“Welcome!” The famous host of the Hunger Games, Seracius Applegate screams to the viewers at the Tribute Parade, and at home, “and welcome to this year’s annual Hunger Games!” As usual, he is wearing a dark blue tuxedo with white lapel and laced boots. This year, his hair was dyed icy blue and was spiked upwards, but with his natural black roots shining through obviously.
“Today, I have with me the very special, one and only, Xyrus Fontaine!” Xyrus was the additional host to the Hunger Games. He was a little younger than Seracius, and not quite as wise. Xyrus would always do the hosting job to his full potential, but he didn’t realise how dangerous the situation was, as Seracius did. Many game makers had been ‘silenced’ for their supposed heretic behaviour towards the capital, even if it was a mistake. Anyway, Seracius was the primary host, who would interview the tributes. Xyrus often simply sits in silence.
Both Seracius and Xyrus sat on luxurious, bright yellow arm chairs. They were seated in the highest, most advantageous area out of all the other Panem citizens. Not only this, but they had a highly pixelated projector by them so they could see every detail of the tributes appearance and costume, despite being so far away.
The tributes had not exited onto the streets of the capital, but were being decorated and dressed by their prep teams and main stylists. Some tributes were simply waiting around for the event to begin, as they were already dressed. Garnet and Mason were clearly observing the District 9 tributes, Katherine and Wheaton. They were considering inviting them into the career pack alliance, but Mason had intelligently suggested to wait until training.
“Anyone can volunteer, Garnet. They could be hopeless,” Mason spoke. Garnet listened, but did not react, and simply continued observing the District 9 tributes. Katherine and Wheaton were still getting prepared, with their prep team placing yellow, orange and white dyed necklaces, bracelets and anklets onto their bodies with delicacy. Katherine and Wheaton still not close at all, but after Wheaton had argued that nobody wins against the capital, she was beginning to have faith in his intelligence.
Wheaton and Garnet catch eye contact. Garnet’s perches her lips and waves seductively at Wheaton from across the large, empty, concrete room. She used her eyes to communicate to him, they appeared very wide and appealing. Until Katherine steps in the way, her back facing Garnet.
“What are you doing?” Katherine questions, standing close to Wheaton, blocking his communication to Garnet.
“Nothing. She was just…”
“I know what she was doing,” Katherine hisses. Despite the close proximity, Katherine was not looking in his direction.
“Fucking Jealous whore,” Garnet grits her teeth, giving up hope on flirting with Wheaton.
“So I have heard, Seracius,” Xyrus smiles overly in his seat, “that we have already received $8,000 worth of sponsorship, simply from the tributes exiting the train!”
“God all mighty!” Seracius laughs, “that is immense!”
“Some viewers in Panem are curious to know your thoughts on the tributes based on the reapings,” Xyrus smiles again, keeping eye contact with the camera while he held a device to his ear, listening to anyone incoming directives.
“Well, we cannot ignore the courageous District 9 tributes! That Wheaton seems like an utter sweetheart! Volunteering himself all in favour of a poorly boy,” Seracius frowns.
“We cannot forget District 1 female, Glitter! Who indeed fought one of the volunteer girls from her district! It appears we may have a broken District this year, Seracius!”
“And Blunt! District 11 boy…” Xyrus brings up. But Seracius and himself had both been told repeatedly not to retell the event Blunt had with the escort during his reaping. In the footage shown to the citizens, the moment where Blunt punches the escort had been cut. Seracius interrupts impatiently.
“No, he was nothing special!” Seracius laughs nervously, “but we have many strong tributes this year! Many volunteers!”
“Yes indeed,” Xyrus grins.
“And here they come now! I can hardly hold my excitement!”
The traditional banging of the African drums by the kerb of the Panem streets begins in rhythm. The crowd of potential sponsors breaks into hysterics and cheers as the first chariot is rolled out, containing the District 1 tributes, Glitter and Diamond.
“Glitter and Diamond. Both volunteers and careers,” Xyrus states.
“Yes, yes! I love their outfits. The coloured jewels! I need some clothes like that!” Seracius laughs.
Glitter and Diamond link arms in their chariot as it rockets down the cobbled streets of Panem. Diamond holds his chin up high, as if the audience are beneath him, while Glitter twitches with excitement and cuddles up to Diamond’s shoulder, appearing innocent and valuable.
“Why it looks like they are making an impression!” Xyrus states.
“Yes they are indeed! I’m not surprised! She’s probably holding on for dear life! Look at the speed of that chariot!”
