REAPING DAY! ((Open to all in District One!))

Unlike the way Snow normally carried himself, the teen sat up strait, his eyes suppressing excitement as opposed to the ever present fact that he tried to suppress boredom. Like always, Snow felt so alone. People lined up to give the most publicized teen whatever he wanted, but he didn’t care anymore. A life filled with the world’s riches was meaningless.

Understandably, Snow certainly did not want to leave the Capitol and the almost foolproof Utopia that his father had created, but as the Capitol grew to the size of a spec in the distance, Snow felt an overwhelming feeling of freedom and relief. He had escaped his father’s unwanting clutches and half of his body guards. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the dank air of the train – it was better than the air of the Capitol. Waiter after waiter bothered him, asking if he had everything he wanted. It was annoying, really. But their petty use in this world that usually dug under Snow’s skin, he was able to overlook today. This was the first time he had gone to the Districts since, well, he was just a child and his father hadn’t tried to dispose of him yet. Hah! And the people he was traveling with thought that he was there on his father’s permission. It was cute.

Not an hour passed and the train smoothly decreased its speed and eventually, came to a stop. He straitened his red tie that offset his white shirt and he threw on the Keaton and August collection sky blue blazer ($567,999). The crowd would love it.

And indeed, they did.

The crowd, the closest one to the Capitol that he would find in the Districts, went wild as the unexpected guest walked into the square behind a Peacekeeper. Snow smiled his audience dazzling smile and he was almost immediately blinded by the dozens of pictures being taken. It had been years since any of the - practically royal – Snow family had gone to a reaping. His father was “always in such bad health”.

The next two hours droned on. Girls in cheap imitations of Capitol dresses flooded him with admiration, inexperienced charm, and the stupid pictures! All they wanted was a picture with him! Snow noticed his face on the big screen in the center of the square multiple times. Honestly, he hated the attention. But he just had to suck it up.

He would be the next President.
He had to be able to win a crowd.

Finally, Snow was left alone on his seat upon the stage. Capitol members lined the stage, but Xander and Bernadette (the stylist) sat on either side of him. Of course, they were the people blown up on the big screen. Xander Petry took his cue, his annoyingly perfect golden curls bounced along with him in excitement.

”Heeeeello, District 1!”
God, he was practically singing.
”You know what time of year is it? Just give me a guess.”
The crowd squealed in excitement. A number of the participants being reaped looked nervous and said nothing, staring at their feet.
”Thaaaat’s right! It’s Reaping Day!”
More squeals, wonderful.
”Allllrighty! Let’s not be sitting around! Let’s cut to the chase! Ladies first?”

Before his question was answered, Xander thrusted his hand into the large glass bowl.


((Xander Petry is the equivalent of Effie Trinket. He speaks in Yellow.
Snow, if he speaks at all, will do so in white

Post away! Tallying for the Games starts now!))

Adla filed in with the rest of the crowd of kids on their way to District One's reaping. She could heear the some nervous whispers, and other excited ones. She was one of the excited. Maybe this would be her year. She wouldn't volunteer, not yet. Her father had warned her against it. She'd only been in training for a few years, and he wasn't confidant that she would win. Having the temper that Adla did, she had gotten mad. She'd stormed off angrily to find her friends, but while talking to them, she realized her dad was right. She wasn't strong enough yet. Mentally, yes, but not physically. Adla was ruthless, but she didn't have the physical strength that was required for certain weapons yet. She also didn't know how to use all weapons. Adla didn't care if it was her year or not. If not, she had another year to train. More of a chance to win that way, she thought.

Adla pushed her thoughts aways as the official stamped her thumb and forced it onto the paper. As soon as the official was finished, the girl rolled her eyes and ripped her hand out of the official's grip. The official rolled her eyes before giving the girl a condescending glance. Adla pushed around the official's table just in time to see District One's Chaperone begin to speak. She ignored all other people on the stage. He had her sole attention. ”Heeeeello, District 1!”

