right?"
The audience continues to laugh, and all I can do is stare at Jewell in disbelief. I want to wrangle her neck; I want to beat her head in; I want to throw her back in the arena and watch her burn! But… But I stay calm, if only for the billions of cameras recording every moment of our conversation.
But she'll get hers. I promise she will. If I can't get her personally, I'll do it in other ways. I'll make sure her tributes never get a single sponsor! For as long as I LIVE, dammit!
District 4 is starting. I hear the man in my ear, and somehow, I redirect my attention away from the District 1 bitch and back to the audience.
"Anyway, District 4 is about to begin, everyone!" I exclaim, my cheery facade back on. "Are you as excited as me to see some wonderful tributes?"
The audience voice their agreements, just as the lights dim and the screen flickers on. I spin back around to get a good look - but I make sure to give Jewell a dirty look beforehand. Just like how I did to her, she simply smiles.
Stupid District 1 who-
"Welcome, District 4, and Happy Hunger Games!" The escort this time is a male, in contrast to the ones before. I don't recognize him, though; he must've replaced the lady from last year. Trying to feel clever, the escort has a fake trident in his hands, and his shirt is purposely torn. "This year, I'd like to reap the boy first. Is that okay?"
Nobody answers him. District 4 has a few little decorations placed around, but it's really nothing to call home about. The kids, while mildly attractive, are also pretty moody and depressing to watch. So the camera cuts away from the kids and goes back to the escort, who now has a white slip of paper in his hand. One person in his hand.
"And the male tribute for the 5th annual Hunger Games is…" The escort unwraps the paper, skims over the name, and then nods. "Sorry if I pronounce this wrong, but can Caio Artelle swim his way up here?"
"Shit!" The camera dips down into the boys' section, and I exhale in relief when I realize that the boy is one of the older ones. The other kids step away from Caio, who just stands there, completely unmoving. His eyebrows are furrowed; he looks like he's thinking pretty hard, which is weird, considering most people end up walking to the stage with tears in their eyes.
When Caio continues to make no move, the Peacekeepers take things into their own hands. They move for him - and when one of them grab his arm, he shrugs them off and gives them a look of pure disgust. Surprisingly, they just watch as he puts his hands in his pockets and slowly walk to the stage, his brows still furrowed.
When Caio finally gets onstage, the camera zooms in - you know, to see if he's sponsor-worthy or not. And thankfully, I think he is. Caio is tall and handsome, and his skin is darkened due to always being in the sun, probably. His hair is an unruly mess, a mixture being straight and curly, and his dark brown eyes are almost calculating. With the addition of him being big and toned, I think this District 4 male can really pull off quite a bit of sponsors.
"Well, things are looking good!" The escort smiles at Caio, waving his trident around. "I bet you can't wait to swing this thing around in the arena, right? Here, hold it, show us how you'd look."
Caio glances at the escort, almost scowling. "I'd rather not."
The Capitol escort frowns for a split second, but then his happy-go-lucky smile comes back and he goes over to the female bowl. "Suit yourself. I'm sure your District Partner would love to wield such a mighty weapon." He sticks his hand in and picks up a small slip. "Speaking of your District Partner. The female representing District 4 will be…" He opens the slip quickly, apparently not one for dramatic pauses. "Isla Dylan! Please come up!"
The female section parts without much protest, leaving a young blonde girl by herself. She gapes, looking around in shock - but there's nothing anyone can do to save her. It's sad, too, because she can't be any older than fifteen. Not the best, tribute-wise, but it could be worse.
"No!" A shriek of defiance comes from all the way. The camera pans away from our female tribute to an older blonde running down the aisle, a worried look on her attractive face. "I volunteer! I volunteer!"
The Capitol audience all start murmuring behind me. Jewell makes a face, but I'm grinning at the screen, wondering who this older girl is and just why she volunteered.
The camera focuses on the older blonde, the other girl completely forgotten. The volunteer has on a pretty white dress with brown sandals on, which is sure to get her sponsors. Her eyes are a striking grey, but her nose is a bit funny-looking for some reason. The volunteer has tan skin, coming from District 4 and everything, and her limbs are long and lean.
The camera suddenly focuses on her right leg, though, and the audience behind me gasps when they see the burn marks. It looks horrible! Now that it's caught my attention, I can see how she limps a bit on that leg. Definitely won't help her during the Games, that's for sure.
The volunteer slows down a bit, her face contorting to something unreadable...but when she looks back at the female section, she climbs the steps to the stage and takes her place next to the escort.
"Wow! That was some entrance!" The Capitol escort practically gushes over our female volunteer, giving her the microphone. "Please, tell us your name and the reason you volunteered!"
The volunteer grabs the microphone and scowls at the escort, silently telling him to back up. "Ula Dylan," she says, her voice softer than I thought it'd be. "And if you didn't realize it from my name, Isla is my little sister."
"Oh." He frowns a little, but then holds up his trident. "I'm sure you'd like to use this, though, right?"
Ula bites her lip, glaring bloody murder at her escort. Before we hear her response, though, the screen shuts off, and the lights turn back on. I spin around in my chair and glance at Jewell, who still has that unimpressed look on her stupid face.
"District 4 has some definite competitors this yeah, right?" I ask the Capitol audience, and they all voice their opinions. I glance at Jewell; I'm not letting her get the better of me again. "It seems that every district so far has topped District 1, though. What do you think, Jewell?"
"I don't think that's true." Her face is deadpanned; not happy, nor mad. "Vesper is definitely the strongest-looking one, and Adeline gives off a very special aura. As I said before, don't let first impressions guide you."
"But come on," I say, smirking. It's so cute that she wants to defend her little tributes. "District 4 had a strong-looking volunteer, and Caio doesn't doesn't look bad at all. And both of them have a little temper to them, which is always fun." Not fun for me, considering I have to interview these tributes - but I'm only saying this stuff to get on Jewell's nerves. And, by the way her face gets red, it's working.
"Whatever, you'll see first-hand just how interesting my tributes are during the Games." Her face is still deadpanned, but the venom coming out of her voice is as clear as day. President Kronin will have a little word with her if she ends up losing her temper.
I laugh, motioning to the crowd. "No, we all will see. Hopefully they don't disappoint." Turning to the audience, I smile my cheery smile and point to the screen behind me. "Anyway, that was only a third of the reapings, and it's already getting heated up! I can't even imagine what the other tributes will turn out to be! Can you all?"
The audience give me their answer in the form of cheering. Of course they're pumped up. Four districts have passed by so far, and overall, I'm pretty pleased with the competition. Vesper and Adeline from District 1, Echo and Kostos from District 2, Iris and Tet from District 3, and Caio and Ula from District 4.
One of them could be the Victor, and yet, all of them could be dead in the next few weeks. That's what draws me in - the excitement, the drama, the adventure.
Twenty-four tributes, and only one Victor.
I love it.
Well, I got this chapter out pretty fast, right? Haha, don't expect me to continue that. :|
Anyway, thanks for all of the reviews, and I hope to get many more in the duration of this story. ^_^
For starters, I'd like to know how you all feel about Aeliana. Love her? Hate her? Please tell me in the reviews!
As for the tributes that appeared in this chapter, which ones do you like the best? Which ones don't you like? Which reaping was your favorite? Tell me in the reviews, yo!
Next chapter, our lovely District 1 Victor will have to go, and the two Victors of District 2 will take her place. I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but hopefully pretty soon.
Bye-bye! ^_^