"I love it!" Nessa squealed as her stylist added a few finishing touches to her new hairstyle. Gazing adoringly at herself in the over sized vanity mirror, Nessa studied the detail atop her head. The first thing she noticed was the colour, 'Neon Plum' wasn't exactly something you could miss.
"The brighter the better" was her usual motto and according to the streets of The Capitol outside the salon window, most people seemed to agree with her.
She flirted with herself coyly from beneath a sweeping fringe which covered one eye before turning her head slightly. For a moment she forgot about her hair and admired her face from this angle. She was extremely beautiful with an elegant jawline, defined cheekbones and flawless make-up, which as expected was overly dramatic and flamboyant. An almost white foundation gave her a gentle glow and provided the base for a baby blue colour to dress her plump lips, her eyes shimmered with eye shadow that blended outwards from white, through to a light blue, followed by a deeper blue and finished off with a purple, which almost matched her new hair colour. Her over sized false lashes fluttered violently as she blinked, the tips of each lash was decorated with tiny stars which also changed from blue to purple as they caught the light. Her hair now covered her ears as it flowed gracefully to her neck, the rest was pulled back tightly into a large bun, twisted around many times before being pinned with gem covered accessories From the center of the bun, four slender braids weaved their way down Nessa's back, black streaks intertwined with the purple as the extensions grew to a point where the tips were decorated with blue and black feathers, probably from some endangered bird of paradise.
"Just wait until the girls get a look at me! They're going to turn 'gween with envy'" She giggled, mimicking an old quote she'd seen in a theatre show long ago. "Don't you worry, Sephie darling, once I step out of here, there'll be queues for miles, everybody wanting you to work your magic on them!" She spoke to the equally colourful man standing behind her but not once did she take her eyes off herself in the mirror. Twisting and turning her head to try and see every angle, then she paused and took a more serious tone. "But don't you forget Sephora, I'm your first priority!" She reminded him sternly, he just smiled and nodded, he too was impressed by his most recent work of art. "Well then, I best be off." Nessa rose from the salon chair and spun to face Sephora. Her royal blue, satin dress struggled to fit between the chair and the vanity table as she moved. The dress was very pretty and yet oozed with power as the colour matched the gentle regal theme it carried. Low cut and off the shoulder it revealed her neck, shoulders and just about covered her bosom. The top half of the dress was corseted and the ribbed frame caressed her waistline. The back of the dress plunged deep, stopping just before her back curved into her perky bottom. The exposure of her back meant that the four braids could tickle her skin as she moved her head and she liked the soft sensation it sent up her spine. The dress itself stopped just above the knee, but a translucent lighter material fell from her waist down to the floor. The same material acted as a soft tutu beneath the dress and created the pouffy look which was limiting her movement in tight areas, but as her mother always said,
"Fashion before Comfort."
Nessa had grown up in The Capitol and so it seemed that 'fashion' came before everything. The people of The Capitol weren't all bad people, in fact, most of them were just regular citizens, with normal lives, a home, a pet, a partner, a child or two, some of them even had a job. Although compared to the outer Districts, their jobs were less labour and more leisure. Nessa had worked as a model for several years, which didn't deflect from her obsession with fashion, but after her parents died, her inheritance allowed her to be a lady of complete leisure. Nowadays, Nessa would spend her time going shopping for another new outfit, getting her hair done before going for cocktails with her girl friends, taking a trip to some other luxurious part of the city or sitting at home watching awful daytime television whilst relaxing in her heated pool. The most demanding things she ever had to do these days was pay taxes and look after her pet, Twitter. Twitter was a Mockingjay, he was the first thing she'd bought with her inheritance to keep her company in the otherwise empty house. She enjoyed having him around and listening to the songs he'd imitate from the radio and due to his ability to mimic the human voice he'd have hours of conversation with Nessa. This ability had also gotten her into trouble a few times; she had friends over one night to host a screening of The Hunger Games and as she scurried into the kitchen to refill everybody's glasses, Twitter had repeated something she'd said in a bitchy tone about one of the present guests, fortunately everybody found it hilarious but Nessa still doesn't seem to get her invites to Ashe's Christmas parties even though he tells her he mailed it weeks in advance.
"Things to do, people to see. You know how it is!" Nessa said as she put her purse back into her handbag, which wasn't much bigger than the purse itself. After a rather energetic and exaggerated farewell, she brushed herself down, gave one last look to the mirror and stepped out into the street.