Adla made her way closer to the stage, pushing through people. It wasn't hard getting to the front. There was a clear line between those who were nervous and the careers. The nervous ones inched toward the back, while the careers rushed the stage, wanting a better look. ”You know what time of year is it? Just give me a guess.” he said. What was his name again? Petrie? Peetree? Petry? Yes, that was it. Xander Petry. Adla normally wasn't good with names, and was pleased with herself, having remembered. She screamed along with the rest of the crowd, "Reaping Day!" He cut the crowd off, answering his own question.

”Allllrighty! Let’s not be sitting around! Let’s cut to the chase! Ladies first?” Xander said excitedly. He then plunged his hand into the big fish-bowl that were full of the names of girls living in District One. A silence went over the crowd. The girls in the back seemed to deflate a little as he searched for a piece of paper that would announce the girl tribute. Some girls in the front bounced with excitement. Even Adla held her breath, standing perfectly still while her body was jostled by those pushing farther to the stage, wanting to be the first to hear the answer to the question that everyone was silently asking themselves: Who would it be?

Trying to get through the crowd of District 1 on a normal day was hard enough! This was a nightmare. Shard waited impatiently to get his blood drawn and to find a spot near the front to listen to the Reaping. He ended up pushing his way through once his twice. He had to keep moving to hide the fact that his body was shaking slightly. Of excitement. Obviously. His eyes narrowed, he scrutinized the other Career boys. Something nagged at his chest that Crawford wanted to volunteer as much as he did. It was his 18th year and he had a fire in his eyes. But would he pull through? Shard just had to be the first to volunteer. He had to spit out those four words faster than Crawford.

Shard's blood was drawn by a Peacekeeper and his plunged deeper into the heart of tributes. There were squeals of delight on either side of him coming from almost every single girl in their District. They whispered amongst themselves that Snow was there. An odd occurring indeed. As he was one of the tallest people there, Shard didn't have to crane his neck too much to spot that not the President was there, but indeed, his son was. He held a quiet smirk and he paid no attention to any of the girls throwing themselves on him, a majority of them weren't bad looking either. It made Shard wonder... what kind of untold beauty would be found in the Capitol? The thought made his shoulders un-slump in the slightest. He had crowds of fans just waiting for him in the Capitol, and he had almost two extra weeks there because he was from District 1! However, thinking about how all those girls surrounding Snow would be surrounding him stopped sounding as good as he remembered his best friend, April. He searched the crowd for her. She was a little bit harder to spot but as soon as he did - wow, that dress looked really good on her - he began to walk over. She was the only person who knew that today was his day. Shard had no parents or anyone else really to tell.

Regrettably, before he reached her, Xander Petry began speaking, drawing in the crowd with practically a snap of his fingers. Moving through the crowd was more difficult and more than once, people hissed disapprovingly in his ear. Shard wanted to call excitedly along with the crowd, but all he wanted to do was find April and his voice seemed so small, caught in the back of his throat. As soon as Xander announced he was calling the girl's names, Shard had to stand still respectively. But still, his eyes trailed on April not too far away. Don't you dare call her name. He thought. Even though someone was most likely volunteering for the girls, he could dare take the chance.

Xander reached his hand into the bowl and the butterflies danced around Shard's stomach so much it was nauseating. Nervousness, excitement, and anxiety that Arpil would get called didn't want to be expressed at the same time. Shard repetitively had to tell himself to stop the small shakes.
Today was his day.
These were his Games.
Shard Waite did not get nervous.
He was going to win.
He was going to come back to April.
He'd have a real home.
He'd be a celebrity.

For the first time ever, April Adams was not looking forward to the reaping. In fact, if she was being quite honest with herself, she was actually nervous. April! NERVOUS! Even the presence of the president’s gorgeous son didn’t cheer her up, a sign that something was seriously wrong. Under normal circumstances, April would have been at the forefront of the gaggle of girls fawning over Snow. Could you blame her? He was totes powerful, plus he was crazy hot, and April may or may not have doodled “Mrs. April Snow” in her journal (though that had come to an abrupt stop recently). But today, she hung back from the crowd, taking the time before the reaping to compose herself and put on a façade of confidence and excitement that she should have been feeling, but simply could not, no matter how hard she tried. Now, if it were any other person, the reasons for her nerves would be fairly obvious; the fear of being reaped and facing probable death in the Hunger Games. For April, however, this was hardly a concern. Supposing she did get her name chosen, April figured she was more than ready for the Games.

