Chariot Rides

The crowd roars with excitement as the time draws nearer. The lights above the square flash different colors and music blares from the huge speakers on all sides of the bleachers. A voice comes on over the music.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you, the tributes for the 85th Annual Hunger Games!"

The noise swells even louder as the doors open, letting the tribute chariots roll out. One girl, sitting in a special box watches the chariots with a different feeling in the pit of her stomach. Unlike her enthusiastic sister, dread and sadness are what is swelling in her stomach, unlike the butterflies of excitement she thought she would feel.

"District 1, Ruby Goldcoin and Tancredi Long!"

The two tributes stand tall and proud on the gold chariot. They both wear a coat of armor made of gold and silver. The armor gleams in the light and is so polished, it reflects the crowd. The girl has a crown of gold nestled in her long, wavy hair that flows like water behind her regal figure. The boy has a crown of silver set on his straw-colored hair.

"District 2, Alexis Corvus and Jett Kowalski!"

The next two ride out. The girl is wearing a slightly revealing outfit resembling a roman warrior. The red and the gold of the outfit set off her dark hair and the outfit conveniently shows her toned legs, core, and arms. The boy was shirtless, showing off his spectacular muscles. He had on a red silk skirt with gold scales around the waist and gold shin-guards. They both wore brown sandals. They both wore identical looks of somewhere between indifference and murderous.

"District 3, Bella File, and Leo Terran!"

The District 3 tributes look scrawny compared to the first two districts. The girl is wearing a dress made of sheer, plastic material with brightly colored lights embedded into it. The dress switched between lighting up certain colors to making a rainbow of colors flash at the same time. The boy, slightly more formidable-looking than the girl, wore a white suit that seemed to radiate light.

"District 4, Coraline Marlow and Duck Snag!"

These tributes brought back the career power. The girl wore a shimmery lavender dress draped over one shoulder with a seashell pin in her blonde hair. In her hand, she held a crystalline wand with a sapphire at the top. The boy wore gold and blue tunic and had a gold crown adorned with gems on his head. In his hand, he held a trident and his eyes were focused ahead with steely determination.

"District 5, Abigail Relond, and Xander Ohms!"

The tributes stood closer together than the others, hinting an alliance. They both wore similar outfits. The girl wore a skin-tight black dress with diamonds glittering along the wide neckline. The sleeves loosened up and flared near her hands. She wore tall black boots with high heels. The boy wore a silky black shirt with diamond buttons, black pants, and black shoes. The most astonishing part of the outfit was the masks. They hid the tributes' eyes and wrapped around the top of their head in an elaborate design of swirls.

"District 6, Eden Eaglewing and Joseph Haskett."

The tributes stood about as far apart as the chariot would allow. The girl waved to the crowd with a smile and the boy looked ahead like he might want to murder the horses. The girl wore an outfit that seemed made of scraps of metal. Oddly shaped pieces of metal covered her mid area and left her legs and arms exposed. She wore a circular crown of metal that was smooth and shiny. The boy wore a very similar outfit, with scraps of metal connected by thick black strips of fabric. He too wore a crown of silver metal.

"District 7, Samantha Rossi and Tyler Johnson!"

The two tributes stood holding hands in the center of the chariot. The girl wore a long, full dress made entirely of budding flowers that broke off and flew behind her, leaving a trail of petals behind her. Her blonde hair was braided with vines and flowers and wrapped around her head, creating a crown. The boy was dressed like a woodsman. He wore a strap of leaves across his chest and wore leather pants tucked into brown boots. He had a crown of branches on his head and a scepter of branches in his free hand. They exchanged a glance and smiled ever so lightly at the crowd.

"District 8, Willow, and Henry Ross!"

These two tributes must have been brother and sister and both wore a similar outfit. The girl wore a short, loose dress of patchwork, combining colors and patterns. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she wore a patchwork headband. The boy wore a patchwork shirt and pants.

District 9, Yula Jade, and Braxton Miles!"

Both tributes looked slightly awkward and very nervous when the chariot pulled out. The girl wore a beige dress with a skirt lined with wheat. She had a woven shawl around her arms and a crown of wheat in her beautiful brown hair. The boy wore a crown of wheat and a beige suit with a train of wheat for a cape. He looked very awkward as the wind tugged at the cape, leaving wheat along with the flower petals on the ground.

"District 10, Kendall Owens and Buth Gallows!"

The two tributes were like the night and the day. The boy looked angrily forward. He was dressed like a shepherd boy with a loose cotton shirt, brown pants, and brown boots. He had a wide-brimmed hat on his head and he looked not too pleased about it. The girl tribute was young and waved to everyone with a huge smile, looking adorable in her white shepherdess dress with an embroidered belt. She wore dainty brown boots and held a curved staff in her hand. She had on a straw sun-hat with a pale pink ribbon on the brim.

"District 11, Brooke Marlow and Cullen Hardom!"

The two tributes were dressed as Dionysus and Persephone, ancient Greek deities. The girl's head was down, but her outfit was magnificent. She wore a thin, light, white dress with a low v-neck. She had beautiful golden jewelry adorning her neck, arms, and ears. A headband of flowers wrapped around her head and the trails of vines and flowers that reached down to her mid-back. The boy had a black toga with a purple sash draped over his chest. He had a grapevine crown and the vines wrapped around his shoulders, waist, and draped over his belt. He wore lace-up sandals.

"And finally, District 12, Thana Miser and Gilbert Evans."

The girl was dressed as a crow. She had on a black dress with feathers as a skirt. Her sleeves flared into feather-covered wings and she had a black crown of feathers with a single, glowing, red diamond embedded in the band on her forehead. She had a determined and angry look on her face and her brown hair flowed behind her, a wild mess of curls that complemented the chaotic blackness of her outfit. Her partner's outfit was much less exciting. He wore a simple coal miners outfit that had been brushed with coal dust. He wore a hard helmet and looked generally uncomfortable next to his dark and beautiful partner.

The chariots rode up past Tatiana. The president watched each of them closely and smiled coldly at each one. Her hair was done up tightly, accentuating her sharp, slanted features. She looked scary to the girl in the box. Sick to her stomach with conflicting emotions, the girl turned and fled from the box, followed by her bodyguard who struggled to keep up with her.

I know that it's been a while since I uploaded, but as I said when I started, this was for fun, and when I feel stressed out about writing, it doesn't go well. So, here is a long-awaited chapter! The first chapter of the pre-games festivities! I had so much fun writing this chapter and I hope that y'all enjoy it! See you soon!