Aurelius Charmichael, 17

District 1 Male

"What color should I go for?" I asked, holding up two bottles of nail polish.

"Pink!" Caledonia squealed, looking up from her own color selection. Juju frowned.

"I think blue would look better," she said. "It goes with your eyes."

"What color is your outfit for tomorrow?" Viola put in. "I think you should pick something that matches."

"I'm wearing white," I said. "But I'm undecided on the pants."

"The pair you wore to my grandma's birthday party would be perfect," Viola said. "Light khaki is a good look for you."

"Good idea!" the other girls put in. I put down the bottle of pink polish and handed the blue to the nail salon attendant.

"I'm going with the baby blue," I told her.

A spa day with my best friends was the perfect way to relax, and to celebrate the upcoming reaping. I'd been chosen as the volunteer a year early and my family and friends were ecstatic. Though not as much as I was. I was the perfect person to represent District 1. After all, I was their golden boy.

I settled into the plush chair and put my bare feet into the warm bath. Viola and Caledonia sat on my left and right. Viola was going with a deep purple that complimented her brown skin and Caledonia chose a bright red. It was her signature color.

The attendant began to massage my feet as I leaned back and sighed.

"I'll miss this when I'm in the arena," I told my friends.

"We'll have to sponsor you some face masks or something," Juju said with a laugh. "We have to make sure you're still getting pampered!" We all laughed at that and I winked at her.

"You know me too well," I teased.

"Well, we are your best friends," Caledonia said, tossing her hair. Viola rolled her eyes.

Sometimes I worried that Viola felt left out. Juju, Caledonia and I had been inseparable since birth, and Viola joined our group later on. But she was still just as special to me as the other girls were. We were a squad and it wouldn't be the same without her, or Otis or Ambrose.

Though things had changed with Ambrose. As of three months ago, we were boyfriends. Ambrose was the first person I came out to and he came out to me too. But we only recently admitted our feelings for each other. We were still in the midst of the new-couple bliss, but I was certain Ambrose was the one. He was kind and funny and sweet and we'd never even had a fight!

An attendant began to work on my hands as Juju spoke up.

"Have we got any other plans for today?"

"My mom is hosting a big party tonight," I said. "But the afternoon is free."

"We should get ice cream!" Caledonia said excitedly. "There's a new place downtown that I've been dying to try."

"Sounds good to me," Viola said as Juju nodded. I grinned. Today was perfect, and that was what I deserved.

Becky Sloan, 18

District 1 Female

I grunted as I lunged forward, stabbing my sword deep into the chest of the dummy in front of me. Then I wrenched it out, tearing a wider hole, and plunged my weapon into the heart of the figure next to it. I continued slashing and tearing my way through the training dummies, not stopping until I'd destroyed a whole row.

Then I let the sword rest at my side as I wiped the sweat from my forehead. If I was going to volunteer tomorrow, I had to be the best of the best. My parents wouldn't accept anything less.

My mom was the main reason I was volunteering. She wanted to when she was younger, but the trainers didn't choose her. So she made sure they chose me. I spent countless hours at the Academy, perfecting my skills so that I'd be chosen to represent our district. And this year, I was. I would be their perfect little victor, because that was what I was trained to do. And the other students would just have to deal with it.

I was the best and they knew it. That was why nobody liked me. And that was why I didn't hesitate to let them know how inferior they were. They couldn't avoid the truth. I wasn't going to let anybody knock me down, and that meant I had to knock them down first.

I put my sword back on the rack and eyed the line of destroyed dummies. Someone else would clean it up. And if they didn't, I'd make them. I held the power here and everyone knew that.

After doing a few cool-down stretches, I hit the showers. No one else was here, since tomorrow was reaping day and most people were out partying. But I had no one to party with, and so I was training.

I let the cool water wash away my sweat and stress, taking my time to appreciate the feeling of being clean. It was very unlikely I'd get to shower in the arena and I had to take advantage of the luxuries of home while I could.

I quickly threw some clothes on and made my way back through the training gyms, ignoring the several trainers and staff who were still there. Outside, I quickly called a taxi and sped home.

My family wasn't the richest around. Most of our money went to fueling my training. So I didn't have my own car like many of the other Academy students did. I didn't like admitting it, but it was another reason I often went home late. I didn't want anyone to see me in a cab.

Neither of my parents were home when I arrived, so I headed straight upstairs. I tossed my gym bag into the corner and sat down at my desk. After making sure I didn't hear anyone else in the house, I opened my desk drawer and took out my notebook.