The Capitol's busiest retail sector was known to the locals as "The Hub" and the high street held everything you would ever need. Towers of stores, salons, restaurants, spas, cinemas, bars, exhibition centers and more lined the streets which were bustling with incredibly theatrical looking people. People scouting for the next best deal, meeting friends for a bite to eat, leisurely 'rushing' to a business meeting, all of them in their own little personal bubble creating a massive explosion of vivid colours.
Nessa made her way down towards the bar where she had planned to meet her friends. Squeezing her dress through crowds of people wasn't an easy task, yet she still managed to keep her elegance around her and with the rather Royal outfit and new hair, she gained a great sense of confidence which had some people moving out of the way for her. She noticed that she was catching people's eyes and as heads were turning she grinned to herself, loving the attention. Every time she caught her own reflection in a store window she had a quick glance to make sure she still looked perfect...and she did. She continued to strut down the street as though she was back on the catwalk from her modelling days, she imagined a huge billboard poster plastered across the buildings with her face on it, advertising her own fashion range. As she pretended to ignore the people staring at her she was filled with the smitten taste of Fame.
"Ness!" Her group of friends screeched her name as she entered the bar, increasing her ego even more. Everyone had made it and everyone had dressed to try and impress. Her best friend, Ternity, was the first to hug her. They'd been friends since the first day of ballet class, aged six, and had auditioned at the model agency together, Nessa always took a little bit of pleasure knowing that she got the job over Ternity.
"You look FABULOUS!" She squawked as she looked Nessa up and down.
"LOVING the new locks!" Said the twins, Syn and Didy, in unison. Nessa hated the way these girls dressed the same, spoke at the same time, did everything the same, she was pretty sure they even shared the same boyfriends. Even so, they were still her friends and threw some great parties. That's how they'd met, Nessa had been dragged along to one of their parties by Ternity when they were nineteen and they've been around ever since. As she smiled past Didy and Syn she spotted Ashe and the two shared a polite nod and fake smile. Ashe was a friend from the modelling days, "he's not as slim as he was back then" was the comment Twitter had blabbed in front of him and caused this silent feud. Obviously, as a model, he was quite a handsome guy, but after a fad diet went wrong, he couldn't stop himself binge eating and soon, fit became fat.
"Here, I got you a drink!" Nessa turned to a glamorous dark skinned woman who had draped herself over one of the sofas, sipping a mojito through a straw whilst holding another fruity drink in her other hand which she was offering to Nessa. It was Skot. Nessa adored this woman. Skot was the daughter of a very wealthy tycoon, she had led the life of luxury for so long, it radiated from her. The tale of how Ness had met Skot was one of their favourite anecdotes. Nessa was out looking for a new outfit and as she came out of the dressing room to ask for her friends opinions, Skot stepped out of the next dresser in exactly the same outfit. As the unwritten rules state, you can't wear something that somebody else has and so they both dashed back into their dressing rooms and quickly changed. As they stepped out once more, in their own outfits, they shared a moment of laughter and developed a relationship. After their first shopping trip together they decided that they'd both buy the outfit they'd met in as a token of their new friendship... as long as whenever they wore it, they wore it at the same time.
"It's about time somebody offered me a drink!" Nessa smiled as she tossed her braids over her shoulder and perched on the edge of the sofa besides Skot as she pursed her lips around the straw and sipped, careful not to smudge her lipstick. "That is lush!" She sighed as the strawberry flavoured alcohol cooled her throat. "It's so warm out today." She said fanning herself as if explaining what heat was to her friends. "I almost broke a sweat!"
"I wondered what that smell was." Ashe piped up in a playful tone but Nessa senses the bite behind it. Ternity scowled at him and threw a scatter cushion in his direction.
"Don't worry Ness, you look stunning!" She said turning her attention back to her friend with a smile. "But you're right, that sun is just not giving up! You know, I heard that if this weather doesn't give up soon, we'll have a drought so bad that Districts Nine and Eleven won't be able to harvest any crops because the land will be too dry to grow anything."
