The 544th Annual Hunger Games

[2] DISTRICT 2 REAPINGS

Daniel Stone's POV

I lounged comfortably back in the armchair in my living room. After 'accidentally' breaking my step-father's nose, I had been kicked out of the house and forced to find my own place. After much searching, I'd found a small, neat house near the edge of the District, where an elderly man that no one really payed any attention to lived. It was almost child's play to kill him, which I had done eagerly. His house was small and clean, with a warm feel to it. Perfect for a temporary home, and far better than the draughty place where my mother and her new husband were living.

With a contented sigh, I lifted my booted feet onto the coffee table in front of me and nestled deeper into the comfortable chair. It must've been expensive, but that was in my favour. Now that the man was dead, this place and everything in it belonged to me. I glanced at the water clock on the wall and realised that it was almost 1:30. Time to start getting ready for the reapings.

Today was the big day; I'd been selected to volunteer for my District and represent the males of District 2. The female tribute that had also been selected to volunteer, Kat McCarthy, was a fierce opponent and an adversary worthy of my time. She would be fun to kill, because I had no doubt that I could kill her. She'd just make the fight interesting, and extend it far past the average two seconds it took for me to kill most other opponents.

I quickly slipped into an old-fashioned black tuxedo, one that had probably been worn by the old man in his youth. I put on some fancy shoes and combed my hair neatly. Soon after, I was ready to go on live television. This year's Hunger Game's would be the greatest for centuries to come.

Ten minutes later, I was standing in the square with the rest of the 18 year old males. They gave me a noticeably wide berth, and I smirked cruelly. If anyone came to close, the dagger that I held close to my side would come in handy. Our District escort, Dottie, skipped happily onto the stage. The Capitol people, they were all the same to me. I'd be polite, just as long as it benefited me.

This year, Dottie's lime green skin had bright pink dots dyed into it, and a bright purple dress that flew out in a cone shape, and was covered in yellow dots. Her blue hair had orange and red drops spotted throughout it, and was hanging halfway down her back in beach waves. Her gold high heels were festooned with silver dots, and she wore boring black stockings. She looked absolutely ridiculous.

"Welcome District 2! I'm your escort, Dottie! I hope you're all enjoying Reaping Day so far," Dottie announced cheerfully, and there was a resounding roar of agreement from the crowd. Here in District 2, everyone was far more excited about the Games than in most other Districts; we actually enjoyed it. When the cheering died down, Dottie began to speak again. "I'm in the mood to mix things up, so I'll pick the male tribute first."

I shifted from one foot to another in anticipation, knowing that my time to shine was about to come. I quickly hid my dagger in the concealed sheath inside my jacket, and looked up just as Dottie pulled a slip of paper from the giant glass bowl. She seemed to take a lifetime to make it back to the centre of the stage.

"Our male tribute is Wilfred-"

"I volunteer!" I announced calmly, cutting off Dottie. She looked up expectantly, wondering which male would be representing District 2 this year. I strode confidently towards the stage, smirking arrogantly at any who dared to stare at me for too long. Dottie greeted me with a firm handshake, and I stood behind her while she quickly went and picked a girl. Kat's strong voice echoed around the square, and she was gliding up the centre path towards the stage before she'd finished her sentence.

Kat was wearing a stunning baby blue dress that fell to slightly above her knees. It was tight around the chest, before thin layers of silk fell from the bust. Her hair was in a simple braid, and she had black high heels on her feet. She looked stunning, and I wasn't the only one who had noticed. Heaps of guys wolf-whistled and called out to her as she made her way to the stage, and I was probably one of the few people that noticed the small smirk that was tugging at her lip. She was just as excited for the Games as I was, and she enjoyed being in the spotlight.

"District 2, please give a warm round of applause for your champions this year!" Dottie shrieked, before leading the way into the justice building. The loud applause of the crowd followed us inside, and I allowed a huge grin to slip onto my face. The first day of the best years in my life had just begun, and I was looking forward to the rest of it.