After about 20 seconds, the second career district, District 2, roles out into the sunlight. Immediately the crowd go wild as Garnet and Mason bend down to shake the hands of the audience. Their chariot is purposefully going slower than District 1’s for this reason. Some of the crowd try to pull Mason into the audience, but his big, hulking body maintains itself on the unsteady chariot. Garnet even kisses her hand and presses it to one guy's cheek, who literally cries. This man looked very rich and wealthy.
“Just got a sponsor,” Garnet whispers into Mason’s ear.
“I love the outfit! I just love it! Lots of greys, but sometimes less is more. And the grey highlight the colours that are used!” Seracius squeals.
“District 2 always step the game up every year. They always bring something new.”
“That is true speaking right there!” Seracius replies.
“Also, Mason and Garnet are the district ranked most likely to win as of yet with chances of 3-1 and 5-1,” Xyrus adds.
District 3 follows District 2. Echo was waving boldly to his audience. Echo was no longer that irrelevant 16-year-old from District 3, but he was ‘ECHO, District 3 tribute’! Maybe he wasn’t as famous as District 1 or 2, but he got a few wild cheers and apparently the receiver of a few sponsorships already. What made him prouder was thinking about his bullies, and how belittled they must feel by him now. Dayta seemed nervous. She was only 12, of course. Death was the only thing imprinted on her mind, and what was held in the future. She waved as an ordinary tribute did, but her nerves are clearly showing through to the audience.
“Well, she is clearly not a favourite among Panem,” Xyrus Fontaine states coldly, readjusting his blonde hair.
“Now, let us give her a fair chance Xyrus! Their costumes are impressive! She may even score high in training.”
“I am doubtful of those chances. I believe the odds are not in her favour.”
District 4 roll out shortly after.
“Ahh, the District 4 boy still looks a little unhealthy. Poor boy, you know Xyrus, there has been another Typhoid epidemic in District 4,”
“Yes, I heard Seracius.”
But the audience became frantic for District 4. They barely wore any clothes at all; the majority of their costume was netting so much of their bodies were revealed. In essence, Panem loved seeing their tributes naked. It was very rare and put them very high on the list of favouritism.
“My, my. That boy is packing down there, isn’t he?” Seracius laughs.
“Seracius, don’t be so rude!”
“What, the audience love it! I certainly love a sneaky peek at our ‘real’ tributes,” Seracius creepily states. Danny continues to try and hold back the symptoms of his illness. If he appears weak, he might not receive sponsors!
It was District 5’s entrance, and nothing was too spectacular about it. Bolts only hung from their outfits. Both Cleopatra and Thunder look straight ahead. The crowd barely kick up a fuss.
“Not too spectacular, this one,” Seracius sighs, disappointed.
“Ready?” Thunder whispers into Cleopatra’s ear. She nods. In Cleopatra’s hand, she has an empty plug socket attached to her dress by a wire. Thunder holds the plug that fits the socket.
“Wait, wait, hang on a second! What is that in their hands?” Seracius ponders, leaning in closer to his projectors. Cleopatra and Thunder connect the plug and the socket, and their bolts hanging from their dress spark and flame in blue lightning bolts that explode across the street and sky.
The crowd are initially stunned silent, some even fearful of the electricity. But then Panem frantically cries out to District 5, wanting to touch them, sponsor them, meet them in person. District 5 had become Panem’s hero and heroine.
“I’M LOST. LOST FOR WORDS,” Seracius chokes through a frozen face.
“There goes hope for the other districts,” Xyrus grins, watching the performance of sparks below, on the streets.
Cleopatra bends down onto one knee and begins blowing kisses with her bright, red lips to the audience members, and they all catch the kiss as if it was personal as if Cleopatra loved them indeed. Meanwhile, Thunder winked at the females in the audience, often raising one eyebrow to them. Flirting with them. Teasing them.
“Well, well! We have a young flirt in the mix!” Seracius laughs, enjoying the show.
“Yes, Yes. Many sponsors indeed,” Xyrus smiles.
Cleopatra and Thunder appear on the banners that hang down the streets, and their dazzling show remains on the banners for a few more chariots as it was that marvellous.
When District 6 followed District 5, there was no competition compared to District 5. Dawn and Kyle’s costumes were colourful, bright and attractive, but nothing special. That was until Kyle swing Dawn around in his arms, as a husband would with his newly wedded bride. It reflected their funny and silly personality, and the District 6 tributes appeared a lot of fun to Panem.
“What’s the fucking point,” Kyle whispers through his smile, “no one could follow that performance.”
“Be confident. Don’t dwell…” She whispers back, smiling and laughing, revealing teeth as she is swung around in Kyle’s arms.