"I heard that the lakes over in District Four have been gradually disappearing because they've had no rain either." Syn and Didy yelped and pulled identical worried faces. The group jumped into a discussion about how the weather could potentially disrupt their lifestyles due to the effects it's having on the other Districts. The agriculture grain and fishing Districts would all leave the Capitol without food, a subject that Ashe was greatly interested in. Moments later, a tray was placed on the table.
"Nice to see you, Ms. Elpis!" A ridiculously attractive man had placed the tray of cocktails onto the table and set his eyes upon Nessa. "It's been a while." Nessa blushed and choked for words as she was bewitched by the male's beauty.
"You remember Dunamis, right, Nessa?" Ternity teased, knowing that Nessa had been in love with the olive skinned boy since they met him at a catwalk after party. They'd spent the whole night chatting and laughing on the balcony which overlooked the sea as the moonlight shone down on them. It was like something from a romantic novel. Dunamis has kept in touch afterwards and they met now and then for lunches, drinks and even the occasional party. There was a strong and obvious romance between them both but neither of them would ever make the first move even though there had been plenty of opportunities. Instead they just continued to flirt endlessly.
"How are you, Dun?" She stuttered as she tried to regain her senses.
"Not bad, yourself?" Dunamis replied as he brushed his ebony coloured hair out of his face. Nessa took interest in every detail of his movement, the way he looked at her with his stunning golden eyes, the way the shadows caught his tanned cheeks, the motion his fine, white shirt made as his chest rose and fell with each breath, how the sleeves hugged his biceps tightly, the way the material of his black trousers gripped to his strong, muscular thighs as he sat beside her, the way she watched his tender lips say her name...
"Nessa?" Suddenly she broke out of her daze.
"Sorry, what?!" She said as she blinked herself back into the room.
"I said you're spilling your drink..." He smirked as he watched her as she realised she'd tipped her glass and the strawberries were rolling onto the tiled floor. Quickly she righted herself and put her now empty glass down on the table whilst sneakily kicking the wet fruit under the sofa. The others laughed as Nessa blushed through her pale make-up, the colour of her cheeks clashing awfully with her hair. The group bounced straight back into general chit chat and Nessa found herself drifting in and out of the conversation. One minute she was telling the girls where she got her dress from and how long it'd taken Sephora to do her hair and the next moment she was staring silently at Dun as he laughed and joked through the conversation. He was perfection, not only visually, he knew exactly how to make Nessa laugh or when she needed a hug and even when he needed to keep his distance. After a party, he'd come over and bring her breakfast in bed and he checked on her everyday for a month after her parents died. All that aside, one of the main reasons she was so completely intoxicated by him was his fashion. He wasn't the usual Capitol Couture type, which Nessa thought strange, almost blasphemous. He always seemed so under dressed compared to the bright, exotic styles around him but even now in his plain, white shirt and plain, black trousers, she couldn't take her eyes off him.
The first time they met, the after party was themed as a masquerade ball. Others had come in elegant but hugely over dramatic outfits, with masks that were decorated with so many sequins, feathers and other dangling objects it was almost impossible to turn your head without poking somebody's eyes out. Nessa had gone for a more classical look with a dazzling white ball gown and an antlered mask, it was encrusted with diamonds and sparkled hypnotically beneath the chandelier. Dunamis, however came dressed all in black, a smart shirt which outlined his masculine body perfectly, he wore it unbuttoned, down to his chest to reveal just enough to tease anybody who saw him. His trousers, much like the ones he wore today we just plain and simple yet fit him so perfectly it sent Nessa weak at the knees. Why did this boy hold so much power over her?
As the evening drew on and the sun disappeared behind the horizon, the group had made their way into the street once more. At nightfall, The Capitol comes alive with a whole new blend of people, outfits even more distinctive than before roam around looking for a night club or wealthy party to go to. Holograms run along the center of the walkway and act as tourist information posts. Every now and then a dispenser will be offering shot glasses full of a strange liquid which the citizens will drink to make themselves vomit, just so they can continue to eat more and more through the night.
"Didn't you ever try that, Ashe?" Syn made as a joking dig at her friend. By this time, the cocktails had been flowing freely and they were all getting a little more than merry. Ternity was holding Didy's hand and skipping along happily as she sang a song that was stuck in her head. Ashe had flicked Syn between the eyes and the pair had ended up chasing each other into the crowd of people around them. Skot walked alongside Nessa, their arms linked as they moved together and with his hands in his pockets, Dun walked along on the other side of Ness, her arm through his.
