The reapings were done. 24 tributes had been chosen. Before the tributes could say goodbye to their families, they were packed up and shipped off to the Capitol like packages. The tributes in District 7 were watching the replays of the reapings.
    "Seriously? We have to go up against them? Ooh, she's cute," Maxtess says with a smirk. Max Baker, 17, was the flirt of District 7. He has dark, sun browned skin and dark brown eyes. He's about five foot five, and was a decent weight for someone of his age.
    "Boy, I am about to knock you upside the head if you don't shush," Alaya grumbled. Alaya Cezar was a 14-year-old girl with an attitude. She was clever, and according to her family, she had a good chance of winning the Games. She had mid-length, wavy blonde hair, and deep marbled brown eyes. She had tan skin and a few freckles on her face. She looked almost as if she was 16 because of her tall, gangly appearance.
"Why do you even care? Do you..." Maxtess looked over at Alaya and raised an eyebrow, "like me?"
"Bruh." Alaya looked at him with utter disgust. "I'm 14, and you're... old. No one would want to date you."
"I'm going to take that as a no." Max looked up at the contestants on the TV. "Not going to lie, this is a pretty bad group of tributes. I mean, no careers?"
    "It could just be that you're a self-centered little jerk with the heart of a stone." Alaya rolled her eyes, eating the slice of bread in her hand.
    "My heart is not a stone. That makes no sense!" He adjusted his position in his chair.
    "You're joking, right?" She looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. He, with a look of complete innocence, stood up and went over to the table their mentor was sitting at.
    "I'm going to get some sleep," Maxtess sighed, half-yawning. Alaya shook her head and pulled her blonde hair into a ponytail.
    "I guess I'm going to get some sleep too." She stood up and walked over to her assigned room. The doorframe seemed to be made of a shining silver metal. Alaya walked inside to find a small sleeping arrangement - a bed and a wardrobe. She peered out the giant window at the front of her room and pondered her situation.
    "We are going thousands and thousands of miles away so we can be hand fed and dressed up nicely only to be thrown into a pig pen to die,"  she thought somberly. "What a pity."

~~~~~~~~~~

    Jay looked down at all the food on the table and frowned. He was reluctant to step away from the feast.
Jay Kenyon was a small, very skinny boy, but that's what you would expect from a 14-year-old who came from a poor family. He had brown hair, pale skin, and deep brown marbled eyes. He was also ready to eat as much as he could. Q'uira, the other tribute, on the other hand came from a well-fed family. They were not extremely rich, but also not poor, so she was a healthy girl - just the right height and the right weight for a 14-year-old. She had straight red hair that went down to her shoulders, her skin was pasty white, and her eyes were a deep brown. 
    "This all looks so good... Where do I start?" Jay wondered out loud as he hovered over the food.
    "Ha, you look like you have just seen a ghost," Q'uira said, pushing her hair behind her ear and smirking.
    "That's the thing - I think I did!" he laughed and looked at her.
    "This place seems very fancy for the fact we are all about to die," Q'uira gestured around the room to all the bling.
    "Yeah. I mean... they're taking our lives, they're kind of obliged to let us see something amazing before we are brutally murdered by something in the arena." Jay looked as if he knew his death was coming, and Q'uira glanced down at the ground, smile fading.
    "Yeah..." she replied, still looking at the ground.
    "Uh... I am-... uh.. Did I say something wrong?" Jay's smile faded as well and he looked at her, concerned.
    "No! It wasn't you, I just... Nevermind." She brushed off her negative mood and went back to her more energized self. Q'uira smiled at Jay again and started to blush, because he still seemed concerned. He finally lightened his expression and they both stared at each other deeply. Seconds later, Q'uira shook her head, breaking the silence. She looked to the feast and back at Jay, then started to laugh.
    "This food isn't going to eat itself." She gestured at all the food sitting on the table.
    "Ha, yeah. We should probably eat." He looked at the meal as well and sat down. Q'uira was still staring at him and smiling, this time blushing hard. "Are you going to sit or just stand there?" Jay questioned.
    "Right!" She pulled the chair out and sat down. They both started to eat and talk as the time passed by.