When I had things on my mind, I liked to write. Sometimes it was journal entries, but mostly it was poetry. If my parents found out that I had a hobby other than training, they'd be furious, so I had to keep my poems a secret. So far, they didn't suspect a thing.

Picking up my pencil, I began to let the words pour out. A poem about the ease of home and the stress of change was already taking form and I knew it would end up being one of my best works. If only I had someone to share it with.

Twilight Starr, 41

District 1 Escort

Being in District 1 was always such a delight. From the people to the goods to the colors to the attitude… everything was luxurious and beautiful. And today, Cashmere was especially so. The victor approached me dressed in a pale pink sundress and strappy white sandals. Her lips were painted bubblegum pink and her lashes were long and curly.

"Cashmere," I gushed. "You look lovely!"

"You're looking quite handsome yourself," she purred, sidling up to me. She ran a hand up my chest and gave my shoulder a squeeze.

"Pink and purple go well together, don't you think?"

"They can," I said smoothly, extracting myself from her attempted embrace. Cashmere was a notorious flirt, but she and I both knew her advances wouldn't result in anything.

"Oh Cashmere, leave him alone!" Elegance teased as she came in. Her red curls hung loose around her face and stood out starkly against her navy blue jumpsuit.

"El!" I said, giving her a big smile.

"Hi Twilight," she replied. "I love your hair."

"Oh, it's just a little something extra," I said, patting the large pompadour. Usually my silky locks were purple, but this year I'd added a white dye to the tips, giving it a frosted look. I thought it suited my pale skin quite nicely.

The other victors slowly flowed into the room and I greeted each of them with a warm smile. Even Diamond was present, though she moved slowly and relied heavily on her walker. But she was in her mid-80's. If anyone deserved a little extra help, it was District 1's first and most prestigious victor.

After planting a kiss on her wrinkled cheek, I straightened my collar and strutted out onto the stage at the queue of a stagehand. The crowd burst into applause when they saw me and I waved and bowed.

"Hello District 1! Thank you for the warm welcome! I am delighted to be here again as we begin the reaping for the 66th Hunger Games! I'm sure we'll have quite a spectacular event this year."

More whoops and cheers came from the audience as I spoke. I grinned.

"Let's put our hands together for our past victors!" I sang. Diamond came onstage, followed by Luster, and all the other victors. We cheered for all of them. Cashmere blew me a kiss as she took her seat and I forced a smile. I was glad Elegance was mentoring this year and not her.

"Now we have a small documentary to watch, and then we'll select our tributes! Please direct your attention to the lovely film our President has prepared." I gestured to the screens above and behind me, which came to life at my command. The dull narrator told the story of the rebellion and the institution of the Hunger Games, and it finished with a musical flourish. I joined in on the crowd's applause.

"How inspiring was that? I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. But now it is time to select our female representative!" I marched over the big glass bowl and quickly plucked a slip. We'd most likely have a volunteer, so the name didn't matter much.

"Jewel Faust!"

"I volunteer!"

The call was loud and firm. A girl with pink curls stepped forward, her fist raised in the air. She flashed a smug smile to the cameras before climbing the stairs to the stage, where she stood with her arms crossed.

"Hello," I said. "What's your name?"

"Becky Sloan," she said. "And I'm your next victor." Surprisingly, the crowd was mostly silent. The adults applauded, but the citizens of reaping age seemed unimpressed. Becky sneered.

"Now it's time to select Becky's district partner," I said hurriedly, trying to move past the awkward interaction. Again, I picked a slip without much thought and unfolded it.

"Beckham Reinhardt!"

"I volunteer!"

This voice was cooler and more collected, but held the same cocky tone. A handsome 17-year-old with golden locks and bright blue eyes came out of the crowd. He was dressed in a white button-down and khakis and had a glowing smile on his face.

"Aurelius Charmichael," he said when he reached me. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," I said, shaking his extended hand. Then I directed him to shake hands with Becky as I announced my tributes' names to all of Panem.

"District 1, I give you your tributes: Becky Sloan and Aurelius Charmichael!"

Hi! Here's another quick update, featuring the tributes and escort from District 1! Thank you to Victoria the Bipolar Tribute for Aurelius, Kittygirl235 for Becky, and AmericanPi for Twilight. I'm really excited to dive deeper into these guys' characters! I had fun writing the little scene with Twilight and Cashmere. Also, if anyone is willing to send me an escort for District 12, that would be great! That's the last district that needs an escort. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of these characters in a review!

Questions

1) Which tribute did you like better?

2) If you were going into the Hunger Games, what weapon would you use?

Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!

- Fiona