Disgusting. That's how Shuangyue feels right now. Disgusting, with all these people pressing against her, so many other candidates squeezed into a tight line in the square. You'd have thought that District 2 could afford a bigger gathering place, but no, apparently not, and so Shuangyue has to stand here with so many other people, the smell of sweat ading her nostrils, until the Reaping is over.

She genuinely hopes that she'll be chosen, because District 2 has forbidden candidates to volunteer. It's really such a shame. When she was younger, Shuangyue's favorite part about Reaping Day was watching the other tributes snarl and fight their way to the stage, dying for a chance to bring glory to their family. Some of them actually died, though, and that was about when the District decided to flat-out ban it. What a pity.

Oh well, everyone knows that the Reaping is rigged, anyway.

Shuangyue smirks, tucking a stray piece of hair back behind her ear. Rigged perfectly in her favor, of course. The Reapings lean heavily towards trained candidates, those who have rich parents who could afford to specially train their child for the Hunger Games. It defeats the entire purpose of a random drawing and even spares some of the poor people the pain of losing a breadwinner, but hey, Shuangyue isn't complaining.

The mayor, an iron woman with an iron expression, steps onto stage, along with a former victor who's to mentor the tribute. Since this year's rules dictated that the tribute must be female, the mentor too will be female. And familiar, apparently, since Shuangyue grew up seeing her face around the house. That's Lee Chaerin, better known by her nickname CL. She won, like, ten years back, and Shuangyue's parents are two of her closest friends.

Huh, if CL's going to mentoring, then Shuangyue absolutely needs to be the tribute. She knows that CL would definitely try her best to help her win, and CL knows how Shuangyue's mind works. They would be an undefeatable team together, and the victory would be Shuangyue's for sure.

The very thought brings a smile to her face. Yes, CL would help her win, would manage her sponsorships and send her gifts, and then... she can just see it, the golden Cornucopia, all hers for the taking. Shuangyue has to bite down a giggle and remind herself that she might not even make it in. There are at least fifty other girls in the square with her. Damn District 2 for having such a high population.

The mayor begins reading the Decree, and Shuangyue zones out completely. She's heard it enough times to have it memorized. 'When Greater Asia fell, the Supreme Leader picked us back up. With his kind hand and effective strategies, he transformed Greater Asia from a divided nation to a thriving, united country. It's sufficient to say that, without the Supreme Leader, we would not be standing here today.'

When CL finally steps up to the Reaping Ball to pick the tribute's name, Shuangyue can't help but lean forward. CL reaches in, grabs a slip of paper, and reads it. Her eyes flicker up momentarily, but before Shuangyue can decipher the meaning behind the motion, she's at the microphone, calling out "Lin Shuangyue."

Shuangyue could scream, but she manages to hold herself together and step onto the stage. She shakes CL's hand, glad to find warmth in her eyes, and then the mayor's, and then, she's being whisked away to the Justice Building, where she gets a last few moments with her family before heading to the Capitol.

"I'm so proud of you!" her mother squeals, wrapping her in a huge hug. With a placating chuckle, her father joins in as well. "You know, we were so worried when the doctors said your arm would take so long to heal."

Shuangyue shrugs, throwing herself onto the couch. "Well, it did. You don't have to be ashamed of me anymore, Mom and Dad." She sits up, eyes blazing. "I'll definitely bring honor to our family."

Her father chuckles, slapping her back. "That's our girl!" He ruffles her hair too, even though she shrieks and ducks away. "All those years of training have finally paid off, huh?"

Shuangyue smiles, reaching up to fix her hair, and accidentally brushes her hand against her neck. "Yeah, it has," she replies, but the excitement is no longer present in her voice. Her parents must believe that she's worried for them and rush to assure her that they'll be fine and glued to the TV every day, rooting for her, sponsoring her. But Shuangyue wasn't worried, not really.

She fingers the jade pendant. Hey, I've come for you. I'll win this time. I'll win for both of us.

okay so i'll be remaking the 'tributes' page so that each time a teaser is released, the tributes will appear there too. also, a few things about the story: i used a random wheel for almost everything, including the death order. people need to die on the first day, so some kiddos won't get their love stories played out. i'll try to work smth out during training scenes, but i can't guarantee that everyone will get the love story.

also, for clarity's sake, i'm not really following the hunger games. there's no tessera, so everyone's chance of getting picked depends only on the population of their district. there are undertones of rebellion, but there's not going to be a full-out rebellion in this particular story, meaning there's no secret conspiracy plans behind the characters' actions or anything.

and thank you to njeuel and Suhyo07, who were willing to work with me to incorporate their tributes into the story!! i've finished writing all the teasers, so i hope to release one every day. i'll get on writing.... later? lol