~~~~~~~~~~

    Reva sat quietly in the corner, fiddling with her flower crown made of orchids from district 11. She had short, wavy brown hair, dark skin, and dark brown eyes. Freckles dotted her entire face. For a 15-year-old, she looked 12 - her facial features made her seem younger. She looked up at the girl from her district who was looking through the files of the other tributes.  
    "My name is Reva Hodei. What's yours?" she asked in a shy, high-pitched voice.
    "Jean... Jean Scarlett. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some work to do," Jean snorted, not even looking at Reva. Jean was a tall, skinny girl with tan skin and dark brown hair. Her eyes were a bright blue and she possessed freckles all over her nose.
    "Uh, okay." Reva looked back down at her flower crown and started to fidget. Within a few seconds, it tired her, and she went back to attempting to make a friend. "So, the tributes don't look bad this year, if I do say so myself."
    "You can say whatever you want," Jean looked at Reva, "But not to me, cause then you will be the first one I shoot in the arena."
    "Your weapon is a bow and arrow?" Reva asked, looking curious.
    "Well, I use a bow and arrow, but I am also handy with a spear. Wait. Why am I talking to you?" Jean looked dubiously at the other tribute, acting as if she were a spy from another district.
    "I am just trying to make friends and you seem-"
    "Well, I'm not here to make friends. I am here to win so I can go back home and see my brother again. I am not here to be your friend, and I am not going to risk my life to save someone that is probably going to die! So no, I don't want to be your friend! Get over it." Jean stood up and walked away, grumpily slamming the door of her room shut.
    "Well, that went well..."  Reva looked back down at her flower crown again and started to fidget. "I try and try but never succeed, so why do I keep trying? Maybe I should stop before I get myself killed. Hm... nah. Why not keep going while I can?"

~~~~~~~~~~

    "I'm not trying to be all snobby or anything, but just imagine me... Winner of the 58th annual Hunger Games. I would be a legend," Paul said as he stared at the white wall, thinking about his fantasy. Paul was a small kid with tan skin, blue eyes, and blond hair. He looked much older than 14 - he was very muscular for a boy of his district. District 12 of the coal mines didn't have much to offer, but he sure was proud of where he came from regardless.
    "I can see it. It would be an honor to win, although I doubt I will, unless the last person in the arena kills themself. It would be wrong to hurt someone. I'm only 12, so I don't know why I would try to win if some 17-year-old planned to slaughter me," Maliery said, pushing her long blonde hair away from her pale face.
    "Such negativity! One would think you of all people would win, because you have so much left to do in your life. You have so much time," Paul responded, frowning at the young girl.
    "I mean, I guess. I just can't imagine... killing anyone," she said, whispering slightly.
    "When the time comes, you may do stuff you never imagined you could," Paul replied, forgetting Maliery was young and naive. When she started to cry and ran out of the room, he realized what he had said.
    "Maybe next time you should realize she is 12 and think again, son," his mentor suggested, patting Paul on the back. He nodded and then walked to his room. It was the same as the other ones. Plain. Boring. All he could really do in it was sit, think (which he preferred not to do), or sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

    Rian Mayfield sat on her bed, peering through the window. Her short, wavy, strawberry blonde hair had an almost red highlight from the blazing sun. She had pale skin, hazelnut eyes, and dark pink lips.
    "Home is gone, hope is gone, love is dead,"  she repeated continuously in her head as she stared at the trees and the grass and the sun outside her wall of glass.
    "My 16-year-old dreams - dead. My family - Abandoned. My life...? Lost." Rian felt the pain of the reaping take over. She was lost in sorrow, mourning for the life she'd once had and the one that'd been taken from her. She kept replaying it in her head over and over. Again and again.
    "They think it's painful just killing me? No... It's more painful keeping me alive!" she screamed at the camera in the corner of the room. "You can try to put hope into my head by training me. You can give me fancy food and nice clothes, but it does nothing but make it more painful. Whatever... Do as you please. It doesn't matter anyways. I'm already dead."

~~~~~~~~~~

    Ximena moved a strand of their ginger hair behind their ear while looking in the mirror.
    "I'm hideous. If anyone dies, it's sure to be me. I will make sure you are the one going home," they said, looking at their reflection. Ximena Katherine was tall, with short, wavy ginger hair and pale, freckled skin. They had rosy cheeks and dark red lips. For a 17-year-old, they looked like they were at least 20. They were extremely beautiful, with delicate feminine features.
Ximena looked at Haliey with a smirk. "Look at you, you're beautiful."
    "Stop saying you're not as gorgeous as me! You have features I will never have and that's that. Just chill and take a deep breath. Also, I am definitely not gonna let ya risk your life for me. If it comes down between you and me, I'm commiting suicide," Haliey said, grabbing Ximena's hand.
    "Thanks, but before you could think about killing yourself you'd be in the capitol doing who knows what for celebration," they remarked to the short brown-haired girl with a smile. With that, they leaned in and shared a short kiss before there was a knock on the door.
    "Who is it?" Haliey called.
    "Your wardrobe crew! Darling, may we come in?" a girl with a very high-pitched voice said.
    "I thought we'd get our wardrobe crew when we got to the capi-"
    "Oh no, my dear! As a reminder of the tributes from district 1 winning 3 years in a row, we are giving you early special treatment. You come from a long line of success, and we are not about to break that!" The girl barged in and cut off Ximena. The crew following her was strangely dressed - they looked very artificial.
    "Ooh, fun! Makeup and dresses!" Haliey exclaimed.
    "Oh. You're going to love this, and I... well, I'm gonna dread it, yeah?" Ximena rolled their eyes as Haliey nodded.
    "Yep!" she said excitedly to Ximena. After hours of prep - eyebrows being waxed, nails being shaped, legs being plucked of all the hair, the team decided to dress the two tributes for when they arrived. They pulled both kids' hair back, put them in their formal attire, pinched their toes into dress shoes, and applied every ounce of makeup they could. It took hours for them to be presented to the Capital's press.
    "You're ready!" one of the prep members cried to the tributes. Haliey looked stunning in an emerald dress with ruffles and a furry white coat paired with off-white heels. Her hair was in two braids pulled up into a bun with a pretty emerald flower pin stuck in the hairdo. Her makeup consisted of yellow, emerald, teal, white, and black elegantly covering her face. It looked as if she was glowing with all the sparkles.
    "Wow! You're beautiful, just like always," Ximena said, smiling in awe. They beamed at Haliey, hinting at a kiss. Haliey accepted and leaned in. The prep crew nodded and told Ximena to come over to the mirror to see their own reflection. When they looked into the mirror, they were surprised at what they saw. Ximena was dressed in a gorgeous purple dress with yellow flowers decorating the hem. Their hair was down and flowey, like normal, but a french braid twirled around the center of their wavy red hair. Their makeup consisted of purple and yellow lines around their eyes and lips. Some would say they look so beautiful they'd kill for a look like that, but Ximena, on the other hand, was not thrilled.
    "I look so... different," they said, glancing at the crew.
    "We know! Your beauty is astounding, and we wanted to bring out that lovely flare," the crew responded, looking at Ximena proudly.
"But it's not me," Ximena answered, looking at them with a dark expression.
"Y-yeah, well..." one of the crew members stuttered.
"I look... like a trainwreck."