“Well isn’t that cute!” Seracius smiles at the sight of what looks like young love. It wasn’t, it was an act. They were District friends, not lovers. But whatever brought them attention. But, they are thrown a flower by an audience member. And Dawn manages to catch it while in Kyle’s arm. Dawn gets flashbacks to her food fight with Kyle and playfully throws it in his face, and the crowd awed.
The siblings from District 7 were not impressive.
“Don’t they dress as trees every year?” Xyrus asks Seracius.
“Yes, it does seem to be a rather tedious trend,” Seracius responds, clearly disappointed too. Their costumes were very bland and colourless. They were very much blended into their chariot as they just waved and looked ahead. There was no grand plan for winning the audience over, it seemed. Birch waved and smiled, as every tribute did. But Willow had an angry look on her face the entire time. Willow was clearly a disliked tribute.
“My, my. What a face,” Seracius frowns from the audience.
“Willow, smile!” Birch hisses. Willow listens, but it is a blunt smile that doesn’t convince many others. The only thing that made them popular among Panem was the fact they were siblings in the same game. This had never happened before.
When District 8 rolled out onto the streets of Panem, the girl, Thorne, had the same spite-filled look on her face.
“The tributes this year seem furious,” Seracius notices, appearing uneasy. As if Thorne, at any moment, would destroy her chariot and slaughter the crowd.
“At least the costume is nice,” Xyrus tries to smile, “very reflective of District 8.”
But Thorne’s hatred and pride combined with her beautiful textured dress; the crowd loved her. Almost us much as the District 5 tributes! She presented herself as a goddess, a force not to be reckoned with. Thorne would often catch eye contact with a citizen of Panem. Thorne would simply stare, and her victim would nearly faint in the excitement that that District 8 girl had looked at them. Thorne hated the attention. She felt as if the entire continent was mocking her purpose. She was clearly not royalty. She was a tribute, a sacrifice dressed pretty.
Pork, on the other hand, was shy and sad. It was evident to Thorne that he was openly crying. She could hear the sobbing and the skin around his eyes had irritated into a shade of red. He was not a favourite anyway, but this act wasn’t noticeable.
“Stop crying,” Thorne bluntly states. Pork tried to be brave. He missed his home back in District 8, being from a wealthy family; he was well fed, and that was clear from appearance.
“I’m trying,” Pork sobs, wiping the tears, giving the occasional wave to the crowd. But it was no use. He was insecure. He knew he was probably disliked for his weight.
District 9 was already receiving cheers before their chariot had even entered daylight.
“WHEATERINE! WHEATERINE! WHEATERINE!” Panem chanted repeatedly.
“Wheaterine?” Katherine subtly asks under her breathe.
“It’s a combination of our-“
“I know that. I’m not thick,” Katherine squalls, “why ‘Wheaterine?’” Wheaton, not wanting to trigger Katherine once again, only shrugs. If he answered right, she’d play the victim card. If he answered wrong, she would burst into anger. There was no winning. But he presumed it was because they are the legendary District 9 volunteers.
“Xyrus, I love their outfits! I must say! Very faithful to the nature of District 9!” Seracius chirped.
“Yes, yes. The orange face paint is a nice touch indeed! The bland colours work well together,” Xyrus responds with a broad smile.
Katherine and Wheaton stood very far apart within the chariot, and they had noticed that the chanting had begun to cool, and it needed to be pro again.
“We should put a hand on each other’s shoulder,” Wheaton suggests intelligently.
“Think again,” Katherine moans, focusing her attention directly ahead.
“If you want to survive the Hunger Games, it’s more than just killing,” Wheaton explains under his breath, “you may hate the entire world, but right now they love you. If you want to see your family again, then put your fucking hand on my-“
She slams her fist down onto Wheaton’s shoulder, and he winces in pain. He puts his hand around her waist, and they appear united. The crowd go insane, and they replace the District 5 tributes on the banners.
“WHEATERINE! WHEATERINE! WHEATERINE!” They all chant again. Hearing this repeatedly arouses a slight smile on Katherine’s face. She was a favourite.
Meat and Runaway arrive on their chariot. But all the attention is hogged by the District 9 tributes ahead.
“Is anyone going to notice District 10-“ Seracius is interrupted.
“Wow! The District 9 tributes have just unified! That is so inspiring!” Xyrus cheers. Seracius was attempting to give the District 10 tributes the attention they deserved, but it was with fail.
“District 9 scum,” Meat mumbles under her breath. The individuals that in fact saw the District 10 tributes were impressed by the costumes, but the District 9 shadow of fame over-casted them. Runaway stood there, smiled, and waved. He had decided there was no way to flee or escape, so embraced his fate of entering the arena. So he gave it a shot at trying to get himself some sponsors. He leant down and his hands slapped past some of the Panem citizen’s hands. For the capital to touch a tribute is considered gold dust. That would surely get him some sponsors.
