Rina Santana, 40
Head Gamemaker
"I have the final mutts planned out, ma'am. I can assure you, they will be ready for release in the coming days."
"Took you that long. You can go now, but thank you for the contribution."
I hang up the phone call, and rub my temples. In my nine years as head gamemaker, this was by far the most challenging arena to design. I just hope there isn't a malfunction with the mutts like there was last year with the wacky giant mutts. We only intended for a few tributes to die, but almost everyone in the arena was crushed by the giant's feet.
Ever since I was promoted to head gamemaker, I've been trying everything to prove to my skeptics that I didn't earn this job due to my husband's position. It was just a little coincidence that I was appointed to lead the gamemaker team the same year my husband was elected president.
I've worked really hard this year, and the final touches are just now being added. I know the viewers will be intrigued by the exotic beauty of the arena.
The temptation to look at the file with all of the tribute information is tempting. But my daughter likes to watch the reaping recap with me, so I decide to look at the files later. I start writing my report on how I predict the games will go this year, before I see the tributes.
Glistina Santana, 15
Daughter of head-gamemaker Rina Santana and president Christos Santana.
I skip giddily to my mother's office, on the second floor of our mansion. It is a tradition each year for the two of us to wait for the reapings to conclude so we can watch them all at once during the recap.
I knock on the door to her office. The recap is coming on in a few minutes, and mother still isn't ready yet!
"Mama! What's taking you so long?"
"I'll be down in a second! I'm just filling out this last bit of paperwork."
I go back down to our main sofa, and turn on the hologram. A minute or so later, my mother walks down, and removes her reading glasses.
"Too bad daddy can't join us." I say.
My mother tucks a strand of my purple hair behind my ear. "He's out to dinner with the vice president's family."
"Oh look mama, it's starting!"
The hologram screen shows an aerial view of the lush landscape of District 1, and then zooms in on its justice building.
The first volunteer of the year is an edgy-looking 16-year-old girl, with curly blonde hair and blue eyes. She wears bold black eyeliner, red lipstick, and a tight skirt. She announces herself as Elizabeth Hills, and she stares intimidatingly at the crowd. Despite being on the younger side for a career, I love her fashion sense and she seems like a contender already.
The male tribute from one is a confident and handsome boy with bronze hair and green eyes, who announces his name to the escort as Midas Peralta. He winks at the large and cheering crowd.
"District 1 is always so lovely, isn't it, mama?" My mother nods her head, and stares in intrigue, waiting for District 2.
The female volunteer from District 2 walks very fast to the stage, and grins at the crowd. Selene Katsaros is her name, and she is a pretty girl with light brown hair, almost blonde, with hazel eyes and a nice smile.
Her district partner is Cain Masen, a muscular and tanned boy with a buzzcut and piercing blue eyes. He waves his fist in the air, and seems pretty excited.
My mother takes out her tablet, and begins taking notes on the tributes. She already has her eyes set on Cain.
District 3 already seems unfortunate. A thin girl with red hair named Athena Dell starts shaking, and she falls to the ground screaming. The peacekeepers have to force her to the stage.
The boy from three is a lot more calm, but you can still see the fear in his face as he walks up to the stage. He is a short 14-year-old named Alectron, but he looks more like a ten year old.
"The kids from three suck this year! I was hoping we would get another tech guru who knows how to use explosives." I exclaim.
"In District 3, very few people even know how to use explosives." My mother corrects me.
Anemone Fletcher, the female volunteer from District 4, is a surprise to me. She is a freckled 15-year-old girl with short brown hair and gray-blue eyes. She is quite small, and quite young for a career volunteer, but her pearl earrings and preppy outfit indicate she came from a wealthy family. However, she is quiet and stares shyly at the crowd.
The male volunteer from District 4 is a sweet-faced 17-year-old with messy blonde hair tied back into a bun. His name is Finbar Walsh, and he seems much more enthusiastic than his district partner.
"The girl does not look fit at all to be a career! She's the same age as me, what is she doing by volunteering?" I say.
"I don't know." My mother says. "There's something about that girl… Don't judge a book by its cover."
We both have our eyes on the District 5 reaping. A little girl from the 12-year-old section started walking to the stage, with tears in her eyes. Then suddenly, a girl from the 17-year-old section raised her hand to volunteer. I could tell that it was her sister who volunteered, as the two girls both had the same long black hair and light skin. The two hug, and the volunteer sister walked up to the stage to remove her sunglasses. She wears a vintage-looking black dress, and although she is beautiful, she looks a bit eerie to me as well
My mother gasps. "I know her. That's the daughter of District 5's late mayor!"
And then suddenly I remember. About a month ago, the mayor of District 5 and his wife were brutally murdered in their home, while his two daughters survived. Just yesterday, they executed the perpetrator. The news was already big here in the Capitol, it must be even bigger there in five. Alberta Lee is the girl's name, and she seems very selfless and brave, after all she's been through. I'm rooting for her.
