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“I volunteer as Tribute.”
Etho had said it with much more confidence than what he felt he had in him, but the applause that erupted all around and the feeling of the cameras staring him down helped him to maintain his confident look. This was what he had trained for after all, he was gonna make District 2 proud.
Head held high, he made his way to the podium where the child that had originally been Reaped, some sixteen year old girl, had already been ushered away back to her family. Etho got up on the stage, right beside him, holding the microphone was their smiling Capitol Escort.
“How very brave, could you tell us your name?”
Katherine asked in her usual soft spoken voice, holding the microphone up to his face.
“I’m Etho, and I am honored to represent District 2 in this year's Games!”
It may have been silly, he was eighteen and fully grown but he tried to deepen his voice when saying it. To look stronger and to send a message to all his future adversaries in the arena: he was going to win, and they should fear him, he was the best of the best.
“I love your confidence, everyone one more applause for our very own District 2 Tribute for the 149th Life Games! Etho, may the odds be ever in your favour!”
Beaming, with the sunlight glaring in his eyes, Etho followed her into the Justice Hall, ready to say goodbye to his family and friends, to make all the promises of victory that he had been repeating all the years he’d spent training to become a top notch Tribute.
District 2 hadn’t had a Victor in almost ten years, so the pressure was high, but they had never gone more than ten years without winning in all of the Life Games, so Etho was more than confident. The same couldn’t be said for his Mentor, the last Victor.
Gem stared at him as he made his way through the corridors, not in a judgy or curious way, she almost looked like she pitied him. Etho knew that she couldn’t be too good of a Mentor, no kid had won under her guidance, but she had won the first Game he could remember way back when he was only 8 years old so she was his idol, this incredibly strong role model Etho had spent his whole admiring.
No matter how little she cared about Etho, for his victory and his success, just being in her presence was enough, and he was sure that soon enough he would win her over too, there wasn’t anyone he couldn’t befriend if he put his mind to it.