But when the District 11 tributes rolled out onto the streets, their costumes did not entirely make sense.
“Is the orang supposed to represent… peach? I think peaches…” Seracius ponders.
“I don’t like it,” Xyrus declares.
“Now, now! Let us see what else they do,” Seracius scolds, continuing to watch the District 11 tributes. But Panem was not impressed either. Bloom was not usually an angry person, but she was not content with Blunt. She guessed that their stylist was ordered to make their costumes weak by the capital in order to get back at Blunt’s scene involving the escort at the reaping. Blunt stood motionless, unaware and careless of what to do. Bloom decided she wasn’t going to let Blunt drag her down with him. She had to think quickly, do something that has never been done to save her skin. That is when she took off her headset (which was a fluffy, colourful flower) and tossed it to the audience. Those who caught it where over the moon. Bloom began ripping parts of her costume apart and tossing them to the audience as tokens.
“One for you! One for you!” She announced, smiling. Although quite crude, it was working. It was getting her attention, and making her the favourites of a few individuals. Considering the situation she had been put in by Blunt, she felt was she was making do.
“Oh my goodness! What a sight! Has any tribute ever done this before?” Xyrus asks intently.
“I don’t believe so. Let’s hope it don’t snow or she’ll be freezing, ha ha!” Seracius laughs.
“And finally, District 12, may the final chariot commence!” Seracius announces, while Xyrus’ beady eyes watch, not missing any detail.
Rose was already a favourite among Panem. Her smile lit up the entire crowd, and warmed their souls. Her pure innocence was overwhelming and captured their hearts. She was thrown flowers, which she smelled delightfully, before keeping them and mouthing ‘thankyou’ to the donor. Rose must have been one of the only tributes who was truly loving this moment. All she received was love from her audience, and she returned it through her eyes and smile.
Cole, on the other hand, was simple in his nature. Although Rose was only being herself, herself was enough to gain sponsors. Cole was antisocial and aggressive. His eyes darted around the crowd as people jeered on his costume.
“What a sweet girl! Rose, is it?” Seracius questions, “I believe it is Rose! How sweet! I just want to hug her!”
“The boy seems rather dull,” Xyrus states as Cole appears almost out of place.
“Not all tributes are built for the tribute parade. Maybe his skills lie within the interview and training!”
All the chariots had presented the tributes, allowing them their few minutes of fame. Peacekeepers then guided the chariots in the direction of the training centre and living quarters. Dirty looks were exchanged between tributes afterwards. Many of Panem rushed immediately to nearby betting stations on betting on their favourite tribute or rush to their mentors to make a sponsorship already.
“Well that was an event and a half, was it not, Xyrus?” Seracius smiles as the streets below begin to empty of people.
“It was indeed, Seracius,” Xyrus returns a smile.
“I think it is safe that this year is a fascinating mix of tributes. All so different! In a range of ways!”
Xyrus nods to that comment. “May the odds be ever in their favour.”
Please comment! If you comment, I'll know your reading and I'm less likely to kill you :P
Next Episode: "Make Me Strong"
Comments
The shade thrown at Dayta because of her age. I want her to slay ONLY to prove him wrong, behehheeheheh
Lol I got some spotlight. Love that. District 5 could be underdogs in the games. Pork needs to put a gameface on or he is gonna be killed. Wheaton has to use the flirts as an advantage or he'll be picked off. District 2 are the villains here obviously and the rivalry between them and D9 will be good.
Well ik there's always going to be a favorite but I never share the same faves as most of society in anything :p I don't wanna just find out in the end that Katherine is katniss 2.0 and that's the direction I see it going. Ofc I'm not telling you how to write your series! It's awesome and you do a great job - I just don't want predictable (:
k4r4k
Thankyou for the compliments! I'm trying to be as original as possible but It's difficult to give every one an original story considering there is 24 of you and already 3 books and 3 movies XD. Sadly, some stories have to be predictable for others NOT to be predictable if that makes sense. IF every death was a shock, it wouldn't be so shocking anymore. But I noticed I was leading you down a Katniss route too, so I am trying to avoid it
Maybe, but yeah, after reading that his father never got sponsored and then Districts 5 and 9 steal the show, I'm like, oh no, he's gonna suffer the same fate as his father xD
But yeah, yeah, I'm rooting for my guy of course, as well as a few other people.
k4r4k Your trashy attempts to bring my character down are super pathetic. I put my heart into creating Katherine's bio and here you come, after barely writing 2 sentences, and dare to call my character boring? Drink your pills hun or I will force them down your throat!
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