At least, she had been, up until a couple of days ago when Shard had told her he was planning on volunteering this year. Shard, who she had practically grown up with. Who understood her better than anyone else, even though they’d been distant lately; she’d only just come to realize what he meant to her, and now…well, he’d be fine. He had to be. Totally fine. If anyone could handle the games, it was Shard. April was sure of it.

No, what April was really scared of was getting her own name called. This was the first year that she was at an age where, should she be chosen, it would be considered dishonorable to accept a volunteer. If April’s name was called, she would be going into the Games. And she knew that once Shard made up his mind there was no changing it. So no matter what, he would also be going into the Games. …wouldn’t he? Would he wait a year, should her name get called? April wasn’t sure of the answer; had their positions been reversed, she wasn’t even sure what she would do herself. But as of now, she had to assume Shard was sticking to his plan no matter what. And no matter how slim the possibility of April’s name getting called was, it still existed. If her name was called, she would have to go into the games with Shard. And that terrified her.

In the past years, whatever Captiol citizen was conducting the reaping had always held April’s complete attention. Today, however, she was unable to focus on what Xander was saying, and instead of responding eagerly with the crowd, she found herself combing the crowd for the boy who was the source of all her problems. Her eyes passed over Drew, who was not yet old enough to participate, and she shot her brother a wink. Then she noticed Adla, her fellow career that she’d bumped into a couple of days ago, and gave her a smile and nod in acknowledgement.

And then, just when she was beginning to lose hope that she would ever find him in this crowd, April saw him and her heart skipped a beat. Shard looked dashing, even better than the President’s son, in her opinion. She met his eyes, and for the first time that day her composure faltered ever so slightly. April wanted to make her way over to him, grab his hand, and never let go. And she was about to do just that when Xander began to speak, and she had no choice but to freeze where she was, square her shoulders once again, and tear her gaze from Shard. April was shaking as Xander pulled out a card; the blonde felt as though her heart was about to leap out of her throat. As the announcer made to read the name, she moved her gaze back to Shard, giving her friend a wink and her same old cocky smile. He was the one volunteering today, and she would be strong for him no matter whose name was on that card.

Christiana filled into her place with all the other kids. She tapped her foot against the ground and crossed her arms. She wasn't nervous. Hardly anyone was nervous during the reaping. Most people were excited and Christiana was one of them. The Hunger Games was one of the best things that happened. If she wasn't picked she would volenteer. If someone else volenteered before her she'd scream in protest. She was the best option for District 1. Christiana couldn't pull her gaze away from Xander and the glass bowl. Her eyes darted back and forth between Xander and the glass bowl until she was dizzy. The glass bowl was her last hope for glory and fame. Maybe it was a bit pathedic that Christiana depended on a glass bowl, but it was true. If she wasn't picked by the time she was eighteen, she had thrown her life away.

Christiana let out a huge sigh. She had to be picked she just had to! If a twelve year-old got picked they would never be good enough for the honor. She had to be picked! She was seventeen and her name was in the a lot more times than the pathedic, little twelve year-olds. Christiana felt a bit of envy towrd the higher numbered district. Those districts got to apply for tesserae. They got their names in more times. It wasn't fair. They didn't even want the honor. That couldn't handle it like the amazing tributes from District 1.

Christiana felt something roll down her arm. She glanced at her arm and there was a bit of blood from when they pricked her finger. She hated that. If the Capitol was so smart why couldn't they just think of a better solution other than pricking every single persons' finger. She wiped the blood off and studied the people next to her. She didn't know anybody there other than her parents. She didn't have any friends. In her deffense, she didn't have enough time for friends. She was always training, another good reason why she should be in the Games and not some other girl.

”Heeeeello, District 1!” Hi! Christiana almost called back. ”You know what time of year is it? Just give me a guess." Xander said into the microphone. "Reaping Day!" Christiana cheered enthusiastically with the rest of the excited crowd.

