"I'm not going." I say to my mother and sister, as they wave the stupid handout in my face. I made sure to toss it in the rubbish bin as soon as I got home from school, but somehow Prim found it. "Katniss, you have to go! It's your years last one." Prim says. "No it's not, there's one next year. But I won't be going to that either."
"But Katniss, you've never been to one. People will start to think that you've got social problems." My mother says.
"I do have social problems, which is why I'm not going. I don't want to waste my time standing in some silly dress, drinking punch and listening to crap music while the popular kids make out with each other, and us rejects stand by ourselves awkwardly, waiting for the party to end." I start to walk towards the stairs but am stopped by my mothers scolding voice.
"Katniss Everdeen, you are going to that New Years party whether you like it or not. You're going to dress up, go out and have fun for once in your life." I look at her with a pleading expression, but she just shakes her head at me. "I am your mother, you have to do as I say."
"But-" I start.
"No buts! End of conversation." She says, and with a frustrated gyration, I stomp upstairs to my bedroom and shut the door behind me. I don't want to go to this party. Every New Years Eve, each school year has a party to celebrate the promise and excitement that the New Year will bring. It's held in the town hall; a tall, marble interior building that juts out slightly from the justice building. The first years have their party on Monday evening, second years on Tuesday etc. and because I'm in the sixth year, our party is held tonight, Saturday night. New Year's Eve. I really don't want to go. I don't talk to anyone in my year, except Madge. But because she's the mayor's daughter she tends to go to official dinners and events on days like NYE. So I'll be alone and bored. Everyone already thinks I'm weird so what's the point in giving them an excuse to poke fun at me? On that thought, Prim comes bounding into the room, beaming from ear to ear.
"Katniss, come on, let's go look in mom's closet for your dress!" She grabs my hand and tries to drag me along, but I don't budge.
"Prim, I really don't want to go. Can you please convince mom to let me stay home? She'll listen to you." The smile from her face drops, and she lets my arm go loose.
"But...you've never been to one before. And you'd look so beautiful all dressed up."
"But I don't like dressing up. You know that."
The look on her face is so disappointed and genuinely upset that it breaks my heart. She shrugs and tries for a smile. "I know. I just...I wanted to see you dressed up, like a princess." She looks at me with her big blue eyes and I groan in exasperation. "Alright! Fine! I'll go." Prim jumps up and down and wraps her arms around me. "Yay, thank you Katniss! I can't wait to get you dressed up." She pulls me with her out of the room and down the hallway, towards mom's room.
"Did you ask her if we could go through her drawers?" I say as Prim starts taking fabrics out of the closet.
"Of course. She's the one who wanted you to go in the first place."
I sit down on the bed and run my hand down a silky soft blue blouse. All my mother's clothes are blue, white and beige, and Prim strewing the fabric everywhere creates a sea of soft pastel. My mother doesn't have many extravagant clothes, as we can't afford much. Mostly simple shirts and skirts. I wasn't expecting Prim to find anything suitable (I'm happy going to the party in my hunting jacket and a pair of black trousers) but when she pulls out a long red dress, my breath catches. "Oh my god Prim, is that moms?" She grins back at me, holding the dress up. "Yep. I found it in there a few months ago." She points at the closet. The dress is blood red and floor length, with a V shaped neck. It's simple, but beautiful. And it stands out like a sore thumb compared to my mom's other clothes. "Try it on Katniss." She says. "Put it on and I'll go get mom."
"Ok." I say, and wait till Prim skips out of the room to undress and slip the thin material over my head. The fabric feels so light and weightless compared to cheap, knobbly dense stuff that makes up 90% of our usual wardrobe. This is the first time I realise there is a slit in the side of the skirt, running from my mid thigh down to the bottom of the dress. At first I wonder if it has been ripped, but at closer examination I see that it is intentional. The stitches are seamless over that particular area. I hear a gasp behind me and look up to see my mother and Prim standing in the doorway, looking at me with admiration. I turn to the dusty cracked mirror and can well enough make out what they are seeing. The dress seems to add slight curves to my body that are otherwise scarce. I look tall and elegant, not small and rugged as per usual. "I don't even look like me." I say, touching my hip. "Oh my god, why did you get all the good looking genes." Prim says, making me and my mother laugh. "No way Prim. We both know that's not true."
"Your both stunning. And Katniss, you look amazing." My mother says.
"Where did you get this dress mom?" I ask.
A slight smile crosses her face as she conjures up some memories. "It was a wedding gift to me from mayor Undersee. One of my most treasured gifts, might I add." Speaking of the mayor reminds me, "I have to go see Madge to find out if she's going or not." My mom points to my feet. "And while your over there, borrow some shoes. You can't wear those old pumps of yours."
"But I was going to wear my hunting boots." This makes them laugh.
"No way are you wearing your hunting boots. They're muddy and worn. You've got to wear some nice black or red shoes." Prim says. It's funny how my mother and sister love fashion and clothes, when it comes to special occasions like this, whilst I cannot stand the subject and would be happy wearing a burlap sack. It shows I'm my father's daughter.
After my mother and prim wave me off on my way, I trudge through the slushy snow in my hunting boots, over to Madge's house. When I get there, a perfectly made up girl in a pink glittering dress greets me. "Hey Madge, you look lovely." I say. "Thanks Katniss, you too. Are you going to the New Year's Eve party at the town hall?"
"I am actually. I was just stopping by to ask you if you were going." I say.
Madge gives me big smile and opens the door wide. "Yeah I am! For the first time in forever I don't have to go to one of dad's boring official dinners." She says, ushering me inside. After shutting the door, she turns to me and studies my face.
"What?" I say feeling slightly self-conscious. "Come upstairs, we'll put some make up on you. Not that you need it...it's just that it'll match you're dress more." I follow her upstairs to her bedroom where she covers my face in blusher, shimmer, eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow and lipstick. I've never worn make up before except lipstick once when I was younger, for my birthday. It feels odd, and heavy. But when I look at myself in the mirror I don't know how to feel. Unrecognisable isn't exactly true. I look different. More sharp and glamorous, and I guess more desirable. The final touch is a pair of small black suede open toed heels, which Madge literally throws at me when she sees the site of me in my hunting boots. I've never worn high heels before, but because the heel is only about two inches, I can just about walk in them. I take my boots with me just in case. There's an old carriage pulled by off duty mine workers that is taking students to the party for 20pence a person. Madge's father has a car, but as he's out at a dinner, we decide to take the carriage. After five or so minutes, Madge says "Someone told me that Wes Martin wanted to kiss me at midnight."
"Do you want to kiss him?"
She shrugs, "Maybe. I don't know." A minute or so passes. "What about you, will you kiss anyone at midnight?"
"No." I say shaking my head." Madge doesn't give up though. "No one you'd even consider?"
"No, I don't like anyone at school. Except you and Gale."
"I heard Peeta Mellark broke up with Anjelika Lawson." She says with a nudge. The name tugs on me, and I start for a moment, but I just sigh it off. "So? That doesn't affect me. You know what, I guess if someone wants to kiss me, which I highly doubt it; I will let them give me peck. On the cheek and that's-"
"No on the lips!" Madge interrupters. "Fine", I say, "a peck on the lips. That's all."
But I mean, I doubt that will ever happen, anyways.