Stay with me, always.

Chapter 13. The Reaping

"I think that's enough," I say, pushing away the hand of my makeup artist. Today's the Reaping, and I need to look my best. "Of course sir," he says, dropping the brush, and giving me a polite smile. This morning every member of my family has been getting prepped for our public appearance for today's Reaping. It's a rather boring event if you ask me. It's not that I'm afraid of a little touch-up, but Atley, my makeup artist, was going a little heavy on the blush. The Reaping takes place across all of Panem at different intervals, so the citizens of the Capitol don't miss a thing. Not that there's much to miss. There's always the rare Tribute fainting, or their mother screaming: 'NOT MY BABY!' but other than that, it's a rather slow event. It takes course over the entire day, but food and alcohol are always provided, and we get to miss school. I don't know why the children in the Districts cry and fight, they should be grateful. Before tossing them into the arena, we make them beautiful. To the best of our abilities of course. We feed them, clothe them, and house them in the state-of-the-art Tribute Center. We even allow them to train with professional trainers for three days. We truly are the most considerate people.

 Once I'm done with my makeup, I allow the Avoxes to put on my red suit jacket before stepping into my shoes. We might prefer white roses, but my family always wears red when watching the Reaping. I can imagine Soarynn's just about finished with her hair and makeup, so I leave my room in search of her. Surely enough, she's sitting in a makeup chair, chatting away with her Prep Team. How these women can simultaneously do her hair, makeup, and nails at the same time truly baffles me. They've got this down to a science. "Oh, Coriolanus!" Imogen says looking up from her work, all their eyes fly to me, taking me in, making sure I look up to their standards. Olympia gives a silent nod of approval, which is all you can really get when it comes to her. "You look very handsome Coryo, " Soarynn says, looking up as Lavender applies a coat of mascara to her bottom lashes. "Why thank you," I say, brushing my hand through my curls, that idiot hair stylist put in too much gel, making it crunchy instead of soft. "I wonder if there'll be any standouts," Jadis says as she adds another bobby pin to Soarynn's ornate hairdo. "One and Two always show great promise," Lavender says as she paints Soarynn's nails red, they all nod their heads in agreement. 

One, Two, and sometimes Three, almost always win the Games. We call their Tributes "Careers". Even though we do our best to remove ourselves from the Districts entirely, we've almost always provided a training program for their children. So it's not uncommon for people to place their bets on those Tributes, but still, once in a blue moon, a Tribute from one of the lower Districts wins the Games. "I wonder if anyone will volunteer," Imogen says, rarely does anyone volunteer. Unless you're a Career. Those kids are thirsty for blood by the time they hit sixteen, and it's a mini Hunger Games just for them to volunteer. What idiots. Still, they see it as a thing of honor, and we'll let them think that.

By the time we arrived at the Viewing Plaza, I desperately needed a drink. The Plaza is where people–sponsors–can watch the Games from every angle on the big screens. Showing action from all over the arena at once instead of having to cut from Tribute to Tribute if you're watching at home. Almost everyone is drunk already. People make way for our procession as we walk into our booth. The booth houses any food you can imagine, endless drinks, several screens to watch the Reaping and a small arena below where performers keep the young children entertained. I remember the first time we brought Soarynn to the Plaza, when it wasn't hosting the sponsors, sporting events and performances were also held in the arena below. The circus was performing and I can still see Soarynn's eyes lighting up in excitement. That seems like forever ago. She looks perfect today in her red dress, as she stands next to my Mother who was already helping herself to several cocktails. Father is sitting at one of the tables, conversing with his fellow Game Makers and sponsors alike. Next to me is Eudora who's sporting a bright red wig to go along with her dress, heels, and of course, her eyelashes. "Love your hair Eudora," I say, turning to face her, "Why thank you Coriolanus, I had it done especially for today," she says, patting it as if it could fall off at any moment. It probably could. "How thoughtful," I said, reaching up to touch my own hair. After the Reaping, I'm firing my hair stylist.