”Thaaaat’s right! It’s Reaping Day!” Christiana squealed and jumped up and down. It was almost time. Almost her time to shine. ”Allllrighty! Let’s not be sitting around! Let’s cut to the chase! Ladies first?” Christiana squealed again. She probably looked like an obsessed fan girl with no life but she didn't care. Xander's hand plunged into the glass bowl. Christiana stopped squealing and stood there frozen as if she were a statue. She held her breath and gazed at the glass bowl. Her last hope.

She would be the victor. She would be a celebrity. Everyone would know her name. It was what Christiana had hoped for ever since she was a little girl and she witnessed her first Hunger Games.

Though the day wasn't turning out to be as good as Snow originally thought it would be, he was pleasantly surprised at watching the reactions of the individuals in the crowd. As they were far away and not trying to get all the more closer to the son of the President. He scanned over the excited, bubbling faces, to the quieter ones, still clinging to the hope that they wouldn't get reaped. As Xander reached his hand into the bowl, there was an almost unsettling quiet of anticipation that filled the crowd.

Snow, close enough to the standing form of Xander, could hear him chuckling merrily. He pulled out a piece of paper that was somewhere in the middle of the bowl. He read over the name, furrowing his brow at the slightest. He said no 'and this year's tribute is' or elongated word that roudied the crowd, but got strait to the point. "Astrid Patterson!" There was so much joy in his voice, it was unsettling. Though watching the tributes kill each other was invigorating, Snow didn't find it that amusing.

"Come to the stage please, Astrid!" He opened his arms - pah! - like showing that the Capitol was welcoming her! Then again ...the Capitol did welcome them, love them, and even worshiped them. But this display was all the more different to encounter first hand than through the screen in the comfort of Snow's bedroom.


Hmm, it turned out Astrid was one of the more frightened ones. A girl with large, brown eyes and defined brows started moving towards the stage. The camera men turned to her and her face appeared on the large screen. She looked a year or so younger than Snow. Astrid let go of an older girl's hand and started walking, she looked more brave than Snow thought she would walking up.

However, everything was cut off, the mumur in the crowd, her face on her screen, and even the terrified manner the girl held herself as someone called, volunteering. Maybe the girl didn't seem as afraid as Snow assumed. She knew there would be a volunteer.
Xander did an excited gesture/jump. "How wonderful! A volunteer! Come, come, dear! Oh, the Capitol will eat you up!" His smile was so infectious, Snow managed a smirk as he sized up the volunteer.

((Sorry this'll be really sucky and short, I'm pressed for time.))

As Xander reached his hand into that large bowl, the shaking got all the more worse for Shard. He clenched his fists, steadied his breathing, and whispered in his head over an over again don't be April. Don't pick April. There are so many other people in this District. He found her again and looked into her eyes. Those beautiful eyes. She gave him a confident smile and he un-clenched his fists, giving a confident one back. It would be okay, everything was going to be fine.

A huge weight was taken off his chest as not April, but a girl from the grade below him was called. Not even taking a glance at the girl who was reaped, Shard quickly found his way to April. He grabbed her hand squeezed it and smiled. "I'm ready now." He smiled, more at piece than he thought he would be. Then, he turned and hugged April - quickly. It was so innocent, so sincere. He poured out all of his emotion there. All the emotion he had been hiding for a while. "I'm going to miss you in the Arena, April Adams. I'm going to miss you a lot." He whispered after pulling away. He didn't want to be brought too much attention to as it could show a weakness come game time, but he had to let April, his best friend know.

A girl called up and volunteered - looked like April would have been safe anyway. This time, Shard did turn to look at the familiar girl and he sized up his opponent. Ah, it was Christiana. They had seen each in training sessions, but they'd never actually talked to each other until recently. She was annoying. Well, no problem then.

April couldn’t stop the sigh of relief that escaped her lips when Xander called the name of the girl tribute – a name that wasn’t her own. She was safe. She had another year to train. She and Shard didn’t have to worry about…well, anything complicated and messy she hadn’t wanted to think about. She spared a moment to watch the girl make her way to the stage. It was a girl from her own grade – definitely not a career, but she didn’t look too worried; surely someone would volunteer yeah? At any rate, now that she knew she was safe, April couldn't care less about Astrid. She only had eyes for one person, and he was standing only a few feet away from her.