Alberta's district partner is a tall 18-year-old named Namid Ortiz. He has dark hair and olive skin, and he walks slowly to the stage, trying to fake a smile. The camera then zooms in on a girl in the crowd with orange ribbons in her hair, who looks quite distressed.
"He's pretty cute." I mention. "I think he could pull off some sponsors."
My mother nods her head in agreement. "The girl too. She could use that sob story to her advantage."
In District 6, Regina Peil, a girl with dirty blonde hair walks angrily to the stage. She curses loudly, and stomps her foot, and when the camera zooms in on her face, I notice she has heterochromia. Her left eye is light green, and her right eye is brown. She seems feisty, and I feel like she could be a contender. The boy from six is a mousy 16-year-old boy named Thomas Gage, who walks to the stage and starts whimpering.
District 7's Lily Tang is instantly someone both me and mother recognize. Her mother, Willow Tang, is a popular model from District 7, and she and her daughter have both appeared in magazines here in the Capitol. Lily wears her signature pink bangs with a butterfly hair clip, and wears a lovely dress. Upon being reaped, Lily's jaw drops, but once she is forced to walk to the stage, her expression turns positive.
"I think I'm rooting for her too." I say. "She looks lovely!"
Lily's district partner is Caspum Hollister, a 12-year-old, who despite his age looks pretty fit and prepared for the games. My mother notes that many in District 7 begin training with an axe early on their life.
District 8 is one of the more boring districts. The reaping crowd looks unexcited and tired. The reaped female is 15-year-old Tay Fuller. She is a brunette girl with curly hair and ice-blue eyes. Her raggedly clothing looks atrocious, and she moves quickly to the stage, staring down at the ground.
Robbie Jute is a skinny 13-year-old who hesitates to move to the stage, encouraged by the escort to move, and after a few minutes, he slowly walks up, trying to hold back tears. District 8 is always an incredibly bland district, and I don't have hope for either of these tributes.
In District 9, another redheaded girl named Mazie Millar is reaped, and genuinely she seems shocked, but she keeps her head held high, and once on the stage, announces to the district she was planning on volunteering, but coincidentally got reaped.
The male from 9 is a pathetic boy named Fonio Olsen, who starts whining and begging for his mother. One of the peacekeepers slaps him in the face, and Fonio attempts to fight back, but instead he is dragged to the stage.
"I like the girl." My mother says. "She has passion."
In District 10, a kind-looking 16-year-old named Barbara Gutierrez is reaped. She wipes tears from her face, and then starts marching up to the stage, where she manages to summon a sad smile.
Her district partner, 18-year-old Aaron Hamilton, walks calmly onstage, and gives Barbara a small hug. He then takes off his cowboy hat, and bows to the crowd, a smile escaping his mouth. Both of the tributes from 10 seemed a bit happier than the other outlier districts, and they both seem to be quite charming.
Another outlier volunteer came with Asa Gagneux-Boerio in District 11. The tall and slim girl walked onstage gracefully, and stared straight into the camera. The girl has golden-brown skin and thick hair, and is wearing a nice gold dress, unlike the bare-bones clothes the rest of the citizens wear, perhaps she comes from an affluent family. She doesn't reveal just yet her reasoning for volunteering.
The boy reaped along with Asa is another 18-year-old. Quincy Cullen is a stocky boy with dark brown skin and long dreadlocks. He has a tough look on his face, and walks to the stage with his hands in fists. He looks like another contender.
District 12 comes last, and they show the dull looking reaping crowd. Besides District 8, District 12 is another district I don't have any hopes for. Both tributes reaped are two blonde kids, mama says they come from the merchant's section of District 12, and that it is rare for two merchant kids to be reaped.
Poor little Blayke Pashton. The 12-year-old girl stands no chance in the games, and she pouts as she walks onstage. Her district partner Vaughn, a frail boy with glasses, seems a little more composed, though he groans in frustration after his name is called.
Then the screen cuts off to Astro Flickerman, who gives a schedule of what time the parade will begin tomorrow. The tributes of the 99th Hunger Games seem exciting, and a lot more interesting than the batch we got last year.
"So honey, who were your favorites?" Mama asks.
"I liked the girl from one, Elizabeth, was it? I also really liked Alberta and Lily… Oh, and Namid! He's so precious."
"Looks like someone has a crush!" My mother hugs me and I giggle.
Yay, another chapter! The reaping is now completed, and we will finally have the goodbyes in the next chapter :) I will admit, I struggled somewhat to write this chapter, and I'm not really proud of it, but I managed to get it done. I hope you enjoyed, and please give a review!
1) What do you think of Glistina?
2) Which tribute's reaping description was your favorite?
3) If you were reaped for the Hunger Games, what would you reaction be?
-xo, cassy