"Where are we going now?" Skot asked as she looked around at all the packed bars and clubs.
"I don't know about you, but I could definitely do with a bite to eat..." Dunamis suggested, giving a sideways glance to Nessa who was focusing on how to make her braids tickle her back as she walked.
"We can head back to mine for food, if we want?" Ness asked, not wanting to end her time with Dun just yet. He smiled and nodded, they turned to Skot who grinned and yelled out to the others.
"Guys, we're heading to Nessa's house... get ready to party people!" Didy and Ternity cheered as they now walked lazily up ahead. Syn and Ashe hadn't heard but were so busy chasing each other in circles that they could just be herded along the route to Nessa's.
It wasn't far from The Hub to her home, after all she wanted a place close to the clothing stores. They could easily hop into a cab, but Nessa was enjoying her walk, linked in so close to Dun and she loved the buzz of The Capitol at night and so they continued on foot. Soon enough they were strolling through the park which separated Nessa's home from the high street and the stars glimmered through the tree tops. If it wasn't for the extra company of Skot, this would be one of those opportunities where neither Ness nor Dun would but could make a move. As she walked along dreamily, she played a scene over and over in her head. It'd be so romantic for Dun to stop, turn and kiss Nessa, pulling her body close to his, being careful he didn't mess up her hair or crease her dress of course.
And that's where it all began...
A loud crackling sound buzzed through the park, a little white noise and then the sky lit up. Across the sky was the image of a man. He stayed silent for a second as Nessa, her friends and everyone around them looked up to the vision, confused. Whenever this had happened before, it was usually President Snow making an announcement and the Final Day of The Hunger Games was always broadcast this way, but as she squinted at the bright image, she didn't recognise this man at all, who was he? A moment later and the visage began to grin, which developed into a snigger until it evolved into a menacing cackle. The image flickered a little and the crackling interference rang through the air before everything settled down again and the mysterious man stopped laughing. He paused for a second, looked directly into the camera and began to speak.
"Welcome..." He said, his voice deep and powerful. "For far too long, The Capitol has flourished and grown as you all roll in your riches. Living your sickly sweet lives whilst we in the Districts suffer and work from cradle to grave to satisfy you, your city and Snow." The mention of a man from the Districts being so openly aggressive towards the President of Panem on a live broadcast, sent mutters and whispers throughout the city. "We've watched in tears every year as our friends and children are sent to slaughter in what you call 'entertainment'... what you call 'The Hunger Games'!" A shiver shot down Nessa's spine and she pressed herself tightly against Dunamis. "Oh my, how rude of me!" The stranger mocked a Capitol accent. "Allow me to introduce myself... I am Axel Kakon! I come from District Three. Formalities over." He switched back to his native accent. All eyes in the city were aimed skywards right now, people would have stopped their nightly parties, put down their champagne and gone outside to witness the disturbance in the sky. "Well, my friends..." He snuffed. "It's about time you began to work for your food." Confusion ran through the minds of everyone around, especially those who had never had to work a day in their lives. Skot glared into the nights sky, she may have had a silver spoon her whole life, but she was strong and she didn't let fear show through. "We have taken the Games Station by force and from here we have the ability to do all sorts of pretty little things in the arena... you've watched The Games, you know exactly what we're capable of from here... we could program the scenery, cause a fire, plant a bomb or create a number of Muttations." What was happening? Nessa's mind filled with a messy web of confusion she was frantically trying to untangle. "So what? I hear you say... well... here's the fun part..." The tone in his voice took a rather sadistic twist and the entire population of The Capitol fell silent as they listened intensely to Axel's every word. "We've hacked into The Capitol's network... whatever we can do inside the arena... we can now do in your glorious city." Fear engulfed the inhabitants like a tidal wave and pandemonium began. People screamed and ran to their homes. Others gathered their children and prayed to the God's to spare them. Nessa was overwhelmed with emotion and stood silently as a single tear rolled down her cheek. They watched as brightly coloured, panic driven mayhem whirled around them. Axel had gone silent with a flicker of evil in his eyes, he was enjoying the chaos he knew was erupting around the city.
"Welcome... to The Hunger Games!" His malicious laughter echoed around the city once more before he mocked a Capitol accent once more.
"May the odds be ever in your favour!" He snarled before the recording switched off.