Even as he moved towards her, April took a few steps to close the distance between herself and Shard more quickly. She squeezed his hand back, looking into his eyes as he spoke. April forced herself to smile brightly at him. “You’re going to be brilliant, Shard. Remember, chin up. Walk with confidence. You’re going to own that arena.” April knew that Shard knew all of this, but she couldn’t stop the words from leaving her mouth. They were as much for her own benefit as they were for Shard’s. Because April knew that if she didn’t start spewing random bits of advice or words of confidence to her best friend, she might find herself giving in to the worry that was slowly eating away at her. And she refused to let Shard see that; if he thought she was worried, what would that do for his confidence? And it certainly wasn’t as if April didn’t believe in Shard. She absolutely, one hundred percent believed in him. But, well…there was no telling what was waiting in that arena, and in this moment, looking up at him, there was no denying how much April cared for the older boy.

And then, as if he was reading her mind, Shard did something the fifteen year old had not been expecting one bit, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. For a split second April froze, taken by surprise at the gesture, but then she immediately returned it, holding him as tightly as she could during the brief moment before he pulled away. And it was probably a good thing he had, because April doubted she would have been able to let him go – as it was, she made sure to keep his hand held firmly in her own, where it would stay until he took his place on stage. And the last thing Shard needed was any unnecessary attention – that was part of the reason his hug had been so surprising in the first place. April couldn’t remember Shard ever being very open with his emotions, so the fact that he’d hugged her in the middle of town square, on the most crowded day of the year – well, it spoke volumes.

And apparently he wasn’t even done yet. April looked up at him, tears forming in her eyes as he spoke. She wanted to pull him away from the town square, tell him not to volunteer, tell him to stay with her, where he would be safe. Where she could protect him.

But she didn’t. Instead, she blinked, forcing the moisture back into her eyes, and met his gaze with a look of fierce determination. “You better come back to me, Shard Waite.” She was careful to match his volume – no need for some random busybody to overhear them, thank you very much. Then she cracked a small grin. “Nobody else gives me as good a fight as you do.” Yes, jokes made everything better. Now was not the time for goodbyes – they would have time for that, after Shard volunteered. For now, April was determined to keep the mood lighter. The last thing Shard needed right before he volunteered was to be all emotional.

Especially seeing as there was apparently another volunteer. Not surprising, really, but April was a bit happy to see Astrid would be fine. She didn’t know much about the girl who’d volunteered except that she was a fellow career, but April instantly disliked her; she was going up against Shard, after all. But the blonde was determined her best friend could take her, just like he could take every other tribute in the arena. And then he’d come back to her.

((Again, I'll post here once more after D3 reaping just in case one of the others want to throw in a reply (or someone new entirely, of course!))

Xander fished his hand around the glass bowl. Please be me! Please be me! Christiana thought, barly able to stand still. "Astrid Patterson!" Canderc alled out after her pulled his hand out of the bowl. "Come to the stage please, Astrid!" Christiana was unable to speak. What? she thought angrily.

When Christiana finally regained herself she called out, "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" She jumped up and down with her hand flying back and forth for a minute and finally glanced at Xander then the "Astrid Patterson" girl who was about to take all of her glory. She pushed through the crowd that was staring at her. Fantastic! She's pathedic! I'm going to own that arena! Christiana thought as she stepped up to the stage.

"How wonderful! A volunteer! Come, come, dear! Oh, the Capitol will eat you up!" Xander said as her literally seized Christianaup to the stage. There she was, on TV and all of the districts would soon be watching. She smiled at the croud as if she'd won the biggest prize in the world. It swort of was the biggest pirze ever in Christiana's view. Then Christiana glanced down at Shard. She knew he was going to volenteer if her wasn't picked. It was obvious.

She had the strongest urge just to push Xander from in front of the microphone and take over. It was her nature. She normally got what she wanted. And she was going to win. That's what she wanted and that's what she thought she was going to get. I'm going to be rich and popular and be liked by people and be famous. Christiana thought as she dreamed about her future

((Sorry this is so short. I have this big school project I have to work on))

Snow was unable to supress an eyeroll as he saw the over-exuberant volunteer make her way to the stage. She was so incredibly typical - he really disliked that. You could see it in her eyes - she was fighting for attention. She wanted the spotlight and the fame, the dresses and the fans. Dear God! It looked like she even wanted to give the Capitol a speech!

So Snow was to stick with scrutinizing her more. She had a good body - but even more so. An attractive body. She was skinny and fit and her dress was quite suiting. Like almost all of the tributes, she was very pretty, but still - typical. Gazing back over at Xander, he was delighted to see that the excitement of the small man was diminishing as he stuffed the microphone to his face, and quickly in the girl's. "What's your name, dear?" Snow frankly didn't like the fact that the microphone was so close. She seemed the type that would go on and on and take ages to answer one question. But it wasn't too bad. She also had a pretty name. A pretty name for a pretty face.

As soon as the excited chatter calmed down, the looks turned to anticipation. Xander did another one of his almost jump things - they were getting annoying. However, Snow couldn't let the boredom control actions. He kept on his signature smile and nodded to the few people that smiled right at him. His presence there was an honor to them and a chance of freedom for him. He had to at least try and cherish it.

"Boys turn!" The high pitched voice chimed. This time, Xander took no time whatsoever to dawdle and fiddle with the names in the bowl. He snatched one right off the top and read the name in a singsong voice. The sea of people parted for a very young boy and it was no surprise when there was yet another volunteer. All the same, it made Xander squeal in delight. "Two volunteers in one day? This is MAGNIFICENT! Oh, come up here!" This boy didn't seem as over-excited as the first girl, which Snow found interesting. Not entirely typical, and that drew him in. He knew the mindless Capitol people wouldn't like him. Maybe he chose wit over strength? Though, Snow couldn't tell right away. It was a miracle what you would assume about a tribute, then witness in the Games. Snow narrowed his eyes, and clapped along with the crowd and listened to the same, "and your name?"

Faeryn sat on a stiff metal chair near the back of the platform, bored. Reaping seemed to have lost its excitement and the high pitched voice of Xander Petry did nothing more but get on her nerves. She had approached this Reaping Day with a been there, done that sort of attitude, and it had served her well so far. She didn't need to be particularly excited as she watched the the new tributes, the ones she would be training, volunteer. Most of the actual tributes in District One ended up volunteering since their Tessarae hadn't done the job. She remembered volunteering herself and reminding herself that she would easily win against pretty much every tribute, save the other careers. In that however, she'd been wrong, she'd practically won the Games from the start.

Both tributes seemed to be strong, and most definitely ambitious. They had, after all, volunteered. It was easy for Faeryn's trained eye to tell that they had both trained, not an uncommon thing to come across in District One. She wondered how exactly she would be able to mentor them. Thrinn had pretty much taught her everything before the Games (one of the upsides to having a Victor as a cousin), so most of her training had been review. Maybe she should start with having show her their strong points and work form there. Yes, she thought, that's exactly what she'd do.

Faeryn lazily looked out across the square. A few familiar faces peeked out from the crowd, but none bore friendly reminders, not that she didn't want friendly reminders, nor did she want friends. All she needed were acquaintances, people she could use to stay in this position of luxury. She was slightly surprised when she saw Snow, ((alliteration FTW)) one of her newest, and most powerful acquaintances, she had been fairly sure he was practically confined to the Capital by his father. Faeryn gave him an acknowledging nod and then turned back to look at the tributes she'd be mentoring for the Games.

((my apologies for the shortness and lateness))

The urge to supress an eyeroll was greater than Shard had ever had before as he saw Christiana flounce her way up to the stage. She had that stupid smile on her face. And the way she eyed Xander, soaking in the attention - god - it was painful to watch. Because of this, Shard found it easy to avert his attention and listen to April's voice. "Thanks." He smiled at her advice, even though he knew to do it anyway. As soon as either he got reaped, or he volunteered, every single move he made from then on was for the Capitol. He had to gain interest, favor. Though he was generally a quiet person, he had to talk a lot. He was going to do this - win.

Shard didn't pretend that he missed the smile on April's face from the hug, nor did he try to hide his. This was the happy moment he would cling to when the games got bleak. But he had no reason to be thinking about that right now. This next week he would have under his belt. The Games would come when they came. He would see the brand new Arena when the time came. Then, he would start planning ahead. "You know I will. I'm going to fight liek hell for y - to win ... no, not only that. I'm also going to fight my hardest to come back to you, April." His smile was bleak and for the first time he was having second thoughts. No, there was no need for that. He was going to win. He was the best person out there. He was going to return.

But then, Shard was forced to look back at Xander. When it was his shining moment, it would only look bad if he was clinging to some girl though... the idea didn't sound so bad... No. He had to stop it. He had been trained all his life not to succumb to emotion. He called out the name of a small boy. Shard only mamnaged to shoot his opposer one glance before his body took over and he saw himself speaking as if he wasn't even the one talking. "I volunteer as tribute." Shard's voice was lower than he expected, gruff. He smirked, seeing the reaction of Xander. He needed to stir the emotions and heart of the Capitol, this was a start. Shard watched as the crowd parted around him. Before he knew it he was walking to the stage, and April's hand slipped out of his hand. This wasn't going to be the last time he ever saw her. He had to be sure of that. Shard saw the teen Snow's eyes on him and he matched the gaze. His face was stoic, and Shard smirked at him too. "Shard. Shard Waite, sir." He looked over at the crowd, unsure of what to do. Was he supposed to wave? He had seen this a million times before, why was he forgetting now.

Then, realization hit him... he wasn't sure what act he was going to play. You'd think he would have thought about it more... Instead, he shook Xanders' hand, as it was held out to him. Xander smiled, and he smiled back. It was his cocky, normal smile. Maybe... maybe... would he even be himself? That would be too risky. He looked over at Faeryn, his new mentor. What did she do? Shard knew he was entirely overthinking this too much. For, now, he would just play it cool and smart. None of the overexcited nonsense. He just had to talk more. Before taking his seat, his eyes found the familiar blond and he smiled at her. These were his Games. He would remember this moment forever.

"What's your name, dear?" Xander asked. The crowd probably thought she was some sort of brat who only wanted attention but in really she didn't care. It was their problem they were going to have to put up with her when she won. even if the Capitol hated her, she would still win. Now back to xander's question.

"Christiana. Christiana Julson." she said proudly. She had practiced all of this 'I volenteer as tribute' rutine for yesar. She was pretty sure she was going to own the crowd. Yep. That was the name everyone was going to remember. Not Shard Waite. Christiana Julson. Now Xander was gojung to have to chose the boys. She knew shard was going to volenteer. He was no match for Christiana though. Shard volenteer but didn't seem too enthused as all the other tributes in the past. What was with him? In return, Christiana gave hima cold stare. Shouldn't he be happy about all of this. This was wha she thought every person wanted! Everyone who thought otherwise was mental.

"Two volunteers in one day? This is MAGNIFICENT! Oh, come up here!" Xander said over joyed. Christiana rolled her eyes. What did he expect? This was District 1 they were talking about.

Christiana just wanted to hurry up and get on with everything else. Ok, Shard volenteered. Great. But when was the real fun going to begin. She wasnted to see what the actual training center was going to look like. Meet her mentor! The interview would also be fun. She could finally show off how much charisma and excitment she had. she was just going to leave Shard in the dust. Thenthe actual Games slipped into her mind. She wanted to meet her other fellow careers. She only wanted to meet them to find out their weaknesses and later figure out how to kill them. She had everything worked out. Christiana Julson! she thought Winner of the sixteenth Hunger Games! That was a good title for her. It sounded better then 'Shard Waite. Winnner of the sixteenth Hinher Games.

Then she realized how much of the attention Shard was taking. She had a strong urge just to punch him in in the face but she restrained herself. She would have pleantly of time to do that in the arena. Even though a lot of the tributes from the same district stuck togeth, Christiana had a feeling that Shard was going to be the person she wanted to kill the most. Maybe she could become friends with him and get him to trust her. Then she was just kill him in his sleep. Who's the smart one now? she thought to herself as she smirked at Shard. This Hunger Games was going to be very interesting.

((Looks like this reaping is over, then! Tributes, feel free to put up your own thread at your leisure. They get five minutes to talk to whoever would come in, a family member or more likely to RP, friend. Per RP post you get a few points, so keep that in mind!))